Bleach Thousand Year Blood War episode 21 review

So, Kenpachi gets beaten up right after winning the battle with Gremmy, and Yachiru is nowhere to be seen. Then we get introduced to four female Sternritters, who all have different personalities and all can transform like the Sailor Guardians. But guess who shows up in time to fight them all? Ichigo. His song plays, although it’s being sung by someone else than Hazel Fernandez. Number One fights off four at once, until male Sternritters show up as if to say “don’t pick on women.”

And then guess who shows up? The Quincy Uryu. He attacks Ichigo, only to have Chad and Orihime appear out of nowhere to SAVE him. So now Ichigo’s mad at Uryu, but Uryu says nothing.

Here’s the problem I have with Ichigo: None of his fights post-Arrancar arc have been interesting to watch. He’s overpowered and there’s no chance at him dying. What made him entertaining in the earlier arcs was that his opponents were so much stronger than him. And the one time we do see Ichigo put in “Jail” by Quilge, he simply powers through off-screen. So, I’m not enjoying his fight. Give me the 1-on-1’s between Sternritters and Captains. That’s more entertaining than this.

Best girl of the episode: Giselle Gewelle, for turning those Squad 11 members into zombies and forcing them to kill themselves. I hope we get to see her powers more and not just have Ichigo one-shot her.

Episode rating: 7/10

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War episode 20 review

Oh, my, where to start? This has to be one of the greatest Bleach episodes of all time. Kenpachi vs. Gremmy, a Sternritter who can create anything simply by imagining it. So he lets his imagination run wild, and he comes up with every last thing he can think of to beat Kenpachi. And every time, Kenpachi proves to be too strong.

He tries drowning, stabbing, shooting Kenpachi, even creating a giant meteor that would destroy the whole Soul Society. None of it works, because… well, I’d like to say because Kenpachi is Kenpachi, but truth be told, Gremmy is the stronger warrior here. The problem for Gremmy is that he himself imagined Kenpachi to be unbeatable, and his own imagination causes him to lose!

There is a flashback of how Kenpachi met Yachiru, and this is perfect. Why? Because the addition of a sad flashback in this episode makes you think for sure Kenpachi’s going to die. Instead, Kenpachi just keeps beating everything Gremmy throws at him. But Gremmy remains defiant, and absolutely nuts. He’s got to be one of my favorite villains. He’s a guy you love to hate. And you enjoy every last time Kenpachi fights right through his attacks and comes out on top.

In short, this may have been the greatest battle in Bleach history. Kenpachi wins, Gremmy loses, but we all win. What an episode.

Best girl of the episode: Yachiru Kusajishi

Episode rating: 10/10

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War episode 19 review

We get 2 or 3 Big “WHAT”s in this episode, which means Bleach is back! But what’s more important is that we get to see Rukia and her big brother Byakuya fighting against the Sternritter. Rukia uses an attack where she drops her body temperature lower than possible to live, so she claims that she’s “dead,” and she uses that to attack the Sternritter. He in turn uses an attack of his own that looks like it’ll kill Rukia, until suddenly big bro arrives on the scene. But Byakuya doesn’t play the part of knight in shining armor. Sure, he saves Rukia from death, but then he lets Rukia pull out her Bankai and use it to exterminate the Sternritter. All this, and I don’t know his name.

At the end, Isane Kotetsu from Squad 4 and Yachiru Kusajishi of Squad 11 get attacked by a Quincy of some sort. Which one of these beloved characters will be killed off for the sake of killing someone off? We’ll find out. As long as it wasn’t one of the Kuchikis.

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (3)

Episode rating: 8/10

Bleach Thousand Year Blood War episode 18 review

The first half of this episode was an absolute snoozefest. That’s because it was all about the Captains of Squad 3 and Squad 9. Those numbers should ring a bell, as those are two of the three whose Captains betrayed the Soul Society. So, they got replaced – but not by their Lieutenants, which would have been really cool. No, they got replaced by some of the characters that appeared late in the original anime. They’re all men, and they have mostly no personality, with the exception of Squad 3 Captain, who at least shows some sort of difference between himself and Squad 9 Captain.

So, those guys fight and get beaten. But who shows up? RenRuki! That’s right, my third-favorite couple in Bleach (behind IchiHime and YoruHara) are here to join the fray. Rukia, of course, is reduced to simply picking up the two defeated Captains and trying to get them to safety. Renji, on the other hand, is in a battle… and actually wins! He defeats James, the boxing Stern Ritter. (Or is it Sternritter?) In any case, Renji learned the name of his Bankai from the guy who came up with all the names for the Soul Society, and now he’s able to fully use his Bankai. He beats James and beats him good. A lot more satisfying than if Squad 3 or 9 Captains had beaten him. (By the way, if you’re going to kill off Captains, kill off those guys. No one really cares about them anyway.)

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (2)

Episode rating: 7/10