Bleach episode 343 review

“… for the homeless man. We’ve got a kinder, gentler machine gun hand.”

Ichigo is no longer a Soul Reaper, so we get the story of his new boring life. And boy is it boring. Aside from Orihime sliding down a fireman’s pole from the top story of her school building, Ichigo’s life kind of sucks. Tatsuki has grown her hair out, which I love, but she’s also grown more antagonistic toward Ichigo. The Quincy Uryu is picking up the slack by killing Hollows, while Chad continues to be invisible. And Keigo continues to be his lovable loser self.

Ichigo’s dad is back to being silly and stupid, while Karin can still see spirits, and Yuzu continues to act as the de facto mother of the Kurosaki household. And basically we just see a day in the life of senior-class Ichigo. Not exactly anything to write home about. Which is why I’m having a hard time knowing what to write here, because there’s just nothing interesting about this episode.

At the very very end, some people show up who remind me of the Visoreds, but they’re new characters. And I assume these guys will dominate the story for the remainder of the Bleach anime. Lucky me.

Best girl of the episode: Orihime (47)

Rukia’s real magic #: remains at 6!

Episode rating: 5/10

Bleach episode 342 review

I used to be a huge Katy Perry fan. I went to two of her concerts. The first one, one of the best events I’ve been to in my life, almost a religious experience. The second one? For most of the concert she completely lip-synced the whole time. So I kind of moved on from her and pursued others. Right now I’m going with Chappell Roan.

What’s my point? My point is, you should call your son. I mean, my point is that we get a Firework in this episode, being the fireworks that Ichigo & pals go to. You see, Ichigo is losing power, and that means Rukia fades away, which makes little sense. Yeah, I know Ichigo can’t see her anymore, but shouldn’t she just disappear for him, and not Orihime, Uryu, and Chad? And why couldn’t she just use a gigai to be around Ichigo and then disappear when fighting? I feel like this wasn’t thought through very well. Oh well, tomorrow morning Ichigo will be Waking Up in Vegas.

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (65)

Rukia’s real magic #: 6!

Episode rating: 6/10

Bleach episode 341 review

The fake Soul Reaper arc is over! And what a letdown it is. The fake Soul Reapers never get defeated; they just disappear. Kageroza never gets his comeuppance, he just gets to fade away. Nozomi never gets a happy ending; she disappears shortly after Kageroza does. And that’s your arc, folks.

There’s so much negative to say about this arc, so I’ll try to be positive. It was nice for Kon to get something of a starring role. Getting him some extra screen time was a real bonus. And I liked getting to see a greater variety of Captains and Lieutenants. Other than that, though, this arc was a colossal bust. On to the final one.

Best girl of the episode: Nozomi (6)

Rukia’s real magic #: 8

Episode rating: 5/10

Bleach episode 340 review

At one point, one of the fake Soul Reapers calls the real Soul Reapers out on the carpet: “You’re acting totally out of character!” Was this an intentional or unintentional breaking of the fourth wall? The episode played it off like it was meant as a serious statement. And it wasn’t in the “Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers” segment that is done for laughs. My guess is that it was an unintentional breaking of the fourth wall, making it actually quite funny.

The rest of the episode is immaterial; Ichigo faces down Kageroza with a little help from his friends, literally – Kon ends the episode by again saying “the power of friendship,” which apparently wasn’t just a throwaway line but rather the entire message of the filler arc. My understanding of friendship, though, is that you don’t kick your friend in the face like everyone does to Kon.

Also, there’s a part in the episode where the Soul Reapers admit that Kageroza’s goal is to split them up, a.k.a. one-on-one battles. I joke about it so much, but it’s true: Bleach has an utter obsession with one-on-one battles. And likely these battles are going to be the Soul Reapers facing down themselves. An unenviable position, for sure.

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (64)

Rukia’s real magic #: 9

Episode rating: 6/10