Uryu, Chad, and the other guy enter Hueco Mundo, where they immediately face booby traps and weak Arrancar. I say it like that because this episode does its best to make the other guy – Ichigo – to be a complete idiot and pretty much useless. Instead, Uryu and Chad do all the cool things and get to fight the fights. Okay, sure, that’s nice that they actually get to do… something. But isn’t Ichigo important too? Oh well, got to spread the love around, I guess.
Oh, who cares. This episode did not include any female characters save for the short recap where Orihime got a couple lines. Thus, she ends up tying Rukia’s total despite having appeared in the episode for less than 15 seconds. Way to go, Bleach.
Best girl of the episode: Orihime (27) (by default)
Aizen now has Orihime to do as he wishes. Orihime has no backbone. (Just because I support IchiHime doesn’t mean I can’t criticize Orihime.) So, Orihime goes ahead and heals Grimmjow, just for Grimmjow to go and kill Luppi. Doesn’t Orihime feel any remorse for doing this? Not really, I guess. She’s just hoping that she’s going to somehow help her friends, when all this is doing is putting her friends in danger.
Meanwhile, Tatsuki, Keigo, and the other guy go and spy on Ichigo as he’s going off to Hueco Mundo. Mr. Hat & Clogs sees them and lets them know kind of sort of what is going on. And Ichigo, Uryu, and Chad are off to Hueco Mundo, but not without a little bit of tomfoolery. Also, Isshin and Uryu’s dad talk with each other as well.
Overall, not that terribly exciting of an episode; the whole point of it was to prove how Orihime’s “rejection” powers are something beyond anything that even Aizen is aware of. Now this obviously means Aizen isn’t going to bail on Orihime at any point, right? It’s not like he’s just going to say “jk lol” and abandon the Orihime plan, right?
Right?
Best girl of the episode: Orihime (26) (one more to catch Rukia!)
Let’s get this out of the way: Old Man Yamamoto is a terrible, terrible Head Captain. We know this for certain now that he’s dead thanks to his own stupidity, but this episode proved that the guy was going headlong for destruction long, long ago.
He claims that Orihime went away to Hueco Mundo on her own volition. Seriously? That’s just flat-out gaslighting. I’m sure UlquiHime shippers – shame on all of you – took that as “see, Orihime wanted to go with Ulquiorra!! It’s love at first sight!!” But this is just gaslighting from Yamamoto. Oh, and did you see how mad Ichigo got? You can’t tell me he doesn’t have feelings for Orihime after the anger he put on display in this episode.
Old Man Yama further gaslights Ichigo by calling back all his Soul Reapers to protect the Soul Society. Yeah, like a lot of good that’ll do after what just happened 100 episodes ago. Plus, he won’t let anyone go to Hueco Mundo, not even Ichigo, because he views Orihime as a “traitor.” Next thing you know, the guy’s going to tell us that there are five lights when in reality…
THERE! ARE! FOUR! LIGHTS!
Tatsuki confronts Ichigo about the missing Orihime, then Ichigo sneaks off to Mr. Hat & Clogs, who already has prepared for Ichigo to go rogue – alongside Chad and Uryu. Just call them, “Rogue Three.” Or something of the sort, I don’t know. What, you mean to tell me there might be someone else coming along, too?
Great episode, especially because it proves to the world that A) Ichigo definitely has feelings for Orihime even now, and B) Old Man Yama is an absolute idiot who deserved what he got in TYBW.
Full disclosure: I had no idea what “halcyon days” meant the first time I watched this episode many moons ago. It wasn’t until I saw an article talking about “the halcyon days of the Clinton Administration” until I finally saw how the phrase was to be used.
This has the feeling of one of those “very special” episodes. You know how it is when you watch the series finale of a show that’s been on a long, long time, and the first thing they flash up there is the logo of the show? And there’s no music to start the show, it just begins. That’s the way this one felt, even though there was a musical opening, and there was tomfoolery with Yumichika, as well as Keigo.
Basically, Orihime for some inexplicable reason decides that she’s going to go along with Ulquiorra’s ruse of a plan and go with him. IchiRuki fans rejoice; this is Stockholm Syndrome and she and Ulquiorra are going to fall in love, right? Wrong. I’ll spent the next few months proving to you why Ulquiorra never had a hint of interest in Orihime and vice versa. Yes, I am vindictive.
And I know the IchiRuki fans refuse to admit that this episode proves IchiHime, because it’s all one-sided. Which makes zero sense, because this show does a clip-show thing where it shows all the times Ichigo stood up for Orihime. Clearly Ichigo cared about Orihime; why else would she fall in love with him? The fact that Orihime stops short of kissing him is also proof of IchiHime, because it’s the sign that the kiss will happen once the two are in a better situation.
So, Orihime confesses her love for Ichigo – “Five Lifetimes, One Love.” She now will go away to be tortured, tormented, and imprisoned for the next how many episodes. But one thing’s for sure: IchiHime is soon to be canon, and the IchiRuki/UlquiHime gang can’t do anything about it.
Best girl of the episode: Orihime (25) (of course)
Tommy A. Phillips 