The Underscore's Bleach review, 482: Bad Recognition

[The Underscore]

482: Bad Recognition

Ah, I'd hate my job right now if I didn't enjoy it so much. I only got to read this chapter of Bleach this morning because of work . But what a chapter it was. I'm skipping the rest of this intro so I can quickly get into reviewing this chapter. It's been a while since I last wrote a review almost immediately after reading the chapter . Let's see if it'll work.

Before going on, my bad on the title of last week's chapter. The Tearing looked a bit like The Fearing due to the position of the T on the page . But more importantly, thanks to Mangazone for the scanlation. I'll be using their scan for this week's review!

Bleach chapter 481, The Tearing, rated by 14 voters, gets an average score of:

7.8

Good

During last week's chapter, we saw another one of Kubo's attempts to think up a new way of greeting people. So, what did you guys think of this greeting?

Three voters feel that people won't understand the dropping of people as a means of greeting them. I guess it's a bit hard to get into things when you're in a headlock .

Six voters saw through Kubo's passion in showing us this means of greeting. It's a passionate greeting, best saved for siblings and close friends according to these six voters!

Nine voters saw something other than passion in this form of greeting. YouTube videos! Remember the one where that kid threw a bully on the ground?...

But twelve voters saw exactly what was happening here. This won't be a simple fad, no this is going to be the new handshake! Wrestling moves for greetings is going to catch on quickly. So remember kids, make sure you tackle your friends before they tackle you! >a public announcement by The Underscore? <

The Icebreaker

Ivan's thoughts: It smells like feet... somebody open a window!

After Ivan's intrusion to the bread party, Ichigo wasn't impressed or intrigued in the slightest at him appearing out of nowhere, much to Ivan's surprise. Ivan asks Ichigo to repeat what he just told him after the introductions. This somewhat sets the tone for this Ivan character already. Bold though he may have been by suddenly appearing on a teenager's bed like that, he sadly didn't stick with his decent first impression. Going from bold character with the guts to intrude in (most likely) enemy territory, he goes to a character who is fixated on his own image.

He was probably hoping for Ichigo and the others to ask questions like, 'What do you want?' or 'How did you get in here unnoticed?', giving him opportunity to act like a more mysterious villain. Too bad for him the Kurosaki household doesn't do panicky questioning of mysterious intruders. Mostly because Ichigo already experienced a group of Shinigami coming out of the ceiling light once, if you were to ask me .

Hearing Ichigo's initial reaction to his appearance for a second time, Ivan gets the opportunity to think out a proper reaction. He decides to say the "cool" thing, refusing to get off Ichigo's bed. Too bad for Ivan, the Kurosaki household has a solution for getting men out of (or in this case, off the) bed. A well aimed kick to the throat and a well timed opening of the window help to clear the room of invaders. Witnessing this scene, I can't help but wonder... Is Orihime so in tune with Ichigo in the hopes of her hinting to Ichigo that she's the one best suited for him, or is Ichigo just that predictable and did Orihime want to safe herself the trouble of having to fix the window with her ability?

As all of this takes place in Ichigo's room, Yuzu comments on the noise Ichigo's making. Considering how Ichigo should be talking to an Arrancar and kicking one as well, shouldn't that practically be soundless to Yuzu, with her only hearing the quick opening of a window? Still, Karin and Yuzu know Ichigo makes odd sounds in his room from time to time -this sounds pervy no matter how you look at it - and can't be bothered to stop eating some of the bread they got from Orihime.

Awesomeness in half a page

Oddly, Ichigo's the only protagonist I want to drop dead, and Chad and Ishida have an awesome sense of prioritizing!

How long has it been since Kubo managed to put so much into a single page? Just look at what he did here. First off, he had Ishida point out how he believes Ivan is an Arrancar. Perhaps not that important right now, though it does tie in with the discussions started by the first two chapters of this arc, but rather essential in a couple of pages time. This first frame reveals that Ichigo isn't that unfazed with the intruder as it seemed at first.

