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The Practical Applications of Bleach
Sep. 8th, 2012 08:57 amAgain, this is one of those ideas which took a while to mature into a full post, although, unlike part 1, it took quite a bit longer than a week. For, I've been mulling over some of these ideas for months. For, while last time I was talking about the feeling that the experience of Bleach itself immediately gives me, here I wanted to talk about it in the wider context of my life, and, as such needed to bank up some examples. Luckily, I have some really good ones now, so, without further ado, I'm going to talk about the joy of Bleach in my life at large.
I suppose the best thing I can start by talking about is the way that I've used Bleach to consciously contextualise my experiences since I started watching/reading it, and the easiest way to do that would be for me to just launch into my examples.
The first, and possibly most hyperbolic is the way that I use Bleach to contextualise my quidditch playing. But, I think I can be excused a little hyperbole, considering the way that sports are often advertised. What comes to mind are adverts for sportswear and even certain trailers for the Olympics. I mean, they seriously had one with Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song'. Now, if applying the lyric, 'Valhalla I'm coming', to a sport is not wonderfully hyperbolic, then I don't know what is. Now, like I said, I don't mind this glorifying of sport so long as there is a certain amount of self-awareness, that's part of what makes it fun, and part of the reason why I even do it myself. So, yes, I will often see my quidditch games as being like Bleach battles. I even adapted a bit of Bleach into a quidditch motto ('If I dodge I won't let them tackle/beat me. If I protect someone I won't let them be tackled. If I attack I will tackle them!'). It didn't really catch on, I'm afraid, but it's fitting.
The best example of this, though, was after the IQA Summer Games. This was an international tournament, and I was a beater on the UK team. We lost every match, which was fine and to be expected, considering our relative lack of training and experience compared to everyone else. It was just that I felt that I, personally, had not played to the best of my ability. The reason was, it seemed, that I just lost my nerve. Normally, I am a bit of a Berserker when it comes to quidditch, and woe betide anyone who gets in the way of my bludger or me. But, somehow, I just started to feel afraid of tackling - a new experience - and I felt like I'd let my team and myself down. So, afterwards, to spur myself on to further training, I found and wrote down in my diary two speeches from Bleach, used to make someone pick themselves up after defeat. The first was Rukia's speech to Ichigo, trying to get him out of his funk after failing to fight Ulquiorra:
The second came from Kenpachi's speech to Ikkaku and is, overall, more fitting, if more hyperbolic:
Of course, I could only apply these so far to my situation - that is the nature of metaphor, after all - but I found them inspiring and apt, nonetheless.
But, aside from all this sporty talk, Bleach has had metaphorical application in my life in other instances, with one being quite recent - about 11 days ago, actually. Then, I had to go down for a surgery, and, ever since I was 14 and had an operation then, I've always felt anxious about the loss of control which anaesthetic brings. But, this time, I had just been reading Bleach volume 23 - the one in which Ichigo fights his inner hollow, and, as soon as I started thinking of going under with anaesthetic as being like when Shinji knocks out Ichigo, except I got wheeled before I was asleep:
Seriously, when they put the oxygen mask on, all I could think of was Shinji saying, 'Don't let it consume you. You consume it.' I didn't feel any of my usual anxiety because of that.
So, while it might be said that I use Bleach as a way to escape my reality, I'd say that it's far more accurate to say that I use Bleach to augment my reality.
But, indeed, I didn't realise the extent to which this was true until I tried to give it up. Well, I actually did give it up, with very little trouble actually. It wasn't as if it was an addiction or anything that I had to knock. I felt no loss really when I exorcised it from my life. When I returned to it, however, and started re-watching the anime from episode one, I suddenly realised what a huge part of my personality I had cast off. I realised that Bleach was one of those things which had infiltrated my dreams and lifestyle choices in subtle and almost imperceptible ways, that the examples which I have used above aren't really that good for illustrating. It was a strange moment, watching that episode. It felt like coming home to myself. Then, to cap the joy of the moment, I spent the rest of the evening watching Bleach instead of working and still managed to turn in my best ever essay in about three hours the next day. I really think that the psychological release that watching Bleach gave me there helped me to work. It was just great to accept that while my watching Bleach might be seen by some as immature (part of the reason I had given it up), it was a part of me, and by accepting that immature aspect of myself, I felt like I grew as a human being, and became a happier, more balanced individual.
