The Underscore’s Bleach review 479

479: Goodbye to Our Xcution

Wait a sec, this is the last chapter of this arc? Good thing I didn’t make any promises about not reviewing any more chapters for this arc. I’d have to find The Underscore Mask at reviewer island if that were the case… But this isn’t just the last chapter of this arc, this is the last chapter before a three week break for Bleach! Hopefully Kubo has a good reason for this one… I’m expecting a lot out of the next arc if he’s letting us wait three weeks. On that note, I did say something about a new section this week. But I’m going to save that for the first chapter of the next arc. There’s no point to that section this week anyways…

Thanks to Mangastream for this week’s scanlation. On to the review!

Bleach chapter 478, THE LOST 3, rated by 10 voters, gets an average score of:

7.1

Good

The previous chapter had Tsukishima finding peace with the loss of Kuugo. But did he find peace of mind, or eternal peace? Here’s what you guys thought:

Only one of you is more concerned about Kuugo than Tsukishima. With the news going round that Kuugo’s dead, there should be more information on how or what, right?

Five voters don’t care about Tsukishima as much as they do about the next arc. Guess they’re going to have to wait another three weeks for news on that front… though they aren’t the only ones .

Then we end the poll with a tie. That’s right. Six voters who believe Tsukishima actually died, and six voters who believe that he’s only resting… Too bad there was no tie breaker for this one… oh well, on to the concluding chapter for this arc! This time for real!

In a pickle

Is that Tessai’s pickle, or are you just happy to see Riruka’s gone?

Another day has dawned on the Urahara candy store. The store’s owner wakes his guest with a call for breakfast. A special breakfast at that. Tessai’s breakfast pickle, especially for guests who stay at the Urahara store! Oddly, Urahara finds his guest, Riruka, missing. Could it have been the pickles? It must have been.

Urahara wastes no time after seeing Riruka’s futon as he asks Jinta whether he’s up for more breakfast. Telling Jinta that he’s got extra servings of pickles as well, Jinta gladly accepts the extra breakfast. Save for the disgusting Tessai pickles. Tessai doesn’t like hearing that .

Putting aside the fact that Urahara just scared off Riruka through the use of pickles, one could wonder: Where’d Riruka go off to? And is Urahara trying to get rid of Jinta as well?

Xcution no more

The restless soul has now found its peace

To commemorate the last chapter in this mini-arc, Kubo gives us a picture of Kuugo. With Kuugo dead, Xcution no longer has any purpose. Or at least, I think it no longer has any purpose. Really, what was Kuugo’s goal again? I actually have little to say about this arc besides what I ranted about during last week’s review. At least this arc is now coming to a better close than it did with the previous chapter.

Anyways, what can we say about Kuugo? Though I’ve never truly come to love him as a character, he’s served his purpose. He explained the origin of the Substitute Shinigami badge, the source of Chad’s powers, the fact that he was Ichigo’s predecessor, helped Ichigo prepare to get back to his active Shinigami duties, created quite the interesting situation for Ichigo to be in (with his zombie friends and family), and got Ichigo thinking about his father’s past for once. In the end, he did quite a few things that should’ve been done during the previous arcs.

Giving Ichigo a Fullbring might have been a waste of time, though I suspect that it could be used for some filler episodes for the anime. But all Kuugo’s done in the end is raise more questions pertaining the Bleach-verse. If this were just any random anime filler, we could ignore quite a few things. But this arc answered a few questions while raising plenty of others that still haven’t been answered. One of my personal favorites being: What’s the name of Ichigo’s Fullbring? Does he have his Fullbring now? Where’s KON? Wait, that last one doesn’t have much to do with Kuugo or this arc specifically now, does it?

In good health

SHOULDN’T YOU BE WORRYING ABOUT YOURSELF RIGHT NOW?!

Kiyone and Sentarou take the scene as they call for their captain. The man responsible for the Substitute Shinigami badges. At least, I say Kiyone and Sentarou, but it would seem that only Sentarou is screaming whilst Kiyone seems to be worried about something. Sentarou gives Ukitake the news that Ichigo’s in good health. Ukitake then opens the door to his quarters, revealing a sickly looking captain. With things going so good with his health after the Soul Society arc up to the point where his chest had a gaping hole, it’s too be expected that his health is in one of its downs instead of ups. Of course, it’s possible that Urahara is feeling under the weather for giving Ichigo some of his Reiatsu. Perhaps he tried too hard because he wanted to make amends with Kuugo and Ichigo for what he did with the Shinigami badges.

At the first division’s headquarters, Genryuusai receives a report from a messenger. The messenger tells Genryuusai that the report that had been given by Renji matches that what Ichigo just told the messenger… at the Senkai gate. Genryuusai needs a moment to process this report as he suddenly realizes that he has a strawberry on the loose in Seireitei.

Passing through

‘sup?

A determined Ichigo walks through the streets of Seireitei for the first time in a cannon setting since the end of the Soul Society arc. Ichigo just strolls down the street like it’s the most natural thing in the world. As Ichigo strolls down the street, he greets Renji who just happens to pass by. Just as the two walked by each other, one of them realizes something isn’t quite right.

Renji realizes that Ichigo isn’t supposed to be in Soul Society right now, so he immediately asks Ichigo what the deal is. You’d think that Renji would notice something like this sooner . Anyways, the scene changes to the Soul Society captains who get word that Ichigo’s arrived in Soul Society.

Ichigo then stands in front of quite the number of captains. One thing to note here is Zangetsu. When Zangetsu’s new form was first introduced, it looked like the wrappings had disappeared and made room for a chain. Now, the wrappings are back (albeit not attacked to the handle), while the chain seems to have disappeared. What’s up with that Kubo? But that aside.

We find that the captains from 17 months ago are all still in action. Slight changes in appearance here and there, though most of these changes were already seen when a handful of captains came to check up on Ichigo. Besides those captains, only Soi Fon seems to have made a slight change in appearance. Being that her hair looks a bit different . The only one we haven’t seen is Mayuri, so he’s bound to have made a change or two to his appearance. But Mayuri can’t be bothered with looking at Ichigo .

Of course, there were a couple of seats left to fill with Tousen, Gin, and Aizen’s betrayal. The first of the seats that were filled seems to have gone to Kensei. Ichigo’s surprised to see Kensei became a captain, most likely because Ichigo never knew that Kensei actually was the ninth squad’s captain before Tousen. So if Kensei filled his old spot, it’s safe to assume that the other two spots have probably been filled by their previous captains as well…

Closure

No biggy, Soul Society has no problems giving corpses. They have a delivery service too you know?

After being invited in by Kensei, who seems to be doing fine after what happened with Wonderweiss by the way, Ichigo stands in the meeting grounds of the Soul Society captains. We see that Rose took back his captain seat from Gin as he solemnly stands next to Genryuusai.

