Bleach, Vol. 1

Kubo, Tite. Bleach, Vol. 1. 2002. 192p. ISBN 9781591164418. Available as a graphic novel from the library.

Ichigo Korusaki can see ghosts. Usually, the ghosts are simply passing through on their way somewhere else, but often they haunt specific spaces. As a high school student, Ichigo would like to escape his father's booming medical business and become his own person, escaping his younger siblings and the demands placed on him as eldest. Orihime is also a student, and she lost her brother a few years back when he died in an accident. She has a crush on Ichigo, and even though she has trouble hiding it, Ichigo is complete unaware.

One night, his family is attacked by a violent ghost that seems bent on killing them all. A teenage girl named Rukia Kuchiki, wielding a sword, launches herself at the monster, but is also confused that Ichigo can see her. She's a Soul Reaper, a being tasked with protecting humans from tortured spirits called Hollows. Hollows are ghosts who died violently and who have unfinished business left in this world. However, once they consume the soul of the persons who still anchor them here, they don't move on, but rather seek more souls to eat. A member of the Soul Society, it is Rukia's job to hunt these monsters down and stop them before innocent people get hurt or worse.

Unfortunately for Rukia, her combat with the Hollow doesn't go as planned, and she is harmed. She transfers a bit of her power to Ichigo, but something goes wrong and he instead is imbued with all of Rukia's abilities. Now a Soul Reaper, Ichigo must protect his family and those he loves. When Rukia receives news that Orihime will be visited by a Hollow, Ichigo must intervene to save his friend ... 

The story continues in Bleach, Vol. 2.