Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’ Season 1, Part 2 on Hulu, a Strong Yet Somber Shonen Adventure

Six months ago, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War revived a shonen anime classic with a storyline littered with some shocking revelations. The end of the anime’s return, however, brought with it a bit of a cliffhanger that would have to wait for resolution – until the second half of the series debuted. Now it’s here, and it’s a glorious return to everything fans appreciated about this continuation of the popular series.

BLEACH: THOUSAND-YEAR BLOOD WAR – SEASON 1, PART 2: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A striking image of sperm cells fertilizing an egg flashes on screen before morphing into a child. The child, embraced by a mother, is then pushed by a pair of hands. The screen shifts to a sea of hands, all connected by red threads chanting “Yhwach” (Takayuki Sugo) with the baby at the center of it all before revealing the character himself.

The Gist: The second half of Thousand-Year Blood War picks up right where the previous episode drop left off. “The Last 9 Days” chronicles what the heroes of Bleach have been up to ever since Soul Society met its swift defeat. The Wandenreich, previously introduced, is gearing up to invade Soul Society, with the Soul Reapers hardly in a state to take them on. The Quincy, led by Yhwach, referenced in the beginning of the episode, are ready to march.

The focus is more on Ishida Uryuu (Noriyaki Sugiyama) this time around, however. Yhwach appoints Ishida as the next in line behind him, a move that might surprise longtime viewers but give manga devotees a sense of satisfaction since this scene has been a long time coming. Because so much time is spent on this aspect of the episode, there isn’t a lot left to explore this early on, but it certainly sets the stage for what’s to come, especially when it comes to examining the relationship between Uryuu and Yhwach.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Bleach is a familiar shonen treat for those who are fans of the genre. With that said, it shares strong similarities with series like Naruto, One Piece, and My Hero Academia, with differing degrees of sameness.

Our Take: This is an extremely strong return to form for fans looking for the next phase of Thousand-Year Blood War, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. There’s plenty of introspection going on with Ichigo as he prepares for battle, who’s obviously found himself at a crossroads in terms of his future and how to handle the downfall of Soul Society. Given that this series is meant to be the “final” battle, this totally makes sense – but given that he usually seems calm, cool, and collected, it’s interesting to see him struggling to come to terms with what’s going on.

On the other hand, watching Ishida Uryuu meeting his truest destiny as the next head of the Quincy is something many Bleach viewers may have thought they’d never see. Though initially written off by many as a side character like Orihime without much purpose, seeing him come into his own and taking up his own portion of the episode is refreshing in a way that not all shonen series can understand and interpret. There’s plenty packed into this first episode of the second half of Season 1, and fans will come away with plenty to look forward to.

Sex and Skin: None here, and likely none to come.

Parting Shot: ​​Wandenreich is seen advancing and will attack in nine days, the “last nine days of the world,” as Ishida and his squad attest at the end of the episode in the most ominous manner possible.

Sleeper Star: Sugiyama as Ishida steals the show even as Ichigo deals with his own demons. He steals the show every time Ishida has screen time, and if you didn’t know any better, you might think Ishida was the hero instead of Ichigo.

Most Pilot-y Line: “A thousand years of peace have made the Soul Reapers weak,” Division 0’s Hyosube Ichibe proclaims when Ichigo goes to see him. It’s true, as Soul Society ended up falling when it needed to be the strongest, and that’s where this half of the series picks up.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War’s return is a fantastic continuation of the previous collection of episodes. It throws viewers right back into the action and sets the stage for what will eventually be a bombastic conclusion – one that’s been years in the making. If you’re an anime fan, this is one season you shouldn’t be missing.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.