The second part of this page is important in showing just what happened with the badge after the Fullbringer arc. Where it was still a possibility that Ichigo could now use his badge to manifest his Shinigami powers on his living body, it is now revealed that we've gone back to the modus operandi, Ichigo using the badge to drop dead and releasing his Spiritual body to fight as a Shinigami. That's right, we clearly see Ichigo dropping dead again! This can only mean one thing... well, you already know where I'm going with this, so I'll spare you the rant you know that's supposed to go here .... >cough< KON>cough<>cough<

Whatever the case, after Ichigo decides to do something about Ivan, Ishida and Chad decide to join in as well... after eating their bread! I don't know what part of this I enjoy more. The way Chad said it, the look on Ishida's face as he's munching on his piece of bread, or Ichigo's annoyance at his friends' reactions. My hat's off to you for this page Kubo. If only I had a hat... but if I had one, it would definitely be off now.

The page following this one shows a more "natural" reaction to this sudden intrusion in the form of Yuuki and Shino being terrified at Ivan's appearance. He was probably hoping for this reaction in the first place. In contrast, we have Orihime who is too busy with her bread as well.

The receiving end of hospitality

He sort of is stupid... at least he doesn't barge into people's rooms to stand on top of their beds?

Ivan shows his disappointment at Ichigo's reaction. Where he was most likely hoping for more, he just got kicked out of a house, literally. Ichigo then calls out to Ivan, who is still on the street out front, telling Ivan he gets that Ivan wants his attention and that Ivan should follow him.

Once more, Ivan tries to act it off cool, pointing out Ichigo's arrogance in this matter. But Ichigo is used to villainous people coming to him because they have business with him. Even Ichigo realizes how repetitive this formula really is, knowing that if he goes somewhere else, the person who approached him would follow him to make some shocking revelation. Of course, Ichigo is somewhat surprised at the fact that Ivan actually bothers following him for real .

Ichigo then finally gets to the more important question of this matter. Ivan's Hollow mask. Fact being that broken mask on the face and Ichigo being a target tends to equal Arrancar, it would be same to make this conclusion for Ivan's situation. As Ivan hears Ichigo calling him an Arrancar, he gets a bit agitated and doesn't listen to Ichigo hypothesizing that there could be Arrancar out there who want to avenge Aizen. Ichigo then asks whether Ivan's there on his own initiative or not, or even what he would gain by fighting Ichigo. But the damage had already been done in Ivan's mind.

Quincy-a-ranncar?

Indeed Ichigo, that's someone trying to compensate...

The straw that broke the camel's back, the drop that overflows the bucket, or whatever saying people like to use to describe Ivan's situation. Being ignored, mocked, kicked, mocked some more, and subsequently called an Arrancar is just too much for this poor young man. As Ichigo is surprised at this sudden reaction, Ichigo's more surprised at what Ivan's got up his sleeve, in every sense of the expression.

A Quincy cross reveals itself dangling from Ivan's wrist. Ichigo immediately recognizes the item, only to see it transform into a far larger object. Now, Ishida's pointed out once that Quincy only use bows. Seeing the curving of the spiked plate, it is possible that Ivan is making an oversized bow right now. Then again, the increase in size of a bow/weapon isn't so much a sign of great power to a Quincy as much as it is somewhat pointless.

Just look at Ryuuken and Uryuu's bows. They both have miniature sized bows, signifying the high quality compression of spirit particles to shape the bow from which the arrows can be fired. Of course, it doesn't look like the weapon Ivan is creating is of a lower density than the bows used by the Ishida's. I would love to say that Ivan isn't creating a bow right now because the size of it would be impractical in firing arrows, but the same could be said of the Ishida bows with their smaller sizes.

As Ivan's weapon of choice takes its shape, Ichigo seems to recognize the object. Though it could be that Ichigo is still reacting to Ivan's Quincy cross. Ivan asks Ichigo whether he recognizes Ivan's power/weapon. Most likely there's an attack following this, judging from Ichigo's reaction. But we don't know that for sure as the scene changes to a different location.

Starsky and Hutch, or Sculder and Mully?

This is where I'd love to see Hisagi arriving on his motorbike...

At Rukongai district 64, the investigation that was started last week continues. Yumichika, with his updated look, notes that the district is completely void of people. This bothers Ikkaku because this means that more people disappeared since he received the initial report of the disappearances. Yumichika points out that people could've just left the area because they were afraid of disappearing themselves. But Ikkaku knows that's impossible as the 12th division would know where the people would've gone off to. Remember, Soul Society is keen on keeping tabs on everyone and thing that's associated to them .

