Worth Getting Back Into The Bleach Manga?

[Starbird]

Title.

I didn't much care for the series at first, but the Soul Society arc was decent and the Aizen/Arrancar arc was gold from start to finish.

Then things started to go loopy in the Fullbring arc (well, it started in the previous arc) and I wasn't really motivated to get back into it after finishing that.

The big problem for me was both zero character development and the tendency for the main character to constantly and suddenly pull new powers directly out of his ass, and then seemingly forget them or never use them again.

It really felt to me like the author was completely sick of the series and just didn't know how to end it.

So...have things been wrapped up yet? Is the current (Quincy, I believe) arc any good?

 

[dragoongfa]

Title.

I didn't much care for the series at first, but the Soul Society arc was decent and the Aizen/Arrancar arc was gold from start to finish.

Then things started to go loopy in the Fullbring arc (well, it started in the previous arc) and I wasn't really motivated to get back into it after finishing that.

The big problem for me was both zero character development and the tendency for the main character to constantly and suddenly pull new powers directly out of his ass, and then seemingly forget them or never use them again.

It really felt to me like the author was completely sick of the series and just didn't know how to end it.

So...have things been wrapped up yet? Is the current (Quincy, I believe) arc any good?

I am not invested in it but I am following it.

This arc is the last one and there are already plenty of dead characters, I am not speaking the Naruto kind of dead (although there are a few zombies) but dead dead characters.

The problem I see is that the last mega boss is set up to big ridiculously overpowered and by that alone the last fight is going to be either a cop out or a new power that will be sprung out of Ichigo's arse.

Still, if you want to see how a lot of peeps die give it a spin.

 

[Casual Shinji]

It really felt to me like the author was completely sick of the series and just didn't know how to end it.

That's kind of what happened. From what I heard the author just called it quits and the series is left to die a mediocre death. If it isn't already over and done.

So in answer to your question; no. You've gotten the best out of this series with the Soul Society arc. After Aizen got dealt with I thought maybe they were going to focus on Ichigo's sister and her power, which would've injected some fresh material maybe, but that obviously didn't happen.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Yeah the end of the Aizen arc and the first few issues of the next arc made me jump ship from Bleach ages ago. It was clear after the way Ichigo pulled random OP powers out of nowhere to beat the most overpowered villain ever created in one hit was a sign that the writing quality had divebombed. Seriously, he built Aizen to be so unkillable that no matter how he was defeated it would look like a total copout because there was no reasonable way to beat him.

He could have ended it with the Aizen arc, he really could. Massive villain defeated and everyone gets on with their lives with no loose plot threads hanging.

 

[Post Tenebrae Morte]

Eh, not really. At least naruto is ending in October. Bleach is just....there. Same old overpowered foe, but without the charisma of aizen.

 

[Starbird]

Thanks for the advice. Man...I need another good manga to get my teeth into. Current on One Piece and waiting for Naruto to end for me to read the final few volumes. Attack on Titan does *not* appeal.

 

[Mahorfeus]

I will offer the contrary opinion and say that I think it is actually pretty good at this point. Granted, you already seem to have preconceived notions about Ichigo's overpoweredness which, believe it or not, was already explained throughout the series. More so in this most recent arc, which does have some interesting insights into past events. As for whether it's a retcon or was planned along is questionable of course, but I thought it was executed fairly well. Ichigo is, and always has been, a freak of nature.

I can't really agree with the supposed lack of character development - "zero" as you put it. Ichigo had that in spades in the Fullbringer arc, and Kubo tends to do a decent job of balancing out his characters. That being said, there is more of it in this arc.

That being said, if the Arrancar arc couldn't keep your attention, then I doubt the Thousand Year Blood War will. Different strokes, I suppose.

 

[gigastar]

At this point im just around to see how it ends.

Im still get to see some of those moments that make me glad i kept reading though.

 

[DeltaEdge]

I wouldn't bother with Bleach anymore. It's pretty much been covered by others, but yeah, as someone who reads it habitually versus actually enjoying it, it's just gotten pretty bad. If you disliked it after the fullbring arc, then you'd probably be right to skip it because it probably isn't going to be any better than where you left off.

As for another good manga to read, I might suggest the Tokyo Ghoul manga [http://www.mangahere.co/manga/toukyou_kushu/], but with the caveat that it "ended" at the latest chapter (143), pretty abruptly, without even a prior week's notice. It is most likely going to get a sequel/continuation at some point in the future(the writer introduced like a solid 2-3 new plot points in the last chapter itself), but if you pick it up, be prepared for an abrupt stop out of nowhere.

