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coffeedragon's review against another edition
4.0
bleach is one of my favorite og anime series which you wouldn't guess is true since i never finished the anime or manga. but when i saw these light novels floating around a few years ago, i immediately added them to my tbr, telling myself i would pick them up after i binge read the manga. i have yet to read the manga and curiosity won out. also, why does this listing say bleach ln #5, what are the four previous ones?!
the nice thing about this ln is that it doesn't feel like i've missed a lot. obviously, there was a big fight but the novel sort of summarizes this at the start and it helps that the mc, gorgeous hisagi on the cover, is apparently just as clueless as me and is in the process of investigating what happened. now i did watch quite a bit of bleach but not all of it and i often jumped around so many of the characters that show up in this volume (after i looked them up) weren't complete strangers. that said, i don't think it was important to know everything about them, just where they fell in the many categories (soul reaper, quincy, fullbring, etc). i think mainly because this is an opening volume to what sounds like will be another disaster in the sereitei
there's a lot happening but it's written in a way that is easy to follow, which i really appreciate, but there's clearly a lot of sketchy stuff happening so also, good luck keeping track of everything. i also really enjoy that the novel really embodies that craziness that we experience in bleach, where there will be serious moments and then we'll get something funny and unexpected that might disrupt the flow in other contexts but that feel just right in bleach.
can't wait to pick up the other volumes (and the manga!) soon. rating a 4 only because while i enjoyed it, it was lacking a bit of oomph. still great through and i read through it in one sitting!
p.s. I read an e-copy via Edelweiss and found many errors towards the ending of the book, which i hope and think have been fixed in the final print
the nice thing about this ln is that it doesn't feel like i've missed a lot. obviously, there was a big fight but the novel sort of summarizes this at the start and it helps that the mc, gorgeous hisagi on the cover, is apparently just as clueless as me and is in the process of investigating what happened. now i did watch quite a bit of bleach but not all of it and i often jumped around so many of the characters that show up in this volume (after i looked them up) weren't complete strangers. that said, i don't think it was important to know everything about them, just where they fell in the many categories (soul reaper, quincy, fullbring, etc). i think mainly because this is an opening volume to what sounds like will be another disaster in the sereitei
there's a lot happening but it's written in a way that is easy to follow, which i really appreciate, but there's clearly a lot of sketchy stuff happening so also, good luck keeping track of everything. i also really enjoy that the novel really embodies that craziness that we experience in bleach, where there will be serious moments and then we'll get something funny and unexpected that might disrupt the flow in other contexts but that feel just right in bleach.
can't wait to pick up the other volumes (and the manga!) soon. rating a 4 only because while i enjoyed it, it was lacking a bit of oomph. still great through and i read through it in one sitting!
p.s. I read an e-copy via Edelweiss and found many errors towards the ending of the book, which i hope and think have been fixed in the final print
confusedvonne's review against another edition
4.0
This was surprisingly a fast read.
This book is written in third person and mainly follows Shuhei Hisagi, six months after the end of the manga. The novel jumps from Hisagi to other characters in the Bleach Universe, so you get to see what most characters are up do after the war - mostly looking at the soul reapers. Ichigo is mentioned mostly in passing.
There is little background story for Kaname Tosen - revisiting his past, when his friend was murdered by her husband.
And you learn a little bit about the noble families' history, that is ever mentioned briefly in the manga.
Warning you will need to google a couple of names that appear throughout the novel. Characters that I would class as background characters appear often; characters who in the main story only appeared once or you didn't think had a name were mentioned and did have a name. It was quite a lot to keep track of at times as well. I am thankful that Bleach wiki exists!
It was good to see a continuation of the bleach universe, even if it isn't written by Tite Kubo.
Would recommend if you are a bleach fan!
I only wish if there was more Sosuke Aizen - I think the fan base is more looking forward to his back story, when/how/why he wanted the Soul King dead.
This book is written in third person and mainly follows Shuhei Hisagi, six months after the end of the manga. The novel jumps from Hisagi to other characters in the Bleach Universe, so you get to see what most characters are up do after the war - mostly looking at the soul reapers. Ichigo is mentioned mostly in passing.
