Sep 19, 2018
Hi everyone!
Welcome back to Worldwide Wednesday! We’ve had a lot of international films in the last couple of weeks, too many for just one day. And it’s another live-action adaptation of a popular manga/anime franchise. For others in that vein, check out “FullMetal Alchemist” (Episode #058) and “Gintama” (Episode #206). And for a feature length anime film, check out “Fist of the North Star” (Episode #243), which has a final fight very similar to today’s film. If you have any suggestions, let me know at onemoviepunch.com.
And now...
Today’s movie is “Bleach” (2018), the live-action adaptation of the popular manga and animated series, directed by Shinsuke Sato and written for the screen by Daisuke Habara, based on the manga developed by Tite Kubo. The film follows Ichigo Kurosaki (Sôta Fukushi), a high school student who struggles with seeing ghosts since he was young. He suddenly gains immense power after a run-in with Rukia Kuchiki (Hana Sugisaki), who trains him as a Soul Reaper. Now Ichigo must understand his newfound power while discovering truths about his history and his future.
Spoilers ahead.
When I was on vacation last month in San Diego, my family and I stayed a couple of nights at an extended-stay hotel. I went to the lobby to pick up some extra towels and the guy behind the counter complimented me on my Attack on Titan t-shirt, and we started chatting about anime in general. Specifically, our shared disappointment in the live-action adaptations of popular franchises, which have each seemed to have their own set of problems. “FullMetal Alchemist” was too much story for a single live-action adaptation. “Gintama” felt like it was trying too hard to be a live-action anime. The most recent “Death Note” was pretty good, but lacked the extensive game-theory at work in the series. I even really loved the visuals for “Ghost in the Shell” even if I also understand the very real controversy surrounding the casting decision. The guy behind counter said, “A good rule of thumb is to avoid the live-action adaptations. They never work out.” And so let me say that I was so glad to have this proven wrong by today’s film.
“Bleach” seems to have found the right mix of elements to successfully translate the anime to a live-action adaptation, in the same way that the manga was translated to the anime format. Daisuke Habara crafts a great script that takes us as far as the first major story arc, successfully introducing the characters, building their deceptively complex relationships, and run through the business of multiple fights and trials. Just enough story and character development to fill the 108 minute running time. Shinsuke Sato then creates the world around the story, working with great costumes, capturing key moments, and using an excellent introductory storytelling technique to transfer a lot of information, very much like some anime shows. All the characters, despite their fantastic circumstances, felt very real and grounded within the environment. And leaving plenty of other stories left for live-action adaptations.
Now, not every part of the story has the same punch. Most notably, the final battle between Ichigo and Byakuya, while formative for both this story and future tales, takes FOREVER, almost nauseatingly slow. It was very reminiscent of the final battle in “Fist of the North Star” and ending with the same kind of socio-political reasoning. Or perhaps a better metaphor would be the Black Knight in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”. However, the rest of the movie is really engaging, and the special effects bring a sort of realism I have yet to see in other live-action adaptations. Seriously, the effects behind the Grand Fisher Hollow, a crazy monster that has to be vanquished, are insanely good. The fight choreography was also very well done, faithful to the anime and manga style, and not looking too fake. Sure, it defies all sorts of physics, but so do the existence of soul reapers.
“Bleach” (2018) is a well-made and well-acted film that finds the right combination of elements for an engaging live-action anime and manga adaptation. With so many live-action adaptations that have had troubles, “Bleach” not only avoids those pitfalls, but in many ways, sets a new standard for live-action anime adaptations. Fans of “Bleach”, or fans of anime in general, should definitely check out this film, and hopefully we’ll see more stories told in the same universe.
Rotten Tomatoes: NR
Metacritic: NR
One Movie Punch: 7.8/10
“Bleach” (2018) is rated TV-14 and is currently streaming on Netflix and in select theaters.