Bleach 639: Hold Your Hand 2

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/639

Kurotsuchi faces a powerful counterattack, as Pernida's severed finger spawns another hand, and joins in the assault. It is then that Kurotsuchi revels in realizing that Pernida is the Soul King's "Hand of Advancing," that can create new flesh for itself and multiply in combat, as opposed to the right hand of "Stopping," that can halt the advancement of conditions like illnesses. Realizing his chance, Kurotsuchi unveils his new "altered" bankai, that has 70,000 nerve layers, making it in constant pain, but unable to be controlled by Pernida. And, like Pernida, this new bankai can spawn new versions of itself. It quickly begins to devour Pernida, with Kurotsuchi calmly stating that if Pernida can penetrate all 70,000 nerve layers, he might be able to escape. As Pernida disappears, is this the end of the fight, or is there more to this bizarre and dangerous foe?

Bleach 621: The Dark Curtain

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/621/2729/1

Juha Bach is absorbing the Soul King. However, even Juha Bach can't contain the power he's taking. His body overflows, and strange creatures begin to pour out of him, and spill down to the Seretei. The invasion party, still unready to depart, starts to fight these creatures to prevent them overrunning the lab, and the rest of the Seretei. However, swords don't quite cut it against these creatures. Just in time to win the "good timing" award, Aizen shows up, explaining that the solution is to use their spirit energy to crush the creatures. Is Aizen really planning to help the Soul Reapers, or is there another motive we've yet to learn?

Aizen is looking to be a help at this point, but I definitely think there's more he's not sharing at this point. Even Kyoraku seemed to view Aizen as a desperate measure when he released him from prison, so I'm not the only one to anticipate some ulterior motives behind Aizen's assistance, ones that go beyond stopping the end of the world.

Bleach 620: Where Do You Stand

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/620

Ichigo stands before Uryuu, trying to talk him out of fighting for the Quincy; however, it's to no avail, as Uryuu shoots out the floor under Ichigo and sends him tumbling down from the palace, before he falls, Sternlichter X shoots him, to make sure he's dead, so they don't have anything to worry about. The rest of the Sternlichter appear, expecting an army to have come to stop them. When they find that it's just Ichigo's friends, they're sorely disappointed. The Soul King's right arm tries to fend off Juha Bach, but it's to no avail, and Juha Bach decides that he will absorb all the powers of the Soul King, starting with the right arm. The rumbling begins in Soul Society once again, as Urahara and the rest of the reinforcements are still getting ready to depart. Will they be able to make any difference this late in the battle, or is their chance already long gone?

A couple of things are bothering me about this chapter. For one, the whole "let's play 20 questions with Uryuu" part felt like a waste of time, since it's clear he's already sided with the Quincy. Whether he intends to change sides again or not, he wouldn't discuss such a course of action right in front of everyone, and it felt like all that was restating what everyone, including the characters, already knows. Also, we already know that Urahara had opened the gateway to the palace, and yet during the course of this battle, they still haven't departed, despite the urgency to get there. I wonder if it's for the plot convenience, because Aizen might have to be there to help in the battle, as well as a couple other potential allies, but it feels like the story is starting to tread water again, and at what should be such a fast-paced part of the story arc. Hopefully that's just for the next chapter or two before things pick up again, but until then, back to waiting for next week.

Bleach 617: Return of the God

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/617/2700/1

Quick Note: Sorry for the late post this week, I've been under the weather, so please excuse my tardiness in posting this week's Bleach manga.

The situation appears to have turned, at least for the moment, as Ukitake's sacrifice appears to buy everyone a brief reprieve from the destruction brought on by the plans set forth by Juha Bach. However, as everyone attempts to break through to the palace, they find that without Ukitake, they don't have enough power to open the doorway. However, Kurotsuchi arrives with an answer, a device from his lab to boost everyone's power enough to break through.

Meanwhile, back in the underground prison, Head-Captain Kyoraku decides to talk with Sosuke Aizen, who has been imprisoned for the last several years. He is bound by numerous seals, and Kyoraku only has permission to unlock 3 of them to talk with Sosuke. However, after unlocking only one, Aizen breaks free from the rest of his bonds, and steps out of his dark prison to face Kyoraku. Does Aizen plan to turn on the Soul Society once again, or perhaps he might be able to help find a way to avert the imminent disaster?

Bleach 616: Mimihagi-sama

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/616/2695/1

Ukitake reveals an incredible secret, and claims he has the ability to replace the Soul King. However, even if he is able to do this, what will stop Juha Bach from simply killing him, as well? As Urahara is, for once, caught totally by surprise with this new development and Rukia and the other soul reapers present listen to Ukitake explain what he is about to do, Kyoraku goes deep into the underground prison, to confront Sousuke Aizen. Does this mean that Kyoraku means to set Aizen free in an act of desperation, or is there some other purpose behind his actions?

