Bleach, Vol. 25

Yes, it's another bildungsroman with supernatural overtones, but how often do coming-of-age stories crib simultaneously from Ghostbusters, The Sixth Sense, andInternal Affairs? Bleach is a heady brew, more than the sum of its formidable parts, elevated to modern classic status by creator Tite Kubo's witty characters, corkscrew plotting, and vivid, sometimes grisly artwork. Bleach's basic premise finds hero Ichigo "Strawberry" Kurosaki, born with the ability to see ghosts, suffering the loss of his family at the hands of a Hollow, an evil lost soul. As a result of Strawberry's tragic loss, and a surprising deal he makes with a friendly female ghost, he vows to protect the innocent and help tortured spirits find peace. Oh, yeah, he also gets to carry one of the coolest (and most gigantic) swords in all of pop culture. In the series' first narrative arc, Strawberry must infiltrate the base camp of the Hollows, the malevolent souls. While the plot points themselves are fairly straightforward, even occasionally derivative, Kubo's flair for the macabre, the grotesque, and his penchant for hitting emotional grace notes elevates the material. Also, the monster-slaying--ghost-busting, actually--is frequently exciting, oftentimes giddily gory. More successful is the series' second arc, which takes the "trust no one" dogma of The X-Files and multiplies it by infinity. Strawberry's heartbreak, losses, and ultimate renaissance in this conspiracy-laden world where nothing is what it seems--not life, death, nor friends and allies--is galvanizing and exhilarating, rich with kinetic action, tight plotting, comedic pit stops, and the trenchant ache of adolescence. Kubo's Japanese ghost world often resembles the criminal underworlds of Mafia stories, rich as it is with espionage, power struggles, corruption, double-crosses, and intrigue. Kubo has also created an attractive ensemble of supporting characters that alternately provide comic relief and effectively deepen the stakes of Strawberry's quest, usually by dying. Bleach's dialogue, too, reads like a master class in hardboiled patois, the kind of brass-knuckled verbiage of Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler. If there is a bone to pick with Bleach, it's Kubo's predilection for endless--and we mean this almost literally--battle sequences, some of which span several chapters. Though vividly, graphically, and creatively drawn, we're not in Bleach for blood, but for the white-hot power of its storytelling. Overall, Bleach is the real deal: a great read for manga fans over 13 or 14 years of age. -- J. Rentilly

Tite Kubo, Bleach: No Shaking Throne (ViZ, 2001) The first arrancar battle is over, but Ichigo knows he needs to get even stronger to defeat the arrancar elite. There's only one way to do that: face and defeat his inner hollow. He turns to the visoreds for help, but are they willing to give it? The whole "battle - get stronger - battle - get stronger" cycle is starting to get old; at least in Rave Master, Mashima comes up with variations on the theme to keep it from souring. Still, these characters have a lot of life left in them. *** ½

Ichigo Kurosaki has a big problem -- an inner dark side that is starting to consume him from the inside out. And after the big clash in the previous volume, our orange-haired hero is left with exactly one option: Get strong enough to overcome his inner Hollow. The twenty-fifth volume of Tite Kubo's "Bleach" spends most of its time following Ichigo's efforts to regain control of himself -- not quite as interesting as pitched battles against the arrancar, but a necessary part of the story. After voicing his intent to "use" the vizards, Ichigo ends up in a heated battle with a "Hollowfied" Hiyori, so they can gauge his inner power. While his friends search for him, Ichigo is put through a harrowing (and sometimes ridiculous) training regimen -- and then is shown the way to his inner Hollow. The ultimatum: devour it, or be devoured. As his monstrously Hollowfied body goes on a berserk rampage, Ichigo and his Hollow self duel to the death, even using bankai against each other -- but he has no chance against a foe who knows everything he does. While the Vizards prepare to kill Ichigo, the head captain of the Soul Society contacts Hitsugaya and Rangiku, with the revelation of what Aizen's true plans may be... Ichigo Kurosaki has been warming up for a big Hollow-side problem for a very long time now, and virtually all of the twenty-fifth "Bleach" volume is devoted to that. Well, that and the increasingly mysterious Vizards, who seem to know an awful lot about the disastrous events in the Soul Society, as well as knowledge about Ichigo's power-ups as well. And along the way, Tite Kubo provides plenty of bloody, flashy action, with Ichigo getting carved up by his Inner Hollow even as his body attacks the Vizards (and almost gets the upper hand... er, claw). The whole time he's verbally lashed by his sneering dark side, except for a brief moment where he meets the incarnation of his own instincts... which looks strangely familiar. Let's just say it's not what Ichigo probably would have selected. And at the end of all this mayhem, Kubo tacks on a reminder of the wider struggles going on, and reveals what Aizen is planning. There are some lighthearted moments with Ichigo chugging away on Hiyori's exercise machine, but these are quickly swamped by the grim stuff. And by the end of this volume, it's pretty clear that Kubo is plotting out an epic arc with even more epic repercussions. Poor Ichigo gets put through the wringer in this one, and though he acts cocky and demanding his fear is evident in everything he does. And we get to know some more of the Vizards -- including a punky young guy, a serious young woman, an afroed dude, a rotund quiet guy, and a feminine-looking audiophile. Not only are they a bit grimmer than the Soul Reapers, but they seem to have a nasty past with Aizen. The twenty-fifth volume of "Bleach" devotes itself to the inner workings of Ichigo Kurosaki's mind, and it speeds by almost too quickly. Too bad it ends just when intrigu