RATING: 4.5 out of 5
“Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Cour 3”, a popular anime, follows Ichigo Kurosaki, voiced by Masakazu Morita, on his quest to stop Yhwach, voiced by Takayuki Sugo, from endangering the Realm of the Living, Soul Society, and Hueco Mundo. The first episode released Saturday Oct 5, and new episodes release every Saturday, with the final two episodes releasing Saturday Dec 21. The season is available on Hulu.
This new season of “Bleach” continues the trend of faithfully adapting Tite Kubo’s beloved manga and adding anime original scenes that flesh out and expand the story, establishing itself as one of the best arcs in “Bleach”. Both longtime fans and people new to “Bleach” will be blown away by the outstanding animation, voice acting, and action.
The season blasts off where the previous season left off, continuing the fight between the Schutzstaffel and Squad Zero. The opening episode is beautifully animated with well-choreographed fight scenes. This high-quality standard continues in each of the following episodes, each a jaw-dropping spectacle. The ominous backdrop of the Soul Palace and the hauntingly beautiful floating city of Wahrwelt enhanced the explosive action and demonstrated stunning cinematography. However, the CGI is a little awkward and stands out against the mainly 2D animation, as shown by the portrayal of Pernida’s, one of Yhwach’s elite soldiers, true form.
One of the best aspects of this season is the expansion of Uryu Ishida’s character, voiced by Noriaki Sugiyama. These scenes that were not in the manga further explain Uryu’s motivations for betraying Ichigo to join Yhwach’s army. He also has more fight scenes to show off the new abilities he developed since siding with Yhwach. Uryu’s additional screen time culminates in one of the best moments in the season: his epic showdown with Ichigo. This anime-only fight scene is a wonderfully animated spectacle and raw with emotion as Ichigo grapples with the reality of his best friend’s betrayal.
Another highlight is an anime original fight scene featuring Renji, voiced by Kentaro Ito. His newfound abilities are further explored in a spectacularly animated sequence.
Sosuke Aizen, the major villain voiced by Show Hayami, makes an epic return, which fans anticipated. His intimidating aura dominates the screen whenever he appears. This powerful, charismatic, and cunning character continues to elevate the story to new heights.
The new season fleshes out characters like Jushiro Ukitake, voiced by Hideo Ishikawa, a captain of the Gotei 13. Jushiro’s past and his impactful moments in the story are another example of the accuracy of the anime adaptation of the manga.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, voiced by Junichi Suwabe, and Nelliel Tu, voiced by Tomoko Kaneda, return in the new season. The return of these characters is very exciting, especially for Grimmjow, who hasn’t been seen since the Arrancar Arc.
For all its successes, the anime still has room for improvement. Major characters like Orihime Inoue, voiced by Yuki Matsuoka, and Chad, voiced by Hiroki Yasumoto, do not get enough characterization in the manga and prior seasons. They are mostly in the background and do not get much focus or attention. They need more screen time and moments to develop their characters further.
Shiro Sagisu continues to produce Bleach’s electrifying soundtrack. His music elevates the dramatic moments with haunting and exciting melodies. This season’s epic moments are taken to new heights by the grand score. One of the best tracks is 1106 TYBW CH United, which sounds futuristic, grand, and tragic all at once.
The voice acting is on point. Each character’s voice actor returns to deliver their unique personality, from Hayami’s charismatic portrayal of Aizen to Suwabe’s representation of Grimmjow’s constant aggression. Tayaki Sugo’s performance is especially noteworthy as he captures Ichigo’s confusion and distress over Uryu’s betrayal.
Overall, the new season of “Bleach” is a masterpiece that builds on the characters and lore of this series. The excellent voice acting, crisp animation, beautiful score, and expansion of the story and characters will delight any “Bleach” fan, new or old.