Coolness that decolourizes.

The Bleach TV series is an adaptation of the famous manga originally created by Kubo Tite. As the manga became popular, the anime was created which broadcasts at 6:30pm on Tuesdays on TV Tokyo in Japan.

The story is about a normal 15 year old boy (although he looks as old as 21) whose mother had sacrificed her life to save him from supposedly drowning in a flood drain. Growing up with his enigmatic dad and 2 younger sisters, Kurosaki Ichigo (ehich means 'the one who protects' in Japanese) is the only boy on the block with bright orange hair (very odd), constant scuffles with his father and being bullied by seniors.

Boring? I'm not done yet! Ichigo can also see spirits of the dead! Amazing, simply stunning, outstanding and outta this world! One peaceful night, he was awaken by a shinigami (death-god) who entered his room through his bedroom window. Surprised at being seen by a normal human being, the shinigami, Kuchiki Rukia, tells him she is hunting for a Hollow (an evil spirit).

Not long after, the hollow and Rukia are involved in a tough fight. In order to protect Kurosaki's family, Rukia gets seriously injured. In generic anime style, the Hollow takes his own sweet time to let Rukia transmit some of her "shinigami" powers to Ichigo. Ichigo however, mad to protect his family, takes all of her powers without much effort. He then takes out the Hollow in a single sword-strike while making a stereotypical "make-a-sound-while-attacking" noise. He is then an unofficial Shinigami!

A Shinigami's duties are to send dead spirits to Soul Society where they can rest in peace, while also defeating Hollows that are dangerous to both spirits and humans. Ichigo is made to take that responsibility while Rukia tries to regain her power.

The story goes on after that, when Ichigo meets new and old friends and in evidently awakens their spiritual powers. His friends are Sado Yasutora, a foreigner with tremendous strength, Inoue Orihime, a well-endowed classmate who has lost her brother in a road accident, and Ishida Uryuu, an expert in sewing and also the last remaining Quincy (a clan of sorts).

This show is just unbelievably cool because, unlike Pokemon or Dragonball GT, the characters in Bleach actually have depth, fight for a good purpose and are unique in the sense that there is always something new to learn about them. The action and battle scenes are overly-dramatic, exactly the way I like them, and span at least 3 episodes on important battles. The weapons used are like the Zanpakut (Soul Slayer) a katana that varies in shape, size and soul (they are actually living entities) used by Shinigamis, it can manifest itself to greater degrees of strength. An example of the Zanpakut is the Zangetsu, Ichigo's Zanpakut. The Zanpakuto has also 2 different stages, the Shikai (first release) and the Bankai (second release).

Magic in Bleach is in the form of kido (Demon Arts) used by shinigami, which is divided into 2 types, Destructive and Binding. To perform these magic tricks, a shinigami has to perform an incantation, the spell number, and finally the name of the spell. The higher the spell number the more difficult to execute and control it. Only captains (Soul Society, a.k.a heaven, is headed by the 13 captains of their respective divisions) are able to bypass the incantation. An example would be "Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Pointy tower, red crystal, steel cartwheels. Move and make wind. Stop and make calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle. Blast Spell 63 : raik_h_!" Pretty cool, eh? Obviously using kido in a battle is pretty dumb if you have to spend half a minute reciting a poem to use it.

As a conclusion, I would like to say thats.Bleach Rawkz! And if I am somehow unable to convey this simple message, I suggest you, my fair reader, to CHECK IT OUT for yourself.

Warning: Please do not be puzzled if you see childish seniors walking around reciting poems and slashing around like maniacs!