As a reviewer it can be difficult to jump into a series without having seen any previous episodes of the show. Sometimes, you can be in the dark about what exactly is going on, while other times it's not hard to pick up on plot details and character backgrounds. While I'm not 100% aware of every minor detail in "Bleach- Volume 7," I didn't have many problems understanding "Bleach." The trouble is, however, I was better off not knowing anything about "Bleach" as the show is a laughable, paper-thin, action-adventure anime series.

Episodes 25-28 of "Bleach" deal with Ichigo, Ganju, and crew attempting to rescue Rukia from the Soul Reapers village. Of course, the rescue operation turns into a big ordeal as Ichigo and gang have to face off against various fighters such as Ikkaku. Even though I may not be entirely familiar with the world of "Bleach," I can honestly say I was not sold on the show judging by these four episodes. Why you may ask? I could not get past the incredibly silly nature of the show. Throughout these episodes, we see a talking cat (who is in charge of Ichigo and the others), characters using groan-worthy insults such as "dandelion-head," discussions of spiritual mumbo jumbo and spells that involve chants like "The right paw of the monkey catches the star!," and a warrior doing a pre-fight "lucky dance." In addition, "Bleach" proudly flaunts clumsy slow-motion ridden battles that continue on for 2 or more episodes. Maybe it's too much to ask, but I expect more than needlessly long battles and goofy mythology from an anime series. Perhaps I have been too spoiled by the likes of "Death Note."

The fullscreen picture quality looks like an average exaggerated, traditional animation anime series. Viewers can watch the show in Japanese with English subtitles or an English dubbed version both in Dolby Digital Stereo. Usually I prefer the Japanese language tracks, but the English dub version is surprisingly strong here as well. Both tracks have clear dialogue and sound f/x.

* Stickers * Production Art * Clean Ending * Manga Ad * Trailers for "Naruto," "Hikaru No Go," and "One Piece."

"Bleach" is yet another brainless anime show with little forward movement. Skip this show. BLEACH ? Tite Kubo/Shueisha, TV Tokyo, dentsu, Pierrot