Bleach is an excellent example of gorgeous art (the story, not so much these days) and amazing use of black and white to create striking images from gore - puddles of blood, gaping wounds, severed limbs, you name it. Though each character possesses various special attacks, the predominant mode of combat involves swords - hacking, slashing, slicing. In other words, lots of blood. In the early parts of the series the majority of the combat occurred between humanoids (literally "shinigami" or soul reapers) and "hollows" which are demons. In form, these hollows are often grotesque and monster-like, so the devastating form of the attacks on them is not too disturbing. These enemies are regularly chopped up and disposed of quickly and efficiently. As the plot of the series begins to unfold, though, the violence shifts and primarily occurs between shinigami and similar humanoids.
In virtually every fight the protagonist, Ichigo, is taken to the brink of death from severe injury and/or blood loss. These bloody and vicious fights are not very upsetting though, because they carry with them very little danger. No matter how devastating the injury, the main characters (of which there are dozens and dozens) escape death time and again, demonstrating to the reader that there is little or no need to worry for the characters' fates. Because of this, the violence is purely fore entertainment - without threat there is very little emotional involvement and little potential for the characters to grow and mature. Each episode plays out like those before it - an enemy appears, seemingly too difficult to defeat, but somehow the heroes manage to narrowly achieve victory. 
This formula is repetitive, but it also works well most of the time. The first story arc, contained in the first 180 or so chapters is amazing - well developed, thought out, with interesting glimpses of a very large supporting cast of characters (see video 1). However, following the culmination of this arc, the storyline devolves rapidly and loses its sharp focus. A new set of enemies is introduced, but there is no real threat - not only do the main characters come through each fight eventually, but the forces of the enemy gradually deplete as they are defeated one or two at a time. A new story arc attempts to recover the dynamic quality of the first - even mirroring the structure - but it fails miserably due to several immeasurably obnoxious supporting characters and the lack of strong supporting characters from the first arc. Eventually, the story manages to come out of this muddled period and regain some of its clarity and interest, but even then it's more of the same formula. 
What moments of self reflection exist within Bleach are presented as artistically as the violence. Frames of action alternate with inner monologues or flashbacks, taking the reader inside the characters' heads. I myself am particularly fond of the splash pages that accompany the manga volumes - they present a sliver of a frame, a few cryptic words or poem-like fragment that captures a theme from the volume. For example, these lines from volume 5: "Unless I grip the sword, I cannot protect you. While gripping the sword, I cannot embrace you." One of the more interesting aspects of the series for me is its personification of the shinigami's swords - their zanpakuto. Their weapon is not simply a tool, it possesses a life of its own. The strongest shinigami are able to communicate directly with their weapon, call it by name, and work as a pair to grow stronger. 
True strength does not come simply from training the body, but also meditation and training of the mind and cultivation of this relationship. This also allows for diversification of weaponry - in the basic "sealed" form, each zanpakuto looks similar though often with unique sword hilts or varying size. However, once released (shikai is first release, bankai is a much rarer second release) each weapon becomes unique. Physically some transform into different weapon types altogether - spears, tridents, daggers, projectiles, and various other variations of bladed weapons (see video). The capabilities expand and diversify as well, with some weapons acquiring elemental capabilities, for example. In his "inner world" Ichigo fights with his alter ego (see video) to gain strength without sacrificing control over his body. Here he converses with his zanpakuto and his alter ego at various stages in the story. This inner world is literally turned on its side and inverted - black is white, up is down.
Bleach is also interesting for its stunning chapter covers (which are frustratingly repetitive in Naruto, though occasionally wonderful) and frequent use of single image double page spreads (several pictured below). These are used to great dramatic effect in the large images, and to express many things happening at once in fragmented images. The structure of combat in Bleach is typically singular head to head combat, so there are generally multiple individual fights developing simultaneously. This leads to many striking images and is a recurring visual theme - multiple characters initiating battle, struggling, or finally proving victorious.
True strength does not come simply from training the body, but also meditation and training of the mind and cultivation of this relationship. This also allows for diversification of weaponry - in the basic "sealed" form, each zanpakuto looks similar though often with unique sword hilts or varying size. However, once released (shikai is first release, bankai is a much rarer second release) each weapon becomes unique. Physically some transform into different weapon types altogether - spears, tridents, daggers, projectiles, and various other variations of bladed weapons (see video). The capabilities expand and diversify as well, with some weapons acquiring elemental capabilities, for example. In his "inner world" Ichigo fights with his alter ego (see video) to gain strength without sacrificing control over his body. Here he converses with his zanpakuto and his alter ego at various stages in the story. This inner world is literally turned on its side and inverted - black is white, up is down.Bleach is also interesting for its stunning chapter covers (which are frustratingly repetitive in Naruto, though occasionally wonderful) and frequent use of single image double page spreads (several pictured below). These are used to great dramatic effect in the large images, and to express many things happening at once in fragmented images. The structure of combat in Bleach is typically singular head to head combat, so there are generally multiple individual fights developing simultaneously. This leads to many striking images and is a recurring visual theme - multiple characters initiating battle, struggling, or finally proving victorious.
Though the manga I read is admittedly limited, I've never seen such dramatic use of black as there is in the more recent chapters of Bleach. I'm not trained in the dissection of visual art, but I have a strong (and overbearing) aesthetic sense. The art of Bleach can be incredible - it has clearly developed and matured over the years since the series began. The frames overlap and images spill from one into another. The boundaries between the frames often erode and one image blends into the next. There are often entire pages without words, sometimes several in a row. The story is told so much in image that they are often unnecessary. The anime for bleach is, in my opinion, one of the worst around. It drags horribly and begins each episode with a large chunk of the previous episode. Though it renders well in color, the anime is dull and uninspiring. Fights that are comprised of a chapter or two of striking, bold images drag out to 10 or 15 minutes worth of animated fight. As with anything that gets diluted, the watered down version is far less potent than the original.
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