Author and artist Tite Kubo’s Bleach is an insanely popular manga that was circulated in Shonen Jump magazine from 2001 to 2016. The series tells the story of a boy named Ichigo Kurosaki who is given the power of a Soul Reaper. As a Soul Reaper, Ichigo must help souls pass on to the afterlife and slay and cleanse monstrous spirits known as Hollows. Although it began as a simple “monster-of-the-week” story, Bleach evolved into a tale of betrayal, corruption, and war. The climactic final arc of the series, known as the “Thousand Year Blood War,” sees Ichigo assisting other Soul Reapers in a cosmic battle for the fate of the universe. However, although the manga reached its end, the loose ends of Bleach’s story were carried on in the form of three novels, collectively known as Can’t Fear Your Own World.
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Can’t Fear Your Own World, written by Narita Rhyohgo, places less emphasis on the action and instead focuses on an investigation as a Soul Reaper lieutenant tries to uncover the mysteries of what occurred in the final days of the war. It’s in these novels that Bleach’s mysterious and often vague lore becomes as clear as ever. And now, with confirmation that the Thousand Year Blood War anime adaptation will start airing later this year, Can’t Fear Your Own World ought to be adapted as well, in the form of an anime film (or films).
The Novels Reveal More About Bleach’s Lore
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Bleach’s lore is not something that is immediately (or in some cases, ever) really explained. What is explained, as per Kubo’s writing style, is always on a need-to-know basis. For better or for worse, the audience never really finds out much more about the lore than what the characters understand. This makes for mysterious and often eldritch world-building. And with the anime adaptation of the final arc just on the horizon, new fans will be asking the same questions manga readers have been for the past six years. Questions such as who is the Soul King (also known as the Reio), what’s the deal with his individual parts having sentience, and how did he end up in his suspended/crucified position?
All of these questions (and more) are given answers with varying degrees of clarity in the Can’t Fear Your Own World novels. The main protagonist of the books, assistant captain (or lieutenant) Shuhei Hisagi, is in pursuit of the truth just as much as the readers are. So he serves as a satisfying character who can deliver on the burning questions of the audience. Adapting these books after the anime finishes airing would make the most sense and satisfy the questions of new fans.
The Novels Don’t Focus on Ichigo Kurosaki
The central protagonist of Bleach, Ichigo Kurosaki, is contentious. While he does have a nuanced personality, he’s not a larger-than-life hero in the same way as Dragon Ball’s Goku or One Piece’s Luffy is. For better or for worse, his flaws, beliefs, and strengths aren’t presented to the audience on a silver platter. However, this contentiousness surrounding his character wouldn’t be present in the Can’t Fear Your Own World storyline since he is no longer the main protagonist. Shuhei Hisagi, while not as boisterous or powerful as other Shonen heroes, is far more inquisitive and proactive. In the novels, he plays the role of a detective in a world where might makes right, placing him in an interesting dynamic with the enemies he must face down. This is in contrast to Ichigo Kurosaki, who always managed to progressively get stronger throughout the series.
Also, Shuhei is not an unfamiliar face. He was always a supporting character ever since the second arc of Bleach and has been mostly present ever since. He received decent characterization and development during the Fake Karakura Town Arc, where he was forced to kill his captain and mentor, Kaname Tosen. While there will undoubtedly be those who would prefer to watch Ichigo in action during the Can’t Fear Your Own World storyline, Shuhei Hisagi is a well-established character that can still offer fans of Bleach an interesting protagonist to follow.
The Tameness Would Be Better Articulated
The knee-jerk reaction to this idea might be that action-heavy stories are better with higher animation budgets than their more relaxed counterparts. However, while it might make for flashier fights and better choreography, the subtle details may be lost on viewers who are looking for the next exhilarating action sequence. With a story like Can’t Fear Your Own World, the action is secondary (and in the first book, hardly existent), so a high animation budget would be better since it can highlight the subtle character details better.
For example, in the novel itself, when Shuhei confronts Sosuke Aizen, the man who turned Kaname Tosen against him, Shuhei’s expression goes from anger to confusion with mild hints of fear. These ideas are better shown, not told, which would be better articulated with a movie budget.
