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Concept
Crypton had the idea to release Miku as "an android diva in the near-future world where songs are lost."When KEI
illustrated Miku, he was asked to draw Miku as an android and a color
scheme to go off of (based on YAMAHA synthesizer's signature blue-green
color). Crypton also provided KEI her detailed concepts, however,
Crypton says it was not easy to explain what a "Vocaloid" was like to
him, and KEI says he could not create an image of a "singing computer"
at first, as he did not even know what a "synthesizer" was. It took him
more than a month.
The digital design on Miku's skirt and boots are based off synthesizer
program colours and the bars represent the actual bars within the
program, following Crypton's idea. Part of her design seems to be based
on Yamaha's keyboard model DX-100 .
Miku was originally intended to have a different hairstyle, but KEI stuck to pigtails after trying them out. Her pigtails have since become a iconic status of her design. On June 22 2012, Hatsune Miku's Twin tails even earned her the title of the Twin Tail which best represented the 2000s, marking her the best set of Twin Tails in the dawn of the 21st century. She now shares her twin tail distinction with other characters like Sailor Moon (who won best Twin Tails for the 90s period).
After an Internet Meme involving Hachune Miku, Miku was associated with a spring onion (often mistaken for a leek due to the similar appearance). This along with Kaito's discovery started a habit called "the Item War" where it became traditional for new Vocaloids to have an item assigned to them and the items were debated on until one stuck via an Internet Meme.
The thin squares around her pigtails are futuristic ribbons made of a special material that float in place. As seen in Kei's art for Miku, they are able to hold Miku's pigtails in place without having to physically touch the hair itself. The ribbons are also reported by Kei to be the hardest item on the character's design for cosplayers to recreate.
Aged 14, Len is twins with his sister, Kagamine Rin. They can be protrayed either as twins or reflections of a mirror depending on the person viewing them or the song (it is not officially stated).
As a character from the second installment of Crypton's Vocaloid Character Voice Series, he is voiced by Asami Shimoda.
Other names: 櫻桃 (Chinese)
Gender: Male
Age: 14
Height: 156 cm (5'1.4")
Weight: 47 kg (103 lbs)
Favorite Gene: Pop dance and rock / pop-pop songs - Enka
Good Range: F # 3 ~ C # 5
Character items: Road-roller, banana
Released on December 27, 2007, Kagamine Rin/Len (鏡音リン・レン?) is the second installment of the Vocaloid2 Character Vocal Series. Their family name was chosen by combining Kagami (鏡, Mirror?), Ne (音, Sound?), with the first syllables of their given names a pun on "Left" and "Right". According to Vocaloid's official blog, the package includes two voice banks: one for Rin and another for Len, both provided by the voice actor Asami Shimoda. Despite the double voice banks, the package still sells at the same price as Hatsune Miku.[25] Their only cameo appearance in an anime is in (Zoku) Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei, where the two and Miku (and various other people and characters) try out to be the voice of Meru Otonashi.
On June 12, 2008, Crypton announced the updated edition, named "act2", will be released in early July 2008. Users who had bought the old version will get an expansion disc free of charge. On June 18, 2008, beta demonstration songs using the new version were released on the company's official blog.[26] The expansion disc is an entirely different software and does not affect the original Kagamine Rin/Len installation in any way, giving the user options to either use the old or new voice sets exclusively or combine their usage.
HistoryEdit
She was first seen in silhouette during October 14, 2011 and was
revealed in a poster on October 21. Later during the Vocanama event,
more of her official art, her demo and her website has been revealed, along with her twitter. Her release date was the 16th of December in 2011.[4]
Demo songs
| Song | Broadcast |
|---|---|
| でんでん | YouTube |
| P** Song | YouTube |
| Thousand Regrets | YouTube |
| Sun (Bubble) | YouTube |
| See You Tomorrow | YouTube |
| 神話色のミステリイ | YouTube |
| ぽっかんカラー | YouTube |
| こんなアタシDOでShow!? | NicoVideo |
Tone Rion "Second Edition"
Tone Rion was one of several products which was re-released in 2013
under "SE" edition. The updated version will host 3 new job plug-ins
for the Vocaloid3 engine as well as the latest version of "Vocaloid3' and Vocaloid 3 Lite.
For users who already own the original vocal, there is no need for a
second purchase as aside from a software package update, all the new
added bonus content in the SE addition is downloadable from the Vocaloid
website.
