The Thousand Year Blood War is a story that I have read before its a story that I have reread even thats why in this analysis I aim to not only comment on elements which make bleach a fantastic story but also comment on what this adaptation does to enhance it. https://ur.com/2NEIPxb.png The Poems In the past few years a prevailing narrative within the community has been that Tite Kubo is an unskilled writer and by extension Bleach is a lackluster story. This was a point I never cared to argue against before however revisiting the world of soul reapers and magic swords through this anime has made it clear to me that these preconceptions are unsubstantiated it just takes a little effort to uncover Kubos strengths as a writer. The poems are the first little thing that the team behind this anime adaptation uses to show that they truly understand Kubos style. If youre a manga reader you might have noticed that every volume begins with a poem which gives a hint to what you are about to see. Not only do these old poems show up to replace the usual episode previews the care has been taken to include new poems written by Kubo so that each episode can feature one. These poems betray Kubos sensibilities and they are the first step to seeing how the writing in Bleach is more like poetry full of metaphors and symbolism. https://ur.com/7yidQUR.png The Battle One of the most frequent themes of Bleach is that through conflict people can reach an understanding. This is often exemplified through Ichigo and his fights against Aizen Byakuya and Ginjo to name just a few. Its no surprise that for the final arc of the story this theme would make a return in its most extreme form yet through the battle between Kenpachi Zaraki and Yachiru Unohana this is the battle. This exchange of sadistic sword swinging and murderous maiming maneuvers is in fact the deepest display of affection that this anime has to offer. This duel plays out with enough passion to make me shudder even now after seeing it happen so many times before. The battle delivers scenes unlike anything I have seen from a shounen anime despite it not looking as flashy as what the competition is offering. In moments like these you learn to appreciate the brilliant direction put on display the choreography and the sound design everything coming together to form one of the most memorable scenes of the genera. https://ur.com/J1r62Wk.png These two characters who are seemingly polar opposites are in fact so perfect for each other that they cannot help but to destroy themselves the only scars that hurt are the ones they gave each other. The understanding I mentioned earlier reaches its most heightened state in the brief moments before Unohanas life is taken. The dreamlike image of two skeletons duking it out in battle evokes the meaning of the fight two people locked in a deadly trance which strips them to their most base forms unchained from any limit. Its only after Zaraki awakens that we break away from this imagery. All throughout this encounter Unohana has been stronger more powerful more agile but when the battle reaches its climax they are finally on a level playing field. Their monologues merge into a dialogue and they achieve a perfect state where they can communicate almost telepathically simply by exchanging blows. In the end its the strength they both sought that gives them their purest moment of bliss and also takes them away from the only person who could match them. I used to interpret the passion of this fight as two lovers in a selfdestructive dance now through the anime I can also see a motherly love coming from Unohana her life culminating in this final trial where she gives all she had to awaken the true Kenpachi. https://ur.com/FdGwkeH.png The Rain This is the allencompassing element of Bleach. Sadness embodied. Every crucial moment of this story has been enveloped by the cold mantle of rain I dont even have to name them because Im sure some have already sprung to your mind. To see everything but the rain is to see only the happy moments of life but sadly not us nor the characters in Bleach can escape the rain forever. Its uncomfortable it might challenge us but enduring the rain is what makes us grow. When Ichigo is thrown out of the soul society his entire sense of self is thrown into confusion its only after he can face his past marred by the rain that he can reclaim the symbolic manifestations of his identity: his zanpakuto and the combat pass left with Ikumi. https://ur.com/3o0Qodg.png The Fire Symbolically fire can be seen as many different things destruction growth purity rebirth. I find that all of these meanings are represented perfectly within Yamamoto. He is the fire that defeated Yhwachs army a thousand years ago the same fire that nurtured the soul society and its Shinigami and in the end the fire that burns out without resistance in the face of an overwhelming force. Yamamotos demise was tragic his mental fortitude flickering akin to a candle in the wind. He was far from perfect as someone like Mayuri would point out but he was the beacon which guided the Gotei 13 and now that his fire is gone its time for a new leader to rise from the ashes of war. Kyorakus promotion to head captain was something cleverly foreshadowed by the opening of this anime and the direction of the anime works towards showing how intertwined his fate is with his old teacher. In many ways his opposite Kyoraku is forced to mature quickly and pick up the mantle left by his predecessor but thats all I can say for now. The future will definitely test Kyoraku again and I will definitely be there to talk about it. https://ur.com/HcguDZ3.png The Conclusion In many ways I feel like the anime is filled with these small gestures of affection towards the original work. The poems the battle the rain the fire. Every tiny thing converges to create a product which pays respect to the source material while also elevating it with a stellar directorial style and solid animation and music. Ive been a fan of bleach for so long that I wasnt sure if the anime could ever surpass my expectations but I found that it managed to do much more than that it has returned to me in equal all of the love which Ive been pouring into it. I dont have to live in fear of lost happiness because I know Bleach has come back. https://ur.com/KtY0wqq.png