And while there is an anime currently airing, I'd advise against watching that over the manga, because it basically tries to squeeze 70+ chapters into 12 episodes, and cuts out a lot of important details, flips around a few arcs in a way that makes things worse, and it seems like they may have lowered the protagonist's IQ in the anime as well.

 

[balladbird]

*I'm leaving spoilers pre-fullbring arc unmarked below, since previous posts have made it seem like discussion is for later arcs. please bear this in mind before continuing*



You'll find me more supportive of bleach than most, it seems. XD

I dropped the manga around the death of Coyote Starrk... or did Tousen die last? I can't remember... whoever of the two of them died last. Not for any quality assurance reasons, just because I'm a villains guy, and once the more developed espada and Tousen were gone, all I had left was villain-sue Aizen and Gin, who was okay, but just didn't jive with me.

I picked it back up halfway through the the fullbring arc because I heard about Tsukishima's powers and they seemed promising, so I finished the arc out, and have been reading the series with half-interest ever since.

The blood war arc's quality has been uneven, as has the pacing, but the manga is perfectly readable, and I'll never quite understand the hatred people have for it. differences of opinion, I guess.

It is true that there's a lot of wasted panel space and abrupt ends, but the same is true of Hajime no Ippo, and I love that manga to tears. Likewise, it feels like battles are assigned length arbitrarily, resulting in some strange examples of characters being hyped at one point and off-paneled the next (we never even learned Commissioner Gordon's real name!) but the fights have been interesting in their own right, and it was nice to see fan-favorites like Kenpachi get their asses kicked, if only to see the forums explode.

 

[Velventian]

For me the series is done. Bleach has always been going in circles story wise and recycled charters like the eco-friendliest person on the planet but they actually managed to overdo it.
The entire quincy ark is just retcon after plot device after bullshit explanation.
Bleach usually made up with cool new ideas and interesting fights/zanpakutos but while previously you had a good event/scene every 4-5 mangas now it goes on ages, sometimes 10 weeks without anything happening, shit just faffing about.

 

[Queen Michael]

Bleach was never all that great, and I wouldn't recommend getting back into it. Avoid the sunk cost fallacy -- that you've spent a lot of time reading a bad manga is less reason to see how it ends, not more.

 

[sextus the crazy]

Bleach was never all that great, and I wouldn't recommend getting back into it. Avoid the sunk cost fallacy -- that you've spent a lot of time reading a bad manga is less reason to see how it ends, not more.

Seconded. I was that way with Naruto. It's not worth the time. Especially when there a good, long Manga you could be reading such as Monster.

 

[Starbird]

I will offer the contrary opinion and say that I think it is actually pretty good at this point. Granted, you already seem to have preconceived notions about Ichigo's overpoweredness which, believe it or not, was already explained throughout the series. More so in this most recent arc, which does have some interesting insights into past events. As for whether it's a retcon or was planned along is questionable of course, but I thought it was executed fairly well. Ichigo is, and always has been, a freak of nature.

I can't really agree with the supposed lack of character development - "zero" as you put it. Ichigo had that in spades in the Fullbringer arc, and Kubo tends to do a decent job of balancing out his characters. That being said, there is more of it in this arc.

That being said, if the Arrancar arc couldn't keep your attention, then I doubt the Thousand Year Blood War will. Different strokes, I suppose.

I loved the Arrancar. The Fullbring arc just put me to sleep, until the final bits.

My issue wasn't that Ichigo was OP. My issue was that every fight seemed to follow the same pattern.

1) Bad guy pounds him into the ground.
2) He fights back.
3) Bad guy demonstrates a new and completely unmentioned power that makes him completely unbeatable.
4) Ichigo suddenly develops and even more powerful ability that is never fully explained and is often never used again.

It's like every fight is Goku vs Freeza. And he goes a new level of Super Saiyan each time. It gets old.

*I'm leaving spoilers pre-fullbring arc unmarked below, since previous posts have made it seem like discussion is for later arcs. please bear this in mind before continuing*



You'll find me more supportive of bleach than most, it seems. XD

I dropped the manga around the death of Coyote Starrk... or did Tousen die last? I can't remember... whoever of the two of them died last. Not for any quality assurance reasons, just because I'm a villains guy, and once the more developed espada and Tousen were gone, all I had left was villain-sue Aizen and Gin, who was okay, but just didn't jive with me.

I picked it back up halfway through the the fullbring arc because I heard about Tsukishima's powers and they seemed promising, so I finished the arc out, and have been reading the series with half-interest ever since.

The blood war arc's quality has been uneven, as has the pacing, but the manga is perfectly readable, and I'll never quite understand the hatred people have for it. differences of opinion, I guess.

