Bleach 547: Peace from Shadows

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/547/2040/1

BLEACH IS FINALLY BACK!!! ...And well, the big return was rather uneventful, for the most part.  The final battle is starting, which is big news... That we already pretty much knew from the previous chapter that you all may have forgotten because it was over a month ago.  The Quincy do reveal the secret to how they have been able to invade the soul society, despite its' defenses, and that was both interesting and important, as it sets for just how the Quincy have been able to find all the Soul Society's weaknesses and to gain so much power.  

I think Bleach has been suffering for a long time from an overabundance of characters.  Like in a lot of the previous chapters, there has been so much jumping around back and forth that it feels like nothing is really getting moved along in terms of the story and conflict.  While I understand that everyone has their favorite captains, Quincy, etc, Kubo really needs to narrow it down a bit in the interest of moving this narrative along.  I expect that once the ball gets rolling things won't be so slow, but these "down-time" chapters seem to drag down the entire narrative when they hardly go anywhere.  It has still been an enjoyable series, but it feels like we've been in the same place for months, and after this long hiatus, I was expecting a stronger return.  However, that doesn't mean that it won't pick up in the coming chapters, because the battle itself is starting at the end of this chapter.  So stay tuned, and stay nerdy, my friends.

Bleach 533: Everything But the Rain OP.6 "The Gravitation"

Link to chapter: http://mangastream.com/read/bleach/38504462/1

*Usual **SPOILERS** ahead*This week, we see the conclusion to the battle against the mysterious hollow in the world of the living.  Despite the apparent failure of this creature to Kaname, Aizen sees this is a fortunate accident.  Obviously, Aizen has already anticipated roughly how events are potentially going to unfold, and decides to take a step back and let things play out.  With this part of the past unveiled, we now understand a lot more about how Aizen knew of Ichigo's existence for so long, and why Aizen was particularly interested in Ichigo's development and power.  Also, with this part of the past revealed, we can expect that Ichigo will have to move ahead, realizing that at least some of what Aizen explained to him was true.  There still are a few gaps to fill, so that likely means that this story arc will likely continue for another couple weeks, at least.  This arc has been enlightening, and provided some essential backstory and character development for both Isshin and Masaki, two very important characters to the current story.  I am rather interested to see how events unfold, but I am also eager to return to the present so that we can see what this revelation does to Ichigo.  I expect that Ichigo will eventually develop into a true transcendent being, like Aizen was hoping to become.  All the pieces have been falling into place: Soul Reaper, Hollow, Fullbring, and Quincy.  Ichigo has elements of every natural form of spiritual power woven into his being, and now we just have to see how they will all fall into place, or if they even will at all.  The ever looming thought in my mind is how the Soul King is tied into things; Aizen's final words when fighting Ichigo are still ringing in my ears when it comes to the story, and I hope that overlooking this ominously foreboding thought won't lead to disaster for Ichigo and his friends.

Until next week, all we can do is speculate, and hopefully you are all just as eager for the next chapter as I am.  Come back next week where hopefully we can start to answer some questions relating to this compelling story.

√Bestamvsofalltime ▪ Luminance AMV

Hey guys, Zach here.  Today's AMV uses the series Soul Eater to set the tone for the song "This Dark Day" by 12 Stones.  The editing is fantastic, with clips well timed and choreographed with the music; slower parts have slower scenes, while faster parts have the action-packed scenes you would expect.  This approach isn't new, but it's the execution that sets this one apart from many of the others.  The overall theme follows the struggles of Maka, Soul, and their friends as they struggle not only against the enemies they have to face, but their own personal demons.  This fits the song well, so sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Scully AMV Rating: 9 out of 10