Since October 2021, when Disney revealed that they were breaking into the anime scene, fans have wondered how the company would go about it, and so far, it hasn't been too impressive. With tons of shows still locked in Disney Jail, the rumors of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War being Disney exclusive were frightening, to say the least, but now fears have been (mostly) put to rest.
On Monday, October 3, Viz Media finally broke their silence on where Bleach would be streaming in the U.S. after having promised a simulcast and revealed that it would stream on Hulu. It's likely that this was an acquisition by Disney, who owns Hulu, as the show will be streaming on Disney+ internationally everywhere else. It's a strange turn of events, both because of how long it took to get a confirmation and because it seems to only not be on Disney+ in the U.S. Whatever the reason might be, Bleach's streaming announcement may very well be the start of a pattern that ends the curse of Disney's clumsy handling on anime licenses up to now.
The Bleach Precedent
Of the shows that Disney has licensed internationally, Bleach is undoubtedly the most high-profile, even with the positive reception of some shows in their library thus far. While only speculation, Viz Media, who owns Bleach, likely was insistent on a simultaneous streaming release to give fans exactly what they wanted as soon as possible.
Perhaps this clashed with whatever plans Disney has lined up to bring their slate of anime releases to the west, thus it was in deliberation whether it would premiere on Disney+ or Hulu. But Summertime Render and Tatami Time Machine Blues only premiered in Asia and are yet to be available anywhere else, even in countries like Canada that will get Bleach on Disney+.
There has to be some significance with America and why it wasn't allowed to be streamed there, prompting a decision to put it on Hulu. While not quite boasting of itself as an anime streaming service, Hulu has gained a reputation for offering many anime, typically in sub and dub, that are also on other ad-free services.
The reasons for this decision are anyone's guess, and Disney's game plan regarding anime may as well be non-existent to critics of the service's lack of international roll-out. But since this is the first of Disney's acquired properties to get a release date in America, it stands to reason that the same might follow for the rest of the prisoners of "Disney Jail."
Jailbreak
Obviously, there are ways to circumvent these issues that the author of this article is not at liberty to promote, but it would be a lot better for everyone if these shows were simply made available to stream in the first place. While not every one of Disney's acquisitions has been received super positively, two of them in particular are of note.
Summertime Render isn't just a marginally well-received gem from Spring; it's been called one of the best shows of the year by many who have seen it. This tense and thrilling supernatural mystery is one of the most tantalizing to have passed by many with no announcement of it coming to the west.
This is to say nothing of Tatami Time Machine Blues, which sees Shingo Natsume take the director's seat previously held by Masaaki Yuasa for a sequel to The Tatami Galaxy. Those that have seen it have had nothing but good things to say. Natsume, hot off the heels of Madhouse's Sonny Boy, has continued to carve a name for himself with more and more auteur works, and it would be cruel for it not to be shared with the world.
If these shows and all the others that Disney have acquired are going to come out in the west, there's a great likelihood that they may follow in the footsteps of Bleach and premiere on Hulu. If not, then Disney might have a plan of their own like perhaps an anime section on their service. In the meantime, the anime community can at least take solace knowing that the mystery of Bleach's streaming home is settled.