Roses are bloody red, and the violence in Bleach Blu-ray volume 2 is true. In the month of love, Viz Media has lovingly released the second volume of their Bleach Blu-ray set. If you have not seen the first, then I suggest you read my previous review, to see what you might have missed. Of course, this second installment is just like the first volume with the animation and art style leaving me speechless. However, the story became more dramatic, and a lot of memorable battles took place in the episodes that are included in volume two. This review should make Bleach’s next Blu-ray set worth investing in.
Ichigo and company have made their way into the soul society to save Rukia from her impending death sentence for violations in the human world as deemed by the higher ups in the soul society (as many probably remember Rukia giving her powers to Ichigo). The question is will Ichigo and the rest of the cast save her? In this set, we get into the meat of the arc with all of the adversaries they come across. They run into giant gatekeepers and the enigmatic captains of the 13 Court Guard. One of the most iconic fights in this series was the battle between Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Ichigo when they clashed for the second time. We watch as both Ichigo and Captain Zaraki slash and hack each other to pieces in what had to of been one of the more memorable moments in the entire volume. Plus it was a huge point in the early stages of Bleach of watching Ichigo overcome the odds against formidable foes.
Bleach Volume two makes for some compelling viewing at home, as our heroes make their way through the Sereitei. But it wasn’t just the battles that energized the story. Bleach delivered on a dramatic story on whether our main cast would be able to save Rukia. While it’s a mere damsel in distress story, in the early stages, many fans became attached to the main cast of characters. Thus they wanted Ichigo to succeed in saving Rukia. And what made things even better was how even Rukia herself does not believe she should be saved though her friends beg to differ. Heck, we even learn how Renji, an antagonist toward Ichigo, wants her to live as well. It was during a flashback (after a solid fight between Ichigo and him) where we see how well Renji and Rukia knew each other back in the slums of the Rukon District. They both make it to the academy to become soul reapers, and we later see Rukia taken away by the Kuchiki Clan and thus seemingly deteriorating their friendship. To me, it was a moment that hit me in the heart.
If anything after viewing all the episodes for volume two, it did nothing but reaffirm my love for this franchise, as it can become a reminder as to why Bleach was so popular when it first arrived in the West. This was one of the arcs that truly pulled me into loving Bleach the way I do; it showed just how much friends were willing to sacrifice just to prove to a loved one that they were worth saving and that their life truly had meaning. Not to mention, that the action and story telling in this particular arc made everything feel like a cook perfectly mixing in spices to create the best dish possible. This arc is considered some of the best material in the franchise, and rewatching it certainly gave me the same feeling as I did before. That was incredible to see this arc in the beautiful quality of Blu-ray.
If I had to choose the love of Aphrodite or the love of Bleach, then the goddess of love can go straight to Tartarus because the power of Bleach compels me to remain faithful to an anime that has given me so much. Purchasing volume two is well worth the money as this story arc was one of Bleach’s strongest (if not the strongest), and is a testament to the Bleach faithful that loving the anime is never wrong.
I give this set a 9 out of 10.
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