There is little background story for Kaname Tosen - revisiting his past, when his friend was murdered by her husband.
And you learn a little bit about the noble families' history, that is ever mentioned briefly in the manga.
Warning you will need to google a couple of names that appear throughout the novel. Characters that I would class as background characters appear often; characters who in the main story only appeared once or you didn't think had a name were mentioned and did have a name. It was quite a lot to keep track of at times as well. I am thankful that Bleach wiki exists!
It was good to see a continuation of the bleach universe, even if it isn't written by Tite Kubo.
Would recommend if you are a bleach fan!
I only wish if there was more Sosuke Aizen - I think the fan base is more looking forward to his back story, when/how/why he wanted the Soul King dead.
confusedvonne's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed it. It ended well...
Still hundreds of unanswered questions and it's sad to think this maybe the last story we will get from the bleach universe.
Reading the last few pages by the author from an interview there is a mention of this being the last novelisation of bleach. Then it teases that there is a really interesting story about how Urahara and Yoruichi... I hope there will be more novelisations of Bleach.
Still hundreds of unanswered questions and it's sad to think this maybe the last story we will get from the bleach universe.
Reading the last few pages by the author from an interview there is a mention of this being the last novelisation of bleach. Then it teases that there is a really interesting story about how Urahara and Yoruichi... I hope there will be more novelisations of Bleach.
rebel_fairy's review against another edition
3.0
This was a bit difficult to get into. The translation was a bit wonky and the narration was . . . just a bit weird for my taste. Nonetheless, I loved the backstory and tidbits, along with a few twists that weren't in the original manga. Hisagi will have delve deep into his journalistic skills to find out what is happening.
3/5 - its Bleach and more stories from the world of soul society is always welcome :)
3/5 - its Bleach and more stories from the world of soul society is always welcome :)
lycheecha's review against another edition
4.0
A light novel series by Ryohgo Narita with the blessings of Tite Kubo. As a fan of Bleach from a really young age, I was excited to hear that at least one of the light novels was finally getting an English translation. As with most light novels, you're expected to be well versed in the series beforehand, rather than treat these as standalone novels. I went into this quite excited, being a fan of the source material aside, I'm also a big fan of Narita, the light novelist behind Baccano! and Durarara!!
This takes place soon after the Thousand Year Blood War arc, while Soul Society is still in the process of recovering from said events. This volume is mainly set up for what's to come, introducing the hero of this 'arc', Hisagi, who was left incredibly unexplored in the original series, and the villain, Tokinada, a character exclusive to this light novel.
Overall, despite not a whole lot happening aside from setup, I quite enjoyed this volume. I'm excited to start the next and see where this goes, especially since Hisagi was one of my favorite characters, despite not having much of a presence in the original story.
My only gripe is that there's quite a bit of recall required; there are so many characters brought back spanning across the Hueco Mundo Arc to the Thousand Year Blood War arc that it took me a moment to remember just who they were. I feel as though if I weren't a fan who went back periodically to reread/rewatch arcs it would've been impossible to remember who any of these characters were.
I hope that there is a reason behind reintroducing all of these characters, because if otherwise it'd just be fodder taking up pages where real action could be occurring. Narita is incredibly adept at handling several characters in his own works and making sure all of them play an important role in the overarching plot; we'll just have to see if he's able to navigate characters that aren't his in a world that isn't his in the same fashion.
This takes place soon after the Thousand Year Blood War arc, while Soul Society is still in the process of recovering from said events. This volume is mainly set up for what's to come, introducing the hero of this 'arc', Hisagi, who was left incredibly unexplored in the original series, and the villain, Tokinada, a character exclusive to this light novel.
Overall, despite not a whole lot happening aside from setup, I quite enjoyed this volume. I'm excited to start the next and see where this goes, especially since Hisagi was one of my favorite characters, despite not having much of a presence in the original story.
My only gripe is that there's quite a bit of recall required; there are so many characters brought back spanning across the Hueco Mundo Arc to the Thousand Year Blood War arc that it took me a moment to remember just who they were. I feel as though if I weren't a fan who went back periodically to reread/rewatch arcs it would've been impossible to remember who any of these characters were.
