Bleach(Burchi?)is a Japanesemangaseries written and illustrated byTite Kubo.Bleachfollows the adventures of the hotheaded teenagerIchigo Kurosakiafter he obtains the powers of aSoul Reaper(Shinigami?, literally, "Death God")a death personification similar to theGrim Reaperfrom another Soul Reaper,Rukia Kuchiki. His new-found powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife, and set him on journeys to various ghostly realms of existence.Bleachhas been serialized in the Japanese manga anthologyWeekly Shnen Jumpsince August 2001, and has been collected into 68tankbonvolumes. The series has spawned amedia franchisethat includes ananimatedtelevision seriesthat was produced byStudio Pierrotfrom 2004 to 2012, twooriginal video animations, four animated feature films, tenrock musicals, andnumerous video games, as well as many types ofBleach-relatedmerchandise. English-language releases ofBleachare coordinated byViz Media, which has released several volumes of the manga each year since 2004, and published chapters ofBleachin itsShonen Jumpmagazine since November 2007. Sixty-three volumes were released in English. Viz Media secured foreign television and home video distribution rights to theBleachanime in 2006.Cartoon Network'sAdult Swimbegan airingdubbedepisodes ofBleachin the United States that Fall, andHululater began to stream subtitled versions of the anime a week after each episode aired in Japan. Viz Media has also released each of theBleachfeature films in English.Bleachreceived theShogakukan Manga Awardfor theshnendemographic in 2005, and is among the best-selling manga in both Japan and the United States.Bleachhas sold more than 82 million copies in Japan since its publication, and continues to perform commercially despite significant downturns in both the Japanese and English manga markets. Among critics,Bleachis most commonly praised for its action scenes, character designs and art, but considered to have a relatively stereotypical plot, oftentimes sluggish pacing, and draws widely variant opinions as to the quality of its characterization.