One of the 11th division members arrives to confirm Ikkaku and Yumichika's suspicions of there not being any trace of people left anywhere. Yumichika then concludes one thing... ALIENS! Or at least, that's what it could be Yumichika wants to say for all we know. Whatever the case, Ikkaku doesn't buy the excuse Yumichika wants to present. But then another squad member arrives with another finding...

A lot of footprints were gathered in one place before they suddenly vanished into thin air -queue the X-files tune-. What's more intriguing is the fact that there are no signs of Hollows being the culprits as there are only bare feet and sandals to be seen in the area! -Press play now for the X-files tune!- Judging by this scene, inhabitants of Rukongai are responsible for this mysterious event! The member with glasses doesn't understand what Yumichika is saying, though Ikkaku tells him and the others to search for more clues!

MIW: Men In White

Sir, please look into my face so we can erase any memory you have about the extra terrestrials in Soul Society

Genryuusai isn't sitting still while people are disappearing in Rukongai. Like any police chief would do, he's going over the reports to make the best possible analysis of the situation. It would seem there's plenty of divisions who are active with this case, though it's also likely that Genryuusai is just listening to weekly reports .

Whatever the case, the 11th division's report is cut short by the sudden appearance of seven mysterious figures. Though they might not be standing on any beds, Genryuusai's face seems to say he would still like to kick them out of a window.

Now, let's take a look at the Sinister Seven. With what we've seen from Ivan here before, it would be most likely be that these guys are Quincy. But remember how even Ishida didn't get a Quincy vibe from Ivan? And what's with the Hollow mask on his face if he isn't an Arrancar? The fact that these guys have hidden their faces doesn't help in determining whether they have Hollow masks on like Ivan does and that these could be new types of hybrids or not. Then again, that's assuming that both Ivan and these guys are on the same side. The only reason to believe that these guys are all on the same side is because of the clothes, specifically accessories on the shoulders and the shoes. Of course, Ivan could be someone who defected for all we know... But that's speculation best saved for a prediction .

The man standing at the front (or at least, I suspect it's that guy) tells Genryuusai that they haven't met before. But that doesn't matter, because they've dropped by to say hello and declare a war... Wait, whut?

Admittedly, this section hasn't really gotten off to a good start. After only two attempts I already made a mistake with last week's title... Oh well, let's see if I can make amends with this week's try!

Bad Recognition
This is obviously Kubo's attempt to throw salt into open wounds. I admit that I should've taken more time to look at the page with the title on it last week! I did a bad recognition of the title! But I'm not the only one who didn't recognize things for what they truly are!

Take a look at Ichigo and Ishida. They are obviously more in the wrong that I was. They thought that Ivan was an Arrancar!... wait a sec, didn't I say the same thing before? Darn you Kubo! Why must you torment this reviewer so!~~

That's right, this week's chapter title obviously refers to the confusion created by Ivan's Hollow mask. A more subtle thing that may have been referred to is the fact that Ichigo and all of his friends didn't recognize the threat Ivan is posing. Even if Ichigo can easily take down the majority of the Espada in the state he's in right now, power isn't everything in Bleach. Just look at the Rukia vs. Aaroniero fight. Bad recognitions all around if you ask me...

I quite enjoyed this chapter. I was quite pleased after reading the chapter this morning. It was almost worth the wait, if it wasn't for me having to wait another four days before getting my weekly dose of Bleach .

Tomfoolery at the Kurosaki house with family and friends, new villainous characters that have their image ruined due to Ichigo's lack of caring, bread that needed to be eaten, crime scene investigation by Shinigami, and war declarations. This chapter had it all. Things are looking good for Bleach if you look at it from this perspective.

The first part with Ichigo kicking out Ivan was just classic Bleach. It wasn't so much a rehash of earlier skits done by Kubo as much as it was a continuation of this type of every-day scenes we're used to see from Bleach. But Kubo didn't just keep the mood light here, he did get down to business by having Ivan reveal he isn't an Arrancar and that he's the proud owner of a Quincy cross.