The original version of Tone Rion will be discontinued from sale on August 20th 2013.[5]
Concept
Her brief backstory states that she is 16 years old, good at singing
and dancing and was born in 2095. Rion performs on the "Dear Stage"
(ディアステージ) located in future Akihabara set 100 years from the current
time.
The design has the distinct appearance of a 'cooking' maid. However, based upon her background, the design is meant to portray an Akibamaid (秋葉原 メイド), a cosplay girl whose role is that of waitress rather than a cook.
Etymology
The the Kanji for Tone Rion's name means 兎 (Bunny/Rabbit) and 眠
(Sleep), however the phrase itself "兎眠" (Rabbit's sleep) has no
signifcant meaning in Japanese. Though the company does not give any
account, Rion's name is believed to be a double pun on the English word tone and the musical instrument Tenori-on produced by Yamaha
Concept
According to KEI,
who was asked to illustrate her by Crypton, due to her bilingual
software, her design was made to be asymmetrical, so from different
angles she would look different.
Her design incorporates woodwind and brass instruments. The gold curl design on her chest mimics brass instruments and a circulatory organ. The blue jewel near her throat represents moisture in the air and water drops. [4]
Vocaloid fans tried to assign an item to Luka like they had done with past Vocaloids and there was a heated debate on what Luka's item would be. Tako Luka is marked as the end of the "Item War" system where as items were assigned to Vocaloids based on Internet Memes. Despite the Internet Meme's popularity, she is often seen with a tuna fish. This is a result of comparing the Japanese word for "tuna" with her last name.
Etymology
Her surname combines Meguri (巡, circulate or around) and Ne (音,
sound), while the name Luka invokes the homonymous Japanese words of
"nagare" (流, flow) and "ka" (歌, song) or "ka" (香, scent); thus making
"songs to all around the world as scent spreads."
History
Following the rising popularity of Hatsune Miku, "Vippers" (Vip News Bulletin@2ch users) schemed a troll "new Vocaloid release" as an April Fool's joke. Sen (線) provided the rough sketch and Nobuyo Oyama, a spoof for Doraemon's former voice actress Nobuyo Ohyama, provided the vocal. The Teto project continued after the troll campaign, and her vocal was recorded again for the use on UTAU, which vocal synthesis software was released two months earlier. UTAU and Teto were both unnoticed among Vocaloid composers at first, but during the last half of the year several creators started composing songs for Teto, causing her fame to be established during the next year. The voice provider's name reading was then changed to Mayo Oyamano (小山乃 舞世 Oyamano Mayo) to avoid unnecessary confusion.Teto was given official acceptance to Piapro on Apr. 1, 2010, and to Project DIVA on Oct. 10, 2011 .
Impact on Vocaloid
The first cover song using Teto was created as early as on April 6 of the year, and her signature song Mimi no Aru Robot no Uta
(耳のあるロボットの歌; Song of Eared Robot) was released on June 10 by
Mimirobo-P. Since then several creators including Lamaze-P, Telmin and
Death Ohagi started to create Teto songs. Some of these early works are Fake Diva, Triple Baka, Kasane Territory and Popipo Mk2.
UTAU editing was more difficult than Vocaloid editing and Teto's vocal
sounded robotic, so Teto's popularity was mostly owed to the character.
The voicebank was little focused on.This trend changed on August 1 2009, when UTAU platform was updated and VCV voicebanks became available. Teto's VCV voicebank was released on October 20, 2009 and her singing became more natural than before. This evolution made more DAW users turn their eyes towards Teto. Many Teto songs were posted to Nicovideo, and Teto and UTAU established the place with Vocaloid.
Concept
KEI was
given the concept Crypton intended, their approximate ages, an image of
mirror, and an image of androids, but was not given any other directions
when he was asked to illustrate Rin and Len by Crypton, as Kei had
already illustrated Miku before. Rin was the first one to be illustrated
and Len was made to match her, following Crypton's concept. Their leg
parts are designed to mimic speakers.[1][2] The keytar
Len is often featured holding in merchandise is a Yamaha KX5 of which
both the Kagamine designs take certain design elements from.
