Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Bleach: Set 10 Blu-ray Movie Review

Bleach: Set 10 has plenty of action for series fans.

The epic action-anime returns with more exciting adventures. Bleach is an entertaining and high-octane series with plenty to offer genre fans. From creator Tite Kubo, Bleach is produced by Studio Pierrot (Mr. Osomatsu, Naruto). The anime was originally broadcast on TV Tokyo in Japan. The release is distributed from VIZ in North America. Bleach: Set 10 includes episodes 252-279.

A dangerous battle wages on. The spiritual essence of Muramasa begins to bring forth Hollows in to the world of the living. The thirteen court guard squad must ultimately collaborate with the Zanpakuto for a mission to defeat the Hollows.

Meanwhile, Ichigo Ichigo finds himself facing off against Muramasa's own mind in order to try and stop him. Can the Soul Reapers ultimately defeat the villainous Zanpakutos (who are known as the Sword Beasts)? As the battle stage is formed once more, the heroes must push themselves to their limits. Danger continues to rise and a grand scale mission unfolds.

The tenth collection of episodes keeps the series entertaining. The action and adventure quotient is high. The fight scenes are intense and gripping. The choreography of these scenes impresses. The production manages to showcase the rich tapestry of the action and the results help the television series soar to new heights.

The action-packed adventure continues.

The animation remains one of the most compelling elements of the series. There is little doubt in my mind that the quality animation is one of the most vital components of the production – and why the series achieved such success (with a loyal following). The art direction of Sawako Takagi (Silver Spoon, Hikaru no Go) and Natsuko Suzuki (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Active Raid) is superb. Everyone involved in the animation team put forth a solid effort. The series looks great and the production benefits tenfold as a result of these efforts. The background animation and line art impresses.

The character designs by Masahi Kudo (Survival Game Club, Sakura Wars the Animation) are impressive. The designs are well suited to the characters. These top-notch character designs help enhance the storytelling. The personalities shine through and that makes all the difference to the success of the production. Kudo did an excellent job.

The cinematography by Toshiyuki Fukushima (Yu Yu Hakusho, Wolf's Rain) and Katsufumi Sato (The Big O, Wolf's Rain) contributes to the success of the visuals as well. The lighting is well balanced with regards to showcasing the animation and its strengths on the whole. The series has a compelling use of color. Though the animation might not be as crisp as more recent productions, due to the limitations of the source resolution, the cinematography of Toshiyuki Fukushima and Katsufumi Sato still makes a mark.

The original score composed by Shiro Sagisu (Nadia: The Secret of the Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion) contributes to the series success as well. The score imbues the action scenes with the proper quotient of energy needed to enhance the experience. The music brings the action to the forefront and highlights the epic sense of adventure inherit in the series. The tone is perfectly established.

Directed by Noriyuki Abe (Flame of Recca, Yu Yu Hakusho), Bleach continues to be an engaging thrill ride on the tenth collection. Abe is one of the best action directors working in anime and this set has plenty of exciting thrills to please fans of the director. Abe does a solid job with making the Bleach experience all the more exciting.

Bleach: Set 10 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ, Bleach: Set 10 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release is impressive looking for an upscaled presentation. The release does not look as sharp as a native HD presentation would. The picture-quality never matches up to the quality of a modern anime series, which makes the presentation a little less robust than some fans might be hoping to experience.

Colors are not quite as robust as modern productions, either. Nonetheless, the color reproduction seems to keep the inherent style of the series. The darker aesthetic that is sometimes apparent on the series is well preserved. Even though the image quality is softer than desired, with some elements less crisp in quality, the encoding quality is worthwhile and VIZ has done a solid job of presenting the episodes at their best.

The encoding looks decent but still shows some signs of inherent softness – these elements are source-related. While it would be nice if Bleach was every bit as crisp as most modern anime series are, these episodes are not as sleek looking. Nonetheless, the presentation will suffice and meet the expectations of most fans (as long as audience expectations are kept in check with fans).

Bleach: Set 10 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The high-resolution audio tracks sound a bit better when compared to the video quality. The lossless audio presentation is crisp and clear sounding. Dialogue is well reproduced. The tracks are less engaging than surround sound presentations. Nonetheless, the stereo sound design works well and suits the material. The score music was impressively reproduced as well.

Bleach: Set 10 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Original Japanese DVD Artwork is a click-through gallery of art showcasing seven illustrations.

Production Art showcases sixty-three illustrations from the production of Bleach. The selection includes both black and white sketches and full color illustrations.

Clean Opening & Endings:

Clean Opening:

Anima Rossa (HD, 1:30)

Clean Endings:

Tabidatsu Kimi E (HD, 1:30)

Stay Beautiful (HD, 1:30)

More from VIZ (HD, 6:15)

Bleach: Set 10 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bleach: Set 10 contains more action-packed adventures set within the storytelling universe of the series. There is a lot to appreciate about the hit production. The anime has effective animation (as can be seen with the character designs and the background artwork). The music score is one of the more impressive series elements as well. Composer Shiro Sagisu (Neon Genesis Evangelion) does a good job with the series. The Blu-ray release features decent video-audio and a small but appreciable selection of extras. Fans will find the release well worth picking up. Recommended.