A high school student who sees dead people finds himself recruited to a group of spirit-hunting warriors in Bleach. Ichigo Kurosaki (Sota Fukushi) is a teenager, who has had the power to see ghosts around him since he was a kid. One night, he encounters Rukia (Hana Sugisaki), who is a member of a group of warriors called Soul Reapers, who hunt down soul eating spirits called Hallows. During a battle with a Hallow, a nearly defeated Rukia transfers her Reaper powers to Ichigo, with his high spirit energy giving him unbelievable power. However, this is against the Reaper code and both Ichigo and Rukia are targeted by fellow Reapers Renji (Taichi Saotome) and Byakuya (Miyavi). Worse still, Ichigo’s high power has made him a target for a powerful Hallow known as the Grand Fisher.
Bleach is the film adaptation of the popular manga series, with the plot of the film being somewhat akin to a samurai Ghostbusters meets Power Rangers. Much of the film is spent building the mythology of this world, involving both Soul Reapers and human warriors call The Quincy. Over the course of the story Ichigo and Rukia go from having an adversarial relationship to develop respect and friendship for each other, which results in some tough decisions for both of them.
I am not really familiar with the manga Bleach is based on, so I am actually somewhat confused why it is titled such. However, the film is still a generally entertaining supernatural action film, with battles against the giant monster-like Hallows. It becomes obvious that this film is meant as merely the first entry in a Bleach film series, but the film still stands well enough on its own.
Screenings
- Monday, July 23, 6:30 PM – Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)
- Saturday, July 28, 11:45 AM – Auditorium des diplômés de la SGWU (Théâtre Hall)