The Underscore's Bleach review, 467: LUCK MEN

[The Underscore]

467 LUCK MEN

Almost... there... just... one more... week... VACATIO~~N. I'm so swamped with work just to get a week off . But it will all work out. On that note, I only have plans for the first couple of days of my vacation. After that, I have about three to four days of nothing to do! (Which is awesome considering my current situation) Sadly, I have forgotten how to do nothing, which brings me to the following:

I'm considering to review a whopping 2 to 3 extra manga besides the Bleach chapter of that week! Considering I have plenty of time to fool around during my vacation I might just do that so I won't be bored. Sure, I'll use some time to actually reply to comments again... But I'm curious, are you guys interested in my reviewing some Manga other than Bleach in that week?

But enough about my vacation plans, I'm still busy right now! So quickly, on to this week's Bleach chapter. Thanks to Mangastream and Binktopia for their Scanlation!

Bleach chapter 466, Screaming Invader, rated by 13 voters, gets an average score of:

7.9

Good

Last week's chapter started with a bang. Or rather, had a bang in the middle of it with Jackie blowing herself up to make sure Renji wouldn't be squashed by the sky folding. Here's what I wanted to know: How did Jackie blow herself up, and did you guys think he survived?

Starting off with the easiest of the questions, whether Renji survived, here's the result. Out of 24 people who voted on this question, 22 of you were wrong. How could you be wrong on a poll like this you ask? Kuroi pointed out the fact that Renji isn't technically alive at all, so there was actually only one option to choose from . Sure, Renji most likely "survived" the blast, like the 22 voters meant by choosing that option (and I meant by putting it up in the first place ). But the two voters who chose Renji being dead weren't wrong about this. Conclusion: Renji's still his good old dead self!

Then for the first of the two questions: How did Jackie self-destruct?

Two voters didn't know how she did it. Two voters thought she probably had a bad burrito. Basically it comes down to four people not being sure how it happened... right?

Six voters believe Jackie overcharged her entire Fullbring. Perhaps in a manner similar to when Ichigo almost blew himself up while completing his Fullbring.

Seven voters just didn't care. Jackie blew herself up, end of story.

But the option that got most votes for this question was one where the voters knew how engines usually work. 13 voters are certain that the combustion engine on Jackie's shoulder is what allowed for her to, well, combust .

Hitsugaya cryogenics

Preserving idiots until we find a cure

Assaulted by the monsters he created himself, Yukio sees his life flashing before his eyes. Realizing he's about the be killed, the wannabe God can only do one thing: cry like a baby. Lucky for him, there's a Shinigami who can wait before reaping his soul. Hitsugaya cuts and freezes the monsters before they can even touch Yukio. Hitsugaya certainly wasn't just boasting during last week's chapter. Though 'Invaders Must Die' was more than enough to trap and stall Hitsugaya, it really lacked in the offensive department. Just look at Hitsugaya cutting those monsters this easily. 'Invaders Must Die' really is laughably lame if you look at what it has been reduced to. Which could be one of the reasons why Yukio is laughing so hysterically.

The real reason for Yukio to be laughing this maniacally, however, is the fact that his life was spared. Though he thought he would be dead in a few moments, he now sees that he has only been saved out of pity. But Hitsugaya points out that Yukio needs some glasses when it comes to seeing people's true motives. The only reason Hitsugaya saved Yukio was to make sure that he'd be there to undo his little Fullbring trick. For all we know, 'Invaders Must Die' is one of those Fullbrings that doesn't undo itself after the user dies. In that respect, Hitsugaya made a wise decision to save Yukio's life. What's even wiser is his decision to point out that he doesn't care about Yukio's past at all, nor that he expects him to release him and his fellow Gotei 13 members from the Fullbring out of a sense of gratitude. Instead, he traps Yukio in ice with a simple condition: Release everyone in five minutes max, or die.

