diff --git a/sync_es.py b/sync_es.py
index 9cfe892..c22fbcb 100644
--- a/sync_es.py
+++ b/sync_es.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ changes that happen while the import_to_es script is dumping stuff from the
 database into es, at the expense of redoing a (small) amount of indexing.
 """
 from elasticsearch import Elasticsearch
+from elasticsearch.helpers import bulk
 from pymysqlreplication import BinLogStreamReader
 from pymysqlreplication.row_event import UpdateRowsEvent, DeleteRowsEvent, WriteRowsEvent
 from datetime import datetime
@@ -58,8 +59,7 @@ stream = BinLogStreamReader(
             'host': MYSQL_HOST,
             'port': MYSQL_PORT,
             'user': MYSQL_USER,
-            'passwd': MYSQL_PW,
-
+            'passwd': MYSQL_PW
         },
         server_id=10, # arbitrary
         # only care about this database currently
@@ -108,60 +108,76 @@ def reindex_torrent(t, index_name):
         "has_torrent": bool(t['has_torrent']),
     }
     # update, so we don't delete the stats if present
-    es.update(
-        index=index_name,
-        doc_type='torrent',
-        id=t['id'],
-        body={"doc": doc, "doc_as_upsert": True})
+    return {
+        '_op_type': 'update',
+        '_index': index_name,
+        '_type': 'torrent',
+        '_id': str(t['id']),
+        "doc": doc,
+        "doc_as_upsert": True
+    }
 
 def reindex_stats(s, index_name):
-    es.update(
-        index=index_name,
-        doc_type='torrent',
-        id=s['torrent_id'],
-        body={
-            "doc": {
-                "stats_last_updated": s["last_updated"],
-                "download_count": s["download_count"],
-                "leech_count": s['leech_count'],
-                "seed_count": s['seed_count'],
-            }, "doc_as_upsert": True})
+    # update the torrent at torrent_id, assumed to exist;
+    # this will always be the case if you're reading the binlog
+    # in order; the foreign key constraint on torrrent_id prevents
+    # the stats row rom existing if the torrent isn't around.
+    return {
+        '_op_type': 'update',
+        '_index': index_name,
+        '_type': 'torrent',
+        '_id': str(s['torrent_id']),
+        "doc": {
+            "stats_last_updated": s["last_updated"],
+            "download_count": s["download_count"],
+            "leech_count": s['leech_count'],
+            "seed_count": s['seed_count'],
+        }}
+
+def delet_this(row, index_name):
+    return {
+        "_op_type": 'delete',
+        '_index': index_name,
+        '_type': 'torrent',
+        '_id': str(row['values']['id'])}
 
 n = 0
 last_save = time.time()
 
 for event in stream:
-    for row in event.rows:
-        if event.table == "nyaa_torrents" or event.table == "sukebei_torrents":
-            if event.table == "nyaa_torrents":
-                index_name = "nyaa"
-            else:
-                index_name = "sukebei"
-            if type(event) is WriteRowsEvent:
-                reindex_torrent(row['values'], index_name)
-            elif type(event) is UpdateRowsEvent:
-                reindex_torrent(row['after_values'], index_name)
-            elif type(event) is DeleteRowsEvent:
-                # just delete it
-                es.delete(index=index_name, doc_type='torrent', id=row['values']['id'])
-            else:
-                raise Exception(f"unknown event {type(event)}")
-        elif event.table == "nyaa_statistics" or event.table == "sukebei_statistics":
-            if event.table == "nyaa_torrents":
-                index_name = "nyaa"
-            else:
-                index_name = "sukebei"
-            if type(event) is WriteRowsEvent:
-                reindex_stats(row['values'], index_name)
-            elif type(event) is UpdateRowsEvent:
-                reindex_stats(row['after_values'], index_name)
-            elif type(event) is DeleteRowsEvent:
-                # uh ok. assume that the torrent row will get deleted later.
-                pass
-            else:
-                raise Exception(f"unknown event {type(event)}")
+    if event.table == "nyaa_torrents" or event.table == "sukebei_torrents":
+        if event.table == "nyaa_torrents":
+            index_name = "nyaa"
         else:
-          raise Exception(f"unknown table {s.table}")
+            index_name = "sukebei"
+        if type(event) is WriteRowsEvent:
+            bulk(es, (reindex_torrent(row['values'], index_name) for row in event.rows))
+        elif type(event) is UpdateRowsEvent:
+            # UpdateRowsEvent includes the old values too, but we don't care
+            bulk(es, (reindex_torrent(row['after_values'], index_name) for row in event.rows))
+        elif type(event) is DeleteRowsEvent:
+            # ok, bye
+            bulk(es, (delet_this(row, index_name) for row in event.rows))
+        else:
+            raise Exception(f"unknown event {type(event)}")
+    elif event.table == "nyaa_statistics" or event.table == "sukebei_statistics":
+        if event.table == "nyaa_statistics":
+            index_name = "nyaa"
+        else:
+            index_name = "sukebei"
+        if type(event) is WriteRowsEvent:
+            bulk(es, (reindex_stats(row['values'], index_name) for row in event.rows))
+        elif type(event) is UpdateRowsEvent:
+            bulk(es, (reindex_stats(row['after_values'], index_name) for row in event.rows))
+        elif type(event) is DeleteRowsEvent:
+            # uh ok. assume that the torrent row will get deleted later,
+            # which will clean up the entire es "torrent" document
+            pass
+        else:
+            raise Exception(f"unknown event {type(event)}")
+    else:
+      raise Exception(f"unknown table {s.table}")
+
     n += 1
     if n % 100 == 0 or time.time() - last_save > 30:
         log.info(f"saving position {stream.log_file}/{stream.log_pos}")