Bleach is an interesting and strange anime adaptation of the Japanese manga series of the same name by Tit Kubo. It's a rather complicated series, but basically it's about 15 year old Japanese high school student Ichigo Kurosaki and how he goes from being able to see/interact with ghosts to fighting evil spirits called Hollows and saving regular spirits from hollows and other bad guys/girls. The series truly begins when Ichigo has an unexpected visitor in the form of a petite female Soul Reaper (death god) named Rukia Kuchiki.
Though Rukia is surprised Ichigo can see and interact with her( he kicks her in her ass and sends her flying when she first shows up in his room) and accepts it and explains what a Soul Reaper is and what their job is. They have to cross over good souls to Soul Society (aka heaven, aka the other side), send evil soul to hell and fight/purify corrupted souls called Hollows using a sword called a Zanpakuto. After Hollows come to his house, attracted by his high spiritual energy(that?s lets him interact with spirit beings like Soul Reapers) Rukia tries to fight them but is injured protecting Ichigo after he tries to fight the hollow himself. She transfer her Soul Reaper powers into him to give him the ability to save himself, Rukia and Ichigo?s younger sisters from the hollows.
Despite the fact that it was suppose to be only part of Rukia?s powers and a temporary thing, Ichigo absorbs all her powers and has to be a Substitute Soul Reaper in her absence till her Gigai (an artificial body used by Soul Reapers to be seen by/interact with Humans) and do her duties. A lot of stuff happens during the first season, but by the end of it Ichigo gains his own unique Soul Reaper powers/ Zanpakuto and continues to fight hollows and cross over spirits among other things.
This series is a really great anime( in my opinion at least) for a lot of reasons including the following..
The characters.. Bleach has a large and diverse cast of characters, and each one is unique and interesting with very defining personalities that prevent them from becoming 2 dimensional and bland. Each character evolves over the course of the 366 episodes of the anime series and allows them to become very unique and almost guarantees that there will be at least one character(If not more) that you can identify with.
The animation.. Studio Pierrot has done a great job of animating the series even if the first series is slightly rough at times. The animation is fluid and the studio know how to bring Tite Kubo?s manga series to life well and the character designs are also well done and improve as the series went on.
The story arcs? The main story arc is really interesting and very involving and although it?s long it?s got really interesting arc that evolves over time. Both the filler and main arcs are good, and that?s not something you can always say for an anime.
The comedy? though it?s a mostly serious series, it does have a lot of comedy to break things up and lighten the tone. The comedy is sometime the predictable book joke but other times it?s a bit random a more original, and it?s better when it?s that type.
English voice actors/actresses.. I can?t comment on the Japanese voice acting version since I've never watched it, but the American dub is really good and they hired actress that really fit the characters.. They just fit so well it?s like the characters were hand made for the actors/actress voicing them.

Even though the anime is (in my opinion) one of the best anime around it does have it?s share of problems.. For one thing is Rukia is a often the damsel in distress early on in the series and doesn't really come into her own till alter. I know the first season she?s lost her powers and the 2nd and 3rd season required her to not use her powers cause of the arc but that?s not a excuse after she regains her powers. At firs he?s still need to be saved or helped, mostly my Ichigo, until later when she?s able to shine a bit more as a character.
Another is the breasts jokes are use a bit to much ( though not as much as in other anime like Haganai for example though). I know boobs jokes are kind of a corner stone of anime, but they?d aren't usually funny when their use d so often and make that female character that the joke is about seem like less of a character. Orihime is the worst offender of this. She has large breasts(that get larger as the series goes on somehow) and there area lot of jokes about her large breast from female and male characters alike (especial the character Kon who calls them the valley of goodness). Rangiku is another offender though not to as large of degree and often shows offer her chest as much as possible.. which is too much and ruin the character making her seem like bimbo instead of the powerful Lieutenant that she is.
One final compliant is that the Bount filler arc went on a bit too long.. It was interesting, but why did it need.. What was it, 2 seasons?

Even with the faults though, it?s still a good series worthy of checking out. I?d give it a
4/5 if I was grading it.
Though Rukia is surprised Ichigo can see and interact with her( he kicks her in her ass and sends her flying when she first shows up in his room) and accepts it and explains what a Soul Reaper is and what their job is. They have to cross over good souls to Soul Society (aka heaven, aka the other side), send evil soul to hell and fight/purify corrupted souls called Hollows using a sword called a Zanpakuto. After Hollows come to his house, attracted by his high spiritual energy(that?s lets him interact with spirit beings like Soul Reapers) Rukia tries to fight them but is injured protecting Ichigo after he tries to fight the hollow himself. She transfer her Soul Reaper powers into him to give him the ability to save himself, Rukia and Ichigo?s younger sisters from the hollows.
Despite the fact that it was suppose to be only part of Rukia?s powers and a temporary thing, Ichigo absorbs all her powers and has to be a Substitute Soul Reaper in her absence till her Gigai (an artificial body used by Soul Reapers to be seen by/interact with Humans) and do her duties. A lot of stuff happens during the first season, but by the end of it Ichigo gains his own unique Soul Reaper powers/ Zanpakuto and continues to fight hollows and cross over spirits among other things.
This series is a really great anime( in my opinion at least) for a lot of reasons including the following..
The characters.. Bleach has a large and diverse cast of characters, and each one is unique and interesting with very defining personalities that prevent them from becoming 2 dimensional and bland. Each character evolves over the course of the 366 episodes of the anime series and allows them to become very unique and almost guarantees that there will be at least one character(If not more) that you can identify with.
The animation.. Studio Pierrot has done a great job of animating the series even if the first series is slightly rough at times. The animation is fluid and the studio know how to bring Tite Kubo?s manga series to life well and the character designs are also well done and improve as the series went on.
The story arcs? The main story arc is really interesting and very involving and although it?s long it?s got really interesting arc that evolves over time. Both the filler and main arcs are good, and that?s not something you can always say for an anime.
The comedy? though it?s a mostly serious series, it does have a lot of comedy to break things up and lighten the tone. The comedy is sometime the predictable book joke but other times it?s a bit random a more original, and it?s better when it?s that type.
English voice actors/actresses.. I can?t comment on the Japanese voice acting version since I've never watched it, but the American dub is really good and they hired actress that really fit the characters.. They just fit so well it?s like the characters were hand made for the actors/actress voicing them.

Even though the anime is (in my opinion) one of the best anime around it does have it?s share of problems.. For one thing is Rukia is a often the damsel in distress early on in the series and doesn't really come into her own till alter. I know the first season she?s lost her powers and the 2nd and 3rd season required her to not use her powers cause of the arc but that?s not a excuse after she regains her powers. At firs he?s still need to be saved or helped, mostly my Ichigo, until later when she?s able to shine a bit more as a character.
Another is the breasts jokes are use a bit to much ( though not as much as in other anime like Haganai for example though). I know boobs jokes are kind of a corner stone of anime, but they?d aren't usually funny when their use d so often and make that female character that the joke is about seem like less of a character. Orihime is the worst offender of this. She has large breasts(that get larger as the series goes on somehow) and there area lot of jokes about her large breast from female and male characters alike (especial the character Kon who calls them the valley of goodness). Rangiku is another offender though not to as large of degree and often shows offer her chest as much as possible.. which is too much and ruin the character making her seem like bimbo instead of the powerful Lieutenant that she is.
One final compliant is that the Bount filler arc went on a bit too long.. It was interesting, but why did it need.. What was it, 2 seasons?

Even with the faults though, it?s still a good series worthy of checking out. I?d give it a
4/5 if I was grading it.