For someone who coldheartedly watched his comrades die while doing nothing or not caring, Yukio sure is a coward. Sure, this time it's his own life on the line, but still you'd expect him to have a little bit more pride. Especially for someone claiming to be a God inside his pocket dimension. Guess this proves that games have a bad influence on kids... that and lousy parents that completely ignore their children allowing them to become evil geniuses that rob you of all your fortune . I think the latter has a bit more of an influence though . Of course, Yukio isn't falling for Hitsugaya's threats. No, it's not like he's scared or anything. Same goes for another brat who doesn't know when he should back down.

Inception(ish)

An idiot inside the dimension of an idiot trying to get into the head of another (battle crazy) idiot

Shishigawara emphasizes the fact that he isn't scared of Ikkaku. What better way to show you're not scared than to destroy trees and rocks, right? This is exactly what Shishigawara seems to be thinking as he uses his 'Jackpot Knuckle' to do exactly this. You could attribute this collateral damage to Ikkaku's skillful dodging of the attacks, but there's little skill involved (for a Shinigami). Shishigawara tells Ikkaku to get down to his level, which shows us that Ikkaku is using basic Shunpo to stand in the air. Shishigawara tells Ikkaku he never heard of flying Shinigami in the first place. Ikkaku retorts by telling Shishigawara that he isn't flying, but standing... in the air. I'll have to agree with Shishigawara that there isn't that big of a difference between the two other than semantics .

Basically what we're shown here is that Shishigawara really is the newest addition to Xcution and has little experience with Fullbring. Not only that, he isn't even aware of Shinigami's Shunpo! Perhaps the reason Kuugo didn't feel like sharing Ichigo's power with Shishigawara was because of this. All we've seen Shishigawara use is his personal Fullbring 'Jackpot Knuckle'. Other than that, there's been little signs of other techniques in the form of 'Bringer light' or making the ground elastic to leap higher. Almost makes you wonder why they even bothered taking Shishigawara along...

11th squad motto

Fight first, think... too troublesome, just fight!

With his opponent not coming to him, Ikkaku decides to go to his opponent. The reason this fight has been going on this long is basically because Ikkaku tried doing something different for once. Rather than just diving in head first, Ikkaku decided to check the waters. After all, it's rather intriguing that a brat with hardly any muscle was able to dislocate his shoulder with a single punch. Sure, Ikkaku countered this by using only his muscles, but that doesn't change the fact that it was an intriguing feat to accomplish. Still, Ikkaku got bored waiting to see what the trick was behind the attack, so he figured he might as well end things now.

But with little to impress Ikkaku, he decides to test Shishigawara by asking a simple question: does he want to be beaten like a wimp, or die like a man. Shishigawara chooses the right answer by saying he'll beat up Ikkaku like a man. This is good enough for Ikkaku as he jabs with Houzukimaru. But just as Shishigawara dodges the first jab, Houzukimaru is hit by 'Jackpot Knuckle', causing it to break immediately. Catching Ikkaku off guard due to this, Shishigawara follows up with another attack. But Ikkaku is experienced enough to know he has to react quickly, putting up a guard almost immediately.

The attack lands on Ikkaku's hand, hitting his little finger before Ikkaku's blown away by it. Ikkaku quickly regains his balance, noticing how Shishigawara "just happened" to break Houzukimaru and snap the tendons of his little finger within two strikes. Though the snapping of his tendons doesn't bother him too much, the breaking of his Zanpakutou does. It's not like Houzukimaru would be as weak as a tree that's more than 10 times as thick or a rock.

Shishigawara then commends Ikkaku for the way he managed to survive the attack. He intended to strike Ikkaku's head, splitting it open in an instant. Where Shishigawara attributes this to Ikkaku's skill, Ikkaku knows better: it's because of his luck. This doesn't sit too well with Shishigawara.

Brawl

Zanpakutou, Hollow abilities, Fullbring... this manga really needed a good old fashioned fistfight

Hearing Ikkaku say he's the lucky one gets Shishigawara agitated. Ikkaku only managed to survive the hit with sheer skill (note: not sheer luck ), but Shishigawara was the lucky one for breaking Ikkaku's weapon in a single blow. He then challenges Ikkaku to a battle of luck. But rather than rolling some dice or playing a card game, they find a different manner of testing one's luck.