It is true that there's a lot of wasted panel space and abrupt ends, but the same is true of Hajime no Ippo, and I love that manga to tears. Likewise, it feels like battles are assigned length arbitrarily, resulting in some strange examples of characters being hyped at one point and off-paneled the next (we never even learned Commissioner Gordon's real name!) but the fights have been interesting in their own right, and it was nice to see fan-favorites like Kenpachi get their asses kicked, if only to see the forums explode.

I enjoyed the Fullbring arc at the end. And yeah, the bad guy had a very interesting powerset, although he never really used it well. It was the endless slog before it got to the final battle that got to me - it was the freaking Bount filler arc all over again.

I'll probably give it a look once it wraps up, and go and catch up on Berserk or something in the meantime.

 

[Starbird]

Bleach was never all that great, and I wouldn't recommend getting back into it. Avoid the sunk cost fallacy -- that you've spent a lot of time reading a bad manga is less reason to see how it ends, not more.

Seconded. I was that way with Naruto. It's not worth the time. Especially when there a good, long Manga you could be reading such as Monster.

Well, I have thoroughly enjoyed Naruto to be honest ^_^. It had it's ups and downs, but the manga in particular remained solid and aside from a few missteps has gone from strength to strength. Disclaimer - I've only read up to the start of the fight with Madara and am holding off reading until it wraps up.

Monster...never heard of it. I am looking for a good long manga to get my teeth into though - care to elaborate?

 

[Starbird]

Bleach was never all that great, and I wouldn't recommend getting back into it. Avoid the sunk cost fallacy -- that you've spent a lot of time reading a bad manga is less reason to see how it ends, not more.

Hmm. I guess I'm a sucker for the 'fight soap opera' stories like Bleach, Naruto and DBZ to be honest. While I love other manga like Gantz (well, the first one) and Berserk generally what I look into before I start reading is:

- Is it long? (one of the main reasons I love manga is continuity)
- Is it progressive? (yeah its overplayed but I love mangas where characters evolve power wise as well as personality wise)
- Is it good? (subjective of course).

I adored Rurouni Kenshin and FMA back in the day, and Naruto blew me away. Bleach and One Piece took me longer to get into, but I grew to love both of them too. One Piece in particular goes through a lot of lulls, but then tends to ramp up to utter awesomeness at times.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I really am enjoying the final arc and if you liked the previous arcs you will like this one.

I recommend you read it..there are a lot of reveals surrounding Zaraki pretty much that we have been waiting to see for a very long time (I don't want to spoil exactly what), but if you are a Bleach fan you should know what it is.

Overall it's worth the read if you liked Bleach.

 

[Mangod]

Bleach was never all that great, and I wouldn't recommend getting back into it. Avoid the sunk cost fallacy -- that you've spent a lot of time reading a bad manga is less reason to see how it ends, not more.

Seconded. I was that way with Naruto. It's not worth the time. Especially when there a good, long Manga you could be reading such as Monster.

I'll second that as well.

Starbird, Bleach and Naruto are both past the point of being good (though I'd argue that Bleach is merely treading water, whereas Naruto is downright insulting to read by now), and you'd be better off just keeping up with One Piece. As for manga that have already ended, though... anyone have any recommendations?

So far we've got Monster, and I'd personally recommend reading Devilman, with the caveat that you read Amon and Devilman Mokushiroku - Strange Days as well.

 

[Mangod]

Monster...never heard of it. I am looking for a good long manga to get my teeth into though - care to elaborate?

Here's the TV Tropes page: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/MONSTER

Knock yourself out, you glorious seeker of knowledge.

 

[LarsInCharge]

Yeah the end of the Aizen arc and the first few issues of the next arc made me jump ship from Bleach ages ago. It was clear after the way Ichigo pulled random OP powers out of nowhere to beat the most overpowered villain ever created in one hit was a sign that the writing quality had divebombed. Seriously, he built Aizen to be so unkillable that no matter how he was defeated it would look like a total copout because there was no reasonable way to beat him.

He could have ended it with the Aizen arc, he really could. Massive villain defeated and everyone gets on with their lives with no loose plot threads hanging.

At the same time, he did it fairly well. Not only did Ichigo not win with the 11th hour superpower, the only person who honestly COULD win the fight (Urahara) did. It took some bizarre leaps of faith and logic for it to work, but it worked.

Now if he had ended it there, I could have called Bleach a decent series. But the dragging out has been tiresome.

Same with Kishimoto. If the Naruto series had ended with the Pain arc, I could have remembered it fondly. But no. "MIND CONTROL LASER IN THE MOON" and everything that followed...