Bleach Live Action is now on Netflix after just being released on the big screen this early this year! I have been waiting for this to be shown in the cinemas here in the Philippines, but I guess Netflix beat SM to it!

I have fond memories of watching the anime version of Bleach back in college. Me, my siblings, and my cousins would gather around the PC monitor (yes, the small CRT ones) in our living room to watch the anime. We had our favorite characters – mine was Ichigo, obviously. Unfortunately, somewhere down the line, I got busy with school and just eventually stopped watching (maybe after 3 seasons or something). I can’t say I’m a fan because I stopped watching, but I did enjoy it a lot back then. So, this live action of an arc that I am familiar with is a huge does of nostalgia that I welcomed and looked forward to when I saw the trailer.

The good stuff

If you’ve seen the anime, then you’d already know the storyline. What surprised me about this adaptation are the following:

1. Masami Nagasawa – As a fan of Masami, I screamed internally when I saw her as Ichigo’s mother! I love her. Period.
2. Hana Sugisaki – My new Japanese crush of this year of Hana Nochi Hare fame. I saw the Bleach trailer before I watched Hana Nochi Hare, so I didn’t have any idea that she was actually the one playing Rukia! I’m not sure if the role of Rukia fit her perfectly though, but as a fan, I’m still happy to see her!
3. Sota Fukushi – I judged him when I saw the trailer as someone not fit to be Ichigo, but I take it back. He actually did pretty well, especially with the fight scenes.
4. Great CG Animation – Compared to the CG of other live actions (Attack on Titan, Full Metal Alchemist, etc), this one had more believable and detailed graphics and animation. Those Hollows are a lot more cool looking than their anime counterparts.
5. Fight scenes are also well executed. That ending battle between Ichigo and Renji reminded me of Rurouni Kenshin Live Action because the swordfight techniques and moves are very well choreographed (if I may say).

I know better than to compare every detail of a live action adaptation to their anime/manga versions to not end up being disappointed every time. You should always consider live actions as a different take on a similar concept since directors, producers, the people working on it are different. They need to bring something new to the table and that makes the movie a bit more interesting.

The bad stuff

I guess what could have been improved with the movie is the casting – specifically for Byakuya and Renji. I mean, seriously – they don’t look anything like the anime versions, other than their outfits. Byakuya (Miyavi) looked like G-Dragon so I kept getting distracted when I see his character (singing Fantastic Baby in my head).

You also don’t get to see much action from the other supporting characters (Ichigo’s friends), other than Uryu. We may need to wait for the next installment to see Orihime’s fairies and Chad and Tatsuki helping out Ichigo. I was also waiting for Ichigo to turn into a hollow, hoping the movie version just adds that there for the cliff-hanger, but it didn’t happen.

To summarize, I did enjoy the movie. I’d give it a 3.75 out of 5 (LOL). It didn’t blow me away, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, too. Hoping for more live action adaptations on Netflix! I need them in my life!

P.S. Sorry for the bad photos, I just took them on my phone while watching on the TV. Haha. And no copyright infringement intended (please don’t sue me WB Japan and Netflix).