Bleach episode 240 review

So, Mayuri is conducting experiments on poor Omaeda. Can’t this guy get a break? His Captain hates him, his Zanpakuto hates him, and now he has to suffer while Mayuri does experiments on him with the help of Nemu. Really, what did you expect from Mayuri? And what did you expect from Omaeda? There’s no way he’d actually be useful.

While some Soul Reapers carry off Rangiku and Momo’s Zanpakutos, Rangiku runs into Ichigo. They go their separate ways, just in time for Ichigo to collide with Muramasa and Byakuya. Yes, apparently Byakuya has turned to the dark side. Which, if you listen to Disney, is just a darker version of the “kinder, gentler” light side, that’s “morally gray.” The Sith aren’t really bad, they’re just morally gray. Excuse me while I puke.

Anyway, Byakuya disappears, because we can’t have the big fight with Ichigo yet. And again, I feel pleasantly surprised by another episode of this arc.

Best girl of the episode: Rangiku (32)

Episode rating: 7/10

Bleach episode 239 review

“You may come to wish you hadn’t expended it in such a futile effort.”

Hyorinmaru says the same thing, essentially, to Toshiro, as they battle it out in an amnesia contest. Toshiro remembers his past, then manages to break through to Hyorinmaru to get his memories back, and everything is hunky-dory between them.

As for Rangiku and Momo’s Zanpakutos? Yeah, they are annoying, as Haineko finds 10 different ways of calling Rangiku “old.” But Rangiku and Momo team up to take them down, and as a result, it looks like they’ve gotten theirs back on their side as well.

I am not ready to call this arc “good” yet. But it is certainly trending in the right direction.

Best girl of the episode: Rangiku (31)

Episode rating: 7/10

Bleach episode 238 review

Momo and Rangiku’s Zanpakutos are friendly rivals who like to pick on each other, while still getting along with each other enough to make a good team. When Momo and Rangiku find them, they obviously fight each other in one-on-one battles™. What’s interesting is that both Zanpakutos have the exact same personality as their owners, to the point that the actual Soul Reapers aren’t acting like themselves. It’s a weird combination which I think can’t work outside of filler. Fortunately for today, this is filler.

Ichigo goes off hunting for this arc’s damsel-in-distress Byakuya Kuchiki. Instead of finding him, he finds Hyorinmaru, Toshiro’s Zanpakuto. And now Toshiro comes face-to-face with his Zanpakuto, who apparently has been suffering through some amnesia.

Altogether, probably the best episode of the arc, which gives me hope that maybe I just wrote this thing off too early the first time around.

Best girl of the episode: Haineko

Episode rating: 7/10

Bleach episode 237 review

Shockingly, Soi Fon does not win this episode’s “best girl” title despite having a prominent role. I know that is almost unheard of, but hear me out. Retsu Unohana has a hilarious scene in this episode, where she tells Renji to do something, then gives him a firm smile. When she does so, Renji gets scared to death. I love it because it shows how much the rest of the Soul Society fears her. If only we could have gotten a proper exit for her in TYBW.

Renji’s apparently been able to tame his Zanpakuto, though that doesn’t give everyone else all that much hope. Meanwhile, the Zanpakutos are all squabbling with each other and goofing off. And now we wait for some Soul Reapers to recover, while Soi Fon and Omaeda take on the enemy head on. Omaeda is particularly funny here, because his Zanpakuto is exactly the same as him, and the two of them make a hilariously ugly pair. But I’m more interested in seeing what happens with Soi Fon next; could she get back into the winner’s circle soon?

Oh, and a big improvement episode to episode. That’s a really good thing.

Best girl of the episode: Unohana (3)

Episode rating: 7/10