As they were under development, Crypton had the concept of making a pair of male and female voicebanks. The first idea of the concept was twin voices of a girl and her mirror image of opposite gender, just like twins. [3]
CFM had an intention to distribute them as twins, but this was not adopted either. After seeing many works that depict their relationships differently, Crypton announced on a magazine interview that those would meet their ideal. Crypton announced that they are neither siblings nor lovers. [4][5] During Append production, Wat described them as one soul between the 2 of them, and stated he is to blame for that.[6] During the boxart for the Append, Wat described it as making the pair seem like Twins.[7] It was due the fetal position they were in.[8] Wat also wanted the Appends to have a sense of transparency about their design to give a transparent feeling.[9] The "transparency" was in reference to their hearts in clarification on what he meant due to confusion over what he meant by this.[10]
Kagamine Rin's introduction artwork
- Rin has "Act2" on her arm under her "02" tattoo.
- Rin's top was changed in the introductory image between versions around the armpit area. Frills were added to the bottom of her top in Act2
- Her shoulder was not correctly drawn in the original version
- All the yellow bands on her outfit were made bigger on Act2.
- Her fringe was made thicker above the left eye.
- In Kagamine Rin's artwork, her left knee was thicker and her right leg was too short. Kei corrected this in her Act2 version. Her right leg position changed and so did her Left foot position
- Forearms have been shortened in Act2.
- The cyber-on-normal clothing design on their detached sleeves were changed from a green bar to a blue one
- Kagamine Len has "Act 2" on his headphones.
- The cyber-on-normal clothing design on the detached sleeves were changed from a green bar to a blue one
- His fringe was reshaped, other strands were adjusted as well
- Len's face, particularly around the cheekbones, have been reshaped.
- His left knee has a minor tweak
- Kagamine Rin's leg position was changed in their boxart so it was lifted up off the ground, the only way the previous position would have worked was if her leg was deformed or broken.
- Rin's body itself compared to the length of her legs is shorter then in the original boxart, the legs longer.
- Kagamine Rin's knee is rounded instead of sharp
- Both had the cyber-on details changed on their detached sleeves
Continuing the tradition of the Item War Internet Meme, many items were preposed for the pair. In the end, Len's item was a Banana because his hair was commented to resemble a bunch of bananas, while Rin's item was an Orange since her bow gave the impression of orange leaves. Before her release, Rin had the Road Roller assigned to her by accident in a video that recieved many views suddenly on December 1, 2007. Kagamine Len had yet to be revealed at the time of the Road Roller meme
Manga Naruto pertama kali diterbitkan di Jepang oleh Shueisha pada tahun 1999 dalam edisi ke 43 majalah Shonen Jump). Di Indonesia, manga ini diterbitkan oleh Elex Media Komputindo. Popularitas dan panjang seri Naruto sendiri (terutama di Jepang) menyaingi Dragon Ball karya Akira Toriyama, sedangkan serial anime Naruto, diproduksi oleh Studio Pierrot dan Aniplex, disiarkan secara perdana di Jepang oleh jaringan TV Tokyo dan juga oleh jaringan televisi satelit khusus anime, Animax, pada 3 Oktober 2002 sampai sekarang. Seri pertama terdiri atas 9 musim. Musim pertama dari seri kedua mulai ditayangkan pada tanggal 15 Februari 2007. Di Indonesia, anime Naruto saat ini ditayangkan oleh Global TV yang akan pindah ke RCTI mulai 1 Februari 2011.
manga
Death Note was first serialized in 108 chapters by Shueisha in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006. The series was also published in tankōbon format in Japan starting in May 2004 and ending in October 2006 with a total of twelve volumes. The anime series aired in Japan from October 3, 2006, to June 26, 2007. Composed of 37 episodes, the anime was developed by Madhouse and directed by Tetsuro Araki. A light novel based on the series, written by Nisio Isin, was released in Japan. Additionally, various video games have been published by Konami for Nintendo DS. The series was adapted into live-action films released in Japan on June 17, 2006, November 3, 2006, and February 2, 2008.
Viz Media licensed the Death Note manga in North America and has published all the twelve volumes from the series, a 13th volume which serves as a "reader's guide", as well as the light novels. The episodes from the anime first appeared in North America as downloadable by IGN. Viz later licensed the anime series and it aired on Bionix in Canada and on Cartoon Network in the United States. The live-action films briefly played in certain North American theaters since 2008. However, none of the video games have thus far been published in North America or Europe.
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Plot
Main article: List of Kuroko no Basuke characters
The basketball team of Teikō Middle School rose to distinction by
demolishing all competition. The regulars of the team became known as
the "Generation of Miracles". After graduating from middle school, these
five stars went to different high schools with top basketball teams.
