sahugani's Bleach Review 275

[sahugani]

Sahugani’s Bleach Review 275

this is a bit premature regarding permission, so i will change this if orin has a problem. it's just so good and Bleach artists are seeming hard to contact​

While I am currently on leave for a bit from my usual level of activity on MH to study for midterms next week, I’ve decided to take a temporary return to take care of a few things including my reviews. In addition to these being great for my stress relief and a substitute indulgence to make up for delaying my birthday festivities, this is also the biggest party day of the year at my university, so it is impossible for a non-drinker like me to get any studying done anyway with all the partiers causing noise. The pics this week are from the scan by blood-Edited Mangas and the title pic is a wonderful piece of art by orin at deviantart.

Allied Force

an odd couple​

The Renji and Ishida pairing returns to consume this chapter in their fight against Szayelaporro (still a pain in the ass to write out). While Ishida said last week that he already had a plan, he does not even disclose it to Renji before carrying it out. While the situation does call for urgency, it is still somewhat surprising that the two have put so much blind faith in each other that neither feels the need to collaborate. When Ichigo saved Rukia in Soul Society, he and Renji had to argue a bit before Renji ran off with Rukia as instructed. The only interaction these two have ever had was Renji beating Ishida’s ass before the Soul Society arc. That is not even bringing up the issue of Ishida’s promise to his father, which despite the loophole Ichigo’s case presented, is clearly violated by association with Renji.

arrogant prick​

In contrast to this baseless faith these two put in eachother, Szayelaporro requests that his fraccion stay out of the fight so that he may analyze their techniques. He is only putting his trust in his own abilities and does not want his subordinates getting in his way. This is very representative of the scientific method, by removing any unneeded variables, he is able to see more clearly what will happen. This is the first of three actions taken by the three participants that sets up a trio of different styles and temperaments. As his scientific nature implies, Szayelaporro prefers to analyze the data before him first and then take actions to remove the chance of its recurrence.

Hollow Reunion

is it just me that felt that the comedy was a bit out of place in this chapter?​

It has been a bit of a mystery for a while where Dondochakka disappeared to as the other hollow allies have remained quite close to their partners up till now. This is addressed as Peshe comes down from the hole in the wall simply because he is bored with no one to make fun of. Lucky for him, he finds Dondochakka and makes his way silently to reunite with the giant masked hollow. Unfortunately though, Dondo does not pick up on the fact that yelling would attract the fraccion and instead shouts his joy at seeing Peshe again. Personally, this scene irked me a bit. Its only purpose was to confirm that Dondochakka is still there, but it took up way too much space in the chapter for that purpose (not that it is unusual for that situation in Bleach, but it is more bearable when that space is a gorgeous fight scene).

Endurance

...all i can say is it's a good thing kado is narutocentric​

After transitioning out of Peshe and Dondo’s frantic attempt to flee, Renji starts his attack to buy Ishida time. In an attack that seems to show off the whip nature of Zabimaru, Renji swings his sword in circles over his head before launching both his blade and his body at Szayelaporro. (This also brings up what might just be a screw up on Kubo’s part as the sword at Szayelaporro’s hip that seemed to have vanished last chapter has suddenly reappeared) The Espada misread the true intention of the attack as Renji wrapped both himself and Szayelaporro in Zabimaru to pin his movements. From there, he unleashed a powerful kido blast, which in his hands has a tendancy to explode unpredictably. Given the circumstances, this was a good strategy. As a direct combat type of fighter, Renji is more tempered towards taking damage than an indirect fighter like Szayelaporro, so if both were to take equal damage, Renji is more likely to come out of it unnerved.

crazy bastard​

As I mentioned before, this chapter highlights the battle philosophies of the three participants of this fight. While Szayelaporro utilizes the scientific method to figure out the nature of his enemies and set up precautionary measures, Renji is the type that simply puts his entire force behind his attacks and is willing to risk his own life for the cause of beating his opponent. He has shown this determination before in his fight with Byakuya. All he needs to start a fight is a reason to win and after that, he bets everything on his victory without caring about what advantage his opponent has over him.

Calculation Error

i don't think i saw that many seele schneider on his belt before​

With the Espada distracted by Renji’s insane attack, Ishida takes the opportunity to get behind his opponent. After humiliating Szayelaporro by offering analysis of his habits in battle, Ishida pulls out another seele schneider and calls the fight. He has set up a Quincy cross with 5 embedded seele schneiders and Szayelaporro in the center. The Espada is dumbfounded that Ishida could still use his techniques as his weapons’ reiatsu were supposed to have been sealed. Ishida pulls out a silver tube and once again humiliates his opponent’s intelligence by treating him like a stupid child. This may bring some light as to the true nature of Quincy weapons and silver tubes. Since it is said that the reiatsu of the weapons is what was sealed, his pendant and seele schneider cannot form the shapes of a bow and blade respectively from spirit particles gathered by Ishida. My theory is that Ishida is manually reshaping the seele schneider blades by manipulating the pure concentrated spirit energy from the silver tubes. There is a good chance that this is wrong or not even going to be considered relevant, but it’s a thought.

i gotta admit he looks cool walking off nonchalant like that​

Ishida’s actions exemplify the third type of fighter in the trio of fighters. Unlike Szayelaporro who analyzes and sets up defenses or Renji who charges ahead without hesitation from the difference of strength, Ishida takes a strategy that is somewhat between the two. Like Zayelaporro, he is able to analyze his opponent’s technique in the heat of battle, but he applies that knowledge to increase his offensive capability rather than how to protect himself from it. This makes him much more adaptable in a fight than the Espada as his strategy allows him an element of surprise over his opponent each time he pulls out a trick that has not yet been seen. For Szayelaporro’s strategy, any techniques beyond those learned through analysis of corpses must be suffered firsthand fist before an appropriate defense can be erected. I’d say this fight is looking strongly in the heroes’ favor.

Overall​

I didn’t like it as much as the chapter from a couple weeks ago, but this one still has its merits. We definitely saw some cool and gutsy moves from Ishida and Renji, which made me smile. However, as I said earlier, the scene with Peshe was a bit too long and detracted from the overall effect of the chapter. Also, the assumed inconsistency in regards to Szayelaporro’s sword disappearing and reappearing is extremely confusing to me because despite the profoundness it should imply, the fact that it is not mentioned makes it seem accidental, which seriously irks me.

 

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