Thousand-Year Blood War Highlighted a Massive Problem About the Original Anime Studio Pierrot Cannot Ignore Anymore

The release of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime in 2022 was a dream come true for every fan of the series. While the spectacular animation has been praised endlessly, the new anime excels at bringing Tite Kubo’s vision to life. The stark difference in how Studio Pierrot handled Bleach initially compared to the special treatment it gets in the present is interesting. 

Anyone who has experienced both the adaptations and the manga will understand the difference right away. Changing that approach with the new anime has put it leagues ahead of the previous one.

Every episode of Thousand-Year Blood War anime brings attention to Pierrot’s approach to the original anime and the numerous problems with it. So, what were these problems and how did the original anime fall short in doing justice to Kubo’s vision? 

The Biggest Problem With the Original Bleach Anime 

Bleach anime started its run in 2004, and it was airing at the same time as the manga’s weekly serialization. From filler scenes and episodes to making some key differences in the storyline, there were many issues with the original anime. For instance, during one of the first arcs, the anime made some original additions to Ichigo’s fight with Grand Fisher. That fight was emotionally and physically challenging for Ichigo. 

In the manga, Grand Fisher transformed into Masaki, Ichigo’s mother, to make the fight more difficult for Ichigo. The anime took it a step further by having Masaki’s spirit consciously speak to Ichigo for one last time. It was an odd decision that didn’t make much sense. Similarly, throughout the anime, there are many such decisions that stray from the manga’s storyline. 

Additionally, the filler content was often incorporated with the canon content, making it difficult for fans to separate the two. The only choice fans had was to go through the fillers to grasp the complete picture. Moreover, the anime toned down some of the more graphic panels during fights. A lot of the more brutal wounds from the manga were softened in the anime. 

To its credit, the original anime had a great soundtrack that added to its charm and the animation was also interesting. The anime was also entertaining and if it wasn’t for the manga, it would have left a much better impression on fans as a standalone experience. 

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is Tite Kubo’s Unfiltered Vision 

Compared to the original anime, Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War brings Tite Kubo’s vision to life and expands on it instead of altering it. Kubo’s active involvement undoubtedly plays a huge role in the brilliance of the anime, but Studio Pierrot has also done a great job by following a different approach than the previous anime. 

From closely following the manga and adding content that supports and enriches it, Thousand-Year Blood War anime makes the whole experience a lot better. Plus, the censorship constraints are not as stringent, which helps a lot with some of the more fierce fights. Thousand-Year Blood War started after the manga had ended, so the planning was much better as the complete picture was already drawn out by Kubo. 

The original anime didn’t have this luxury as it was airing at the same time as the manga. Beyond the flaws, the original Bleach had its charm and it was undoubtedly highly entertaining, the nostalgia factor also helps its overall appeal. With that said, having an alternative as great as TYBW is definitely a treat! 

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War is available to stream on DisneyPlus.