However, a fact few know is that there was another player in the
"Generation of Miracles": a phantom sixth man. This mysterious player is
now a freshman at Seirin High, a new school with a powerful, if
little-known, team. Now, Kuroko Tetsuya, the sixth member of the
"Generation of Miracles", and Kagami Taiga, a naturally talented player
who spent most of middle school in America, are aiming to bring Seirin
to the top of Japan, taking on Kuroko's old teammates one by one.Manga
Main article: List of Kuroko no Basuke chapters
Kuroko no Basuke is written and illustrated by Tadatoshi Fujimaki, and it has been serialized in the manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump starting December, 2008. The chapters have been published into tankōbon volumes by Shueisha with the first being released on April 3, 2009. As of February 4, 2013, 21 tankōbon volumes have been released.Anime
Main article: List of Kuroko no Basuke episodes
The anime adaptation based on the Kuroko no Basuke manga
chapters is produced by Production I.G. The series premiered on April 7,
2012 and ended on September 22, 2012. On April 5, 2012, Crunchyroll
announced that they would simulcast the anime as part of their spring
lineup of anime titles. As of September 22, 2012, the anime ended with a
total of 25 episodes. The series has been renewed for a second season
in 2013.
One Piece diciptakan oleh Eiichiro Oda. Komiknya dimulai pada 1997 di Shonen Jump terbitan Shueisha dan hingga kini masih terus berlanjut. Versi TV nya dimulai pada Oktober 1999. Di Indonesia manga ini diterbitkan Elex Media Komputindo dan hingga kini telah mencapai jilid ke 60 lebih. Versi TV-nya, yang diproduksi Toei, telah mencapai 500 episode di Jepang. Selain itu, delapan film tuturannya juga telah beredar. Di Indonesia sendiri pernah ditayangkan di RCTI dan kini ditayangkan di Global TV.
Pada Februari 2005, One Piece mencetak rekor di Jepang sebagai penerbitan manga yang tercepat mencapai 100.000.000 eksemplar. Hingga saat ini One Piece adalah manga paling laris sepanjang sejarah Jepang dengan penjualan lebih dari 260 juta kopi. Selain itu One Piece juga memecahkan rekor sebagai manga dengan cetakan pertama terbanyak. One Piece banyak mendapat pujian di antara para pembaca, terutama dalam hal gambar, karakter, humor, dan cerita.
Popularitas
manga One Piece mulai diserialisasikan pada majalah Shonen Jump edisi #34 pada tanggal 4 Agustus 1997. Animenya mulai diproduksi oleh Toei Animation di Fuji TV pada 20 Oktober 1999.Pada awalnya, Eiichiro Oda merencanakan One Piece akan berjalan sekitar 5 tahun, dan dia telah menetapkan endingnya. Tetapi dia terlalu "menikmati" jalan ceritanya dan sekarang dia tidak tahu kapan One Piece akan berakhir.
One Piece merupakan manga terlaris sepanjang sejarah Shonen jump. Manga ini juga yang menyebabkan total penjualan Shonen Jump naik pada 11 tahun terakhir ini. Volume 25 memegang rekor penjualan manga di Jepang, dengan 2.630.000 unit terjual pada cetakan pertama. Dan volume 46 mencapai lebih dari 140.000.000 unit terjual dan merupakan manga tercepat yang mencapai total penjualan 100.000.000.
Hingga saat ini One Piece memecahkan rekor sebagai manga paling laris sepanjang sejarah. Kesuksesan One Piece bahkan melebihi gabungan no 2 Naruto, no 3 Kimi ni Todoke, no 4 Fairy Tail, no 5 Bleach, no 6 Bakuman, no 7 Gintama, dan no 8 Fullmetal Alchemist dengan total penjualan One Piece lebih dari 260 juta kopi.
