So surviving an absolute zero slash…how is that even possible?
Was the contents of this chapter REALLY necessary? Did Kubo-sensei REALLY have to keep Äs Nödt alive? Did Rukia lowering her body temperature with Sode no Shirayuki to absolute zero REALLY not instantly freeze and end Äs Nödt’s life (how the hell did he survive)? Did Kubo-sensei REALLY have to put Rukia in a situation where she needed to be saved by Byakuya? Really Kubo-sensei? Couldn’t you have at least let Rukia have this win? Rukia has just undergone some serious training in the Spirit Realm and has been out of action for long time in the manga…when she finally gets a fight in which she can prove herself in and the abilities she wields, the circumstances surrounding the situation end up being twisted to force Rukia once again in a situation where she needs to saved…Sigh…
Sode no Shirayuki’s abilities really are intricate, this makes even more impressive that Rukia was able to figure out a way in which to apply Sode no Shirayuki in combat and how to go about utilising ability of ice. Being able to reduce her body temperature to absolute zero, albeit for only a few seconds, she should be all means have ended Äs Nödt’s life, but by some miraculous backhand of the plot to expectation, Äs Nödt is alive and unfrozen…how the hell wasn’t at least a limb or two of his frozen? Hell not even a strand of hair of his broke off from being frozen…
From the moment I realised that Äs Nödt were still, alive my excitement sunk, more accurately, it crashed. The end of the last chapter was a perfect end to Äs Nödt and a great way to highlight the results of Rukia’s training, but noo, the reasonable situation which made sense was too much for Kubo-sensei, he had to trash all that and completely nullify the great twist and content he had in that previous chapter. Äs Nödt found a way to apply his fear to Rukia which caused Rukia to cower in fear and be back into a corner which she needed saving from. I really didn’t want to see Byakuya appear this battle, I desperately hoped he wouldn’t, but I guess I may just have to accept the fact that Kubo-sensei doesn’t have any intention to adequately highlight the main female protagonist of the story, Rukia, in Bleach anymore.
The previous chapter got me so excited about the potential changes in Rukia that happened while she was training in the Spirit Realm with Renji, but this chapter completely dashes out that excitement and replaces it with grief, bitterness, and a few other forms of negativity – why’d Byakuya have to appear =(. I do wonder though, how is Byakuya going to avoid Äs Nödt’s fear? Through determination? Rukia’s avoiding Äs Nödt’s fear with her Sode no Shirayuki was a reasonably sensible method for nullifying Äs Nödt’s fear, a shame it is not to be.
Did things really need to developed in such a way Kubo-sensei?
I just hope that the Byakuya who appeared at the end of the chapter is just part of Rukia’s fear. Byakuya manifesting only to be defeated and completely killed would be quite the fearful sight for Rukia, so that may be possible. I doubt it though, Kubo-sensei doesn’t really do things that way, his style of writing highlights a character at the expense of another and it seems in this situation, Byakuya is going to be highlighted at the expense of Rukia…
Ah, what an excitement-killing chapter, I was expecting so much more from it after the previous chapter. I guess I may have just overestimated Kubo-sensei in his intention of highlighting Rukia.
12Dimension 