Genryuusai welcomes Ichigo by thanking him for a job well done. After all, Ichigo managed to stop Kuugo and everything. Perhaps Ichigo’s even being thanked for what happened with Aizen, seeing as how Genryuusai never had the chance to do so due to Ichigo losing his powers. Ichigo appreciates the appreciation, but he didn’t come to Soul Society for that.

Genryuusai isn’t that pleased to hear such impudence from a youngster like Ichigo, though he seems to be more wary of what Ichigo’s true purpose might be. Ichigo then reveals that he wants to take Kuugo’s corpse so that he can bury it in the material world. This is quite a shocking thing to hear for most of the captains considering what Kuugo put Ichigo through. While all the other captains are thinking it, there’s only one who speaks his mind and tells it how it is: Ichigo’s an idiot.

Captain Hirako Shinji

You’d think he wouldn’t have to cut his own hair anymore… or that he’d know not to wear a tie with a Shinigami robe

Shinji asks Ichigo if he actually gets what he’s asking from them. Soi Fon tries to interpret what Shinji means by asking that, believing that Shinji is trying to tell Ichigo it’s insane to want to bury a murderous criminal’s body. But Shinji tells Soi Fon she’s wrong, revealing that Soi Fon somewhat loosened up a bit judging by the look on her face -who can’t be helped without Yoruichi now? -.

What Shinji was referring to was something a lot closer to Ichigo than Kuugo’s past actions. Kuugo attacked Ichigo’s friends and family (be it psychologically), meaning Ichigo should be the one who can’t forgive him. But Ichigo doesn’t want to bury Kuugo to forgive him. With friends and family save and Ichigo being alive, all that’s left to Ichigo is a fellow Substitute Shinigami’s body. Merely that…

Genryuusai clearly heard the subtext behind Ichigo’s remark. No matter how you look at it, the cause of all that’s happened with Kuugo was the fact that Soul Society never treated him as a whole. Kuugo was nothing more than a mere Substitute who didn’t have to know anything and should be restricted and monitored like some animal. Could it be that Ichigo intends to finish what Kuugo started?

In the end

Look at the geezers!

Time speeds up to Kyouraku meeting up with Ukitake. Ukitake never arrived at the meeting, though judging from his get up he intended to go at first. Kyouraku tells Ukitake that Ichigo’s back. Ukitake tries to act like he didn’t know and casually asks about the representative badge. Kyouraku tells Ukitake that Ichigo brought it back, which seems to be exactly what Ukitake feared would happen. Ukitake was hiding from Ichigo out of shame for not telling him the entire truth when he handed the badge over. Hearing Ichigo came into contact with Kuugo, Ukitake was the one who held most fear of Ichigo going down the same path as Kuugo.

But Kyouraku then tells Ukitake that Ichigo kept his badge. Ichigo still trusts Soul Society and as such decided to keep the badge. Hearing this still hurts Ukitake a bit as he now realizes that he should’ve had the same faith in Ichigo as Ichigo has in him and the other in Soul Society. Like the old foggies that Ukitake and Kyouraku are, they end up talking about how amazing youth can be…

A final goodbye

Consider yourself forgotten!

We find Riruka standing on top of one of the buildings in Karakura town. She thinks back on all the people who helped her accept who she is. Grateful to Kuugo for giving her a place to call home. Chad for being so understanding in them wanting to lose their powers. Orihime for caring about her and her friends, even crying for them. The last person on her mind is Ichigo. Though she wants to tell him to forget about her, she knows that Ichigo will always remember them…

Saying her final goodbyes, Riruka then leaps into the air using her Fullbring. Leaving behind nothing more than her memories… hopefully she’ll have taken those stuffed dolls from the anime with her as well . So long as she left KON .

Quite frankly, I was looking forward to the beginning of a new arc. Instead, we get the true ending to this arc. Like I said, this chapter at least gives us more closure than the previous did. Nonetheless, this wasn’t that great a chapter either. Sure, we know that we won’t have to bother with anyone from Xcution anymore, which I can safely say is something I won’t regret. Ichigo wrapping things up in Soul Society was interesting enough though. We got to see Soul Society is back on its feet, Ichigo tells Genryuusai off a bit (considering how most people can only grovel to Genryuusai, this is huge ), and we learn that Ukitake actually is the awesome dude we already know he is.

All in all, it was another closing chapter to an arc same as we’ve seen before. Things appear to have settled, but there’s still too many questions remaining. Sadly we have to wait three weeks to see what’s going to happen next.

Something different for this section of the review for now. I’m going to list a couple of questions that I have left at the end of this arc. See if you had these questions or whether you never thought about them in the first place. Have fun .

1. Why didn’t anyone bother telling Ichigo they were going to return his Shinigami powers to him?
2. How come Isshin noticed Ichigo standing behind him in an alley, but never bothered with Tsukishima attacking Ishida a couple of blocks from his home?
3. What happened to Ichigo’s friends and sisters during the battle at the mansion?
4. Where’s KON?
5. Why wasn’t Rukia shown during this last chapter of the arc?
6. Why hasn’t Ichigo bothered confronting his father about his past yet?
7. Doesn’t Ichigo even care about the fact that he just killed Kuugo and think that burying him is enough to make amends?
8. What’s the name of Ichigo’s Fullbring?
9. Where are the other Visoreds now?
10. Is Hisagi still the vice-captain of the ninth squad, or did he have to give it up?
11. Where’s Hiyori now, did Mayuri take her in for some sentimental reason?
12. What did Kuugo actually do to be prosecuted by Soul Society?
13. Was being monitored the sole reason for Kuugo to want revenge on Soul Society?
14. Did Ichigo get his Fullbring powers back after all of this?
15. Why didn’t anyone bother wrapping things up with the remaining Xcution members?
16. Where’s Yoruichi?
17. Why would it take 17 months to give back Ichigo’s powers if he apparently didn’t need any powers before they returned? (Remember, Kuugo drained Ichigo’s powers completely before his Shinigami powers were returned)
18. Why didn’t we get a glimpse of Ichigo and Zangetsu reuniting when Ichigo regained his powers?
19. What was the point of the Getsuga Rasenshuriken in the end?
20. When exactly did Chad join up with Xcution and how come he never noticed something off with the members?
21. Isn’t Don Kanonji a Fullbringer as well?
22. What of Orihime’s powers?
23. Why didn’t Aizen bother with Kuugo and did he go with Ichigo instead?
24. If the prerequisite to becoming a Fullbringer is having one of your parents being attacked by a Hollow, how come Ichigo’s powers never manifested themselves even though he had plenty of Reiatsu before meeting Rukia?
25. How many perverted ghosts followed Karin into the bathroom before Urahara came with a solution?
26. Is Tsukishima still alive?
27. When did Tsukishima pick up Shishigawara and what did he do to make Shishigawara think he is the strongest?

I’d say these are enough questions to keep you guys busy for a little while, right?

