Time for a Lille game! Sorry I had to…
Shunsui is finally getting an opportunity to show off his zanpakutou this arc and most likely will end up having to rely on his Bankai to defeat Lille Barro thanks to whatever power-up Yhwach bestowed upon them by sacrificing his less capable members. Whatever Shunsui’s Bankai is, it is going to be terrifyingly exciting to find out.
The expression of life through the freedom of choice
I guess that ominous feeling I had in the previous chapter was genuine, someone really did “die”…Nemu’s expression of love and gratitude through her disobedience towards Mayuri’s orders was a touching moment indeed, especially given the origins of her character and the development of her emotions and attachment towards Mayuri. Nemu may not have revealed much raw emotion in past but through this fight and her desire, beyond any order or programming, to protect Mayuri, Nemu conveyed exactly how human/alive she was.
Mayuri’s fatherly feelings for Nemu really does help deepen his character
For some reason I have this unnerving feeling that either Mayuri or Nemu is going to die soon while they try to save each other. With Nemu’s life threatened, Mayuri shifts his attention to her to try to warn her, which in turn opens him up to attack by Pernida. This spurs Nemu to force herself to protect Mayuri. With the two of them caring about each other and the way the fight is currently set-up, it feels almost likely that someone will die. Pernida has progressed/evolved to a state in which he has gained the reaction and nerve capability of someone as strong as Zaraki. At this level is seems Mayuri may need more than just himself and Nemu to combat Pernida.
Got to admit, this is a fantastic colour spread. Happy 14 Years Bleach!
I thought as much, Pernida was far from done, it had much more up its sleeve than it was revealing. Pernida referring to itself as a Quincy was expected due to Yhwach referring to the Soul King as his father and himself as the origins of the Quincy. With Pernida’s statement, it seems we have the confirmation needed to conclude that the Soul King was in fact a Quincy and ended up being used by the Shinigami to balance the worlds. With Pernida advancing/evolving with each attack, the notes about the Left Hand of the Soul King which Mayuri read in past also appeared to be confirmed as true – that the Left Arm of the Soul King governs “Progress”.
12Dimension 