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The Bleach anime is set to return after almost ten years, with the upcoming season adapting the Thousand Year Blood War arc. The series first announced the return of the anime during Jump Festa 2022, complete with a stunning promotional video featuring manga art from the arc set to be animated.
Now, with the latest official trailer, Bleach has revealed the opening theme and confirmed that the new anime season will begin airing on October 10, 2022. Like previous seasons, the animation for the upcoming season will be handled by Studio Pierrot, and fans are excited to see the new art style showcased in the new trailer.
This article will explore the evolution of the anime’s art style over the years and find out if Studio Pierrot’s animation has truly changed for the better.
Disclaimer: This article takes into account the author’s opinions and contains spoilers for the Bleach anime. All external media in this article are the property of their respective owners.
Exploring how Bleach anime art style has changed over the years in the hands of Studio Pierrot
How Studio Pierrot animated Bleach in the past
The Bleach anime ran from 2004 to 2012 and, throughout the years, went through several major changes in terms of character design and animation. It was partly in keeping with mangaka Tite Kubo’s changing art style and the series' main cast growing older.
But a lot of it was also because of the popular animation style of the time. The changes aren’t obvious at first glance; however, they leap to the eye when scenes from different arcs are compared.
Even more than the setting, this change in animation is evident from the way the protagonist Ichigo Kurosaki was animated. At the beginning of the anime in 2004, Ichigo was portrayed as a lanky kid with spiky orange hair and simple facial expressions. The edges were rough and one-dimensional, and the colors were flat with little to no texture or shadow, making the overall feel of the anime juvenile and cartoonish.
Fortunately, it did not clash with the earlier stages of the Bleach storyline, which had a greater number of comic relief moments compared to later arcs. Ichigo’s Soul Reaper form was more well-built than his physical body, and the effect was further enhanced by the traditional black Shihakusho he wore in his spirit form.
Studio Pierrot’s animation improved considerably during the Soul Society arc, which was animated in 2005. There was a better use of light and shade as well as texture in the scenes, and a good rendering of expressions on characters’ faces to accommodate the heavier themes of this battle-centric arc.
But the animation of the setting did not see any major improvements, with Soul Reapers chasing the main cast down almost identical-looking streets in most of the episodes. Studio Pierrot’s animation varied significantly between canon and anime-original filler arcs in Bleach, with the latter featuring a return to the older cartoonish style.
The art style in the Arrancar arc saw no major changes except for a tendency to depict Ichigo, Rukia, and Orihime with disconcertingly large eyes. This trend, unfortunately, was carried over into the first half of the Hueco Mundo arc. The fight sequences were well-done, with the famous Ichigo vs. Grimmjow fight as the showstopper.
Bleach season 10 also showed a distinct change in animation styles, with the studio giving the characters more proportioned features. The colorization was more vibrant, and the attention to detail was evident through little things, such as hair and clothes blowing in the direction of the wind instead of remaining stiff. The Soul Reaper captains of Gotei 13, who later joined the fight, received a similar treatment, resulting in some glorious fight sequences.
The series' animation peaked in season 14, during Ichigo’s battles against Ulquiorra and, ultimately, Aizen. For instance, the studio managed to capture the unhinged fighting style that Ichigo exhibited in his Vasto Lorde form, employing distortions of light and speed to emphasize how powerful both parties in the fight were. While the manga art is still unmatched, the anime did a fairly good job.
The animation quality and style of Bleach during the Lost Agent arc were also similar to that of the previous Fall of the Espada arc, appearing significantly modern compared to the older seasons. Most of the main cast looked older, with Studio Pierrot remaining faithful to Kubo’s art style for this arc in the manga.
Ichigo’s Fullbring avatar had a somewhat futuristic feel, although he was seen wearing the traditional Soul Reaper Shihakusho once more by the end of the season.
Animation in the upcoming Thousand Year Blood War arc trailer
The latest official trailer for Bleach Thousand Year Blood War arc shows a drastic change in Studio Pierrot’s art style for the series. The three-dimensional animation featured in the trailer uses light, shadow, color, and movement to add texture, dimension, and fluidity to the scenes.
It is evident that there is a fair amount of CG involved in the process, and the mature art style complements the animation. The trailer also showcases a much darker color palette compared to older seasons of Bleach, accentuating the ambiance pervading this arc.
Several of the scenes teased in the trailer are part of the chapters immediately following where episode 366 of the anime ended in 2012, suggesting that they have been lifted directly out of the first episode of the upcoming season.
However, trailers are often better animated than the actual episodes, as was the case with Attack on Titan season 4 part 1, animated by Studio MAPPA. With the Bleach anime returning on October 10, 2022, all that is left to do is wait and see how well Studio Pierrot manages to animate the final arc of this beloved series.