One Piece juga memecahkan rekor dunia penjualan tercepat dengan volume 63 terjual 2,119,400 dalam 4 hari (meskipun rekor sebelumnya juga dipegang One Piece volume 60 dan 61). Selain itu One Piece juga memecahkan rekor Jepang sebagai Cetakan pertama terbanyak. One Piece volume 63 memegang rekor Jepang dengan 3.9 juta kopi di cetakan pertama (meski rekor sebelumnya dipegang One Piece 60, 61, dan 62) rekor sebelum One Piece adalah Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix dengan 2.9 juta kopi
Manga
Manga One Piece dibuat oleh Eiichiro Oda. Manga One Piece mulai diterbitkan oleh majalah Weekly Shonen Jump sejak 4 Agustus 1997.Hingga 4 April 2012 One Piece sudah mempunyai 662 chapter dan 65 volume. Manga One Piece merupakan manga paling laris sepanjang sejarah Jepang. Manga One Piece sudah terjual lebih dari 260 juta kopi. Manga One Piece juga mendapat banyak pujian dan penghargaan.Anime
Kepopuleran One Piece dalam Weekly Shonen Jump, membuat pihak Toei Animation memutuskan membuat serial anime nya. Rating animenya sangat tinggi dan hingga kini telah dirilis lebih dari 500 episode, 10 movie, dan 1 OVA.Awal dari era anime One Piece sebenarnya adalah sebuah OVA One Piece, yaitu One Piece: Defeat the Pirate Ganzackt!, diterbitkan pada tahun 1997 kemudian diikuti tayangan mingguan per episode.
Bleach has been serialized in the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 2001, and has been collected into 58 tankōbon volumes as of December 2012. Since its publication, Bleach has spawned a media franchise that includes an animated television series that was produced by Studio Pierrot in Japan from 2004 to 2012, two original video animations, four animated feature films, seven rock musicals, and numerous video games, as well as many types of Bleach-related merchandise.
Viz Media obtained foreign television and home video distribution rights to the Bleach anime on March 15, 2006. Cartoon Network's Adult Swim began airing Bleach in the United States on September 9, 2006. Viz Media has licensed the manga for English-language publication in the United States and Canada, and has released 51 bound volumes as of November 2012 as well as published chapters of Bleach in its Shonen Jump magazine since November 2007. Viz Media released the first Bleach film, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, on DVD in North America on October 14, 2008. The second film, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, was released on September 15, 2009. The third film, Bleach: Fade to Black, was released on November 15, 2011. In addition, Hulu released subtitled versions of the anime a week after each episode aired in Japan.
Volumes of the manga have sold more than 80 million copies in Japan, and is one of the most sold manga in the United States. The anime adaptation has been similarly received; it was rated as the fourth most popular anime television series in Japan in 2006 and held a position amongst the top ten anime in the United States from 2006 to 2008. The series received the Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen demographic in 2005, and is among the best-selling manga issues in both Japan and the United States.
Contents |
Plot
See also: List of Bleach characters
Ichigo Kurosaki
is a teenager gifted with the ability to see spirits. His life is
drastically changed by the sudden appearance of a Soul Reaper—one who
governs the flow of souls between the human world and the
afterlife—named Rukia Kuchiki, who arrives in search of a Hollow,
a dangerous lost soul that absorbs energy from souls. When Rukia is
severely wounded defending Ichigo from the Hollow, she attempts to
transfer a part of her reiatsu (霊圧, literally, "spiritual pressure")
energy to Ichigo so that he can defeat the Hollow. However, Ichigo
takes almost all of her energy, transforming into a Soul Reaper and
allowing him to defeat the Hollow with ease. With her powers diminished,
Rukia is left stranded in the human world until she can recover her
strength. In the meantime, Ichigo must take over Rukia's role as a Soul
Reaper, battling Hollows and guiding souls to the afterlife realm known
as the Soul Society (尸魂界 (ソウル·ソサエティ) Sōru Sosaeti).As some time passes and Rukia has yet to return to the Soul Society, her Soul Reaper superiors learn about her whereabouts and actions and sentence her to death for performing the illegal act of transferring her powers. A confrontation due to this ends with two high ranking Soul Reapers (Shinigami) injuring Ichigo and taking Rukia to their world The Soul Society. Although he is unable to stop Rukia's departure to the Soul Society, Ichigo resolves to rescue her with the aid of several of his spiritually aware classmates, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora (Chad) Sado, and Uryū Ishida, and the ex-Soul Reapers Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Urahara. Once in Soul Society, Ichigo and company battle against the elites of the Soul Reaper military and strive to reach Rukia before her execution.
It is revealed that Rukia's execution and Ichigo's rescue attempt both had been manipulated by a very high-ranking Soul Reaper, Sōsuke Aizen, who was previously believed to have been murdered, as part of a far-reaching plot to take control of the Soul Society. Aizen betrays his fellow Soul Reapers and allies himself with the strongest of the Hollows, the Espadas, whom he enhances. Aizen thus becomes the main antagonist of the series, and the Soul Reapers form an alliance with Ichigo.
