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The Bleach live action film is surprisingly good!

The Bleach live action film is surprisingly good!

Posted on 18 Sep 2018

Netflix have continued their streak of bringing Japanese cinema to the UK with their latest acquisition of director Shinsuke Sato's Bleach. For those unfamiliar, Bleach is a stylish Shonen manga tale by Tite Kubo, which concerns a young man named Ichigo (played by Kamen Rider's Sôta Fukushi) who is able to see ghosts. Possessed of a strong moral compass, he's caught up in a fight between a Soul Reaper named Rukia Kuchiki (Blade of the Immortal's Hana Sugisaki) and a Hollow, the form of a troubled and vengeful spirit. Noted on release for the very stylised sense of dress and colours used, Bleach has been an international smash hit, and ended after a 15 year run.

The film does a terrific job of evoking the feel of the manga, even managing to capture Ichigo's red hair in a way that doesn't look ridiculous (Tite Kubo's only concern about a live action portrayal according to IMDB!). Hana Sugisaki's Rukia captures the spirit of the character, if not necessarily the look, but otherwise the rest of the cast are pretty much bang on. Even more outlandish characters like Renji carry their style convincingly, and despite the limited $3.5 million budget, the CGI Hollows are pretty good too.

There are a few stand out traits for the film - firstly, the acting is of a high standard throughout. Yes, it has that slightly over-egged comedic touch a lot of Japanese films seem to embrace, but here it didn't feel distracting. Ichigo's father, who acts like a bit of a clown with his kids, plays it straight for the serious parts of the film and comes across very well. Kudos to Yôsuke Eguchi for pulling off what could have been an irritating character with such charm. He's a very handsome man too, and no stranger to manga adaptations thanks to his role in Rurouni Kenshin Part II.

The rest of the supporting cast do a decent job with the material they are given, but honestly it isn't until later in the Bleach stories that the Quincey,Uryu Ishida (Ryô Yoshizawa) and classmate-with-a-crush Orihime Inoue (Erina Mano, also from Kamen Rider) really get to shine. The opening arc is all about Ichigo and Rukia, and the film follows the manga very closely in this respect.

The direction is also first class for such a limited budget. Ichigo's training montages with Rukia are very well done, the pair having some entertaining chemistry as he hauls her around on a tyre, gets baseballs fired at him, and even engages in some impressive swordplay. Honestly I think these were my favourite parts of the film.

Battles are handled deftly - there's some serious rubber-monster practical effects dotted around, but for the most part Ichigo is fighting CGI monsters with some conviction. The designs are faithful to the manga and anime, and are pretty frightening all in. 

Other highlights include a glimpse of Soul Society, which is a tantalisingly short vertical panning shot, and some very cool looking Zanpakutō (Soul Reaper swords) action, especially in the showdown between Ichigo and Renji. It's very clearly Bleach in every sense.

The ending has sufficient closure should Bleach prove to be a one off, but given the overall positive fan reaction, the decision to leave the door ajar to a sequel (and God knows they have plenty of material to work with) makes sense. I for one would love to see the series continue. Bleach is a great lesson in how to create a faithful live-action adaptation of a beloved franchise. Bravo.

Trailer courtesy of Seikatsu Raibu:

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