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BLEACH

VOL. 21: Be My Family or Not
VIZ MEDIA
CARTOONIST: Tite Kubo
TRANSLATION: Joe Yamazaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Lance Caselman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1165-8; Rated “‘T’ for Teen”
200 pp., B&W, $7.95

Bleach, a shonen manga from creator Tite Kubo (ZOMBIEPOWER), follows the adventures of high school student, Ichigo “Strawberry” Kurosaki, who was born with the gift to see ghosts.  After his family is attacked by a malevolent spirit called a “Hollow,” Ichigo, with the help of a young woman named Rukia Kuchiki, becomes a Soul Reaper, a warrior that helps tormented souls find peace and also protects the innocent from them.  Bleach, Vol. 21 begins with the aftermath of the betrayal of Captain Aizen and his plot to “Hollowfy” the Soul Reapers.

After a time of healing and togetherness, Ichigo and his friends and associates, Orihime Inoue, Chad Yasutora, Uryû Ishida return to the world of the living, where Ichigo left his physical body.  Back in Karakura Town, the quartet attends high school, but discovers that there is a new student in school.  And he may be a Hollow…

THE LOWDOWN:  While Bleach, Vol. 21 starts off a bit slow, as the protagonists deal with betrayal, loss, and secrets revealed – not to mention kids returning to school – creator Tite Kubo has plenty of excitement in store for the latter half of this volume.  Kubo makes this manga so great because of his inventiveness and imagination.  He has a knack for taking an action scene and upping the ante with either mind-bending fight sequences or astonishing creatures or a combination of both.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Bleach is part of VIZ Media’s “Shonen Jump” line of manga targeted at young male readers, but this electric title will easily satisfy the adult looking for high-octane thrills.

B+

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