With some rumors surfacing earlier in the week with some tantalizing scans, the Bleach 20th-anniversary project presentation hit and there’s some great news for fans of this property. As part of the anniversary of a property that did huge things for the publisher, a new anime adaptation has been announced that will bring to a close the work in anime form. The new series, which is undated at the moment, will cover about twenty volumes of manga, from 55 through 74. This encompasses the “Thousand Year Blood War” arc and wraps everything up, albeit too quickly from what I remember in reviewing the manga chapter by chapter at the time.
Check out our Ten Years Later article on the series.
Originally beginning its run in 2004 and finishing in 2012, the series was picked up by Viz Media and released on DVD over the years and is currently getting new Blu-ray releases as well in North America.
The series saw Noriyuki Abe as the overall director with several episode directors and scriptwriters working on it based on the manga by Tite Kubo. It was animated by Studio Pierrot.
Plot concept: For as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts. But when he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who battles evil spirits known as Hollows, his life is changed forever. Now, with a newfound wealth of spiritual energy, Ichigo discovers his true calling — to protect the world of the living and the dead as a Substitute Soul Reaper. When Rukia is taken away to face the ruthless justice of the Soul Society, Ichigo and his friends must cross over and do battle in the spirit world…
