bleach seems to have lost whatever little edge it might have had in the beginning -
-the battles are way too "drawn" out.
-it takes the same pseudo-confrontational routine before every battle - something along the lines of flashing off one's robes to gazing in each other's eyes for a couple of pages.
-and the story line seems to be getting as interesting as watching a white collar corporate business man play golf (yes, i'm biased when it comes to that fundamentally retarded sport)
But perhaps that is just my general dissatisfaction with a stereotypical, macho-testosterone- ridden manga to begin with.

there's a certain spirit, a prerequisite if you will, with which you should watch/read manga like bleach or naruto. Dont expect a very deep plot or much variation. It is a formula anime, view it keeping that in mind, if you like the formula stick to it... when you get tired of it, just stop watching.

with how mangas used to perhaps take up the trouble of coming up with a plot,
the mainstream new age manga is nothing more than a formula,
which is a royal pain in one's behind since there's nothing much to it.
But i suggest that a couple of mangas which nearly broke away from this formula,
were mugen no junin (blade of the immortal) which we might be posting up links for
as well as Blame.
Action packed, so to speak,
but incredible plots,
with no prerequisites required - at least none which have one resign oneself to bad artwork.