Next week, I expect there to be no chapter! Nor the week after that! Nor the week after that! At least I finally get a prediction right for once . As for the week after THAT, here’s what I think is going to happen:

The chapter will start with Ichigo doing his Shinigami business by fighting a Hollow. After finishing off the Hollow, Ichigo will return to his body, revealing KON’s back! We learn a bit more about what happened to KON all this time, though Kubo will put it all in a couple of frames ending with Ichigo saying he doesn’t want to hear that story again. After another day at school, Ichigo will come home to find his sisters gone shopping and his father home alone. Ichigo will then remember what sparked everything with Kuugo, asking his father to tell him more about what happened to him.

That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter and/or review, give any theories that you may have and to vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again in three weeks!… Guess this should be the opportune moment to write those One Piece and Fairy Tail review that have been postponed for far too long . So perhaps, a One Piece review next week, and a Fairy Tail review the week after that!

Rate this week’s chapter by clicking on the picture above!

 

The Underscore’s Bleach review 478

478: THE LOST 3

There I was thinking I’d be writing a One Piece review at the end of 2011. To my surprise, I find some shiny new chapters, amongst which a shiny new Bleach chapter. Well… perhaps not THAT shiny… In fact, it was rather plain… Makes me glad I didn’t have to wait 2 weeks for this chapter if I’m completely honest. But more on that in the review. Thanks to Mangastream for providing the scanlations during Christmas.

Also, my apologies for being this late with the review and not giving a One Piece and Fairy Tail review before this new year. Oh, on that note, Happy New Year! Anyways, I’ve been far too busy in spite of the holidays. I actually had to write this review in chunks because I only had half an hour a day that I could spend on writing this review… Anyways, I’ll try to write reviews for One Piece and Fairy Tail soon. With some luck, I’ll actually have some free time in February at least. Until then, the usual Bleach review… perhaps with a new section starting next week. For now, a sloppy Bleach review to start the year!

Bleach chapter 477, THE LOST 2, rated by 24 voters, gets an average score of:

8.8
Great

During the previous chapter, it turned out that Rukia had been turned into a closet for Riruka to hide in. Which made me wonder… if Rukia says closets aren’t cute, but she turns out to be one… could she be wrong?

We then immediately come to a tie. Two voters say Yes, closets are cute. Which would be obvious because Rukia is one. But two voters say No. Which also makes sense because Rukia said so, and she is obviously right while Riruka’s obviously wrong.

Then we get a close one for first and second place, with only one vote difference.
Eighteen voters make the obvious conclusion: Closets aren’t cute, only Rukia is! If KON sama says so, it must be true!

Oddly, the majority of the votes went to a fourth option… Yukio’s frozen and I create a poll about him, but Riruka’s cut and now I don’t do the same for her?… Nineteen of you were wondering about that. Well, quite frankly… I won’t forgive Riruka for turning Rukia into a closet! Because of that, she doesn’t deserve a poll of her own! (That, and I only made a poll about Yukio because I couldn’t think of anything else at that time )

Crying zebras

Geez, who died?

With a flashback starting at the end of last week’s chapter, this certainly comes as a surprise. Admittedly, it’s not that bad a thing to skip flashbacks every now and then. But I’d rather see a couple of pages worth of flashback instead of what we get here.

Tsukishima is weeping like a small child who just lost his favorite pet. Which isn’t too far off as we learn that Ginjo apparently died… Quite frankly, I wasn’t that shocked by this news. Sure, I expected Kuugo to survive somehow, but that isn’t the thing that should be shocking. Kuugo makes for Ichigo’s first (conscious) kill of a sentient being. Sure, Ulquiorra was the first opponent killed by Ichigo’s hands, be it because of Shirosaki, but Kuugo is the first opponent Ichigo killed when he was in control. What’s more, Ichigo killed an actual living being who was much like himself. But no one really cares… at least I’m having some trouble caring…

The one who cares enough to take my share as well, however, can actually tone it down a bit. Tsukishima cries out in anguish at the thought of his mentor and caretaker having died. Apparently Tsukishima owes practically everything to Kuugo. In that respect I could sympathize with Tsukishima’s situation. I mean, Kuugo was Tsukishima’s only real friend, the only person who knows him through and through. Even we don’t really know anything about Tsukishima if we think about it. Sure, he seemed like the cold and calculating type. But if you look at him on the first couple of pages of the chapter, you can see he’s more emotional than the average person. Here we were thinking Ichigo was overreacting during this arc .

But again, Tsukishima lost the only person he truly cared about. The only person who cared for his true self, not the manufactured image of Tsukishima who is inserted into others just to make people like him. So have some sympathy for this poor man who lost his one and only friend at the hands of someone else.

For those of you who can’t really imagine what it would be like to be in Tsukishima’s shoes: Imagine a group of people, let’s call them Xcutive, who target one person, who we’ll call Niigo. Amongst Xcutive, there’s one person, Taioshima, who has the ability to steal friends. Taioshima uses his ability to take away all of Niigo’s friends. This makes Niigo so desperate that he would even consider killing Taioshima. Then… Wait a second~! This sounds rather familiar!

Eye to eye

Don’t mind the hole in his chest, just slug him Sushigawara

With Tsukishima at wit’s end, he blames Kuugo for not preparing him for the time Kuugo would die. Of course, with the gaping hole in Tsukishima’s chest which technically should have killed him, if not crippled him at least, Tsukishima might not have any need to think of what to do with Kuugo being dead. As Tsukishima coughs up some more blood, he raises his head to come eye to eye with his number 1 follower: Shishigawara Moe.

Tsukishima is surprised to see Shishigawara at first, only to realize that this is how things should be. Seeing Shishigawara holding back his anger is a sign to Tsukishima as being the one who gets to pass down the judgment on him. After all, same as how Tsukishima was pupil to Kuugo, Shishigawara was pupil to him. With Tsukishima passing judgment on Kuugo through cursing him, Shishigawara deserves to do the same. Coming to this conclusion, Tsukishima can’t help but smile.

Xcuted

Don’t mind the attempt at murder, let’s just keep walking…

Yukio is strolling back to town from the mansion. Kicking a stone as a means to entertain himself, considering his PFP has been destroyed. As he walks away, he’s greeted by Jackie who managed to survive her self destruction. Yukio is surprised at her survival, apparently glad to see her alive even if he tries not to show it. Jackie, however, feels she should be dead right now. Yukio instinctively looks at Jackie’s boots and somehow deduces that Jackie has lost her powers.

Yukio congratulates her on the loss of her powers, considering her desire to lose those powers was genuine in the end. It isn’t too clear what happened to Jackie’s powers though. Odds are that her powers disappeared with that explosion. On the other hand, her powers could have gone to Ichigo as far as we know. Then again, with Yukio being capable of noticing that Jackie no longer has her Fullbring, it’s possible that he still has them. But if he still has them, it could mean Ichigo hasn’t taken any of them.

Jackie then reveals she found Giriko’s body and buried it. Douche he may have been, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was one of Jackie’s comrades. Even Yukio realizes that he has lost not one, but two comrades. Not only that, Riruka has been struck down by Tsukishima as well while the latter has gone off with a mortal wound. With Jackie pointing out she buried Giriko, he probably realizes that this is reality.

