Filed under Bleach, Manga by Omni | 46 comments
Show Spoiler for Bleach Chapter 391 ▼
I was half tempted to name this post “
He Bleeds! Pt. 2″ since we saw a lot more of Aizen’s vulnerability and shocked face, as you can see in the image above. I actually had a lot of fun reading this chapter because the Shinigami captains are finally working together in an efficient way, and I especially loved the roles that Kyouraku and Shinji played (it’s a shame the other Visored look so pitiful in comparison). Stringing their abilities together like this is exactly what I was hoping they’d do because they have so many varied powers - it’s not hard to see that even Aizen can get caught off-guard. Of course, as I allude to in the title of this post, I highly doubt that Aizen is truly in trouble. It’s either all an illusion, or he’s going to get serious and power up with a mask, or something along those lines, and Ichigo is of course going to be needed to stop him. What would be great is if Yamamoto would wake up and finally get involved. What wouldn’t be so great is if Kubo decided to kill this momentum and switch focus to Wonderweiss and Kensei next week…
Filed under Bleach, First Impressions by Omni | 30 comments
Summary:
In the aftermath of the Muramasa incident, the Shinigami return to Soul Society, but they find that their respective Zanpakutou spirits are still able to take human form.
Continue Reading Bleach - 256...
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Filed under Bleach, Manga by Omni | 51 comments
Show Spoiler for Bleach Chapter 390 ▼
So while I like how all the Shinigami and Visored weren’t stupid and actually did go after Aizen in a constant stream of attacks this chapter, it’s a bit laughable how weak they all are compared to him. Certainly it fit with what Ichimaru (who finally made another appearance) was saying about Aizen’s own strength being more fearsome than Kyouka Suigetsu, and establishing that fact appeared to be largely the point of the chapter. The problem is that we already knew this from way back at the end of the Soul Society arc when Aizen effortlessly defeated Renji, Ichigo, and Komamura (the latter of whom gets owned again this chapter), so it kind of feels like we’re back to the point we were at 200+ chapters ago, except this time Aizen isn’t about to back off. What’s disappointing for me if that the Shinigami didn’t have a better battle plan against Aizen - other than relying on Ichigo - or some tricks of their own to combat him specifically. Maybe Yamamoto does, but he has yet to show his hand in this particular fight, and I’m beginning to doubt that he will.
Continue Reading Without Breaking A Sweat...
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Filed under Bleach, First Impressions by Omni | 42 comments
Summary:
While the battle outside is still going on, Ichigo finds himself inside of the world where which Muramasa resides.
Continue Reading Bleach - 255...
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Filed under Bleach, Manga by Omni | 27 comments
Show Spoiler for Bleach Chapter 389 ▼
This chapter answered the question of where Unohana was - further confirming that Hiyori isn’t going to die - and it showed all the Shinigami and Visored getting into the fray against Aizen, but the biggest omission had to be Yamamoto. If he’s such a powerful guy, then why the heck isn’t he joining in? Someone like him could surely keep Aizen on his toes and give Ichigo an opportunity to strike. I guess it’s possible that he knows that Aizen still has a card or two up his sleeve and is waiting for that, or maybe he’s staring down Ichimaru. The other thing I found interesting about this chapter is that, even though all of those good guys are shown heading towards Aizen, he’s still only really having to fight two of them at once, in this case Hitsugaya and Kyouraku (on a side note, I have to say that I really do like Kyouraku’s role and lines this chapter). You would think that a constant stream of various attacks from all angles would keep Aizen on the defensive and, similar to what could happen if Yamamoto fought, it would give Ichigo more opportunities. Instead, the end of the chapter focused in on Hitsugaya and his grudge, and that’s probably not going to end well for him.
Continue Reading Everyone Except…...
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Filed under Bleach, First Impressions by Omni | 51 comments
Summary:
As it turns out, the Zanpakutou have returned to normal thanks to Kurotsuchi’s research.
Continue Reading Bleach - 254...
