Cartoon Sunday: Bleach's Pilot

How's it going lurkers? Last week, I read about Adult Swim shafting Bleach. 

The Anime is inching towards its series finale, in a matter of 4 more episodes. Dragon Ball Kai will be Bleach's replacement and the network isn't planning on syndicating it.

Adult Swim NEVER aired Bleach's OVA's and the "Shinigami's Cup" shorts. The network has only premiered 2 Bleach movies. 

Meanwhile, Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, Ghost In The Shell, etc. have been played up the ass beyond a decade. 

Bleach has been a perennial Adult Swim Anime, since 2006. It premiered in Japan 2 years prior. 

Before Adult Swim re-branded late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings as "Toonami," Bleach and other Adult Swim Anime had better treatment. 

Now that the "Toonami" branding exists on Adult Swim rather than on Cartoon Network, the commercial breaks are longer. This is along with the rest of us viewers having our intelligence insulted by watching some patronizing CGI robot and his talking computer patronize us ADULT VIEWERS about not being a "hater." 

In between patronizing adult veteran viewers, Toonami follows it up with predominantly Shonen Jump Action Anime, American Cartoons for prepubescent boys, and video games.

Okay, I will watch Shonen Jump Action Anime, but I do NOT give 2 flying fat fucks about all that other useless, patronizing, bullshit.

I understand that networks must air commercials. Most networks including Adult Swim need money. However, I am NOT some prepubescent boy watching Adult Swim. The Toonami sycophants will justify, that Toonami paved the way for Adult Swim, Anime, etc. Yes, that's close enough.

All the while, NOT every Anime viewer watched everything on the original Toonami. Toonami was NOT every Anime fan's "Gateway To Anime."

Some of us older Anime viewers began watching Anime YEARS before Cartoon Network was ever created. It was not until Sailor Moon, that I began watching Cartoon Network's Toonami. 

Then, I stopped watching Toonami, until Naruto premiered in 2005.

In 2005, I was in my college senior year. I still didn't care about a CGI robot and his talking computer introducing shows and video games to me. All I cared and still do care about is watching my shows. I became more interested in other Adult Swim Anime.

Fooly Cooly, Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, Inuyasha, and Ghost In The Shell were certain shows I did NOT watch. 

The preceding Adult Swim shows never held my interest, and their Otaku/Weeaboo sycophants at 2 of my colleges aggravated the hell out of me. Anime fans of said ilk made other fans (including me) feel ashamed to love Anime.

They acted pretentious and immature about liking Japanese animation and culture. Those are 2 main reasons why potential fans refuse to like Anime.

I always read and hear about us Bleach fans being annoying. Honestly, I find those fan bases I previously mentioned to typically be really annoying.

There will always be those few stupid and obnoxious fans, who ruin a movie, show, or music genre for everyone.

Like I was saying, I originally watched Adult Swim for American cartoons, which were specifically for adults and other Anime. Scryed, Case Closed, Bleach, Trinity Blood, Code Geass, and Death Note are only naming some of my favorite Adult Swim Anime. 

After all those shows and several others ended, Bleach still premiered in America every Saturday night for these last 8 years.

Bleach's finale is approaching yet Adult Swim refuses to re-air the series from the very beginning, after it ends. The network over played all those other worn out shows and continues to do so. Talk about pandering and with double standards!

Even if Adult Swim refuses to re-air Bleach from the beginning, the network could at least air its OVA's and other movies, before shafting it and us Bleach fans for Dragon Ball Kai. 

Don't even get me started on those obnoxious Dragon Ball fanboys and girls. I am sorry, if you are a fan and happen to read this blog, but the Dragon Ball fans are WAY more obnoxious than us Bleach fans.

Throughout the last 8 years, I have enjoyed watching Bleach because I was able to sympathize and empathize with the characters, including the protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki. Originally, the series was about him.

In the beginning, Ichigo Kurosaki was a 15-year-old high school student, who could see ghosts/spirits. This included his ability to see the Shinigami (meaning "Death God" in Japanese), Rukia Kuchiki. She had to transfer her Shinigami powers to Ichigo, in order to save his family and friends from Hollows.

Hollows are soul-eating spirits.

Then, Ichigo and Rukia began solving mysteries in regards to Hollows. Later, the other Shinigami, Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki (Rukia's brother-in-law) retrieved Rukia and returned to the Soul Society with her.

Rukia was suppose to be executed because it was illegal for a Shinigami to transfer his/her powers to a living person.

Long story short, Ichigo and his friends rescued Rukia. Eventually, Bleach progressed into numerous arcs.

I can sympathize and empathize with Ichigo mostly because he has the ability to see ghosts. I am always amazed, that some religious zealots do NOT  believe in ghosts. 

I can understand Atheists not believing in ghosts. Although, I NEVER understood why certain religious zealots (generally speaking and acknowledging other religious groups) don't believe in ghosts. This can most definitely be said about some Christian zealots.

We are praying to spirits. How can we NOT believe in them?

Before I started having my own premonitions and getting death warnings from ghosts, as an adult, I always believed in them. 

I know cynics and skeptics will read today's blog, roll their eyes, and say, "Whatever! You're crazy. It's all in your head." No, this is NOT  "all in my head." Sometimes ghosts visit me, in order to prepare me for a death in the family or another person's death.

Last Sweetest Day for example, a ghost's shadow appeared outside my bedroom window. Suddenly, it dissipated into thin air! The day after, 1 of my great-aunts died from Breast Cancer. On October 19th, it will be 1 year since her demise.

So, this Cartoon Sunday, I have Bleach's pilot both in Japanese with English subtitles and in English dub.

Can you or can you not handle watching Anime in Japanese with English subtitles? The choice is yours. 

Anyway, here is Bleach from the very beginning.

Bleach Season 1: Episode 1 "The Day I Became A Shinigami" [Japanese] (2004)

Bleach Season 1: Episode 1 "The Day I Became A Shinigami" [English] (2006)

Let me know what you think!