At this point, Bleach chronicles the war between the Soul Reapers, the Espadas, and Aizen. After Aizen defeats the Soul Reaper captains, Ichigo undergoes intense training with his father Isshin, who turns out to be a former Soul Reaper, in order to become strong enough to battle Aizen alone. As Aizen is weakened by his battle with Ichigo, a spell that Urahara had previously hidden within him activates and seals him, thus ending the conflict and leaving the Soul Society to imprison him. As a result of using an incredibly powerful attack in order to defeat Aizen, Ichigo loses all of his Spiritual Pressure and becomes an ordinary human.
Seventeen months later, Ichigo meets "Xcution", a group of humans possessing Fullbring powers based on Hollows and want Ichigo to absorb them. Ichigo starts training to regain his Soul Reaper powers by first developing his own Fullbring following the appearance of Shūkurō Tsukishima, the former leader of Xcution who is targeting his friends. After developing his Fullbring, Ichigo is betrayed by Xcution's current leader Kūgo Ginjō, a former Substitute Soul Reaper who had his memories rewritten to act as Tsukishima's enemy and help Ichigo gain powers to steal them. With help from Soul Society, Ichigo regains his Soul Reaper powers and starts fighting Ginjō's group alongside Soul Society's forces. The Soul Society forces end victorious with Ichigo defeating Ginjō and presumably killing Tsukishima.
Following these events, a group of Quincies called the "Vandenreich" declares war on the Soul Society. Ichigo once again ventures to Hueco Mundo, which has also been invaded by the Vandenreich; at the same time, the captains in the Soul Society battle a powerful group in the Vandenreich army known as the "Stern Ritter". During the invasion, several Captains had their bankai stolen by the Stern Ritter. Meanwhile Captain Yamamoto took revenge on the Quincy who stole Sasakibe's bankai and then immediately sought out their leader who he identified as "Juha Bach" who up till now was referred to by the other Quincy as "His Majesty". Despite using his bankai to attempt to kill him, Juha surprises Yamamoto by stealing his bankai, then instantly kills him using his abilities. Ichigo then arrives to take on Juha Bach and has his bankai subsequently destroyed and origins called into question. During the aftermath, the Royal Guard arrive to take Ichigo and several of his comrades to the Spirit Palace where they begin recuperation and training for the next fight against the Vandenreich. After the recuperation, Renji and Ichigo had a test. Renji passed. Ichigo failed and was sent back to Karakura Town. After being told he is not a Soul Reaper, his father reveals that Ichigo's mother was a Quincy.
Production
Bleach was first conceived from a desire on Tite Kubo's part to draw Shinigami in a kimono, which formed the basis for the design of the Soul Reapers in the series and the conception of Rukia Kuchiki.[2][3] The original story concept was submitted to Weekly Shōnen Jump shortly after the cancellation of Tite Kubo's previous manga, Zombiepowder, but was rejected. Manga artist Akira Toriyama saw the story and wrote a letter of encouragement to Kubo.[3] Bleach was accepted for publication a short time later in 2001, and was initially intended to be a shorter series, with a maximum serialization length of five years.[3] Early plans for the story did not include the hierarchical structure of the Soul Society, but did include some characters and elements that were not introduced into the plot until the Arrancar arc, such as Ichigo's Soul Reaper heritage.[2] The series was originally meant to be named "Black" due to the color of the Soul Reapers' clothes, but Kubo thought the title was too generic. He later tried the name of "White," but came to like "Bleach" more for its association with the color white and that he did not find it too obvious.[4]Tite Kubo has cited influences for elements of Bleach, ranging from other manga series to music, foreign language, architecture, and film. He attributes his interest in drawing the supernatural and monsters to Shigeru Mizuki's GeGeGe no Kitaro and Bleach's focus on interesting weaponry and battle scenes to Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya, manga that Kubo enjoyed as a boy.[2] The action style and storytelling found in Bleach are inspired by cinema, though Kubo has not revealed any specific movie as being an influence for fight scenes. When pressed, he told interviewers that he liked Snatch but did not use it as a model.[5] Kubo has also stated that he wishes to make Bleach an experience that can only be found by reading manga, and dismissed ideas of creating any live-action film adaptations of the series.[3]
Bleach's creative process is focused around character design. When writing plotlines or having difficulties generating new material, Kubo begins by thinking of new characters, often en masse, and rereading previous volumes of Bleach.[2][6] Kubo has said that he likes creating characters that have outward appearances that do not match their true nature—an element that can be found in many Bleach characters—as he is "attracted to people with that seeming contradiction" and finds an "urge to draw people like that" when he works.[7] The terminology used in Bleach has a variety of inspirations, with each category of characters bearing a different linguistic theme. Many of the names for swords and spells used by Soul Reapers were inspired by ancient Japanese literature. Hollows and Arrancars are often associated with Spanish terms because the language sounded "bewitching and mellow" to him. As for Fullbringers, their Fullbring is associated with the English vocabulary when either releasing or already have released their Fullbring. Finally, Quincy and Bounts have been known to associate with the German language, making Kubo's world of characters diverse in race and language as well.[7]
Media
Manga
See also: List of Bleach volumes
The chapters of the Bleach manga are written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. In Japan, they have been published in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump since 2001,[8] with individual chapters collected in a series of tankōbon
volumes, each of which includes a poem based on the cover character.
