'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Bleach finally returns after a 10-year long haitus with its newest arc. Season 17 of the anme will heavily feature the Thousand Year Blood War Arc. Following its culmination in 2012, fans worldwide were disappointed to not receive a suitable ending to the show.
However, producers surprised everyone when the 17th installment of the Big Three Anime was announced in May. But certain events of the past couple of months have made things a little tricky to navigate.
Is Bleach coming to Disney Plus?
The new season of the anime was announced in May 2022. It was stated to follow Tite Kubo's manga and the latest Thousand Year Blood War Arc. This announcement made the global anime community buzz with excitement. A much-loved series was finally set to return.
But there was something else in store. On August 12th, popular Bleach YouTuber and trusted source James Hanson took to the platform with a new video. He confirmed that Disney Plus had "won the rights" to the series.
This sent fans into a massive uproar, reason being Disney Plus is not a platform known for its anime. In addition, it does not even feature a large selection of anime.
Reportedly, Disney Plus and Crunchyroll were engaged in a bidding war for the anime show. Crunchyroll was already preoccupied with the Fall Anime releases this year, which had allegedly also drained their funds. Seizing the moment, Disney Plus stepped in and outbid the opposing party to gain exclusive streaming rights.
Is Bleach coming to Disney Plus Good or Bad?
The popular series coming to a platform like Disney Plus can be looked at from two perspectives. While there are negatives to this development, there is a positive side as well.
Disney Plus is a huge platform. With it stepping into anime, it could be a sign that in the future, similar platforms might do the same. Almost all streaming services are now looking to invest big money into exclusive streaming rights.
Also, Disney Plus has a huge customer base. So this implies that the anime will now reach a much larger number of people. In addition, since Disney Plus bought the entirety of Bleach, interested viewers can watch the series from the very beginning.
But there are some negatives as well. Fans worldwide are concerned that the platform's guidelines conflict with the anime's nature. It worries them that the show might turn "family-friendly" and mess with the story and translation in turn.
Another major drawback is that platforms like Disney Plus do not simulcast. This means that the episodes will not be released alongside the original Japanese release. Viewers will have to wait a while before they can watch any part of it.
Things might go further downhill for TYBW if Disney Plus decides to release the episodes in batches. Most likely, if done, these will be released after 60 of the Japanese originals. Currently, Netflix is doing the same for JoJo part 6.
In conclusion
While it might do some good to Bleach to be taken over by Disney Plus, it sure has its negatives as well. It should be noted that Disney has not yet officially confirmed anything regarding this whole situation. At the moment, it is uncertain how Disney will handle the release of TYBW.
The official release of the anime is slated to be on October 10, 2022.