I suppose the best thing I can start by talking about is the way that I've used Bleach to consciously contextualise my experiences since I started watching/reading it, and the easiest way to do that would be for me to just launch into my examples.
The first, and possibly most hyperbolic is the way that I use Bleach to contextualise my quidditch playing. But, I think I can be excused a little hyperbole, considering the way that sports are often advertised. What comes to mind are adverts for sportswear and even certain trailers for the Olympics. I mean, they seriously had one with Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song'. Now, if applying the lyric, 'Valhalla I'm coming', to a sport is not wonderfully hyperbolic, then I don't know what is. Now, like I said, I don't mind this glorifying of sport so long as there is a certain amount of self-awareness, that's part of what makes it fun, and part of the reason why I even do it myself. So, yes, I will often see my quidditch games as being like Bleach battles. I even adapted a bit of Bleach into a quidditch motto ('If I dodge I won't let them tackle/beat me. If I protect someone I won't let them be tackled. If I attack I will tackle them!'). It didn't really catch on, I'm afraid, but it's fitting.
The best example of this, though, was after the IQA Summer Games. This was an international tournament, and I was a beater on the UK team. We lost every match, which was fine and to be expected, considering our relative lack of training and experience compared to everyone else. It was just that I felt that I, personally, had not played to the best of my ability. The reason was, it seemed, that I just lost my nerve. Normally, I am a bit of a Berserker when it comes to quidditch, and woe betide anyone who gets in the way of my bludger or me. But, somehow, I just started to feel afraid of tackling - a new experience - and I felt like I'd let my team and myself down. So, afterwards, to spur myself on to further training, I found and wrote down in my diary two speeches from Bleach, used to make someone pick themselves up after defeat. The first was Rukia's speech to Ichigo, trying to get him out of his funk after failing to fight Ulquiorra:
Are you afraid of losing? Are you afraid of being unable to protect your friends!? ... If you are afraid of losing, become more powerful.
The second came from Kenpachi's speech to Ikkaku and is, overall, more fitting, if more hyperbolic:
If you like fighting, then quit bitching about not being killed! Don't just accept defeat and beg for death! ... If you lose without dying, it means luck was on your side. When that happens, focus on surviving ... Survive and kill the person who couldn't kill you! ... Live! Live, and come try to kill me again.
Of course, I could only apply these so far to my situation - that is the nature of metaphor, after all - but I found them inspiring and apt, nonetheless.
But, aside from all this sporty talk, Bleach has had metaphorical application in my life in other instances, with one being quite recent - about 11 days ago, actually. Then, I had to go down for a surgery, and, ever since I was 14 and had an operation then, I've always felt anxious about the loss of control which anaesthetic brings. But, this time, I had just been reading Bleach volume 23 - the one in which Ichigo fights his inner hollow, and, as soon as I started thinking of going under with anaesthetic as being like when Shinji knocks out Ichigo, except I got wheeled before I was asleep:
Seriously, when they put the oxygen mask on, all I could think of was Shinji saying, 'Don't let it consume you. You consume it.' I didn't feel any of my usual anxiety because of that.
So, while it might be said that I use Bleach as a way to escape my reality, I'd say that it's far more accurate to say that I use Bleach to augment my reality.
But, indeed, I didn't realise the extent to which this was true until I tried to give it up. Well, I actually did give it up, with very little trouble actually. It wasn't as if it was an addiction or anything that I had to knock. I felt no loss really when I exorcised it from my life. When I returned to it, however, and started re-watching the anime from episode one, I suddenly realised what a huge part of my personality I had cast off. I realised that Bleach was one of those things which had infiltrated my dreams and lifestyle choices in subtle and almost imperceptible ways, that the examples which I have used above aren't really that good for illustrating. It was a strange moment, watching that episode. It felt like coming home to myself. Then, to cap the joy of the moment, I spent the rest of the evening watching Bleach instead of working and still managed to turn in my best ever essay in about three hours the next day. I really think that the psychological release that watching Bleach gave me there helped me to work. It was just great to accept that while my watching Bleach might be seen by some as immature (part of the reason I had given it up), it was a part of me, and by accepting that immature aspect of myself, I felt like I grew as a human being, and became a happier, more balanced individual.
