Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3869 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-08-17
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 535 minutes

Synopsis
Based on a popular manga, BLEACH is a thrilling anime series about a 15-year-old boy who was born with the ability to see ghosts and who uses his special power to protect the living from evil spirits. Contains all the episodes from the show's third series.

Customer Reviews

If that's the only way, then I'll just have to do it
Now that they've gotten into the Soul Society and the Seireitei, Ichigo and Co. have ANOTHER problem: rescuing Rukia and escaping with their body parts intact.

Unfortunately, it's not going to be that easy. "Bleach: The Rescue" kicks everything about this brilliant anime up a notch -- lots of blood, sword-fights, a fiery climax at the execution grounds, and some amazing character development. But the best part is that the treacherous conspiracy merely hinted at in prior episodes, which sparks a minor civil war within the Seireitei.

Yoruichi starts the badly-wounded Ichigo on a special new training regimen -- to rescue Rukia, he must achieve achieve bankai (the ultimate release of a zanpakuto) in three days. In the meantime, Uryu has encountered the most horrendous of Soul Reapers, who is responsible for the death of a loved one, and Captain Hitsugaya is confronted by an old friend who tries to kill him -- accusing him of murdering Captain Aizen.

But the chaos really starts when Rukia's execution day rolls around: mass murder is revealed, captains turn against one another, and Renji fights a devastating battle against the implacable Byakuya. Ichigo appears on the execution hill with devastating new power -- intent on rescuing Rukia and defeating her brother once and for all. But when he seems to be losing, a horrific new change comes over him.

And in the meantime, the conspiracy that's ripping apart the Soul Reapers is revealed -- the identify of the Big Bad and his sidekicks, the reason he wants Rukia dead, and how many people he'll coldly destroy to get what he wants.

"Bleach: The Rescue" is a turning point for the entire series -- everything before it has built to this point, and everything in the future will spring from it. For an action anime, it is also quite heavy on the plot as it sets up the Big Bad: faked murders, real murders, conspiracies, hypnotic tricks, betrayals, a clever triple-cross perpetrated by Gin Ichimaru, and Urahara's hidden motive in helping Rukia.

There's also lots of brilliantly explosive action using ice dragons, black fire, razor-sharp cherry blossoms, exploding Soul Reapers, a giant bone-snake, and a firebird the size of a submarine. The action only serves to underscore the tension that is building throughout the entire season, until it explodes on Sokyoku Hill. It's also got solid dialogue, some quiet moments for Ichigo's pals (hanging out in prison) and some flashbacks to Renji, Rukia, Kira and Momo's days at the Academy.

Fortunately, all this dark stuff is speckled with funny moments like Ichigo's relaxation in a healing spring ("I AM GOING TO DROWN YOU!"), and an entire episode in which the characters unwind and recover after the events of "the rescue."

Our Hero really shows his stuff in this season -- Ichigo puts his life on the line to reach an incredible level of spiritual power, and rescue Rukia no matter what happens. Too bad he turns out to have a freaky dark side (and Johnny Yong Bosch has a brilliant demon cackle). And Uryu inadvertently gets to the bottom of his grandfather's death, and goes to devastating lengths to get revenge for what happened to him.

But most of the characters get to shine in this, although Chad and Orihime are somewhat neglected: the Yoruichi-obsessed Soi Fon, the kindly Ukitake and his best buddy Kyoraku, the happily hyperaggressive Zaraki, boy-genius Hitsugaya, and the fusty and arrogant Head Captain Yamamoto (among many others). We also learn how far Renji will go for Rukia, as well as the true reason why Byakuya has been so cold and seemingly cruel.

"Bleach: The Rescue" is a brilliant arc of action-packed, tightly-wound anime, with a shocking twist at the core of the story. Definitely a must-see -- especially for everything that comes later.

To Rescue a Friend
With Rukia's execution imminent and the soul reaper ranks in disarray, it looks like all hell is about to break loose in the soul society. After discovering the corpse of Captain Sosuke Aizen, the soul Reapers have more to worry about that the intruders from the living world. With a traitor lurking in the shadows and the riocha steadily making progress series 3 proves to be the most action packed and intense so far. This 5 disc collection contains episodes 42 - 63 and covers 'the rescue' story arc. As usual Bleach progresses through action packed and comedic episodes which often end on a cliffhangery note. This third series introduces yet more of the ever-growing cast of soul reapers and shows off some frenetic action sequences with more blood and an array of new Zanpakto's. We also see some nice characterisation of some of the established characters such as Toshiro Hitsugaya, yoruichi and Byakuya Kuchiki. Furthermore some shocking backstory is unveiled about the eccentric handyman Kisuke Urahara and his links to the soul society. Series 3 also introduces Bankai, which is basically the next level in power for a soul reaper and his zanpakto. So as you can imagine, the action is stepped up and the fight scenes are more explosive.

If you have been following the Bleach seasons so far then this latest release is essential as it is the most crucial and important section of the story so far. Series 3 ends on the perfect note of giving a satisfying finale to the rescue story arc, while at the same time, setting the series up for some major story arcs in the future. Unfortunately, after this series, Bleach goes into a long run of filler episodes (episodes that were not taken from the original source manga, therefore they are original material which 'usually' inferior to the non-filler segments of the show), but this brilliant season should keep you entertained for a bit.

The one minor technicality about Bleach (that I've mentioned in other reviews) is the sheer number of soul reaper characters. While they all contribute to making the series as good as it is, it can take a while to get used to them all, what with their similar black robes and long Japanese names. And the Zanpakto's are just as bad! I've never been good with names but when some of them are barely pronounceable tongue twisters, it can be a pain to keep up with them. While this is only a minor issue, it could put some people off the series(Like myself...initially). But all I ask is that you bear with it and you will gradually get used to them.

As per usual, the animation continues to be of a high standard and the music is incredibly catchy and well suited to the series. I particularly like the new opening and ending themes which appear in this boxset. Unfortunately, the special features are once again sparse with the only extras being textless closing animations, stills galleries and trailers. Once again, you can watch the show in either English or Japanese (with subtitles). Personally I think both language tracks are superb and have seen all 3 available seasons in both.

So if you enjoyed previous installments of Bleach, what are you waiting for? You need to order this set as it is more of the great Bleach entertainment that can be enjoyed over and over again. A truly excelent third season; Let's just hope the filler episodes to come are just as, or even half as entertaining as this cracking boxset.

A good end to the story of the 1st three series
Series three of Bleach marks the end to the story (started in series 1 & 2) of Rukia's rescue from the Soul Society. It also marks the arrival of a new protagonist for series 4 and beyond.
As with the earlier series the animation is excellent and the story is gripping, though you do have to pay attention to understand it.
I can strongly recommend this box set.