It’s unavoidable at this point, all of our favorite and most popular anime series are destined to become live-action productions.

It’s no longer a question of whether or not these studios should make these movies, but how good they will be?

No surprise here – Bleach is a very well regarded show with a strong fan base, but not quite as large as, say… Naruto. And no, it’s also not quite a cult hit like Cowboy Bebop or a Gundam series (sorry Jaymes Hanson). According to public opinion, the series has slowly been dropping overall entertainment value, making it an interesting choice for a big budget live-action movie.

The Bleach teaser trailer doesn’t show much. We do see some sword play and a couple intense stares. It’s a promising start, but who knows.

By the time the people working on these films get them off the ground the series they are based on have already come and gone. I mean look at Fullmetal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell, or Death Note. The fans that loved them have moved on to new shows or series, these movies are often considered to be an assault on their memory of the thing they once loved. I think, with series like Bleach, there is a certain pocket of time to jump on board and cash in on something like this, but if you miss that then you should really just move on.

If they ever really want to create a cross market success that will span manga, anime, and live-action the it needs to be a full court press from the get go. Striking while the iron is hot could make adaptations seem less like a late money grab and more like the proper sort of fan service.

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