Bleach 578: The Undead 5

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/578

Another short chapter this week, but we finally see some resolution to our fight between Kenpachi and Gremmy.  However, we still don't see that much of Nozarashi's abilities, aside from Kenpachi saying that there is nothing it can't cut through.  While that isn't an ability to belittle, it seems a little underwhelming for how long it's taken to reveal.  I'm hoping we'll explore his abilities more down the road, but for now it appears the fight is over.  I liked how Gremmy's final fate was tied to the weakness of his own seemingly unstoppable power.  Revealing the weakness of an ability to manifest any thought into reality really worked in this fight, and helped show how surprisingly feeble Gremmy could be when he faced a stronger opponent.  I still have reservations about his power, but it was a fairly satisfying conclusion.  We'll have to see who's going to be fighting next, so tune back in next week for the new chapter of Bleach. 

Bleach 577: Sword

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/577

This week's chapter is a little short, but we finally get a glimpse of Kenpachi's zanpakuto, Nozarashi.  Gremmy's meteor looks to be closing in, and even the Quincy panic in the face of the destruction it promises to bring as it descends on the Seretei.  Is Kenpachi's new power enough to stop this impending destruction? 

I can understand why Gremmy was considered an unstable asset for the Quincy to use, but I wish we had a little more exposition on just what drove the Quincy to use him.  I mean, did they honestly feel backed into a corner? Because, they really haven't acted like that, on the contrary, they've killed their own people who have lost, so apparently they aren't suffering from any serious shortage of manpower.  The question is nagging at me, and I haven't really thought of any solid answer, as of yet.  Perhaps they simply wanted to step up their game, and throw their worst at the Soul Society, but then Hashwald is still sitting on the sidelines, but I suppose he's serving as Juha Bach's bodyguard.  Overall, the lack of explanation is a bit of a plot-hole, at the moment.  Perhaps they'll fill in some of the blanks later, but I doubt it at this point.  

Next week, we'll have to come back and see if Kenpachi has what it takes to finish Gremmy once and for all.

Bleach 576: The Killers High 2

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/576

We finally learn the name of Kenpachi Zaraki's zanpakuto this week.  While we haven't seen its ability yet, it finally looks like both of these guys are going all out.  But will Zaraki's power be enough to save the Seretei from Gremmy's seemingly unstoppable power?  Or will this be the end of everything?

I found it interesting how this week's chapter had Gremmy's power actually work against him, as the thought that he might actually die started to prevent him from healing his wounds and made him weaker.  His entire power of "mind over matter" was always something I hoped to see work as a two-way street, and it was nice to see some of that worked into the battle.  However, it was only a momentary setback overall, and having him actually make a duplicate of himself that cannot die is truly fearsome.