BLEACH: FADE TO BLACK - I CALL YOUR NAME
December 4th 2010 23:29
Based on the original Bleach manga by Tite Kubo
Director: Noriyuki Abe
Screenplay by: Masahiro Okubo & Natsuko Takahashi
Producers: Ken Hagino, Mikihiko Fukazawa & Shunji Aoki
Starring: Aya Hirano (Young Sister), Fumiko Orikasa (Rukia Kuchiki), Hiroshi Kamiya (Young Brother), Kentarou Itou (Renji Abarai), Masakazu Morita (Ichigo Kurosaki), Mitsuaki Madono (Kon), Ryotaro Okiayu (Byakuya Kuchiki), Shinichiro Miki (Kisuke Urahara), Akio Ohtsuka (Shunsui Kyouraku), Aya Hisakawa (Retsu Unohana), Fumihiko Tachiki (Kenpachi Zaraki), Hideo Ishikawa (Junshiro Ukitake), Hisayo Mochizuki (Yachiru Kusajishi), Jouji Yanami (Kuchiki elder), Jun Fukuyama (Yumichika Ayesagawa), Katsuyuki Konishi (Shuhei Hisagi), Kaya Matsutani (Rangiku Matsumoto), Kouki Miyata (Hanatarou Yamada), Masaaki Tsukada (Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryuusai), Miho Saiki (Rin Tsubokura), Nobuyuki Hiyama (Ikkaku Madarame), Noriko Shitaya (Ururu Tsumugiya), Rie Kugimiya (Nemu Kurotsuchi), Rintarou Nishi (Tetsuzaemon Iba), Romi Park (Toshiro Hitsugaya), Rynsei Nakao (Mayuri Kurotsuchi), Satsuki Yukino (Yoruichi Shihouin), Shouto Kashii (Marechiyo Oomaeda), Taro Yamaguchi (Chojiro Sasakibe), Tetsu Inada (Sajin Komomura), Tohru Furusawa (Zabimaru) & Tomoko Kawakami (Soi Fon)
Released by: TOHO
Running Time: 94 minutes
I managed to score this particular feature a while back and it’s been sitting around for a while waiting for me to get around to actually doing a review on it. I’ve watched it several times since then and it’s been an enjoyable experience each time – I also find something different to ponder on with each viewing. So far I’m unaware on whether VIZ Media has actually got around to doing an English dub of this flick, one would expect it at some stage considering that they’ve already done Memories of Nobody and the Diamond Dust Rebellion so who knows maybe over the Christmas period they might release this...
Like I said earlier none of the Bleach movies have wasted any time with a boring preamble, rather they’ve set the scene fairly quickly and let the action flow on from there. The guy with the scythe picks up Kurotsuchi’s chime and at the behest of his accomplice employs it to devastating effect – spiritual particles go berserk and suddenly there is a massive miasma of milky semi-intelligent goo sweeping throughout the Seireitei, all emanating from the tower where Kurotsuchi was conducting his experiment. Serpentine strands of this ectoplasm swarm all over the place seeking to engulf everyone and thing in their path; it’s very impressive looking, the animation is superb in particular all the little flashes of lightning that seem to fuel the strands.
Meanwhile though whilst the carnage is rampaging throughout the Seireitei the two entities responsible for it all are engaged in their true objective. They have arranged a meeting with Rukia Kuchiki and before she knows what is what she is struck by the scythe her memories reaped. Unlike Captain Kurotsuchi though she doesn’t go into a state of psychotic panic, in fact if anything it’s almost like she falls into a state of torpor. The symptoms of the two having their memories stolen are completely different, but the effects are equally catastrophic though for different reasons, and this is the real focus of the story.
It’s an interesting premise that the production team have used to propel the drama along in this film, one that I found rather intriguing, essentially if someone has their memory wiped by the scythe then it has a corresponding impact on everyone else around. There is a mass memory loss that occurs in conjunction, everyone else no longer recalls the person whose memories had been specifically targeted. As Rukia has been such a pivotal character in the Seireitei, despite not being a seated officer in her own division, the impact of this sudden reaping has major repercussions. No one from the various division captains, to vice captains, to former friends that she’d grown up with or former acquaintances recalls her existence. But they all have a nagging sensation in the back of their minds that there is something not quite right. Like I said it’s an interesting plot device and one that I’m sure caused no amount of pondering on the behalf of the screenplay writers as they worked out just how they were going to resolve the issue – as especially the key protagonist within the film; Ichigo Kurosaki also seemed to have been forgotten as well.
Hang on I hear you say – how could they forget Ichigo if he wasn’t targeted? Sure I can see him forgetting but why would everyone else forget about him? It all ties back to the fact that our orange haired hero first gained his powers as a shinigami by Rukia transferring her abilities to him. This he has a deep connection to Rukia, if she is erased from others memories then he via his connection suffers a similar effect. Fortunately for the screenplay writers this handy little plot contrivance works to their advantage – giving them the means to resolve things rather neatly. And when the whole story is gradually revealed the story takes on something of a tragic cast to it; albeit less than say Memories of Nobody but enough to bring tears to your eyes.
Strangely of the three Bleach movies I’ve seen so far Bleach: Fade to Black – I Call Your Name strikes me as slightly darker than the other three in that rather than dealing with villains hell-bent on some grand scheme; Ganryu in Memories of Nobody and Kusaka in Diamond Dust Rebellion what we have here with Young Sister and Brother are two people striving to find their identity in a world that has forgotten about them. They weren’t interested in power or redemption but instead discovering who they were from a person who had once love them – and in the end rather than letting that desire uplift them and bring them to what they sought it instead twisted them both, causing them to embark on what can be seen as a self destructive path. Trite as it may sound there is something in that for all of us – no doubt there have been times in our own lives where we’ve pursued some goal or agenda that has not truly been in our best interests and it has had detrimental effects. Thus this was a somewhat more thoughtful feature, one that made me ponder such concepts – but it didn’t detract from enjoying it. If you like Bleach then you can’t go wrong with this one...BAN...KAI!
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