Bleach (The Entry) by Tite Kubo

*SPOILERS (If you haven’t seen season 1 start at the post below) SPOILERS*

“Oh Crap” is about all you can say at the end of season 1.  Rukia has been carted off to the soul society to be executed.  Ichigo and crew are crossing into the soul society. And Kon, wait, where the hell is Kon?

Once into the soul society we find a world divided.  There is the outlying district where the souls live and then there is the inner guarded palace where the soul reapers reside.  In this season we get to see more of the soul reapers which are divided into 13 squads each with a leader and assistant.  The soul reapers patrol the soul society but life out side of the soul reapers realm is pretty rough.

Ichigo makes instant enemies with a man named Ganju who wants to destroy all soul reapers.  After a town destroying fight between the two Ganju runs off.  Now Ichigo must find an expert that will help them into the guarded palace of the soul reapers.  Of course in true anime fashion the expert they are seeking is the sister of Ganju.  Now all the conflicting parties must fight to one common cause: get Rukia back!!

If you loved Bleach season 1 then you’ll love season 2.  I’d give this a rating of 5 out of 5.  It’s funny, action-packed, and well drawn, what more do you want out of an anime?

Bleach (The Substitute) by Tite Kubo

Ichigo Kurosawa is your typical animated 15 year old boy.  He’s tall, super-skinny, and sees ghosts.  Oh, wait that’s not that typical is it?  Ichigo has been able to see spirit’s who have not crossed over (to the Soul Society) yet.  Basically, in the world of Bleach there are two spheres of existence, the living world and the Soul Society.  From the Soul Society come  Soul Reapers which are assigned with returning Hollows (malevolent human spirits) by killing them.  Rukia, a Soul Reaper in the living world has been injured and as a last resort she tries to transfer some of her power (which is forbidden by the Soul Society) to Ichigo.  Instead of getting some of her power Ichigo unintentionally takes it all.  He has now become the substitute Soul Reaper. With Rukia’s help Ichigo must learn about his new powers while new Hollows are appearing everyday.  A rough life for a high school teen.  With the help of his friends Chad, Orihime, and Uryu Ichigo might just make it as he must journey to the Soul Society.

Bleach has reached the level of phenomenon in America largely due to it’s run on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.   The anime began as a Japanese serial that debuted in 2001 it has not concluded.  The manga is on it’s 39th book as of June 2009 and shows little signs of ending.

The plot of Bleach and the characters are engaging which makes the show great to watch.  The story is not formulaic like Dragon Ball or Naruto so you are apt not to get bored.  The art work for the manga and anime are both superb.  With a rating of 5 out of 5 this anime is highly recommended for fans of Death Note.

Blood+ by Junichi Fujisaku

No one can deny that vampires are the hottest thing around right now, but some of them are falling in love and being civilized.  Well you can forget all that in Blood+ (pronunced ‘Blood plus’).   This is the story of Saya Otonashi who is a fairly normal teenage girl who happens to be anemic (needs daily blood transfusions) and coping with amnesia.  She can’t remember anything before one year ago when she was adopted an American solider living in Japan.  Her normal life is shattered when she is attacked by Chiropterans (demons that crave blood) at her school.  She discovers that night her blood can kill these creatures.  Saya is also aided by Hagi who is a skilled fighter and may be more than he seems.

Saya and Hagi have been assisted by governments over the years as they stop the chiropteran uprisings as they appear.  Chiropterans are mysterious and seem to appear at wars and skirmishes between humans.  Saya and Hagi have the powers of these demons but are on the side of good, however, will this alliance stay forever?

Blood+ is an excellent anime with complex characters and a brilliant story.  The art is stunning and the locations are changing while they chase demons around the world.  Junichi is an excellent director and is complimented by the musical score composed by Hans Zimmer and Mark Mancina.

Ouran High School Host by Bisco Hatori

Written by Bisco Hatori, The Ouran High School Host Club manga series is about a young girl by the name of Haruhi Fujioka. She gets a scholarship to  the prestigious Ouran Academy, a high school located in Tokyo. Looking for a  place to read and  study Haruhi comes upon the third music room, a room hosted by the Ouran High School Host Club. A group of six attractive male students, Tamaki, Mori, Hunny, Hikaru, Kaoru, and Kyoya gather to entertain both sexes as clients. During Haruhi’s  first encounter with The Host Club, Haruhi accidentally breaks an antique vase valued at 8,000,000 yen ($80,000) and is told by Tamaki  to repay the cost of the vase in service to The Host Club. Haruhi is mistaken as a boy by The Host Club because she doesn’t look or sound feminine.  Eventually Haruhi has no other opinion but to  join The Host Club as a host herself  (dressed and acting like a guy)  in order to pay off  the 8,000,000 yen ($80,000) debt. The Ouran Private School has  kindergarten to twelfth grade. Most to all students come from wealthy families with great income but, in this case, merit scholarships are granted to  students from familys with lower income, like Haruhi.

I love the manga Ouran High School Host club, hell I have all of the mangas! It doesn’t matter who you are or what your into, Ouran High School Host Club has a lot of different stuff. I strongly suggest you read the mangas they are amazing. The anime is ok but, can’t even touch the excellence of the manga series. If your going to watch Ouran High School Host Club I suggest you watch it in Japanese with subs, the english is not as good as the Japanese version.

I would give the Ouran High School Host Club a 4.5 out of 5.

Watch here: (remember to watch in Japanese with subs, not in English, unless your lazy.)

Start reading the manga HERE!!!