Jackie then reveals that she is a bit envious of Giriko dying while he still had his powers. The reason for this is the same one as why she never gave her powers to Kuugo. Though her powers were born from the pain she endured ever since her family was murdered, those same powers allowed for her to be found by Kuugo and the others. Those powers bound them as they made them equals. It was the one thing they had in common, the reason for them to stick together. Though not her real family, Xcution was a group of people who she could rely on. But she realized that without her powers, they would no longer need her.

Yukio then does something he should’ve done years ago. Without a PFP to hide behind, Yukio can only do the same as Jackie has done: reveal his true thoughts. He does so by mocking Jackie for thinking he was bound to them by their Fullbring. Though a lame way to let her know that he still wants Jackie and Riruka around, at least he’s realized that he already had that which he wanted in the first place. Jackie, however, is a bit thick at the moment as this is so out of character for Yukio. She asks Yukio to stick with her for just a bit longer. Yukio then makes a promise to Jackie. In three years time he’ll triple the size of his company. Then he would need more employees. The ones to fill those vacancies would then be filled by the Xcution members he left behind. So until then, Jackie should sort things out knowing that Yukio has got her back.

THE LAST

Damn you Kubo. Why’d you have to go and do this?

At Urahara’s, Riruka awakens at the sight of Rukia. Rukia tells Ichigo that she woke up. Riruka is surprised to learn she’s alive. But Ichigo reveals that it was all thanks to Urahara who showed up in time. Even though they were able to help Riruka, the other Xcution members were nowhere to be found. Ichigo’s current demeanor is an odd one. Admittedly, he is one who doesn’t want to see anyone dead, so it makes sense that he is a bit down about not knowing what happened to the other Xcution members. But with Kuugo apparently being dead, Ichigo should at least show something more than this. After all, Ichigo killed him! Though with Kuugo already being a substitute Shinigami in the first place, it isn’t too hard to imagine where he could be right now…

With the news of her friends gone missing, Riruka turns around with the same realization that Jackie came to earlier. But Riruka doesn’t get enough time to wallow in her loneliness. As she turns away from Ichigo, she is faced with a crying Orihime. Orihime is glad that her friend Riruka is safe. Sadly, it is unknown whether the same can be said about Kuugo, Jackie, Yukio, Giriko, and Sushigawara. These five disappeared in the aftermath of it all. Apparently no one bothered telling Orihime what truly happened as she only remembers helping out her friends from Xcution. Makes you wonder why she isn’t worried about the fact that Ichigo tried to kill Tsukishima… though on that note, why didn’t she mention Tsukishima at all? This is exactly what Riruka realizes after hearing Orihime is glad that she is safe. As she asks about Tsukishima, she already prepares herself for the news about his death. But rather than that, she learns that Orihime has no clue about who Tsukishima is.

Knowing Tsukishima, she already concludes that Tsukishima’s powers have completely faded, erasing everything about Tsukishima from his targets’ memories. Believing Tsukishima died, she can’t help but cry a little at what she has lost. Or rather, at the fact that Tsukishima has been lost from the minds of many, leaving him alone in the same way he was alone before Kuugo found him. Ichigo realizes this and remains quiet, even though he probably still can’t bring himself to forgiving Tsukishima for doing what he did.

Death of a Substitute

Will he be missed?

With the night of the Shinigami assault coming to an end, Tsukishima awakens at dawn. This new dawn brings him a warmth he had not felt in a long time. Tsukishima realizes that he’s being carried by Shishigawara. Shishigawara in turn is glad to learn that Tsukishima somehow managed to survive (again, how can he do that with that gaping hole in a living body?).

Shishigawara reveals that he had every intention of killing Tsukishima at first. But he realized that Tsukishima was too important for him to kill. In spite of everything that Tsukishima has kept from him, including the intent to kill Shishigawara on Kuugo’s command, Tsukishima is still Shishigawara’s idol.

Learning of this, Tsukishima realizes why Kuugo would up and die the way he did. Kuugo knew that Tsukishima wouldn’t be alone anymore as he could now confine in Shishigawara in the same way Tsukishima confined in him… which still doesn’t explain why he wanted Shishigawara killed .

Tsukishima thanks Shishigawara for his help. Shishigawara gets all embarrassed because of this, saying it’s only natural for him to help him out. Shishigawara then points out that it’s dawn. Shishigawara then unconsciously says something rather deep. He points out how Tsukishima has always been quite a night owl, but that it’s good for him to see the dawning of a new day as it’s quite a sight to behold. In a way, this is just as this current situation is right now. Tsukishima is lifted from the dark depression by the light of friendship brought by Shishigawara. Or something along those lines .

Tsukishima then says his final thank you, thanking Kuugo and Shishigawara for never leaving him alone. With the pain left by Kuugo’s death now gone, Tsukishima rests…

You wouldn’t believe how annoying a chapter this was to review. I’m not satisfied by this review if I’m completely honest… But for that I’d need a Review overview, rather than this chapter overview… So, on to the chapter. I really didn’t like this one if I’m perfectly honest. Sure, it’s a good thing we aren’t lingering in this arc for much longer than we have until now. But the way this is wrapped up is just too sudden.

What happened to Kuugo? Did Jackie lose her powers because of that self destruction? Or did Jackie lose her powers thanks to her absorbing Ichigo’s powers, basically using her own version of the Mugetsu to lose those powers? Does Yukio still have his powers? Why would Ichigo and the others let Tsukishima just up and leave the way he did? Shouldn’t they at least give him some medical treatment? Did Ichigo get back his own Fullbring powers? Did Ichigo take some of the other Fullbring powers? What is the name of Ichigo’s Fullbring? Is Tsukishima just taking a rest, or is he taking his final rest? Are we going to be stuck with Riruka from now on? Most importantly: How many arcs can Kubo go on without showing us KON?!

All in all, this arc wasn’t as bad as I first expected it to be when I saw the Fullbringers. Heck, I had a good time watching the way Tsukishima manipulated people, though that got a bit old as well when it seemed that Book of the End was practically invincible. Kuugo being the actual bad guy was something we all knew from the moment we saw him with the Shinigami representative badge. I’ll have to admit that I never thought he’d still be somewhat of a decent guy somewhere deep down. At least this proved that Kuugo wasn’t so shallow a character as he first seemed to be.

But again, this is the chapter overview… Tsukishima’s weeping annoyed me quite a bit. Probably because I was anticipating something completely different than pages of Tsukishima whining. Shishigawara saving Tsukishima was something that was bound to happen. Even though Ikkaku pointed out how bad this relationship actually is, Shishigawara saw beyond this to know that there’s more to Tsukishima. Shishigawara is a rather simple character in that respect. He appreciates the bond he has with Tsukishima enough to see past his faults. He realized that he only did what Kuugo asked him to because Tsukishima was the same as him.

