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Bleach is an enormously popular anime and manga series. Everyone already knows about it, right?

But with all of the anime out there to be watched, you may have given Bleach a miss, figuring all shonen series are the same. However, Bleach is one of the best shonen series for good reasons.

The hero of Bleach is Ichigo Kurosaki, a 15-year-old who receives shinigami (soul reaper) powers from Rukia Kuchiki, a shinigami from Soul Society. Soul Society is the place where souls go after they die, and shinigami are responsible for sending souls who are stuck on Earth for various reasons on to the other side. Ichigo’s school friends also develop special powers, and together they embark upon the series of adventures that comprise the storyline of Bleach.

Bleach is all about the fighting. There aren’t many emotion-driven or relationship-driven scenes – this is a shonen story after all – but on the rare occasions when an emotionally-charged moment is required the series definitely lives up to it. (The episode when Rukia’s execution day arrives and Ichigo comes to saves her is a good example.) But generally, what fuels Bleach is the sense of adventure and great fight scenes between characters with strange and fantastical powers.

Along with all of the action scenes, Bleach features a huge cast of colorful characters, in particular the captains and vice-captains of the thirteen Soul Society protection squads. It’s a tribute to creator Tite Kubo’s imagination that he has created so many fascinating characters that there’s going to be at least a few you’ll be intrigued by, and continue to watch the series for. Ichigo is also an engaging hero and deservedly one of the most popular protagonists in all of anime.

So if you’ve been avoiding Bleach, you may want to give it a try – because you’ve been missing out on a lot of fun.

Bleach was created by Tite Kubo. The manga is published by Viz Media, and the anime is produced by Studio Pierrot.

Jan Suzukawa works in the manga industry as a freelance editor and English adaptation writer. Website: www.jansuzukawa.com. Blog: jansuzukawa.blogspot.com.

It’s no small achievement when a movie accomplishes everything it set out to do. Although the plot and characterization are spare, Sword of the Stranger tells the story it meant to tell – and does it beautifully.

Set in late Edo period Japan, Sword of the Stranger is about Kotaro, a young boy who is fleeing from the Chinese Emperor’s soldiers. Along the way Kotaro meets “Nanashi” (“No Name”), a mysterious samurai loner. Together with Kotaro’s dog Tobimaru, the three form a family of sorts on the road as they stay one step ahead of Kotaro’s pursuers.

Among the boy’s pursuers is another mysterious loner: Luo-Lang, a blond-haired and blue-eyed stranger from the West. Luo-Lang’s secret personal agenda is to find the greatest opponent and fight the ultimate fight, as outwardly he serves the Chinese Emperor in searching for Kotaro.

The samurai swordplay and fight scenes are exciting and perfectly choreographed. The relationship that forms between the gentle-spirited Nanashi and little feisty Kotaro is believable in its development. And the pacing of the movie feels just right – moved forward by thrilling action sequences, but slowing down when it needs to in order to further develop the story and characters. The theme music is stately and memorable, complementing the mood of the film perfectly.

Sword of the Stranger is an understated gem and deserving of a much wider audience than it has had to date.

Sword of the Stranger (2008) was directed by Masahiro Ando and produced by Bones.

Jan Suzukawa works in the manga industry as a freelance editor and English adaptation writer. Website: www.jansuzukawa.com. Blog: jansuzukawa.blogspot.com.

Anime Expo, the largest anime and manga convention in North America, was held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 2 through July 5.

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