Bleach 572: The Blaster

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/572

This week, we finally see the return of our favorite advocate of relentless violence, Kenpachi Zaraki.  While he doesn't come back in until the end, and doesn't do anything, it's nice to see his return.  The twist involving Yachiru's opponent was interesting, but it might also mean the loss of a couple of fan favorite characters from the previous arcs.  While I'm still not 100% convinced of their deaths, I still have to wonder what limitations this new Sternritter's power might have, because like so many we've seen, he's far too powerful, especially for an underling.

That brings me to one of the more irksome things about this arc.  While I do enjoy the fact that Kubo has turned the heat up, and tossed aside some of that pesky plot-armor that virtually the entire cast of the show was wearing, I feel like he's gone about this a little backward.  Instead of just saying the opponents are on a level playing field, he's made this seem extremely one-sided.  While I don't mind that it builds up the suspense, and sets up for a desperate struggle for survival, I still find it a little inconsistent with the story we've experienced so far.  While the tone hasn't completely changed from previous arcs, it still feels like there's a big shift with characters dying off, which makes this arc feel much more distinctive from the previous ones.

Overall, I'd say this new direction for the series is an improvement, but not without some drawbacks if you've been a fan from day one.  I'm anxious to see what Kenpachi can do next chapter, and just how he'll fight this strange kid and his even stranger power (probably with his shiny new zanpakuto, if he even needs it).  

Bleach 561: The Villain

Zach Gooodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/561/1

Well, unfortunately "The Superstar" is still alive and kicking, but we did see a nice counterattack by Rose and Kensei, which showcased their awesome abilities that had previously been overlooked.  While they put up a good fight, and took down the little sidekick (which leads to Rose being called a "villain"), both eventually fell to his powers, and it is unknown if they will even recover, but just as Rose lay close to death, Renji arrives just in time to stop the final attack from finishing him off, and when asked who he is, he simply responds, "a villain."

It looks like we might finally be picking up the pace a bit, which I am extremely thankful for.  I expected this to turn into another 5 chapters of dragged out fight, and while the fight hasn't ended, it at least feels like things are moving along at a brisk pace, with Kensei and Rose getting a condensed, yet action-packed and entertaining fight to demonstrate what they are made off, and quickly moving things forward with a rapid transition into Renji taking on our villain.  I think Kubo should keep this kind of pace up, instead of making a single battle take 5 chapters like he's been doing.  I can see how it could help build suspense, but when your audience has to wait a week for the next chapter, it just makes it all seem that much longer.  I'm not saying that he needs to skip to the final fight, but if the narrative is stuck in one place for more than a couple weeks, it feels monotonous, like the story is essentially stalled.  I'm liking what story and conflict there is, I just hope we can move through it in a more condensed way, without spending half a chapter explaining a new power or ability and then seeing one or two attacks before calling it a week.  

That being said, I found this week to be a refreshing change of pace, and a lead-in to seeing Renji show off what he's been learning at the palace of the King of Souls.  So hopefully, we can keep things moving along, and see some more action-packed excitement next week.

Bleach 555: The Hero

Zach Goodier

http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/555/?ref=email

HEY GUYS, REMEMBER ICHIGO!?!?!?!?! That's OK, if you don't he is the main protagonist of the Bleach series.  Why the refresher? Well, he's been busy doing things that we apparently didn't need to see.  In any case, he's actually appearing again, and while he hasn't yet joined the battle, the outlook is getting better. However, whether or not the Seretei will still be there when he arrives is yet to be seen, since the Sternritter are stepping up their game with the release of their Vollstandig, which makes the battle even tougher for the Soul Reapers.  However, it looks like Ichigo isn't just stronger, but he's gained some composure, as well.  Will it be enough to stop the Vandenreich and their ruthless leader? And how will Ichigo deal with Uryuu when the time comes?  A lot of things are still up in the air right now, and I'm getting anxious to see where things go from here.  We have yet to see Kenpachi Zaraki, who just learned his zanpakuto's name, and Ichigo's new power has yet to be fully unveiled.  So hopefully, we can finally get some answers to these questions in the next few weeks.  So tune back in next week and hopefully there will be more to show you.

Bleach 551: The Burnt Offerings

Link: http://www.mangapanda.com/bleach/551

Sorry about the late update, I've been behind the 8-ball on papers and homework for the past couple weeks, but I've made some time now to update.  The latest Bleach continues the battle between the Gotei 13 and the Vandenreich.  Last time, Hitsuguya and Soi Fon were dealt devastating blows by BG9 and Bazz-B, but Toshiro isn't down for the count quite yet, he attempts to counterattack but Bazz-B is too powerful.  Haschwald confronts Kyoraku and Nanao, who has developed a kido to temporarily repel Quincy, but since only she knows it, nobody else can use it to stall the Quincy advance.  The big development comes at the end, when Kisuke Urahara gets in touch with Kurotsuchi to inform him that he has discovered how to recover stolen bankai.  But we'll have to wait to find out exactly how the Soul Reapers can finally tip the scales and counterattack with all their power.  Tune in next week, and hopefully I can update you guys on time.

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.