Ikkaku throws away his Houzukimaru without a second of doubt, knowing that it would be useless against an ability that can break it with a single blow. After chucking his Zanpakutou, Ikkaku decides to go Chuck Norris on Shishigawara. I really have to point out, the insane look on Ikkaku's face just looks awesome here . Shishigawara accepts the challenge as the battle ensues.

With fists being exchanged, one could wonder how it is that Ikkaku's face hasn't already been blown off with a single attack. This is exactly what's going through Shishigawara's mind as he's exchanging blows. For an instant, he feels the hits aren't working, but then he realizes that all his hits are working just fine. Bone's cracking, probably a concussion or two in there as well... But Ikkaku is still going on!

Encouragement

He's been spending wa~~y too much time with Kenpachi...

All of a sudden, Shishigawara's 'Jackpot Knuckle' fails him. Shishigawara then continues his barrage of attacks, but he notices the probability of his super effective attacks is going down by a lot. Suddenly only one out of two attacks is effective, rather than every one out of one. Facing someone in a battle that lasted for more than a moment, for the first time since he obtained 'Jackpot Knuckle', he never knew what the effect of continuous blows could be.

Though I hypothesized that Shishigawara's luck would turn on him completely, it turns out that it just runs out. It would seem that 'Jackpot Knuckle' needs time to recharge after use. Of course, Shishigawara's luck usually allows his fights to end with a single blow, or two blows tops. Even if he has to punch several times during a fight, he has at least a couple of seconds to recharge. But in this case, he has to use the 'Jackpot Knuckle' continuously as Ikkaku isn't backing down.

Just as Shishigawara is noticing this change in his ability, Ikkaku figured it out as well. Ikkaku then taunts Shishigawara by asking him whether he's so tired that his punches lost their edge. Regaining his breath, Shishigawara charges up for a "Jackpot". Shishigawara then decides to cast the dice on his final throw, going all in.

Luck's turned

THIS IS THE ELEVENTH SQUAD!

With a severe blow hitting Ikkaku full on, Shishigawara manages to land his jackpot strike. Ikkaku's head is blown backwards, while causing massive amounts of blood to gush out at the same time. Just as it looks like Ikkaku will fall, he raises his right hand. Ikkaku then grabs a hold of the tired Shishigawara. Surprised by this sudden move, Shishigawara gets an even bigger surprise when he realizes his luck has turned on him. Or rather, that there's an even luckier bastard around. Ikkaku brings the thunder by giving Shishigawara a good old fashioned headbutt, ending the fight.

Oh yeah~~

Ikkaku... Ikkaku~~... I think you're dying of internal bleeding...

Ikkaku commends Shishigawara for his luck. His blows were formidable thanks to this luck. But in the end, he just had a bad opponent because he was facing the luckiest bastard in the entire Gotei 13! (I'm almost expecting Ikkaku to take out a pair of sunglasses here ) With Ikkaku having taken down one of the most hazardous opponents around, there's only three more opponents left. Let's see how Rukia, Byakuya, Ishida, and Ichigo will fair against their opponents!... in the upcoming chapters that is .

Senseless violence once more... That's the advantage of having a squad like the 11th around . But I'm getting ahead of things here. The chapter started off with Hitsugaya saving Yukio's life and demanding he takes down his 'Invaders Must Die'. This part of the chapter wasn't all that intriguing at all if I have to be honest. Sure, knowing Yukio isn't dead is vital information and all, but that doesn't change the fact that the way it happened was a bit boring. All this has done is show us that Hitsugaya is capable of mimicking Rukia's Tsukishiro to some extent.
The second part of the chapter really wasn't that intriguing either... But this was exactly what I was waiting for when it came to the battle of the "Luck men" . It's not like we could expect intricate tactics being used by these two combatants. There's little tact to be seen at all . Good old mindless punching while taking out one of the most overpowered Fullbring around.

The looks Ikkaku gave while fighting were awesome as well. Personally I enjoy Ikkaku's expressions while he's fighting more than I do Kenpachi's . In a way they don't really differ. The real difference between these two has to be that Ikkaku has something more playful going on during his fights. If I had to name it, I would have to call it Luck . The only thing I found really disappointing here was the lack of Ikkaku's lucky dance .

