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As you may or may not know, one of the most iconic manga series in recent memory is entering into its final arc, and I felt it would be appropriate to say a few words.
Bleach began in 2001, written and drawn by Kubo Tite. It chronicles the adventures of one Ichigo Kurosaki, a high school boy who can see spirits, as his life becomes more and more entwined with the Soul Society and its shinigami. The Soul Society exists to aid the dead in passing on to the next life, and the shinigami are the agents that facilitate the process. The shinigami also exist to exterminate Hollows, souls that have been driven mad or of the particularly malicious. Ichigo finds himself and his family involved the ongoing struggle against the hollows without even knowing it, and he finds he must take up the mantle of a shinigami to help cover for the shinigami who saved his and his family’s lives.
This is one of the first manga I had ever read, if not the very first, and it has very special spot in my heart. I have read it religiously ever since I came across it many years ago, and a new chapter of Bleach has only ever been met with enthusiasm. Possibly the most famous manga/anime series to make it to North America, it just published its 53rd volume in December, with a couple more likely on the way for the final arc. The 10+ year run has created one of the iconic mangas ever, in this writer’s humble opinion, and despite my disappointment that it is all coming to a close, I am determined to look on the past with delight and into the future with anticipation for Kubo Tite’s next work.
Bleach has served as a target for other series to aspire to and I believe it has set the gold standard for a masterpiece in the art of writing manga. For now, however, I will simply be waiting with bated breath on the final arc to start and I’m sure, just like the rest of the series, it will be amazing.
Source: Anime News Network
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