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Bleach 201: Kenny vs. Nnoitra

Bleach episode 201 review

This entire episode is Kenpachi Zaraki going up against Nnoitra in a battle of the ages. First, Kenpachi loses his eyepatch, which causes him to grow even more powerful. Then he cuts Nnoitra, only for Nnoitra to come back with an attack that seemingly puts Kenny out cold. But Kenpachi comes back and slices off one of Nnoitra’s arms. That’s okay, Nnoitra says, cause he will just grow more arms. And thus the battle goes on and on.

Kenpachi Zaraki is obviously one of the easiest people to root for in Bleach, so watching him in battle is a delight. The only thing that gives me a bit of trepidation is the fact that Ichigo has been reduced to a battle commentator role. That’s odd. But whatevs, we have to have battle commentators in Bleach, no matter who’s fighting. Yachiru fills the role well, giving her the honors for today.

Best girl of the episode: Yachiru (16) (that is a boatload for a character who’s not really one of even the supporting cast)

Episode rating: 8/10

anime

Bleach 200: Somehow, Palpatine returned

Bleach episode 200 review

I thought for a moment that we were going to have one of those “gotcha!” fake-out moments with Szayelaporro. It looked for just a brief instant that he was going to survive Mayuri’s 100s of years of pain. Thankfully, he didn’t, or at least not in this episode. I’m sure that given the chance, he will “return” like a certain blue-haired Espada does.

The rest of this episode was Mayuri having a “Hot Coffee” moment with Nemu, and Kenpachi fighting Nnoitra. When is Nnoitra going to go down? Will it take Ichigo getting back to normal for it to happen? Am I remember things incorrectly? Answer: The Daily Double. No, actually, the answer: I’m not sure. We’ll find out as Bleach moves into the 200s.

Best girl of the episode: Nemu (4)

Episode rating: 6/10

anime

Bleach 199: You will remember me for centuries

Bleach episode 199 review

In yesterday’s post, I failed to mention that Byakuya did, indeed, defeat his opponent and save his dear imouto. Today, Rukia wakes up to find him standing nearby, and she comes to the realization that Dear Brother saved her life. Byakuya just gained a heart with her.

Meanwhile, Mayuri is taking on Szayelaporro, and Szayelapporo uses tentacles to entrap Nemu. Fortunately for Mayuri, he couldn’t care less about what happens to Nemu, so he uses her in such a way that she’s able to give Szayelaporro a new drug. But this new drug isn’t one you should want, even if you’re Huey Lewis. It slows down time for Szayelaporro so that will take years, no, centuries for him to realize that he’s being killed by Mayuri. It’s about as cruel a way of killing someone I can imagine, but that’s just par for the course with Mayuri.

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (42)

Episode rating: 9/10

anime

Bleach 198: Tongue Tied

Bleach episode 198 review

Byakuya continues his fight, gaining the upper hand, while the main attraction is Szayelaporro vs. Mayuri. Szayelaporro tortures Mayuri some, but you forget who he’s dealing with here. He’s dealing with a guy with no moral compass and no human values. Mayuri’s going to do whatever it takes to win, just for the sake of one of his stupid experiments. But can he survive this voodoo doll attack?

Rukia kind of sort of wins best girl by default, by Byakuya and Hanataro rescuing her from the previous situation. Yeah, this episode was pretty forgettable, wasn’t it?

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (41)

Episode rating: 5/10