The part with Jackie and Yukio was alright I guess. At least it gives some closure to those characters, though it answers next to nothing about what the actual conclusion of this fight is. It only shows us that they joined Kuugo’s cause because they wanted to stick together. But what truly happened in the aftermath besides Giriko getting buried, remains unknown. Riruka ending up at Urahara’s was something that makes sense… she did save Ichigo’s live… or something. But having Orihime cry the way she did was somewhat of an overkill. Yes, Orihime empathizes with people quickly and can shed tears for them, we get it. But I’d rather hear some news from anyone about what truly happened with Kuugo than see her crying over him for such a great amount of time.

Learning that Tsukishima had been erased from his victims’ minds was one of the most intriguing things of this chapter. In a way it shows that the ‘Book of the End’ did have a flaw in the end. Its effect would never truly last, nor would it ever be able to erase one’s true memories. It could cover them up with fake memories, but they would only fade away with Tsukishima.

On that note, I’m still not too sure whether Tsukishima lived or died. Guess that’s one for the polls. All in all, not too impressed with the chapter. The arc overall was okay. It kept me entertained well enough, gave background on what Chad’s powers truly are, returned Rukia, and Ichigo’s powers have been restored. If only KON were here…

Kuugo apparently died. With Kuugo being part Shinigami, a human, and infected with Hollow powers, it’s safe to say there’s plenty of options for him in the afterlife. In the Soul Society arc, Ukitake pointed out that once Orihime and Chad died, they would probably become Shinigami themselves. So with Kuugo already having been a Shinigami, it would make sense for him to be able to do the same. But would he do that? So here’s the headspinner for this week: What do you think happened to Kuugo after his death? Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, or Hell?

Next week we’ll start off with a brand new arc. My guess the focus will be on Ichigo getting back to his Substitute Shinigami duties and adjusting to the changes that were made in the past 17 months prior to his return with powers. Rukia probably won’t be able to stick with Ichigo because of her Vice-captain duties, meaning Ichigo will need a new guide (for the time being). Ichigo may actually decide to learn more about his father starting the next chapter, or the one after that.

That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it even if it has been quite the inconsistent one. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter, arc, and/or review, give any theories that you may have and to vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again next week!

Rate this week’s chapter by clicking on the picture above!

 

The Underscore’s Bleach review 477

477: THE LOST 2

‘Tis the season to be jolly… or so I’m told . Apparently this means that people have to bother me during my free time as well, so I’m afraid I have to rush this week’s review a bit as well. But don’t worry, I’m covering every last bit I can find in this week’s chapter! But sadly, this means no ‘Posts that were lost, but not forgotten’ section… Not only that, there’s no new chapter next week! Of course… I still owe you guys a One Piece and Fairy Tail review before the end of this year… Perhaps next week I could….

Anyways, thanks to Mangastream for their scanlation of this week’s chapter! On to the review!

Bleach chapter 476, THE LOST, rated by 16 voters, gets an average score of:

8.3

Good

Last week I couldn’t help but wonder… would Yukio be freed from the ice in which he was trapped?

One voter believes Hitsugaya is so coldhearted as to leave Yukio trapped in the ice, letting him wait to melt by itself or for Yukio to freeze to death first. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see which would happen first?

Four voters, however, believe Hitsugaya is a true and just warrior who would keep his word, freeing Yukio from his ice prison before returning to Soul Society.

Seven people wonder whether Hitsugaya would free Yukio… Let’s face it, on the one hand the boy deserves it… on the other, it’s true Hitsugaya promised…

But the option that received most votes was, rather embarrassingly, the following: Thirteen of you saw the poll’s question and thought to yourselves: “Really, NOW you start to wonder about whether Xcution members are alright?” My answer to this question of yours.. Nu uh! Stoopid Xcution without an E and their stoopid members!!!!11!!~~

Unforgivable

I’d find it to be unforgivable as well if Yukio were to be chosen for the Volume cover over me…

This week’s chapter starts off with Kuugo in color. With most of his design being based in black and white, the only things that have now been made clear are the color of his “manes” and his eyes. That and the color of the ethereal tentacles coming from his back. Purple seems to be the color of choice in this case. I can’t help but wonder whether Kuugo’s furry legs are also in the same color. Quite frankly, I’m a bit disappointed by Kubo’s choice of giving Kuugo the same color fur as Riruka’s hair… At least the eyes could have been given a different color than this tone of purple. Nonetheless, Kuugo looks as good as he could, considering he always gave off a filler character vibe in my opinion.

But the purpose of this page isn’t so much showing off what Kuugo looks like as much as pointing out that Kuugo is seeking a form of vengeance. Though Kuugo hasn’t mentioned a specific target or means, we know that his goal lies in Soul Society. This chapter is the prelude to Kuugo’s past. As such, there isn’t that much happening in this week’s chapter. But more on that later.

Wrapped in thoughts

That’s right mystery person X, this is what it’s like when you think

Rukia’s thoughts about Ichigo came from her heart. Her gratitude towards Ichigo filled her being at the moment she realized that Ichigo was back in his Shinigami state. Though these thoughts are supposed to be private, a certain someone in a certain place (predicted by a certain reviewer and a certain amount of readers) certainly doesn’t mind eaves dropping on these thoughts.

The main point of Rukia’s gratitude lied in the fact that Ichigo stayed true to himself and through this dedication managed to help Soul Society change as well. This reminds Randomly Inclined Rather Underhanded Know-it-all Annoyance, or RIRUKA for short of who did the same for her, I mean, him or her () as Ichigo did for Rukia and Soul Society.

Grounded

Finally the new design comes full circle

Rukia and Renji see Ichigo and Kuugo crashing near them after Ichigo managed to deal a good blow to Kuugo’s chest. But Kuugo doesn’t just give in and immediately resumes the fight with his junior. With swords clashing, Ichigo’s renewed Bankai finally shows just how great it looks. I never should have doubted Kubo’s Bankai design. But in my defense, I only doubted this design because I liked the old one so much .

The clashing of the swords doesn’t last as long as this term seems to imply. Ichigo manages to deflect the first strike Kuugo throws before completely crippling Kuugo’s blade during the second clash. The fang-like pattern on Tensa Zangetsu X doesn’t seem to be just for show as it manages to easily cut off a part of ‘Cross of Scaffold’. Though it may seem odd that this is happening all of a sudden, it is obvious that this was going to happen considering Kuugo’s current state of mind.

During last week’s chapter, we already found some cracks in Kuugo’s resolve. With Shinigami battles being determined by Resolve, Reiatsu, and in a certain cases just plain luck (here’s looking at you Ikkaku ), Kuugo seems to be cutting short on at least two of these factors.

Fall of the fallen

He used to be a fine substitute Shinigami, but then he took a Zangetsu to the chest

Seeing his sword broken, Kuugo’s resolve shatters as well. The cut he received from Ichigo before starts acting up again as he falls to his knees. As Kuugo lies there like a helpless animal, he realizes that he can’t just give up on his revenge. He tries standing up again but his body and soul know what his mind is trying to deny. Kuugo can’t win this because he doesn’t want revenge anymore. Or rather, he never truly wanted revenge in the first place.

