Bleach episode 346 review

Emo Ichigo (Ich-emo?) calls the Xcution hotline because all his friends are dropping like flies (though not Orihime!). He goes to the place where he’s told to meet, then a man comes and starts telling him all of this stuff. Apparently everything has souls, even glasses of orange juice, and he can control those souls with his “Fullbring” powers. Then Chad shows up, and in usual fashion says almost nothing.

But the real treat, and I mean that in the most sarcastic way ever, is a girl named Riruka, who is practically Hiyori Jr. She is LITERALLY the exact same character as Hiyori. It’s almost as if the creator said, “You know what? One Hiyori is not enough. Let’s make a second one!” And boy, is she annoying, probably now tied with Hiyori for my least favorite character. 20 episodes to go, and this anime can’t end quickly enough.

Best girl of the episode: Orihime (50)

Rukia’s real magic #: remains at 6!

Episode rating: 5/10

Bleach episode 345 review

Emo Ichigo continues pouting, to the point that I almost hate the character now. I don’t hate Ichigo, but I’m starting to really hate emo Ichigo. This guy is like blue shirt Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s episode “Tapestry.” He is a dreary man in a tedious job. He learned to play it safe… and he never, ever got noticed by anyone.

Ichigo goes and throws his Combat Pass into the ocean like the emo jerk he’s become. This was almost as bad as Jake Skywalker throwing away the lightsaber in Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. Nothing can be that bad, though. In any case, Ichigo’s pouting like crazy, before he finds out that Uryu’s in the hospital thanks to his refusal to dial up the Xcution.

So, Ichigo calls up the Xcution hotline, and now he’s going to get involved with these losers. They seem almost as bad as the Visoreds, so I’m bracing myself for some real annoyance. Also, Orihime got some sweet screen time blushing over Ichigo, which was really the only saving grace about this episode.

Best girl of the episode: Orihime (49)

Rukia’s real magic #: stays at 6!

Episode rating: 5/10

Bleach episode 344 review

Is “Born in the U.S.A.” Bruce Springsteen’s (The Boss’s) best song? I’d go with “Badlands” over it, but it’s up there. In any case, Ichigo’s boss breaks up a fight he and Uryu were having with some Dan Rather attackers (“I think we’ve got a lot of thugs here, Dan”). She then ties up Ichigo and brings him to work with her. While he’s there, he gets visited by someone from something named the “Xcution.” And apparently they want to see Ichigo for some reason.

Orihime gets to spend some quality time with Ichigo in this episode, which is always nice for an IchiHime fan to see. But this new emo Ichigo who’s walking around like Eeyore is horrible to watch. He’s boring as heck and sad to see. It’s unfortunate, but Bleach is limping towards the finish line.

Best girl of the episode: Orihime (48)

Rukia’s real magic #: remains at 6!

Episode rating: 5/10

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