CSI: Rukongai was probably the weakest part of this chapter. Not to say that it wasn't important as the disappearance of Hollows and souls alike will undoubtedly play a part in this arc's story, but there's one thing that bothered me quite a bit about the conclusion made by the 11th division. Once you see the headspinner, you might get what that problem is .

The declaration of war lacked a bit of an impact. Admittedly, it's best that the Sinister Seven approached Genryuusai when he's by himself, rather than to intrude on a captain's meeting. It would be ridiculous to say the least if these guys would be able to declare war in front of 13 Soul Society captains before leaving. With them facing only the strongest Shinigami seen for over a Millenium, they might have a chance to escape. Though that possibility would increase if they were part Hollows and they were beamed up .

All in all, a great chapter in my opinion. I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the upcoming chapters. Hopefully Kubo will keep up this pace a bit, while adding more story along the way. My only fear for this arc right now is that the pacing for the story might be too much for Kubo to hold up, resulting in fights that will be drawn out over too many chapters. But I find comfort in the fact that Kubo already knows where he wants to go with the story. That should help a lot in the planning of the chapters. Also, Ichigo dropped dead in his room again! That's right... Soon

We have an actual crime scene in Bleach. Could this be the beginning of a Shinigami cop show? People disappearing without a trace and Hollows not being responsible... it's obvious why Ikkaku and Yumichika would conclude that people from the village could be responsible! There weren't any other footprints to be seen after all. If only Hollows, Shinigami, Arrancar, Fullbringers, and Quincy weren't capable of using techniques to stand in the air .

So, here's this week's headspinner: Could this be aliens!? Oh, wait, what I meant to ask was: Is it possible that Shunpo does leave traces on the ground, even if you are walking on air?

The scene with Genryuusai and the Sinister Seven will probably continued a bit later. Though I expect to see more of this soon, I'm expecting to see Ichigo and Ivan fighting before going back to the war declaration. Either that, or the fight and Genryuusai's meeting will take place at the same time, ending with Ivan and the leader of the Sinister Seven revealing the name and background of this group who is seeking to start a Holy war. This will most likely be the focus of next week's chapter, who these guys are and what motive they have (or at least, what motive they claim to have).

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!

[kanamechidori]

What will the seven do after they leave yamamoto's chamber?

"Well we declared war, thankfully Yamamoto only had one arm so he could only kill us one at a time, that's how I got away. I'll still have nightmares about what Yamamoto did to the other six of us!"

[crimsonlink310]

I give this chapter an 8. Its is a good launch chapter to start off this arc. I agree with what you mostly said. I just hope Ivan fires that bow and we can see how huge the arrow might be, or will it be rapid fire.

[mattiaildivino]

nice review,man! I like your style,and the fact you use your personal ideas a lot. furthermore,your review are funny as well. the only thing I don't understand of your review is the poll

[The Underscore]

What will the seven do after they leave yamamoto's chamber?

"Well we declared war, thankfully Yamamoto only had one arm so he could only kill us one at a time, that's how I got away. I'll still have nightmares about what Yamamoto did to the other six of us!"

Quite frankly, I'd expect them all to be burned to a crisp if they rub Yamamoto the wrong way :P. It's not like he needs two hands to have Ryuujin Jyakka do its thing .

I give this chapter an 8. Its is a good launch chapter to start off this arc. I agree with what you mostly said. I just hope Ivan fires that bow and we can see how huge the arrow might be, or will it be rapid fire.

I'm still skeptical about the bow and arrow thing to be honest. I'd say the "bow" is just too big for practical use as an actual bow. Unless it's a crossbow...

nice review,man! I like your style,and the fact you use your personal ideas a lot. furthermore,your review are funny as well. the only thing I don't understand of your review is the poll

Thanks. I don't understand the polls myself either, just so you know .

[Tonix]

Great review! But I'm a little disappointed, with all the masked characters in the chapter I was hoping Underscore Mask would make an appearance in your review.

[Kurohitsugi]

Great review! But I'm a little disappointed, with all the masked characters in the chapter I was hoping Underscore Mask would make an appearance in your review.

He haven't reviewed any chapter since the Deicide. But I suggest patience. If I recall well, there's a promise around about Underscore Mask reviewing the Aizen's return chapter.