Color Bleach+: The Bleach Official Bootleg
Gr 8 Up–When Kubo, the creator of the original “Bleach” manga series, was asked to create some “rough sketches” of additional scenes that would take place in the Bleach universe, his output was quite prolific. In fact, he created so many sketches showcasing characters like the Soul Reapers that they were able to fill the first half of this book. In this color section, the artwork is definitely rougher than that in the original series, but the casual style matches the fun and fluffy stories in which serious characters show their lighter sides. The other half of the book features more polished black-and-white art and consists of something called Seireitei Bulletin, a handbook that is supposed to prepare readers for the Soul Reaper academy entrance exam. Superfans of the “Bleach” manga and anime series will be delighted with this behind-the-scenes look at some of their favorite characters from the 13 Court Guard Companies. Readers who are unfamiliar with Bleach, however, will have absolutely no idea what's going on, so this book is only recommended for libraries in which the manga and/or anime series already have a following.–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.