The first volume was released on January 5, 2004, and as of June 2012, 56 volumes have been released.[9][10]North American licensor Viz Media has been serializing the individual chapters in Shonen Jump in North America since November 2007.[11] As of December 2012, 53 volumes have been released, the first of which was released on June 1, 2004.[12][13] On August 5, 2008, the company released a hardcover "collector's edition" of the first volume that came with a dust jacket, followed by a box set that was released on September 2, 2008, containing the first 21 volumes, a poster, and a booklet about the series.[14][15]
Since Bleach's premiere, over 500 chapters have been released in Japan. Most chapter names are written in English and have katakana above them to indicate how they are read in Japanese, similar to the usage of furigana ruby characters with advanced kanji characters. In addition to the main series chapters, some chapters are published with a negative chapter number. These "negative" chapters are side stories that involve events that precede the main plot of the series.
On October 19, 2012, Shueisha released the first 37 volumes (Soul Society arc) in full color digital-only in Japanese ebook stores.[16]
Anime
See also: List of Bleach episodes
The Bleach anime series aired in Japan on TV Tokyo's Tuesday 6pm timeslot from October 5, 2004,[17] to March 27, 2012,[1] excluding holidays. The series was directed by Noriyuki Abe and produced by TV Tokyo, Dentsu, and Studio Pierrot.[18]Viz Media obtained the foreign television, home video, and merchandising rights to the Bleach anime from TV Tokyo Corporation and Shueisha on March 15, 2006.[19] Viz Media has later licensed its individual Bleach merchandising rights to several different companies.[20]
The adaptation of the Bleach anime premiered on Canada's YTV channel in the Bionix programming block on September 8, 2006.[citation needed] Cartoon Network's Adult Swim began airing Bleach in the United States the following evening.[21] Adult Swim stopped broadcasting new episodes of the English adaptation on October 13, 2007 after airing the first 52 episodes of the series.[citation needed] It was replaced with another Viz Media series, Death Note, to provide Studiopolis more time to dub additional episodes of Bleach. The series began airing again on March 2, 2008,[22] but went back on hiatus on November 21, 2009, after the airing of its 167th episode.[23] Adult Swim is now airing new episodes at 12am on Saturday in their animated programing block Toonami.
In the United Kingdom, Bleach premiered on Anime Central on September 13, 2007, with new episodes airing weekly.[citation needed] The English dubbed version of Bleach premiered on Animax Asia on 18 December 2009 with the first 52 episodes and season 2 premiered on 18 March 2011 this time with the original Japanese audio with English subtitles.
