Written by Daniel Burns

Smack in the midst of a deluge of information exploited from VIZ Media’s Anime Expo 2024 panel — you guessed it – for “Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War-The Conflict”, emerged a silver lining. The big reveal? Well, the epoch-defining release date of the series trifecta. To cut a long story short, brace yourself for the third installment in the much-anticipated four-part series to make a grand entry in an already brimming October 2024. Netflix, you need to scoot over. The series will be lightening up screens across North America on Hulu.

Satiating the waitscape created until this October premiere was quite a job. What came to the rescue were tantalizing teasers, trailers, and theme songs. Don’t forget the key art, dutifully serving as visual hors d’oeuvres, worthy enough to be savored until the D-day.

Just when you thought the anticipation hit the ceiling, ASix Lounge’s “Kotoba ni Sezu Tomo” (labeled “Even if You Don’t Say It” for the uninitiated) kicks in – the new opening for “Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War: The Conflict”. If you surprised by a sudden change in mood, credited it to the switch to suisoh’s “Monochrome” – the alluring ending theme.

Sneak peeks from the trailer? Ichigo Kurokawa, our hero, locked in a tussle with the formidable Quincy, fostering an impression of being up against the ropes while taking stock of stronger and ghastlier antagonists.

Care to take a trip down the memory lane? It leads straight to Tite Kubo’s iconic manga, “Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War”, the base material for this fascinating adaptation. When the original Bleach anime kissed its adieu in 2012, it did so with a bang, not a whimper – refusing to end at the same point where its manga version did. Compelled by the gnawing void, the animated version re-emerged for its ardent fans in October 2022. What’s next? An unfaltering deluge of fan fervor and nostalgia as they are teleported to the realm of Ichigo Kurokawa’s exhilarating escapades with his fellow Soul Reapers.

Yet another spell of anticipation is approaching climax as October inches closer, set to unfurl the third lap of Ichigo’s pulsating journey. But good news for the restless, the first two sections of the series, “Bleach: The Thousand Year Blood War”, are already available on Hulu for your viewing pleasure. While series archeologists amongst you who wish to start from the beginning might appreciate the original series (2004 to 2012), waiting patiently on Hulu for its historians.