What are your opinions about Bleach, or, should I keep reading it?

[dangitall]

I've just finished reading volume 35 (The end of Hueco Mundo arc, I believe), and everyone says it starts going downhill after that. Anime viewers also say Bleach isn't that interesting to watch.

I have 3 questions:
1. Should I continue reading it?
2. Even though some sites have volumes up to 40-something, I've only seen actual books up to volume 36 (in my area). Are those other ones official then?
3. What are your thoughts about the manga (or anime) in general? Good? Bad? What were your favourite moments?

I personally thought it was below average, and only a few fights were interesting. Keep in mind I only read the manga and will not waste time watching the anime until someone convinces me to.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Before I answers your questions, let me just say that the anime is riddled with filler arcs and so that might contribute to some people having negative inputs on the anime (but Naruto has them as well, so point made).

1.) If you are interested in Bleach and enjoy reading the manga, then you should keep reading it. Personally, the concluding final fight with Aizen seemed like a rather fitting conclusion, but I guess the writers wanted to continue the Bleach manga, so we get a new arc. Again, if you enjoy reading the manga, I suggest that you still read it.

2.) All volumes affiliated with Bleach are official. What is not officially derived from the manga are the filler arcs (storylines that do not appear in the manga).

3.) First the good: I liked this manga/anime because it was an action driven manga with a deep, complex story, memorable characters, a consistently awesome protagonist, and plot twists that no one ever sees coming. Also, I was also glad that his manga/anime didn't follow the tiresome tradition of other mangas/animes that are cliche and ruin the feel of the action manga (i.e. panty shots, skimpy clothing, obvious fanservice, and love stories/triangles that have no business in the action genre).

Next the bad: there are so many unanswered questions and threads in the story that are yet to be resolved and will likely never be resolved. Some of these include what happened in Huecho Mundo once everyone left it (Grimmjow and Nel), what becomes of the Vizords, will the King of Soul Society ever be mentioned, and the origins of Isshin Kurosaki (Ichigo's father). Also, the manga had a point where it would have served as a satisfying conclusion, but decided to continue anyway. It's not a deal breaker, but I would have been happy if the series ended when it could have.

Now the favorites: When Ichigo battled Byakuya Kuichiki and then Grimmjow, when Ichigo gains control of his Hollow powers, when Orihime "almost" kisses Ichigo, Ichigo seeing all his comrades once again, Nel turning into an adult and owning Nntoria, and Ichigo in his "improved" bankai.

 

[Asita]

Bleach's heyday was in Soul Soul Society. The Hueco Mundo arc was good up until the later chapters when it started to really become apparent that Kubo had problems with consistency*. At this point, I'm not reading for the plot or the fights. I'm reading because I made a game out of predicting Kubo's moves.



*Early warning sign: Ulquiorra's magically moving hollow-hole. Barragan's little "Espada are aspects of death" thing might have been a workable concept (if an ill-fitting one) if it hadn't already been established that the positions were subject to change on a whim (Privaron Espada, anyone? Former #3 Espada? Luppi?). Zomari being the fastest Espada completely defies logic, given that Ichigo was priorly established to be faster than the one who beats Zomari, and Ulquiorra was shown to be MUCH faster than him even before he got serious. And my personal favorite? The reveal of Espada Zero, a character used as a punching bag, whom nobody worried about biting their heads off if he got mad is revealed to be the most powerful? And of course, there's the revelation of Kamishi no Yari's TRUE ability, which had the added insult of being completely pointless (The original ability attributed to it would have had a similar effect on the target, it just wouldn't have left as big of a hole.