Bleach Chapter 462-479 – Answers That We Seek

Those sad and distant eyes... - coloured by Athakra (http://athakra.deviantart.com)

Judging and perceiving, I thought I read his character, but once again I begin to realise the limits to my own views. I thought he had no heart, I saw him as sinister, I classed him evil, I labelled him the “bad guy”, but within all that twisitedness and darkness surrounding him, their was a man with a heart, a man with love and warmth, neither good nor bad, just a man lost within his own self, within the darkness in his own heart.

Bleach Chapter 459 – Hey My Friend

A smile warm enough to melt the misery and despair freezing Ichigo's heart - coloured by benderZz (http://benderzz.deviantart.com)

So that’s how it is, Ginjou and Tsukishima were actually working together, guess I was wrong in predicting that the two weren’t in league with one another, but that’s fine, I like how things turned out. Rather than more mystery and twist, it’s great the arc is finally getting into heart of things and finally revealing just what direction it intends to travel towards. Ichigo just isn’t the same without Rukia around, I have come to realise this arc that Rukia served as much more than just a friend to Ichigo. Just as Zangetsu and Hollow Ichigo were part of Ichigo, Rukia’s presence served as something equally important. With Rukia around, Ichigo can be the Ichigo that is the hero of Bleach, rather than some whiney manipulated boy which he was during this arc (completely and utterly manipulated by Ginjou and Tsukishima without putting up much resistance).

Bleach Chapter 456-458 – Memories Of You

Don’t worry, I’ll be your friend

Oh wow, twist and turns and even trolling, Bleach finally getting into the groove of things these chapters. This arc may be about Ichigo getting his Shinigami powers back, but the developments that are overshadowing this is the Kuugo and Tsukishima relationship. Ichigo’s training seems to be so far just caught up in the middle of whatever is happening between Kuugo and Tsukishima, though the developments with Kisuke and Isshin seem more important, but we hardly have anything substantial to go with (we have vague ideas but that’s it).

Bleach Chapter 455 – Lamenting Circumstances

Tsukishima, guess he really was unarmed...

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)!!

Bleach Chapter 454 – The Breaking Point Of Sanity

Ichigo's twisting sanity leads him to a desire to kill - coloured by Silvercore94 (http://silvercore94.deviantart.com)

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…

Bleach Chapter 453 – The Puppeteer And The Marionette

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.

Bleach Chapter 452 – “It’s Shuu-chan!”

Ichigo's Fullbring Form - colored by bensuit (http://bensuit.deviantart.com)

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).