I'm a newcomer to the Bleach universe, although I've certainly been aware of the seemingly endless manga and anime: 31 manga and counting and 27 volumes of anime and counting in the US, plus the keychains, necklaces, patches and other merchandising which accompanies the series.

It's not hard to see why. The Bleach world hosts a large collection of characters, all of them strong and admirable. There's not a single large-breasted bimbo to be seen, nor the usual idiotic male comedy character, and not even a stupid and irrelevant pet mascot. This on its own earns the Bleach creative team a large gold star from yours truly! What a nice change; a series in which the writers don't feel the need to resort to cliched stereotypes to get a cheap laugh.

Not being familiar with the background, I fully expected to be lost when it came to the main characters, but I went along with it all and it seemed to make sense. I don't know what the evolution of the Soul Society is, or what a Soul Reaper is either, but it really hardly matters. The plot is action-based and moves along at a great rate. There's no time for serious introspection here - you buckle up and hang on as the story unfolds.

Even the "bad guy" is a sympathetic character, with the final showdown handled with the seriousness it deserves. Another gold star to the writers! It's hard to imagine an anime fan not finding something to like in this movie: there are a broad range of male and female characters; there are enough mystical special moves to keep action fans glued to their seats; and enough character development to make all the major players feel as though they are real.

I might have to watch the series from the beginning now