Bleach episode 15 review
Wow. So much going on here. First, you’ve got Kon running away and then getting stepped on by Ichigo’s classmates; you’ve got Orihime imagining a love heptagon amongst Ichigo and herself, Rukia, Tatsuki, and three others; you’ve got Rukia preparing for something ominous; you’ve got an ongoing rivalry between Ichigo and Uryu; you’ve got Renji Abarai showing up in the last ten seconds of the episode, One Piece style; and finally, you’ve got a talking black cat who is being fed milk by Mr. Hat & Clogs.
Not sure which of these various plotlines should be talked about the most, but I’m going to go with the cat. Knowing what we know now about Yoruichi, it is amusing to see her in her cat form, and Kisuke interacting with her in such a way that the viewer is led to believe that she is just a talking male cat. If you’re going to spring a surprise, you’ve got to lay down the groundwork a long time in advance. Which is why the Soul Society arc is such a success, of course, but we’ll get to that when we do.
Also, a ton of groundwork for IchiHime was laid down for this episode. We’ve got it official on Orihime’s side only 15 episodes in, while Rukia denies that she likes Ichigo. In most anime, that would be enough to signal that Rukia would end up with Ichigo. Not Bleach! Ichigo and Rukia never get romantic even once, so I remain firmly staunch anti-IchiRuki. I don’t even want to think about what I would do if IchiRuki was somehow made canon. I’m IchiHime for life.
Overall, there was something for everyone in this episode. Not sure you could walk away without feeling like a whole lot of stuff was crammed into 23 minutes. Oh, and don’t forget: Kon introduces Renji in the final five seconds of the post-credits scene.
Best girl of the episode: Orihime (4)
Episode rating: 9/10
Tommy A. Phillips 