Bleach episode 18 review
Oh, Rukia. Your cheekiness in prison won me over during this training episode. At first, it looked like we were on our way to a swimsuit episode, with Keigo wanting to go to the beach. But instead, Ichigo goes off to train with Mr. Hat & Clogs, Orihime and Chad go off to train with cat-form Yoruichi, and the Quincy Uryu goes camping by himself.
So, just training, right? Nope, there’s a scene that makes it all worthwhile. We have never seen inside the Soul Society yet in Bleach history. This is our first look at it. Rukia is imprisoned, and Renji goes to check on her. You can cut the romantic tension between the two with a zanpakuto. Rukia has the upper hand on Renji even though she’s locked away. It’s fantastic stuff, watching the two of them go at it like this.
But we learn that Byakuya hates Rukia, and that Hanataro Yamada is useless. Both of those facts are going to come into play, once Ichigo’s finished fighting Ururu or whatever nonsense Urahara has him going on right now.
Best girl of the episode: Rukia (9) I wanted to give it to Orihime, but Rukia’s scene just stole the show.
Episode rating: 8/10
Tommy A. Phillips 