I hope that there is a reason behind reintroducing all of these characters, because if otherwise it'd just be fodder taking up pages where real action could be occurring. Narita is incredibly adept at handling several characters in his own works and making sure all of them play an important role in the overarching plot; we'll just have to see if he's able to navigate characters that aren't his in a world that isn't his in the same fashion.
lycheecha's review against another edition
4.0
The ending of this was just like Bleach, I don't have any other way to describe it. The big battle and the afterword was so in tune with the series so many of us loved, Narita wasn't kidding when he said he wrote this as a fan. The reveal of Shinji and Hisagi's bankai were somehow translated just right on page, though the accompanying sketches helped to amplify it. While he was essentially a side side character, I feel like Hisagi always stood out because of his strong sense of justice, and what he considered right and wrong. In the author's note, both Narita and Kubo mention that he had the potential of being main character material, and I think the former really gave that sentiment what it deserved with this story. He was the main character, and retained those characteristics that made him stand out despite being one of many in a massive cast. There are still quite a few things left unanswered, but they are primarily things that can be explored in other stories, so I'm hoping that Kubo is willing to allow Narita to do so in another light novel, or maybe even dive into creating a spin-off manga himself. My only really gripe with this is that there still was really no reason to bring back so many Arrancar and Quincy; they really only had any use in one battle, which while entertaining, ate up some pages and could've easily been dedicated to exploring the captains a bit more. That said, I enjoyed this immensely, and will definitely be checking out the other Bleach light novels Narita has authored.
coffeedragon's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
It was so nice to dive back into the Bleach world! Not that I ever finished the anime or manga but it's very easy to read (gives us a bit of a summary of what's been happening) and it also helps that the MC is a journalist trying to also figure out what the heck happened six months ago during the war. It's a great start to the next big chaotic battle the world will have to survive. Told from multiple POVs and points in time, but also very easy to read. So much mystery~
p.s. I read an e-copy via Edelweiss and found many errors towards the ending of the book, which I hope and think have been fixed in the final print??
p.s. I read an e-copy via Edelweiss and found many errors towards the ending of the book, which I hope and think have been fixed in the final print??
kh530's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
It is a good continuation of the Bleach series, answering a MILLION unanswered questions from the end of the Manga, while also setting up a new storyline from which this series will focus on. I enjoyed the inclusion of a genderless/non-binary character and I find it interesting that Shūhei was chosen to be the protagonist of this series. I look forward to reading the other books when they are translated.
Important note: Don’t read this book/book series of you haven’t read the final arc of the manga (which as of this review hasn’t been adapted into an anime). Seriously, don’t do it, you will be confused as all hell.
It is a good continuation of the Bleach series, answering a MILLION unanswered questions from the end of the Manga, while also setting up a new storyline from which this series will focus on. I enjoyed the inclusion of a genderless/non-binary character and I find it interesting that Shūhei was chosen to be the protagonist of this series. I look forward to reading the other books when they are translated.
Important note: Don’t read this book/book series of you haven’t read the final arc of the manga (which as of this review hasn’t been adapted into an anime). Seriously, don’t do it, you will be confused as all hell.
mystiquereader's review
3.0
Before I begin, I must say that I am not very familiar with Bleach, so I was confused going in but I did enjoy that the author had some helpful in-depth details about the inner workings of the Bleach world and the characters which made the storyline easy to follow.
I think fans that are familiar with the series will definitely enjoy this light novel more than I did.
I think fans that are familiar with the series will definitely enjoy this light novel more than I did.
zarahhs's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. THIS WAS FANTASTIC. THIS WHOLE STORY WAS EVERYTHING TO ME. wow. this added so much to the universe and it also answered so many questions i was curious about. and the fact that we got to see so many old faces, both from the soul society, the world of the living and hueco mundo made my heart so happy. and its really nice finally knowing what happened after the war and where the characters are now.
also we got both hirako and hisagi's bankai for the first time and they were fantastic !!!!!!
also we got both hirako and hisagi's bankai for the first time and they were fantastic !!!!!!