Anime (Action Anime) favorite, [link|http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434665/|Bleach]...

I can't help but notice there is a HUGE following of this series. In Japan, France and now the US with Cartoon Network doing a re-dub to English.

I have to say the English re-dub, misses MUCH of the Japanese Passion for language, I prefer to watch Japanese spoken with English subtitles, which means currently I only can get 1-60 and 121-current release (being 134 ATM). 61-120 is Japanese spoken and French subtitles... bleh. Fortunately, I can understand enough spoken Japanese to pick up much of the meaning and I can read French well enough to get most of the rest I miss or am confused about.

The reason I like the subtitles, is the "over expressionism" in the drawn part of the series is lost on the English translations. With the Japanese spoken part it isn't lost. Parts that are semi-funny in the English version, are absolutely hilarious when the vocal inflections in Japanese are heard. Some of the meaning itself is hugely lost in the English... Like a Pre-Battle/Victory/"I'm so lucky to battle" Dance done by one of the Lieutenants of Squad 11 (Ikkaku) is really very LAME sounding and absolutely idiotic when done in English. In Japanese, it is very very very funny, that someone of this stature and power would do this dance, just to show his confidence in himself.

There are so many pieces of Music having been produced for this show it isn't even funny. Currently there are about 25 distinct compilations of the soundtracks used in the show or dedicated breakouts for individual characters in the show. Some are singles (actually 4 song cds) that really are amazing. They have also had many popular Japanese bands or performers make things just for Bleach. Some like [link|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Range|ORANGE RANGE](Wikipedia) became much more popular *because of* their performance of the first season's opening ditty called "Asterisk".

I guess I can't really explain how something like this gets this big so quickly, but after 4 seasons done and number 5 in progress,(1) it appears there is very little slow down of this. There is one gigantic story line underneath all of the side-stories, character development and side-side-stories giving backfill into history or other info... you get the feeling this whole setup is ever expanding in all directions. They fill in more history, backgrounds and plots pieces, it just gets more and more complicated, but the main line of the story from day one is still kept in mind. The writer(s) have done a very good job of tweaking and dropping hints about things coming along or explanation of somethings that didn't quite make sense when they happened...

Yeah, I am babbling on about a Cartoon, so what? Its got more story than MANY sitcoms in the US ever had. It has more dedication to making it right than any US studio would ever put into something like this. It is a shame, really. Many of the US studios could learn a lot from their Japanese counter-parts. But then, the sheeple of the US don't have that long of an attention span.


(1) Or maybe 5 seasons done and number 6 in progress, as there have typically been 25 shows a season.