Bleach 25
January 4, 2009
Hm. Well, I have to say I enjoyed this volume much more than the past couple, even though not much went on except a fight between Ichigo, the Visoreds (or Vizards?), and his… inner hollow, ikasoruK ogihcI.
That I liked the fight better than the story probably says something about the plot at this point. Hollow Ichigo has been something I’ve wished for ever since his fight with Urahara, and that there are more hollow characters is kind of a bonus. I am a little disappointed that fighting as a hollow entails little more than a hollow mask, but I’ll take what I can get.
Hauling out one’s inner hollow requires a fight with the self similar to the one that Ichigo underwent when he got his Bankai. Except instead of the Zanpaku-to man, there’s a negative version of Ichigo. While he’s fighting that inside himself, the Visoreds are fighting him in the real world behind some massive shields, apparently unbeknownst to Ichigo.
The fight is actually pretty good… probably one of the better fights in the series so far, and far better than the fight between Ichigo and Byakuya. While this is going on, everyone is looking for Ichigo, and also the true purpose behind what Aizen is doing is revealed to Orihime and a few of the other Soul Reapers. There was no surprise behind what was revealed, and his true purpose is actually kind of… well, generic.
But I’ll keep reading. It gave me what I wanted, so I guess I owe it a few more volumes, at least. The outlook from this point isn’t so hot though, since it looks like we’ll just get more fights with the Arrancars, and I haven’t been a big fan of them as of yet.
January 4, 2009 at 2:13 am
Even though Aizen’s plans aren’t awe-inspiring, I was still happy that it might mean a reunion of the humans that went to the Soul Society the first time around. I’d much rather see Ishida and Orihime on a regular basis than Rangiku and her bazooms.
January 4, 2009 at 2:14 am
(Although, probably Rangiku will be there too.)
January 4, 2009 at 2:52 am
Well, I hope you stick with it until you meet my favorite Bleach character, Nell. She’s a nice little girl who happens to be a hollow.
January 5, 2009 at 6:11 am
Well, I do like the hollows a lot. I’ll probably keep reading as long as they are marginally involved with the story. Actually, I’ll probably keep reading it anyway, even if my interest goes out the window, just because I have a hard time quitting series once I start.
January 5, 2009 at 6:18 am
Jun: I forgot to mention that. I do like the human characters a whole lot more than I like anyone else at this point. It’s good to see Chad and Orihime are at least not forgotten, even if Ishida seems to have vanished without a trace. I’m now secretly hoping that somehow all the Soul Society characters are taken out of commission and leave saving the town to the humans.
edit: okay, I forgot again that wordpress doesn’t put these directly underneath the comments I’m responding to like it looks like it does on the dashboard.
January 6, 2009 at 7:05 am
I did not understand a single thing you said about ‘Bleach’s’ plot but I strangely felt like I needed to read it. Your reviews have such awesome power! There are so many good choices for Jump series, it’s really hard to choose one and stick with it without buying volumes of another, though. I’ve noticed you don’t have a Naruto section, is that by choice?
PS: Yes, I love One Piece, too but it’s like reading through a speeding train! Sometimes it seems so fast-paced, it actually affects me physically!
January 7, 2009 at 5:13 am
Thank you very much! I’m glad you enjoy my reviews. Reading back through this one, yeah, I guess I didn’t realize how Bleach relied so heavily on its own terminology. It’s probably a real testament to the series that it’s developed its own completely seamless vocabulary after all this time. I loved Bleach in the beginning, but I’ve sort of been losing faith with it lately. The main character is transforming into one of the enemies from the beginning of the series currently, which is pretty cool, so my interest has been somewhat renewed.
Ah, I don’t read Naruto. I know I’d love it, but I just figured I’d hold off so that I was reading one less 30+ volume series. I’ll crack eventually. One Piece is my favorite, though. I was hooked after the first chapter. I got volume 20 today. It’s at my least favorite part in the story and I still can’t wait to read it. I just love everything about it.