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Filed under Bleach, Manga by Omni | 48 comments
Show Spoiler for Bleach Chapter 388 ▼
After the long break, I was happy to see Bleach back with a fairly big bang. Ichigo came in knowing what he needed to do, but it looks like Aizen was completely ready for him and read his every move. It’s still a bit frustrating to see Aizen so overpowered and all-knowing, particularly after we saw a small glimpse of vulnerability last chapter, but it’s not too surprising because he’s obviously not going down so easily. I do question though why Aizen didn’t just do his shikai right away in front of Ichigo to void any advantage Ichigo might eventually have. I’m sure Aizen knows what the Shinigami side is banking on, and it’ll probably be a bit harder to get through to Ichigo now that all of them have surrounded him. That shot of all of the Shinigami did make for a cool final page spread though. It makes me wish that all of them would just attack Aizen at once. Oh and what happened to Unohana? I thought she was right behind Ichigo.
On a different note, Ane Doki ended this week after a half-year run in Weekly Jump. I thought it was an decent series mainly because I enjoy the way Kawashita Mizuki draws characters, but the ending was kind of weak (I was really hoping for a time-skip forward as an epilogue), and I’d probably rank it below Hatsukoi Limited and Ichigo 100%.
Continue Reading Face Off...
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Filed under Bleach, First Impressions by Omni | 48 comments
Summary:
Byakuya manages to win his showdown against Kouga, and as he struggles to keep standing, Kouga tries to call out to Muramasa.
Continue Reading Bleach - 253...
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Filed under Bleach, First Impressions by Omni | 40 comments
Summary:
As Senbonzakura explains to Ichigo and Rukia, Byakuya had returned him to normal long ago and had known all along about Kouga.
Continue Reading Bleach - 252...
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Filed under Bleach, First Impressions, Manga by Omni | 45 comments
Show Spoiler for Bleach Chapter 387 ▼
It was nice to see Aizen’s shocked face so many times in one chapter and to see Shinji actually be able to land a hit, but it became pretty clear pretty quickly that Aizen is still in control of the battle. Shinji’s Zanpakutou’s inversion ability is a nice confusion trick, but I didn’t expect it to fool someone like Aizen for long, and indeed it didn’t. Of course, even if it was for the benefit of the readers, it didn’t help much that Shinji explained it all to Aizen, making it that much easier to overcome. As for the rest of the chapter, I didn’t think Tousen deserved that little bit of redemption that he got, but at least he appears to really be dead now - though it’s not entirely clear if he spontaneously exploded or if Aizen had something to do with it. I can only wonder what will happen if and when Ichimaru gets defeated. In any case, Ichigo is here to save the day now! I say that semi-sarcastically because I have my doubts about Ichigo being able to win at this point, even if he were teamed up with Shinji. I am hoping, however, that his arrival signifies that the story is about to move forward in a more significant way.
Continue Reading He Bleeds!...
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Filed under Bleach, First Impressions by Omni | 31 comments
Summary:
After escaping from prison, Kouga had first gone and killed the three who had framed him.
Continue Reading Bleach - 251...
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Filed under Bleach, Manga by Omni | 53 comments
Show Spoiler for Bleach Chapter 386 ▼
I actually thought this chapter was a good read. I loved Komamura’s expression in the above shot - it was the perfect mix of pissed off and disgust that Tousen of all people is calling him ugly. I bet he wishes that his bankai had a flyswatter or a giant can of Raid for times like these. Not surprisingly though, Resurrección Tousen was able to bring down Komamura’s bankai. What was interesting was that Tousen would let Shuuhei to sneak up on him and that this battle would end without one of the good guys showing a new ability to counter the Resurrección. It’s good for there to be some unpredictability to these fights, and I guess Tousen let his guard down or something after experiencing all of his new senses, a fitting end for him if it is indeed the end. I want this to be his death so that the story can move forward (and all clues in the chapter indicate that it is), but I’m not entirely convinced that he won’t have another form or special ability that keeps him alive, or that Aizen won’t reveal that it was all an illusion.
Continue Reading If Only He Had A Giant Can Of Raid...
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