With Ichigo standing over the fallen Xcution leader, the Bankai is fading away. Seeing Ichigo standing over him he can’t help but wonder. What would Ichigo have done in his position. Not only that, what would Kuugo have done in Ichigo’s position? What would have happened if Ichigo were the first Substitute Shinigami and Kuugo met Rukia and was guided by Aizen? Would Ichigo be seeking revenge on those that betrayed him? Would Kuugo have accepted Ichigo’s offer to take down Soul Society? Would they be comrades?

Moon zebras and strawberries

For someone whose supposed to be dead, Tsukishima’s looking pretty lively

As Kuugo loses consciousness, Tsukishima suddenly appears behind Ichigo. Ichigo senses the attack already and wants to turn around. The final clash would finally take place. Ichigo vs. Tsukishima, the battle to see whether Tsukishima can turn things around by enslaving Ichigo or whether Ichigo can end this pointless fight.

But in the chaos of it all, something completely different happens. A surprised Rukia suddenly leaps in front of Tsukishima’s path. Ichigo is shocked to see Rukia trying to block an attack he can easily evade while Tsukishima doesn’t seem to care so long as his strike lands. Rukia’s eyes go blank as her chest starts to shine. Tsukishima’s ‘Book of the End’ hits a target. Rukia falls as Ichigo witnesses the person who saved.

Tsukishima then sees the person who saved Ichigo from the attack as well. He is then just as surprised as Ichigo was at the sight of Ichigo’s savior.

Sacrifice

Wait a second… I thought closets weren’t supposed to be cute?

Looking through Tsukishima’s eyes, we see a rather odd scene. Riruka is standing in front of a shocked Ichigo holding a fainted Rukia. Rukia has two doors on her chest that opened up to let out the sliced Riruka. In just a matter of moments, Riruka revealed her location. That’s right, she turns out to be the RIRUKA from the beginning of this chapter! Tsukishima attacked Riruka by slashing her through the heart. Though that shouldn’t be a problem considering this is ‘Book of the End’… or at least, that’s what we were supposed to think at this sight.

Tsukishima, however, is shocked to see that he hit Riruka as she reveals the reason for his surprise. Riruka hasn’t been affected by ‘Book of the End’s’ ability, but has taken a deadly blow instead. Though ‘Book of the End’ hasn’t shown signs of actually harming people directly throughout this arc, it turns out to have been a conscious decision.

The fatally hurt Tsukishima can’t believe what Riruka has done and said as he shouts out in a blind rage. He tells Riruka to tell out of the way before pulling out his sword from Riruka’s chest. A scream of agony follows, but not from the girl who just had a katana drawn out from her heart.

The motive

Look who’s in despair now. Not so much fun once the tables are turned, is it?

Be it the loss of blood, the agonizing pain of having a hole in his chest, or the fact that he just cut down one of his few comrades, Tsukishima can no longer act as the cold and calculating jerk like he did at the beginning of this arc. With everything falling apart, Tsukishima reveals what his real reason for acting the way he did is: Kuugo.

Like a lost child, Tsukishima calls out for his caretaker. Demanding that Kuugo doesn’t die, Kuugo is the only person Tsukishima is worried about. As Tsukishima wants to see a reaction from Kuugo, Riruka stops Tsukishima in his desperate tantrum by yelling that he should get it through his thick head. Tsukishima turns around to Riruka who tells him that they couldn’t save Kuugo no matter what they did. Even though Kuugo saved everyone in Xcution, they couldn’t do the same for him. The one person who could help Kuugo is the one who did just do that: Ichigo.

The first chapter

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away… At the end of road after you take a left and…

Are you alone? A boy with a cut on his forehead, looks up at a friendly face asking him whether he wants to come with him. Because this young man knows the boy’s pain. The pain of being all alone in a world that rejects you… Because of that, they should stick together from now on….

This chapter felt like a really fast paced one. When I first read the chapter I felt like there should be more. Then I realized that Kubo used more panels and pages to depict what happened in this chapter than I thought. Not to say that it was a bad thing. Sure, in the anime this chapter will hardly fill up 5 minutes worth of airtime. But for a manga, this chapter was more flowing than many a chapters I’ve read in a good while. It didn’t take that much effort to imagine what was going on in this chapter.

From Riruka being inside Rukia, as we’ve expected from the moment their fight ended to Kuugo’s fall, everything went the way it was supposed to. Though I’ve never been that great a fan of Kuugo’s, I didn’t bother the amount of screen time he had here. It felt right somehow. It showed us Kuugo’s core. He was faced with a power greater than his, one he couldn’t beat. He tried to fight this power, knowing all too well that he couldn’t win. Realizing that what he was fighting wasn’t what that which he set out to destroy, he knew that he couldn’t keep going the way he did.

Even though Kuugo realized that he should give up, Tsukishima reveals to be more single minded than he appeared to be at first. But Riruka intervened by stopping Tsukishima’s attack on Ichigo. She revealed to be inside of Rukia’s body which she did by turning Rukia into a walk-in-closet. Riruka revealed that the members of Xcution only had one thing in mind: repaying the man who saved them.

Tsukishima realizes that he never could help Kuugo the way he was helped by Kuugo. He then thinks back on their first meeting, starting off the next (couple of) flashback chapter(s) which will follow.

With this arc finally drawing to a close, I’m certainly pleased by this chapter. I’m hoping to see what I’m expecting to see in the flashback. What that is? You’ll find out in the predictions. All in all, a great chapter in my opinion.

Judging by the flashback and Tsukishima’s age, it’s safe to say that this flashback takes place around a decade ago. This means that there was an active substitute Shinigami around not that long ago, during a time where Ichigo was most likely already alive, and a certain mastermind was as well… One with a particular interest in Human/Shinigami hybrids… Why would Aizen not have chosen Kuugo as his test subject? Or perhaps, the better question is: Could it be that Aizen chose to set Kuugo on a different path than Ichigo’s in order to have a back-up plan?

The flashback will center around Kuugo meeting up with the various Xcution members. Kuugo will reach out to the Xcution members because of their shared sense of loneliness. Though the Xcution members find kindred spirits thanks to Kuugo’s efforts of giving them people they could call ‘Friends’ or perhaps even ‘Family’, Kuugo never truly found someone like him. Not a Fullbringer, nor a Shinigami, he was alone. Not only that, he then got betrayed by Soul Society. Through a certain bloke named, say… Aizen?

That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter and/or review, give any theories that you may have and to vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again next time! Just in case I don’t get around to posting next week, enjoy your Christmas Holidays!

Rate this week’s chapter by clicking on the picture above!

