Hi folks...this time the review is on time, since I had the inspiration, to look for the chapter late in the night. Thanx for Mangastream for the excellent quality and high-speed scanlation of this great chapter.
My prediction from last week became true somewhat. I expected the captains to charge in, but I would’ve wanted some more coverage on it.
So ladies and gents...let’s jam
Bleach 389
Ichigo the hero. He barged in, attacked Aizen, but got humiliated. Of course Aizen is a very difficult opponent and he didn’t fight him at all up until now(I won’t call the clash on Soukyoku Hill a battle). So it’s understandable that he got owned, but at the speed at which he evolves and gets used to battle circumstances it’s frightening, so I’m not worried at all that he will compensate for last week’s failure.
First things first...he needs to get his resolve and fighting spirit back, like these guys...
From this impressive bunch 10th squad Captain Hitsugaya Toushirou is the first who attacks. He barges in, closely followed by 8th squad Captain Kyouraku Shunsui. These two people were somehow the only ones who took the battle with the Espada seriously. Hitsugaya learned from past battles with Arrancar and acted accordingly in the fight with Harribel. He showed great tactic and gained the upper hand in the battle.
Kyouraku showed that he doesn’t care if the battle is fair or not. Backstabbing, running away, always evading while evaluating the opponent's strength were his attributes in the fight.
But these two aren’t the only ones who take the battle seriously. Aizen shows yet another shield which protects his left side in case someone fast, for example Kyouraku, tries to get him from that side.
Things are getting fueled up, as these two attack, I somehow had the feeling that good moments will come in the chapter, and not just this one.
Next is 7th squad Captain Komamura Sajin...he showed great composure, when he stopped Ichigo from taking Aizen’s bait in the last chapter, but he admits that if Ichigo wouldn’t have come he would’ve charged in.
I don’t really know if this can be regarded as a plus for Komamura, it’s more like Aizen knows when to act to make his opponents angry in order to lose control. Though against teamwork these manipulation tactic he uses won’t have much effect.
Why am I saying this. Just look at Shinji, ex-5th squad Captain, mainly his face expression. He took a blow from Aizen yet he’s more carefree than ever. He just stands there and lectures Ichigo, but while doing that he says something which I hope will become true in the close future.
Yep...we soooo want Unohana to fight not Orihime right? Sooo true...I noticed that she is pretty serious, probably because Hiyori is in a pretty bad shape that’s why. I hope she and her serious face will get busy with healing Hiyori to get the job done quickly. I still want Gin and Unohana fight a little. As the way things are looking I have the feeling that we will actually see something like that. I mean there’s no sign of Gin so far, and he seems to be the type who’s trying to have fun. Please entertain us Ichimaru-dono.
The vizards are jumping in the fight or so it seems. They have the biggest grudge against Aizen so I understand they are hasty to slice Aizen. I dare say that the remaining vizards are the top tier. Great abilites, there is strength and kido combined between the zanpaktou abilities.
The last and I might say the least both in power-level and shape is Soifon. Despite that, she proves to be the one who can bring back Ichigo’s resolve. Ichigo had no real reason to fight Aizen, apart from the fact that Karakura is in danger. In his latest battles Ichigo was very busy with protecting his friends, and had a somewhat vague idea that between his duties, the protection of the town is also there.
Soi Fon is the one who reminds him that. It’s not just a matter of protection anymore, it’s a matter of survival, both the survival of Karakura and the Soul Society.
As Ichigo watches his charging allies he remembers Byakuya’s words, which for me is the best reply to Ichigo and depicts clearly, that he is way out of his league, for now at least.
I quoted it last week, too, but I will do so again...”There is not one soul within the Gotei 13, to whom the aid of such as yourself is a necessity”. The translation differs from chapter to chapter it seems, but the meaning is the same. So what will he do?
