With the Summer anime season underway, the second cours of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War is finally here and this second part titled "The Separation" looks like it's going to be every bit as beautiful as its predecessor. One of the stand-out aspects when it comes to the visuals in this first episode is the gorgeous animation that accompanies this season's opening theme song, "STARS" by w.o.d.
While the BLEACH series is definitely no stranger beautiful openings and endings, there is a whole new standard being set by the Thousand-Year Blood War arc's adaptation. What makes this new opening so good?
WARNING: The following contains possible spoilers for BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation, now streaming on Disney+.
Concept
The first thing shown in the opening is the development of the image of Ichigo in Soul Society as he runs towards the left of the screen from which the image originates. This development is made to look like the effect created when dominoes are tipped, each cascading into the next in an inevitable crescendo. Dominoes appear throughout the opening as a means to transition from one shot to the next, and as a symbol, dominoes are synonymous with luck, chance or gambling and in literature – they are a symbol of inevitable destruction.
At first glance, the opening to the second cours of BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War appears to be in minor rebellion against the generic battle shōnen anime opening of old, which features various battle shots and call-outs to moments in the series that are yet to be seen in the series. While it seems that way given its slice-of-life feel and presentation of characters in various stylish outfits and clothes that they don't normally wear in the major events of the series; something that BLEACH has always done as a direct consequence of author Tite Kubo's love for stylishness and flair, this BLEACH opening is actually what we just established it isn't: the generic battle shōnen opening that gives away major plot points in a high octane mish-mash of colours and fights.
The Separation
This second part of the climactic final arc of BLEACH is dubbed "The Separation", for the simple reason that at this moment, Uryū removes himself from one side and has steeled his resolve to help Yhwach destroy the Shinigami. Selection and separation are key themes this season as the Quincies emerge from the darkness to engage the Shinigami in all-out war to determine a final victor; and even as Uryū stands against his former allies, within the very ranks of the Quincies, dissent brews. On one hand, Uryū's conviction separates him from his allies both Shinigami and Quincy, but his inclusion in those ranks is due to his distinction from every other Quincy in history having survived the Auswählen, otherwise known as the "Holy Selection".
This event in Quincy history led to the deaths of countless people who lost their power granted to them by the Quincy King. In the beginning of the opening sequence to BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 – The Separation, Uryū is seen in frames where Ichigo is the clear subject, standing in the background much like a shadow. This communicates a growing distance between the two, and for the most part, Uryū is nowhere to be seen before the rooftop scene.
Slice of Life
This opening features the cast in a mundane, everyday kind of scenario in which characters who have some kind of relation are framed together as they do their respective activity. Interestingly, the activities that they engage in reflect certain aspects of their personality; for instance, the hotheaded Quincy Bazz-B is shown shooting hoops while his colleague Askin Nakk Le Varr lazes on a nearby park bench; Soi-Fon browses a music store while her lieutenant Ōmaeda works in the background; Rukia and Renji have tea with Byakuya at a café; Bambietta and some of the other Quincy women are seen fighting over who's got next in a karaoke booth and Gremmy seen loitering at a wall together with a snowboard-wielding Äs Nödt are among various other scenarios that are rapidly changed by the flipping dominoes effect that changed Ichigo's Shinigami appearance for a white hoodie adorned with the BLEACH skull on the front and number 15 on the back, and white sweatpants.
Spoiler Alert
Many earlier BLEACH opening sequences have featured the various relevant characters in fashionable plain clothes in various scenarios; however, none have communicated as much as this one does. If one has read the manga, they pick up on parallels between the events that are about to transpire in this coming arc, and the events that take place in the opening sequence. The most damning piece of evidence is the rooftop scene in which Ishida prepares to board a helicopter in which Yhwach stands, extending a hand towards him. The very first episode of this second part to BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War is centred on Uryū's official inclusion in the ranks of the Sternritter, and beyond that, Yhwach's identification of him as his successor is communicated very well in the opening sequence.
The only time the dominoes effect stops being prominent is as the dominoes fall apart as Ichigo gazes up at the raining night sky while "STARS" by w.o.d. builds up to its hook. Those same dominoes come falling down like rain, this time becoming the path as they fall into place under the feet of Uryū, dressed in all-black formal attire with a white tie, as he walks decidedly to rendezvous with Yhwach. They continue to build the background more solidly than before, with the clarity of the visuals communicating the idea that "the chips have (quite literally) fallen where they may". Since dominoes communicate the inevitability of destruction in literature, this scene is the visual representation of Uryū's steeled resolve and decision to defect. Ichigo arrives just in time and tackles Uryū, both of them falling through a skylight on the roof of the building below.
Face the Music
After the tackle scene, the dominoes return to prominence in the visuals, again flipping through the cast but this time, not as they do an activity associated with them, but as they do that activity with the opponent they will be facing this season. Bazz-B throws a basketball at Hitsugaya; while Kensei is seen up on stage against Mask De Masculine dressed up as something akin to a Power Ranger. A sideways Shinji Hirako pops balloons loating up the side of while Bambietta Basterbine watches with a look of concern, Soi Fon launches herself at a BG-9 standing outside a haunted house, held back by the cords supplying energy to the lights on the Christmas tree she launched herself from. Äs Nödt skates on a half-pipe towards Rukia, who harshes his mellow with a fire extinguisher that leaves remnants of snow-white powder in her hair.
Orihime scrolls through Instagram, looking forlorn at an image of Ichigo, Chad and Ishida in middle school uniform as the lyrics blare "It's okay if I can't laugh like that day," following with "sadness, scars everything, I want to take them all with me" as the scene shifts to Kenpachi dropping a bouquet of roses from a bridge into the river below, with Urahara and Yoruichi watching the scene from the bank. Ichigo and Uryū's new location after falling through the skylight is a music store; with Uryū arming himself with a violin as Ichigo grabs a nearby double-neck guitar. These instruments are representative of their respective weapons (the violin is literally played with a bow) but the sequence fills this in for us as the dominoes return to change the scene from the slice of life lens to the actual view of Ichigo and Ishida pointing their weapons at each other in front of Silbern – the Quincy King's palace. It's evident that beyond the beauty of the visuals, this opening is packed with elements of immense thematic value.