 

The Underscore’s Bleach review 476

476: THE LOST

Today marks the day of my 1000th bout with my cat. I remember thinking getting a cat would be more fun… I had a hat and sandals ready and everything . I could make a spacious room in my basement and play with a black female cat which I would name Yoruichi… instead, I got a male cat who won’t help me dig a bigger basement, ruins my hat, and doesn’t even give out soul candy if you hold a slab to him… Not only that, as we’re both men we have to duke it out on a regular basis. With the score being 999 to 1 (hey, if the kitten falls asleep with a satisfied look while I’m still punching him, I think it counts as my (one) victory!) I actually have something to rant about in this review’s opening! (On the bright side, he’s somewhat of a pervert, looking up women’s skirts and winking at them… too bad I couldn’t name him KON due to him not being that lionesque )

Phew, now I’ve got something more to say in the intro rather than just thanking Mangastream for the scanlation of this week’s Bleach (and other manga titles, of course). Now I can go on to the review!

Bleach chapter 475, Shades of the Bond, rated by 15 voters, gets an average score of:

8.6

Great

With last week’s chapter having plenty going on, I was curious what you were curious about. Here’s the results!

For some strange and unapparent reason, no one wants to know whether Rukia is really okay! This should be the only question on your minds, besides wondering where KON is at! :@

One person didn’t really feel curious after reading the chapter. (S)he already knows all that was needed to be known concerning the chapter.

Two voters had something that wasn’t listed on their minds. From Bankai curiosity to the meaning of life! Well, maybe not the meaning of life, but still it’s interesting enough .
Four voters couldn’t help but wonder… Does Yukio still have feeling in his toes?

Five voters were most curious about Renji’s medical school. I’d like to know as well… maybe I could become a physician if I were to go to that school as well? But five other voters were more curious about the four Shinigami’s thoughts… Somehow I get the feeling at least two of them were thinking of wanting to get into a fight .

Six voters just have to know… Why did Kuugo’s hair have to turn white? It’s not like his design was generic enough, now his hair turns white as well? Or maybe it’s lime colored… Who knows (->reviewer in denial).

But with nine votes, the question who won over all the others, was this: Will there be more than Getsuga Tenshou in Ichigo’s Bankai? Let’s see if we get the answer in this week’s review!

Opposed opposites

The opposite of opposite, yet so opposite that I’m opposed to saying they’re not opposites

With Kuugo unleashing his Bankai, Ichigo is reminded of the fact that Kuugo really is a Substitute Shinigami like Ichigo. Which is odd considering Ichigo heard about Kuugo being the original Substitute Shinigami only an hour ago (probably even less)… Guess what Ichigo’s trying to say is that he actually believes Kuugo is a Substitute Shinigami now.

Kuugo, however, emphasizes how much alike he and Ichigo are by pointing out that he has Hollow inside of him, same as Ichigo. He had these Hollow powers inside of him because (one of) his parents actually had been attacked by a Hollow before Kuugo’s birth. Meaning this too is a truth to which the web of lies made by Xcution has been tied. Kuugo’s words, however, are a tad bit confusing as well. He seems to be implying two things: One of Ichigo’s parents had been attacked by a Hollow before Ichigo’s birth -not too surprising, I agree- being (part of) the source of Ichigo’s Hollow powers (and in turn his Fullbring). Secondly, most importantly, he implies that Ichigo has Hollow inside of him right now as well.

Now, what was odd about this arc from around 6 chapters in, was that Ichigo had the ability to use Fullbring. With Fullbring being born from Hollow based powers, it should have meant that Ichigo had Hollow inside of him at the time. But with Ichigo having fired ALL of his Reiatsu with the Mugetsu, he shouldn’t have had Hollow (nor Shinigami) Reiatsu in him. Of course, later in this arc, it was explained that Ichigo’s powers had already been restoring themselves over the past 17 months, being the spark to ignite his Fullbring. The fact that Ichigo had that much power in his Fullbring turned out to be due to the badge’s secret function of taking excess Reiatsu whenever Ichigo was in human form (for analytical purposes, or so is claimed ). Speaking of analytical purposes… I’m suddenly reminded of something from the previous arc… more on that in this week’s headspinner .

Anyways, back to the point I was trying to make here. With Ichigo obtaining his Fullbring using that spark of power he had at the time, it meant all of it was stored inside of Kuugo after he stabbed Ichigo with his ‘Cross of Scaffold’. Ichigo managed to regain his Shinigami powers afterwards through the Reiatsu of the Gotei 13. So how could he have Hollow inside of him at this time? If anything, Ichigo shouldn’t have Hollow powers now until he regains his Fullbring. Still, we might get signs of Ichigo’s Hollow powers still being here, sooner or later.

Ichigo isn’t bothered by anything Kuugo said and tells Kuugo to bring it. Kuugo then shows his age by saying Ichigo’s being a brat before charging at him. Obviously, Kuugo is older than Ichigo, but I’d say he’s acting rather bratty as well. The ones who can genuinely say that Kuugo and Ichigo are young whippersnappers, however, are standing a bit further away. Though one of them is probably younger than Kuugo and perhaps even than Ichigo .

Mission: Complete

Cue Craig David’s ‘I’m walking away’!

As the fight between the Substitute Shinigami ensues, the “real” Shinigami decide they’re done. As they turn around and walk away, acting all cool and sorts , Rukia asks her brother what the hell it is they think they’re doing. Be it in a more respectful way than she would ask someone like Renji or Ichigo .

Byakuya reveals that they’re returning to Soul Society because they’ve completed their actual objective. It turns out that Rukia has forgotten that they were tasked to see Ichigo through his decision (save for Kenpachi who was just bored ). Hitsugaya then reveals how genuinely evil Ukitake really was…

By giving Ichigo his Shinigami Representative badge, he didn’t just give a relatively useful tool, but a DEATH SENTENCE! After what happened with Kuugo (whatever that was), the Gotei 13 decided for themselves what they would do, should another Substitute Shinigami appear. Using that Substitute Shinigami, they would lure out Kuugo. Once they’d have lured out Kuugo, they would “erase” the two of them.

Soul Society once more proved to be quite the collection of jerks… before Ichigo came in and changed things that is. The second Substitute Shinigami they encountered did the unthinkable. He actually managed to get Genryuusai to tell the upper echelon to stuff it with their old ways, allowing for things to change for the better in Soul Society. Though in all fairness, Aizen deserves some credit for getting rid of the Central Chambers in the first place . Of course, Ichigo deserves the credit for making sure there was a Soul Society around to be changed.

Trust

Rukia, the only one in Soul Society who hasn’t been a jerk…

Ichigo made it for Soul Society to change so much that the captains in the Gotei 13 actually agreed to share their powers with Ichigo, rather than kill him . Rukia, who had most likely been left in the dark about this before she was made vice-captain, never agreed to this. We learn that the message Ichigo received through his Representative Badge after he first activated it was Rukia objecting to the initial plan. They would allow Ichigo to follow Kuugo until the point that he learned the truth from Kuugo’s mouth. Based on the choice Ichigo would make, he would live or die.