In the end, I found this to be neither a good chapter, or a bad chapter. I enjoyed the read, mind you, but there was little to take out of the chapter in the end. Still, I've got one thing to make your heads spin a little

Kenpachi has Yachiru around to watch his fights. Ikkaku usually has Yumichika around to watch his fights. Yachiru was clinging on Kenpachi's back during the fighting. So where could Yumichika be? Is he still in the eleventh squad or did people find out the true nature of his Zanpakutou forcing him to leave out of shame?

Next week's chapter just has to be Rukia vs. Riruka. Tsukishima vs. Byakuya is likely as well, but I'm hoping Rukia will show her mettle next week. That, and I'm hoping KON-sama will show his face to fight off all the stuffed toys while Rukia takes on Riruka . The fight between Rukia and Riruka will most likely revolve around Ichigo and the bonds they have with him. Or in Riruka's case, she would want with him. Rukia will also manage to find out a bit more on Xcution's past and their future plans.

That’s it for this week’s review. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are on this week’s chapter and/or review, give any theories that you may have and to vote in this week’s poll. Don’t forget to rate this week’s chapter! I’ll see you guys again next week!

Rate this week's chapter by clicking on the picture above!

[MonsterEnvy]

I saw the reason for the luck.

Ikkaku said when he beat Moe that whenever he hit a spot with a vital organ the blows were weak when he hit spots that were not vital thats when he got jackpots and hit hard.

so pretty much Ikkaku was just really Lucky that the Jackpot always failed when he hit a vital spot.

Also I don't think that it was a recharge time from what I could tell the more he used his Fullbring in a fight the more likely his fullbring would fail to get a jackpot.

[Super Angillis]

What other Manga's are you considering reviewing?
I think that Shishi was pushing his luck. If you have some good luck, say you win at gambling, if you keep going, sooner or later your luck runs out and you lose everything.
Yumichika is most likly back in soul society. The Fullbringers aren't that great a threat. So they probably kept him back in SS in case they needed one of the stronger officers from the 11.

[The Underscore]

I saw the reason for the luck.

Ikkaku said when he beat Moe that whenever he hit a spot with a vital organ the blows were weak when he hit spots that were not vital thats when he got jackpots and hit hard.

so pretty much Ikkaku was just really Lucky that the Jackpot always failed when he hit a vital spot.

Also I don't think that it was a recharge time from what I could tell the more he used his Fullbring in a fight the more likely his fullbring would fail to get a jackpot.

In the end, Ikkaku was the luckiest of them all . That probably has to do with the fact that he can rub his own head whenever he wants, for good look.

As for the recharge time for the 'Jackpot Knuckle': What I think is the case, is that Shishigawara's luck starts out at 1000% (just as an example) once he activates his Fullbring. After using it once, it could drop down to 950% (again, just an example). If he uses it continuously, it drops just like we saw in this chapter, from the 1000% to the basic 100%. This means his luck doesn't affect probability in his favor anymore.

What I meant with the recharge time, is that if he uses the Fullbring once, the charge would go down from 1000% to 950%. After not using it again for, say, an hour or so, the next he would activate the Fullbring his luck would be back to 1000%.

So what you said holds true, but that doesn't mean that his Fullbring won't ever go back to its overcharged luck/probability manipulation ways.

What other Manga's are you considering reviewing?
I think that Shishi was pushing his luck. If you have some good luck, say you win at gambling, if you keep going, sooner or later your luck runs out and you lose everything.
Yumichika is most likly back in soul society. The Fullbringers aren't that great a threat. So they probably kept him back in SS in case they needed one of the stronger officers from the 11.

I'll put up a poll with a list of Manga's in the review for this week's chapter. It'll consist of Manga I'm currently reading (of course). With give or take 12 titles there should be plenty to choose from . I'll wait till the end of this week's poll before I make any plans to review though .

Shishigawara's luck running out was bound to happen. No one's that lucky, not even Ikkaku (who lost to Ichigo that time).