This chapter finally answers a lot of the persistent questions as to the nature of Ukitake's illness, and why he turned out this way. However, it also raises more questions, specifically how he was able to encounter a piece of the Soul King's body. Did the Soul King cast away parts of his own body in anticipation of this day? Only time will tell if all of these actions were intended to save the world, or if there is some other intent. However, the most interesting part is the final page, where Kyoraku seeks out Aizen. This could mean that the Soul Society's traitor could actually be making a return to the series soon.

Bleach 615: All is Lost

Zach Goodier

http://readms.com/r/bleach/615/2684/1

Ichigo unwilling strikes at the Soul King, and as he stands in helpless horror at what he's done, not only the Soul Society, but also the Real World starts to crumble. Juha Bach says that with his power to see all possible futures, he knew that Ichigo's presence would be the end of the Soul King, but even as Ichigo regains control of himself and strikes at the Quincy King, Juha Bach questions Ichigo over the futility of his actions, now that the world is ending. Orhime tries to use her power to restore the Soul King, but even her power is unable to undo the damage. However, it may not quite be the end, as captain Ukitake seems to have something up his sleeve, but can he halt the seemingly inevitable end.

Bleach 614: KILL THE KING

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/614

Ichigo faces the the "almighty" Quincy King, and his friends stand next to him. He stands ready to face his toughest opponent yet, when he notices his strange eyes, and the swords thrust though the Soul King's crystal. Despite his quick attempts to save the Soul King, Juha Bach is not fazed in the slightest, claiming that his all-seeing eyes have gazed into the future, and Ichigo would bring about the ruin of the Soul Society with his actions. Undetered, Ichigo moves forward to draw out the sword, only to find a familiar pattern racing up his arm, and he suddenly loses control of his arm. Was the prophecy accurate, and does this mean the end of the Soul Society is at hand?

Meanwhile, back in the Soul Society, Urahara gathers up the Visoreds and remaining Soul Reapers to open a gateway to the palace, claiming that it will likely be a one-way trip. Can they arrive in time to make a difference, and will they be able to prevent the foretold apocalypse that Juha Bach seeks to bring about?

This article doesn't really delve into the fight, but does reveal some interesting possibilities for the the near future of the series, with the deadly prophecy and the potential end of the Soul Society. The Quincy royal guards have yet to reveal themselves again after the previous battle, and they will likely stand in the way of Ichigo's friends as they try to come to his aid. However, the Fullbring and Urahara's mysterious "friend" have yet to step up to help in the battle, so that might be the tide-changer later on as the climax is on the horizon.

Bleach 611: Soul King

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/611/17

The Zero Division has fallen, and Juha Bach moves ahead to face the Soul King, who is still confined inside some giant crystal.  However, Ichigo arrives, finding the dead or incapacitated bodies of the Zero Division.  But, as he looks down on the pieces of Ichibei, he hears his voice, asking Ichigo to call his name.  When he does, Ichibei gets back up, all in one piece.  He explains that names have power, and by calling his in time, Ichigo brought him back.  He also goes on to explain that if Juha Bach kills the Soul King, that Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living will all blink out of existence.  He then asks Ichigo to stop Juha Bach at all costs, since his power still hasn't come back.  Can Ichigo stop the seeming unstoppable Quincy King, the son of the Soul King himself?

I'm not very surprised by the revelation that Juha Bach is actually the Soul King's son, given his intimate knowledge of the Soul King's castle, as well as the melancholy feeling he seemed to get when he arrived.  But, there are still a lot of things that are unclear, whether Juha Bach will be able to take his place, as his son, or if Ichigo has the power to stop him at this point.

Bleach 581: The Hero 2

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/581

Just as it seems that Kenpachi is about to die, and with him the hope of saving the Gotei 13, a sudden appearance of a flash in the sky makes the entire war come to a sudden halt.  With most of the captains out of commission, and the Quincy closing in, can anyone save the day?  Well, of course they can, you've seen these shows before.  Anyways, Ichigo is finally on the scene, and he makes a hell of an entrance, catching everyone off balance.  Now that he's here, we might finally get a peek at what his training with the Soul King has done for him, and how his powers might have changed.

These last several weeks, even months, seem to have dragged in this arc.  Maybe it's just having to wait a week at a time, but overall this has been a very impatient wait for me, and probably a lot of other fans, too.  I liked Ichigo's entrance, though, since it caught everyone off guard and gave a quick peek at some of Ichigo's basic abilities.  Even the comedic moment where Ichigo knocked a massive tower over making his entrance and "hurting" himself both highlighted how much stronger Ichigo has become, plus made it seem like some things never change about him, no matter how insanely powerful he is.  Now that he's here, I'm hoping things pick back up in the arc, and we'll start building up to our final battle with the Quincy King.