Well that was a pleasant surprise, Ichigo is back in the focus of things and this time he is off heading towards Soul Society at breakneck speeds =D. His new outfit design is incredibly cool, I love how badass and heroic Kubo-sensei made Ichigo look – that Persian and enigmatic vibe he has going, I really do wonder what happened during his training. Anyway with the Quincy able to unleash their Vollständig, things are certainly going to get a lot more interesting and exciting.
So Ichigo was that much of a threat? Smart antagonist
Well now, things sure are tensing up with the beginning of the invasion and Ichigo’s battle against Kirge Opie who has unleashed his Vollstandig Quincy form. Great how things became more mysterious and interesting with the revelation that Yamamoto and the Vandenreich head have a past relationship and that these Quincy guys know about Uryuu – what did Kirge mean? Hmmmm.
Finally! I’ve been waiting for this scene for a while, thank you Rukia, you managed to drag Ichigo out of the pitiful state he was in for the past 36 chapters. And it does seem the chapters filled with uneasiness and trolling are over and the point where Ichigo lays down a beating on someone is at hand (just like Aizen found out last arc). Poor Kuugo, he finally gets to see just what a REAL Getsuga Tensho is…but unfortunately for him, he is the target…I wonder if Kubo will have Kuugo die now, or will he lead this situation onto a whole new bigger situation ie. a new saga or arc? Well whatever happens, I am interested in finding out the answers to some of the questions I accumulated over the course of this arc O.o.
Oh Ichigo, its amusing watching your roller coaster of reactions, from completely terrified to strangely terrifying – he is ready to kill a human!! And unlike in his Shinigami form where he is actually cleansing (aka Bleaching) the soul of Hollow (doesn’t seem like that to me when the Gotei 13 slash away at their enemies with smirks on their faces – so much for liberating the corrupted), here he has a real sword, that really cuts the flesh and bone, that does real damage, and that really does kill. Walking the road of killer requires more thought than what Ichigo is putting in, especially since he is only a teenager (17)!!
So this is what the world inside the head of Soi-Fon looks like, interesting...
Sorry I just had to use this image as the main one, it is awesomely hilarious! Soi-Fon and her delusions hahah =P. The image reminded me a lot of Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Anyway this episode was great, we get to learn what exactly Kageroza is after and just exactly who he is. We also find out who/what Nozomi is – shock/horror moment for Kon. And to top things off we get an epic evil guy laugh at the end – got to love evil laughs.
Isshin and Kisuke finally get some coverage…but it’s only for two pages and it only shows them walking down the street with grim expressions on their faces with Isshin carrying some sword emanating a strange sort of energy – is that a form of reiatsu that will help kick-start the Shinigami powers in Ichigo and awaken Zangetsu? Well whatever is happening with Isshin and Kisuke, we’ll have to wait until they are covered again – probably in 3 or so chapters time…hopefully the next time they are covered, more substance is revealed…
It must have taken him lots of practice to get a face that "charming" when he smiles
It really is surprising how entertaining I’m finding this filler arc, it’s great. There is actual mystery, suspense, tension, direction and the action is engaging. I do find with Bleach, especially right now, that the Bleach anime > Bleach manga – I prefer the extra spin Studio Pierrot gives to Bleach. What I find the current manga arc lacks which this filler arc has is focus. I’m somewhat lost in what to think for the Lost Shinigami Representative arc, as Kubo is keeping everything in the shadows, making you question everything and not giving any hints or direction in which to cast your focus – who is the actual “bad guy” in the current arc and what is the story the arc is trying to tell? This filler arc makes it clear what the plot is and what direction it is taking – Kageroza is the villain and he plans to manipulate the space to bring everything under his control.
Scared, confused and isolated, Ichigo's mind crumbles...
Oh Ichigo, I remember when you were the star of Bleach, shining so brightly that nothing was impossible for you and even an otherworldly organisation boasting insane levels of power like Gotei 13 couldn’t wall off your desires and conviction. But now Ichigo, truly sadly now, in most situations you are no more the star of Bleach, but instead the darkness in the background that brightens and emphasises the “star”. Throughout this arc, rather than Ichigo grabbing hold of his conviction to get his Shinigami powers back, he has instead been thrown around like a ragged doll, pushed and pulled, manipulated and fooled, Ichigo has become nothing more than a string-puppet being controlled by the new mind-manipulating characters in Bleach – Ginjou and Tsukishima.
What a boss. Why dodge when you can just take it? This is why Kenpachi is awesome
Yeah Kenpachi was badass this episode and overall this episode was really entertaining and eventful. Rolling like the boss he is and dispatching with whatever gets in his way with brutal slashes and savage punches and kicks (poor ninja…). No need for flashy Zanpakuto releases or lengthy Kido incarnations, just good old entertaining crude fighting =).
With a pretty boring start (those first five pages didn’t really convey much) and an average but amusing middle, I wasn’t expecting much from the end, but hahah, guess I was in for a surprise with the cliffhanger which left things off on a very suspenseful and intriguing note (oh more possibilities to think about now).
12Dimension 