The way to find out what Ichigo’s choice would be, was for Ichigo to be observed for as long as was needed. Rukia was given this task, though she already disagreed from the start. She already knew Ichigo would never agree to follow Kuugo, immediately telling the captains about this fact.

Hitsugaya then reveals that he already agreed with Rukia from the start. Though he does so by saying it was what all the captains expected from Ichigo in the first place. Which explains why they bothered returning Ichigo’s powers in the first place. Hitsugaya then tells Renji and Rukia that they can leave because they know Ichigo can handle things from here. He then lets it slip that he is glad that he wasn’t forced to kill a Substitute Shinigami because it was Ichigo who got confronted by him.

Rukia then thinks back to everything that could change thanks to Ichigo. She then concludes that all will turn out all right.

Substitute Showdown

Look at the flying squid!

While Rukia and Hitsugaya were talking, the fight between Ichigo and Kuugo continued. With swords clashing all round and high speed movement being around as well, the fight looks entertaining enough.

With a clearer picture of Kuugo’s “Bankai” given in this chapter, I can finally take a gander at what we really have here. Where Ichigo’s Bankai predominantly lies in his Shinigami powers, Kuugo’s Bankai seems to be more centered around his Fullbring, and as such in his Hollow powers. In this current form, Kuugo has the skeleton like pattern all over him same as before. The only difference is in the fur he has now, the part on his back where the four tentacle(ish things) stick out, and the change in hair and eye color.

My guess is that the fur he has now has something to do with the coat Kuugo usually wears. With Fullbring being activated through objects one likes, it isn’t too strange to see one’s favorite jacket to be affected as well.

As for the four tentacles sticking out of Kuugo, I’d almost say it has to do with the four Xcution members he shared Ichigo’s powers with. But with the tentacles doing nothing practical in this chapter, I can’t really say if they are bound to other Fullbring abilities.

The white hair and black eyes are most likely due to Kuugo’s inner Hollow. But the black cross on his face is a bit odd as I can’t think of a reason for it to be there. It almost looks like some scar of sorts. Of course, it could be that this is the black pattern that would be on Kuugo’s Hollow mask, were he to wear a Hollow mask. Same as the black patterns on Ichigo’s mask, if you know what I mean.

All in all, Kuugo’s current design works well enough for me. When he was first introduced I felt he looked too much like a filler character. This current form doesn’t really change my opinion that much, though for a filler like appearance it looks good. It completely pales in comparison to Ichigo’s Bankai look, which looks awesome when Ichigo is moving in the panels.

Acceptance

Ichigo’s thoughts at this time: I’ve got the whole Bleach community, in my hand, I’ve got the whole…

During this chapter, we learn what is really going through Kuugo’s mind. After revealing his master plan to Ichigo, he expected Ichigo to tell him he was wrong. He wanted someone to tell him to stop this foolishness, that he was wrong. Or rather, he wanted another Substitute Shinigami to tell him so. He probably wanted to test his resolve by confronting another Substitute Shinigami and see that person’s reaction.

My guess is that if Ichigo were to have joined him, he would have felt more reassured about facing the whole of Soul Society with his current powers. He would have someone standing beside him, who had been fooled in the same way he was. Though the Fullbringers were outcasts like him, they would never truly know what it is like to be treated the way he has been through the Representative Badge. Ichigo had the same thing happen to him. Like Kuugo, Ichigo was part Shinigami and part human, all the while having Hollow powers inside him as well. Like Kuugo, Ichigo was given the Representative Badge with the vaguest instructions ever. Through events yet unknown to us, Kuugo came to decide that it was all wrong. But Ichigo never agreed… nor denied for that matter.

If Ichigo were to tell Kuugo that he was wrong for what he is doing, he could tell himself that Ichigo is just being a fool. He, the man who managed to manipulate Ichigo to this extent, would know better. A child like Ichigo would surely tell him he was wrong because he has ‘friends’ in Soul Society. But Ichigo doesn’t do this either.

Without the means to reflect on his actions, Kuugo can’t measure his resolve. Rather than react to Kuugo’s reactions, like he wants Ichigo to do, Ichigo is focusing on Kuugo as a person. Ichigo seems to want to understand HOW Kuugo got to the point of wanting to take down the Shinigami who tricked him. He wants to help Kuugo to get over this feeling of mistrust by showing him that Soul Society isn’t like that (anymore). But with all these years of seeking vengeance, it became Kuugo’s essence. He has nothing left but the desire for revenge. Even if someone wants to pull him off of this self destructive path, guide him to a more peaceful path, Kuugo can’t face to lose his resolve.

Frustrated by all of this, Kuugo does what any tortured soul does: Fire a Cero . Of course, rather than firing it from his mouth, he does so through his sword.

Cut it out

You’re being an idiot, so let Ichigo M.D. (from the same school Renji went to) help you get rid of it

Ichigo catches the Cero with his, technically not, bare hand. Could it be that Ichigo was able to absorb this energy because there’s part of his own inside of it? Or is it that Ichigo neutralized it using his own powers. Or is this the purpose of the gloves and the patterns on Ichigo’s Bankai? Whatever the case, Ichigo stops the Cero and then decides Kuugo has to stop. What better way to stop someone than to cut him down?

A straightforward chapter if you look at it at first glance. We got some answers, though most questions remain unsolved. Basically four things happened: Kuugo explained why his Bankai took the form it has, Soul Society decides to leave things to Ichigo because they’re grateful for what Ichigo has done for them, Soul Society’s original plan was to kill all Substitute Shinigami because of what happened with Kuugo, and Kuugo wanted acknowledgement from Ichigo only to be cut down.
But there was more to these things, as I worked out in this review. But the part Kubo wants us to focus on most, based on the chapter’s title, is Kuugo’s feeling of being lost. He needed Ichigo’s response to confirm where he is right now, and where he should be going. But instead, Ichigo is waiting beside him, waiting for Kuugo to make his own decision.

With the art as good as usual, everyone getting their time to shine, I rather enjoyed this chapter. Perhaps there was less covered in this single chapter than most of the other chapters have done lately, but I still enjoyed it. So a good, if not great chapter in my opinion.

Bringing up the part of (supposed) Reiatsu analysis during this review made me think of why I said “supposed” in the first place. I got to thinking of what Mayuri could do with Ichigo’s Reiatsu samples and all. Which made me think of Mayuri’s research. Which reminded me that he obtained quite a lot of data from Szayelapporo’s storage room. Which reminded me of this one question:

What was inside that room that was so shocking at the time, and why wasn’t it revealed at the end of the last arc?

All we know of the data Mayuri obtained from Szayelapporo, was the means to improve the Garganta for Shinigami purposes. But what of all the corpses we saw hanging there? There just has to be more to it! Perhaps for the next arc?

Kuugo will think back to what happened for him to become wanted by Soul Society. He will then decide to put everything on the line in his fight with Ichigo. Ichigo will then end the fight by first using a Getsuga Tenshou, and then taking Kuugo’s powers from him for himself.

That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter and/or review, give any theories that you may have and to vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again next week!

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