Marvel and DC may rule the North American multiplex, but that doesn't mean their fans have read the source comics. In Japan the opposite is true: The manga comes first and foremost in a media chain that eventually leads to anime, games and, at the end, live-action films.
The latest example is "Bleach," Shinsuke Sato's live-action adaptation of Tite Kubo's megahit manga (120 million paperback volumes sold) about a teenage boy who confronts supernatural forces.
The film is a familiar mix of seishun eiga (youth film) tropes and full-bore action set pieces. The latter have become a trademark for Sato, who brought Hollywood-level excitement to "Inuyashiki" (2018), "I Am a Hero" (2016) and other manga adaptations, if infused with TV drama cliches, the sappy and soapy included.