Disney Addresses Bleach's Unavailability in Several Major Markets
If you like anime, then you know this week has been a wild one for fans. After a decade away, Bleach made its return to television, and Ichigo Kurosaki has never looked better. After all, the Soul Reaper is ready to explore his manga's final act at last, and Disney+ is bringing that adventure to fans globally. But after a slew of complaints, the service is addressing the show's absence in a few major regions.
The updates come live from Disney+ itself as the service's help desk was bombarded with Bleach questions in the past day. Fans online were quick to ask why the anime's new series was not available in Latin America or Europe. And as it turns out, well – things are a hot mess.
Over on Twitter, the Disney+ help page told one fan that Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War would not be joining its Latin American catalog. The tweet was eventually deleted as it gained traction with fans, and now Star+ has weighed in. The service, which is also a subsidiary of Disney+ outside of the United States, said it is "awaiting confirmation on [Bleach's] launch."
As for fans in Europe, Disney+ subscribers began posting conversations they had with customer support about Bleach's absence. One message thread suggests the European team does "not have any concrete information yet" on their end. The situation could have arisen due to licensing restrictions, but according to customer support, other users in Europe have contacted help hotlines about the situation.
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For now, it seems Latin America and Europe don't have access to Bleach at all. Earlier this month, Viz confirmed the IP was moving its license to Hulu stateside and Disney+ internationally ahead of Thousand-Year Blood War. The anime is being simulcast in the United States, but fans in other regions are still uncertain of how the anime will release in their market. And of course, some regions entirely are missing out on the anime's long-awaited comeback due to apparent licensing issues.
What do you make of this latest update on Bleach's comeback? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.