As of January 2012, 76 DVD compilations have been released by Aniplex in Japan.[24] Viz Media has released 32 DVD compilations of the English adaptation of the anime,[25][26] along with seven season boxsets that contain the first seven seasons of the anime.[27][28][29] On July 29, 2009, Aniplex released a "TV Animation Bleach 5th Anniversary Box" that includes 15 DVDs and three bonus discs.[30]
Episode 366, which aired March 27, 2012 was the last episode of Bleach to air on TV Tokyo.[31][32]
Soundtrack CDs
Composed and produced by Shirō Sagisu, 11 CD soundtracks have been released for the Bleach anime series and movies. Bleach Original Soundtrack 1 was released on May 18, 2005, which contains 25 tracks, including the first opening and ending themes in their original television lengths.[33] Bleach Original Soundtrack 2 followed on August 2, 2006 with an additional 23 instrumental tracks.[34] Bleach Original Soundtrack 3 later followed on November 5, 2008 with 27 instrumental tracks.[35] Bleach Original Soundtrack 4 was released on December 16, 2009 with 30 instrumental tracks.[36] Bleach: Memories of Nobody Original Soundtrack was released with 25 tracks from the Bleach: Memories of Nobody film. Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion Original Soundtrack was also released for the Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion film, with 29 tracks from the movie, followed by Bleach: Fade to Black Original Soundtrack for the Bleach: Fade to Black film, with 29 tracks, followed by Bleach: Hell Verse Original Soundtrack for the Bleach: Hell Verse film, with 21 tracks.[37][38][39] Bleach: The Best contains 12 of the opening and ending themes from the series in their full length versions, later followed by Bleach: Best Tunes, which contains 12 more opening and ending themes.[40][41]Three Radio DJCD Bleach 'B' Station season CD sets, each containing six volumes, have been released in Japan.[42] The third season is still ongoing in Japan.[43] Eight drama CDs have been produced for the series as well, featuring the original voice actors from the series; these drama CDs have only been included as part of the DVD releases.[44]
The Bleach Beat Collections is an ongoing set of CDs published by Sony Music featuring recordings by the original Japanese voice actors that provide a look at the personalities of the characters they play, as well as the voice actors themselves. The first CD was released on June 22, 2005, and as of March 2009, 21 volumes have been released across four named sets called Sessions.[45]
Films
There are four feature films based on the Bleach series, all of which are directed by Noriyuki Abe, director of the Bleach anime series. The films have been released in December of each year starting in 2006. Each movie features an original plotline along with original characters designed by Tite Kubo, which is contrary to the normal practice for anime-based films, as the original author usually has little creative involvement.[46]The first film, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, was released in Japan on December 16, 2006 and had a limited release in American theaters in June 2008.[47][48] The movie is centered around the activities of the "Dark Ones," who were banished from the Soul Society and are subsequently trying to destroy both the Soul Society and the World of the Living. Memories of Nobody was released in North America on Region 1 DVD by Viz Media on October 14, 2008.[49]
The second film, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion, was released to Japanese theaters on December 22, 2007.[50] Its plot focuses on 10th Division captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya's efforts to clear his name after an artifact belonging to Soul Society's king is stolen while under his care. The DiamondDust Rebellion was released in North America on Region 1 DVD by Viz Media on September 8, 2009.[51]
The third film, Bleach: Fade to Black, was released in Japan on December 13, 2008. In the film, members of Soul Society are struck with amnesia, caused by a parasitic Hollow causing them to lose their memories of Ichigo and Rukia. When he goes to the Soul Society to investigate, Ichigo discovers that Rukia has not only forgotten him, but has forgotten her own identity as well.[52] The film was released on DVD on September 30, 2009.[53] The English Dub release of Fade to Black was released on Region 1 DVD by Viz Media on November 15, 2011.[54]
The fourth movie, Bleach: Hell Verse, was released in Japan on December 4, 2010.[55] In it Ichigo is heading into the Gates of Hell, which is where Hollows who had committed evil during their lives as humans are sent. Tite Kubo did oversee the production of the film.[56]
In March 2010, Warner Bros. (USA/Canada/International) confirmed that it is in talks to create a live action movie adaptation of the series. Peter Segal and Michael Ewing have been lined up to produce the movie.[57] The live action movies were confirmed to be made in February 2012 with Dan Mazeau hired to write the screenplay of the movie. Segal and Ewing are confirmed to produce the live action film.[citation needed]
Bleach has been adapted into a series of rock musicals, jointly produced by Studio Pierrot and Nelke Planning. There have been five musicals produced which covered portions of the Substitute and Soul Society arcs, as well as three additional performances known as "Live Bankai Shows" which did not follow the Bleach plotline. The initial performance run of the Bleach musical was from August 17–28, 2005 at the Space Zero Tokyo center in Shinjuku.[58][59][60]
The musicals are directed by Takuya Hiramitsu, with a script adaptation by Naoshi Okumura and music composed by playwright Shoichi Tama. The songs are completely original and not taken from the anime soundtrack. Key actors in the series include Tatsuya Isaka, who plays Ichigo Kurosaki, Miki Satō, who plays Rukia Kuchiki, and Eiji Moriyama, who plays Renji Abarai.[61]
