Bleach: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Bleach: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie Review

The final chapter... for now.

Bleach: Set 13 brings fans of the anime series more exciting action. The series is adapted from the original work of Tite Kubo. The anime feature animation by acclaimed studio Pierrot (Naruto, Mr. Osomatsu).

Bleach is one of the most popular long-running anime series around. Set 13 has the last episodes of the original series run. Bleach is expected to return in 2022/2023 with an adaptation of the final storyline of the manga – the “Thousand Year Blood War” arc).

Bleach: Set 13 includes episodes 338-366 of the series. The series was originally broadcast on TV Tokyo. Licensed for release in North America by VIZ Media, Bleach comes from producers Kyoko Kobayashi, Ken Hagino, Mai Nagai, Shunji Aoki, Yukio Yoshimura, Jun Takibuchi, and Yutaka Sugiyama.

The final battle begins to unfold. Ichigo must now face-down the biggest battle yet: a fight against the super powered Kageroza. Danger looms as the Thirteen Court Guard Squads are overtaken by the Reigai forces. With Ichigo is a state of impending danger, the unthinkable happens: Ichigo manages to lose his Soul Reaper powers and he becomes a mere mortal once more.

As a ordinary teenager after having the Soul Reaper powers, Ichigo wants to restore his original gift. A mysterious and elusive man promises the return of the Soul Reaper abilities. Can Ichigo restore his abilities and be the hero of the story once more?

The animation remains one of the highlights of the production. Bleach is a creative anime series. The team of animators brought something compelling to the table. The background animation makes a wonderful impression: well-detailed and complex. The line art is similarly impressive. The series features many interesting visual cues.

The blade strikes again.

The art direction by Sawako Takagi (Silver Spoon, Hikaru no Go) and Natsuko Suzuki (Arakawa Under the Bridge, Active Raid) lifts the production to greater heights. The art direction works its distinct magic. Takagi and Suzuki deliver what fans want.

The character designs are focal to the success of the series. The designs by Masahi Kudo (Survival Game Club, Sakura Wars: The Animation) help to tell the story. The characters are unique looking: impressive in regards to the lead cast members and to the supporting players in the story.

Bleach remains a well-stylized series with regards to the cinematography as well. The cinematography is by collaborators Toshiyuki Fukushima (Wolf's Rain, Yu Yu Hakusho) and Katsufumi Sato (The Big O, Wolf's Rain). The unique visuals highlight the canvas of the storytelling: its moments of light and dark.

The score by Shiro Sagisu (Nadia – The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion) aids the storytelling. The music aids the series with a compelling blend of styles: fitting the action scenes alongside the dramatic scenes. The score is essential to making the action sequences work. The production benefited from composer Sagisu and his approach to the material.

The thirteenth collection of episodes contains the conclusion of the original anime. While Bleach is expected to return with an adaptation of the final arc of the manga, Bleach: Set 13 explores the characters in a semi-conclusive way. The series remembers to focus on the characters and the foundations of the story.

Director Noriyuki Abe (Flame of Recca, Yu Yu Hakusho) has a gift as a filmmaker. Abe has a strong understanding of action filmmaking. One of the main reasons Bleach is such a popular anime is the emphasis on entertaining action scenes. Abe delivers more exciting action in the 13^th collection. A anime with plenty of excitement for series fans.

Bleach: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ Media, Bleach: Set 13 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition. The series is presented in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release is an upscale of the animation and is not in native high-definition. The animation is never going to appear as visually impressive as modern high-definition series.

The encode is decent looking but flawed. The series has reasonable color reproduction. Line art is not always as well-defined as it could be. The presentation is often soft in appearance. The release has fewer compression issues when compared to the DVD option but has some other drawbacks: there is arguable debate on which presentation of the episodes fans would even prefer watching. Improvements are modest at best.

Bleach: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes multiple lossless audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The high-resolution audio is better than the video-encoding. The audio tracks are crisp and engaging sounding. Dialogue remains clear and easy to understand. The stereo imaging helps the action scenes to excel. The score composed by Shiro Sagisu is well integrated in to the sound mix. A worthwhile audio presentation.

Bleach: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Original Japanese DVD Artwork is a click-through gallery including 12 color illustrations.

Production Art Gallery is a click-through gallery including 78 colorful illustrations.

Interview with Michelle Ruff (Rukia Kuchiki) (HD, 4:34)

Clean Opening & Endings:

Clean Opening – Harukaze (Versions 1-3) (HD, 4:34)

Clean Ending – Haruka Kanata (Versions 1-13) (HD, 19:34)

Clean Ending – Re:pray (HD, 1:29)

Clean Ending – MASK (HD, 1:30)

More from VIZ (HD, 6:15)

Bleach: Set 13 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bleach: Set 13 contains the last batch of episodes from the original run of the series. Bleach is expected to return in 2022 with new episodes adapting the last arc of the manga series. Until then, Bleach: Set 13 is a semi-conclusion to the saga. The Blu-ray release has average video quality and a decent audio presentation. The release has a small but noteworthy selection of extras. The first print of the set includes a collectible slipcover. The release isn't as impressive as fans might be hoping for but die-hard fans may still consider indulging. Recommended.