I believe that it’s the correct decision. Believing in them, fight alongside them should be an honor, thus it requires the utmost concentration and pulling out the best from himself. I think this statement will show the overall layout of the battle here on, captains/vizards attacking Ichigo taking the best moment to strike, and maybe little by little, they could discover some weakness behind Kyouka Suigetsu. The only one who doesn’t seem to share this mindset is poor Omaeda Marechiyo 2nd squad Lieutenant, he just screams after his captain and is left behind. Probably it’s better for him this way.
Let’s just concentrate on the fight a bit. I hate when my reviews turn out to be short narrations of the chapter, but in this case, the dynamics didn’t let any of the combatants share something meaningful with us except for Soi Fon.
But that changes, since the opponent is Aizen, and he just can’t shut up. The philosophy behind what is a fight and what’s just plain violence is the other themes this chapter discusses, along with the ‘fight for survival’ theme. Kyouraku doesn’t seem to be interested in the conversation, as he attacks Aizen, trying to pull out a surprise attack, but an illusion is hit instead. The hate which was the topic between Hitsugaya and Aizen…it seems that Hitsugaya has plenty of it.
I smiled a bit when I saw this panel. It’s a huge amount of fanservice. Hitsugaya has a large amount of fans and his bankai looks cool as well. But I believe Kubo chose well this moment to portray Hitsugaya like this. He has, as Aizen said, the biggest hate towards Aizen. Hitsugaya welcomes these words saying he doesn’t want the fight, rather butcher Aizen.
Let me call that childish…he is still a child, fights well, but he relies to much on his emotions. In his fight with Harribel he got a bit distracted, by Hinamori and co.’s defeat, and it seems like he fuels similar emotions in order to fight Aizen. It’s no good if he can’t control himself, he must’ve seen how was Ichigo toyed, how Komamura reacted. Let’s just hope his anger gives him concentration and power, but the next panel somehow points me the other way.
I suggest everyone fighting Aizen, to follow Kyouraku’s lead(if anyone can keep up:D), has the best insight so far in the manga, and shows composure all times, not even mentioning his battle capabilities. He was the first who was shown to doubt Aizen back in the Pendulum arc(of course besides Shinji), so he is a great promise and he is the oldest in the bunch.
“Let’s follow the leader, leader, leader…follow the leader”, as the song says right?
Quick summary/OpinionsVery good chapter. I dare to say it’s a 9/10. The dynamics, the pace kept the spirit in me during the whole chapter. I was on edge and waited to finish on page, to just see what happens in the next. I also dare to say, that it isn’t because I didn’t see the spoilers. I mean only the chapter itself could draw me so much into the chain of events.
Nice conversations, though it’s no choice when Aizen is around. Panels were great, Kubo showed us agains why bleach is among the top shounen, action mangas.
Though I have a few things that I wonder about. Hitsugaya’s moves are pretty reckless and cover large areas. So it’s not really effective when teamwork is involved, or at least that’s how I see it. Kyouraku’s ability draws everyone in the game if they are in the reach of the zanpaktou’s reiatsu. Same with many others like Komamura, Love. And let me say that regarding power-type zanpaktous, shikai is not enough to deal with Aizen. Soi Fon’s ability seems to be the best suited for teamwork, her speed is also good, but she is in the worst shape.
I know they are fighting to corner Aizen, but so far he is just standing around, protecting himself with barriers, when Kyouka Suigetsu is not active. That’s not enough.
Predictions/want to happenMy first prediction is I think the most likely to happen. Next chapter will focus on the captains trying to corner Aizen somehow, thing which could let some space for Kensei to appear a bit, or Gin. Judging by the pace of the fight, it seems the most probable. What I would want is to Kubo to twist things a bit. To make Aizen attack Ichigo, I mean to make Aizen more active than he is now. That way the captain’s strengths and capabilities could be shown better, and Ichigo would have a piece of the fight.
My hopes are still high for Kensei to appear a bit, but last weeks wish of returning to HM seems like a bad dream
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So that’s all folks. Enjoy this great chapter, and hopefully the review as well. I take the opportunity to apologize, becuz I will reply to UR comments late in the weekend, due to exams. So knock URselves out, and mention the guys at Mangastream in UR prayers. Mata ne!
