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Bleach 227: The Phantom Menace

Bleach episode 227 review

This episode serves as something of a prequel to the Bleach series. It’s all the events that happen right before the first episode. Ichigo and Chad have a bad reputation at school, so Keigo is super-afraid of him. Momo goes to talk with her beloved Captain Aizen, while Rukia gets sent to the World of the Living by Captain Ukitake, who may have inadvertently set Aizen’s plan in motion by doing so. And the Lieutenants all hold a meeting where they goof off before welcoming in Renji as the newest Lieutenant.

It’s a fairly boring episode, though what more would you expect from such an episode? Some funny moments from Rangiku are at least enough in order to get through it. Oh, and I still don’t know the name of the character who this episode actually focused on, Keigo’s friend. I don’t think it matters all that much.

Best girl of the episode: Rangiku (28)

Episode rating: 6/10

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Bleach 226: What do they got in there, King Kong?

Bleach episode 226 review

Mila, Sun-Sun, and Apacci’s creation turns into King Kong and starts beating its chest. Old Man Yama looks on and joins the fight. The other Soul Reapers pretty much go down in order, at least the Lieutenants. Some of the Captains are fighting – Soi Fon vs. Barrigan, Shunsui vs. Starrk, and Toshiro vs. Harribel.

Then we abruptly jump back to Hueco Mundo, where Ichigo and pals are fighting. I am again reminded about how much I hate Ulquiorra. And then…

That’s right, the breaking of the fourth wall. Nel literally breaks the fourth wall by talking right into the camera. She informs us that we will be going on hiatus and that the next episode will be filler (more or less). It’s a funny scene, though it concerns me how long we might be on hiatus. Doesn’t make a difference, I guess; I still gotta watch.

Best girl of the episode: Soi Fon (17) (now fourth place behind the Charlie’s Angels from the SCANDAL Shojo S OP)

Episode rating: 7/10

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Bleach 225: Wednesday Campanella

Bleach episode 225 review

It’s Wednesday, and the bell is ringing on this matchup. It’s Harribel’s pals going up against Rangiku, Momo, Shuhei, Izuru, Iba, and a partridge in a pear tree. Again, Apacci remains the most entertaining character, but the other two aren’t bad as well. This episode had a lot of good action and great dialogue. And we’re not necessarily going all-out with the one-on-one battling. There’s at least a little bit of people teaming up with each other, which is a nice relief.

Rangiku needs to get healed by Izuru, who still has some skills back from his time with Squad 4. He also SAVES Momo, while Shuhei and Iba go and get involved in the battle. I’ll be pulling for Apacci, but I am not very optimistic about her chances.

Best girl of the episode: Apacci (2)

Episode rating: 8/10

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Bleach 224: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Bleach episode 224 review

We move on from Soi Fon to some other battles, and boy are these a lot of fun! You’ve got Rangiku going up against Harribel’s gal pals. I’ve started to like Emilou Apacci, because she reminds me so much of Loly Aivirrne. She was the star of this episode.

Meanwhile, Momo shows up, and Rangiku questions her loyalty because she let the word “Captain” slip out when talking about Aizen. Give her a break, Rangiku! Oh, and Toshiro’s battling Harribel, and Shunsui’s up against Starrk while Ukitake’s going up against Lilynette. This is some fast-paced action, and with Rangiku and Momo, it’s three-against-two instead of one-on-one battles… well, at least, it was for a few minutes. I’ll let it slide. This is the most fun Bleach has been in a long time, and much of the credit falls at the feet of Apacci.

Best girl of the episode: Apacci (1)

Episode rating: 9/10