Japanese Clorox

Well, now that I am getting into the more specific area of my topic, I'm going to have to get to some lesser and lesser known sources. The broad topic of mine is Fiction as a whole, and the very specific topic I'm learning about is the creation of comics/manga. I am an aspiring manga artist, and I thought it would be good to learn a little more about the process. So, starting at the beginning of the project, I get to compare and contrast different examples of literature and texts. Thus, the manga sources are starting here.

Bleach's protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, showing the trail he's blazed through the series.
[Source]

Bleach is a story about a fifteen year old boy named Ichigo Kurosaki. For as long as he can remember, he as had the ability to see ghosts. He couldn't explain it, and he didn't care. He just did his part to help out. One day a Shinigami (Death God in Japanese (They're the good guys. No, really.)) named Rukia Kuchiki entered his home nonchalantly (Shinigami cannot be seen by humans), and Ichigo caught her. She immediately restrained him, and suddenly a roar was heard outside. A monster called a Hollow had begun to attack, and it is the Shinigami's duty to kill these creatures, thus Rukia's presence. Due to Ichigo's recklessness, Rukia becomes injured, and offers Ichigo half of her power to defeat the Hollow and save his family. He agrees, and during the transfer, Rukia accidentally hands off all of her power. Now Ichigo has these powers and must protect others from Hollows (And many other dangers and hardships).

This is my favorite series, and my one true "obsession". It's wonderfully written, the art is intriguing and inspiring, and the characters are amusing and unique. It is considered to be the second most popular manga series in the world, and has spawned an impressive anime series, which has recently "ended" at an astonishing 366 episodes (There is much speculation as to wether or not the series has truly ended). The series itself cannot be put into a single genre, but I'd have to say it's more of an action-comedy. Like any great story, it invokes every emotion imaginable, but it probably fits best here. Even in some of the more heated battles there are little things that make you chuckle. A very impressive series nonetheless, and it's still ongoing, after 54 volumes and over 400 chapters.

Kubo, Tite. "Bleach." Comic strip. Bleach. Vol. 1. Tokyo: Shueisha, 2001. Print