There are not many manga creators who can do what Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach, did with his magnum opus. He made a near-perfect story that is loved and appreciated by a large fanbase and is considered one of the best manga of all time. And the thing that helps Kubo achieve this status for himself and his manga is music.
Kubo has pointed out multiple times that he uses the chaos of the music to write stories, create battle scenes, design plotlines, etc. It helps him understand the angles of the characters in that particular scene and place them in the best way possible, making it look great for the story and for the fans.
However, Kubo might not be the only one who uses music to his advantage. The music composer of Bleach, Shiro Sagisu, who has also worked on many other prominent anime series, once revealed that he has also used music to set up the darker side of the characters in Bleach.
Character Themes Revealing the Dark Side in Bleach
When Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War first came out, Sagisu was interviewed by Otaku USA and asked about the musical theme of the series and the characters within the series. He explained the process of composing music for different characters in Bleach and how their opposing personalities helped him select the best theme.
Sagisu stated:
When I have to think about characters in terms of song writing, I tend to first start off with whether this character is masculine or feminine. And then from there, rather than thinking about the character’s personality, I tend to try to think of the opposite side of the character’s personality.
Talking about the different sides of the Bleach characters, Sagisu explained:
Kind of like, if there was a very cheerful character, how does that person have a dark side? What is that person’s dark side? Because it’s important to know everyone has two sides to them and their personality, and it’s important to know the side they typically don’t show.
According to the Japanese composer, rather than focusing on their personalities, Sagisu tends to think of the opposite side of the character, as every character in Bleach has two sides to them, and knowing which side they typically don’t show helps him understand the character easily and compose music or themes for them.
Music Helps in Understanding a Character’s Thought Process
Talking about the importance of music in anime series, Sagisu pointed out that character themes help the fans understand what that particular character is thinking about doing and what his possible next move could be rather than what the character is doing at that moment, especially in a suspenseful narrative like Bleach.
Sagisu pointed out:
Because especially in anime, there tends to be a lot of times where the music shows what the character is thinking about doing next rather than what the character is doing in the moment or thinking in the moment. It’s important to use the music to portray what the character may be thinking about doing next or what is coming for the character next and what the thoughts are of the character.
With the steady progression of the anime industry, music has taken its place as one of the most important elements of any anime and has become a defining aspect of the story.
Character themes, suspense tones, climax themes, etc. are being focused on more and more, and they are, in a way, helping in the success of anime series like Bleach.
You can watch Bleach on Hulu.
