People often bitch about an anime not being close enough to the manga and here is an OVA remake of a short story arc in Bleach that´goes out of its way to be as close to the manga that it possibly can, and you still complain? I just dont understand manga and anime fans sometimes. Back to the review:
This is without a doubt one of the best Bleach stories pre-Soul Society. It dealt with Ichigos past and was very emotional, yet it also had some great´and brutal action scenes. It also works great as a stand-alone story, just because it is so close to the manga. If I was to introduce someone to the anime I would show them this, it is that good. (show less)

“Memories in the Rain” might be a must-watch OVA for a Bleach fan, and is probably good to get a short impression on the series without jumping on the train itself. However, otherwise, I personally do not see the point in downloading.

This OVA is a remake of Ichigo’s battle versus the Grande Fisher hollow. The fight’s a little more detailed than in the original series, the dialogue’s worded a tad differently, but basically, the scenes stayed the same. It’s nothing that couldn’t be seen in the original series – sometime along the first 100 episodes. Type “Grande Fisher” into the Bleach Wiki if you want to know the definite point. I honestly don’t remember, and I don’t have the patience to look it up right now.

This OVA seen for itself does a decent job covering Ichigo’s background and his emotions so the watcher can sympathise with him. (That’s where the 4 stars for story come from :P) However, the anime does about the same. Dialogue and animation are the same as in the series, the characters are the same – you get to see the whole thing in the anime. Generally, you’re better off sticking to the anime in my opinion. You get the same information, the same emotion, and you won’t waste your capacity in downloading an episode you have seen before. That is unless
- you are a die-hard Bleach fan who can’t miss a single episode. As you’ll see when browsing the “Excellent” reviews, quite a few people enjoyed this.
- you are in the unlikely situation of having enjoyed the Ichigo vs. Grande Fisher episode(s) so much you want a remake.
- you want a general impression without having to jump on the train Bleach has become, like stated above.

Not meaning to flame, or to offend anybody, but personally, I, having watched Bleach before and not being all that enthusiastic about it anymore, don’t see the sense behind this OVA. You get the same information in the anime itself.

Thank you for reading. (show less)