Bleach episode 197 review

Byakuya takes on Zommari (had to look up his name), who decides to get Rukia involved by using her as a puppet to attack Byakuya. Meanwhile, Hanataro shows up for the sole purpose of providing comic relief. Okay, that’s not true. He also shows up for the purpose of providing battle commentary. With Hanataro filling those two important roles, Byakuya now must figure out how to beat Zommari without allowing his precious imouto to die.

Of course, Zommari could have easily killed Rukia, but for some bizarre reason he stands still and does nothing while Byakuya calls out his attacks. This makes for a rather unbelievable battle in a bad way, because why would he just stand there and let Byakuya make his moves? It’s like a chess player just giving up 3 moves in the middle of the endgame.

So, Byakuya gets the upper hand on Zommari, but the battle ain’t over yet! Oh, and Yachiru goes fishing for carp in the post-credits sequence, while cosplaying as a cat. Instant best girl win!

Best girl of the episode: Yachiru (15)

Episode rating: 7/10

Bleach episode 196 review

Call to the bullpen! Ichigo & pals need some reinforcements. How about a lineup of Kenpachi, Yachiru, Unohana, Isane, Byakuya, and Mayuri? They’re going to fill in for our fallen heroes for a little while.

Unohana and Isane are too fixated on healing everyone to be of any use in the battle. And Yachiru would rather just kick around the fallen Ichigo than do any fighting, even as Orihime needlessly calls out to her to stop beating up Ichigo. So, it’s up to Mayuri, Byakuya, and Kenpachi.

Kenpachi takes on Nnoitra, Mayuri goes up against Szayelaporro, and Byakuya goes up against a guy who I’m not even sure gave his name. Byakuya of course is fighting the guy who was about to kill his sister. Yay Big Bro! Nothing better than Big Brother stepping up to the plate for his imouto.

Who’s gonna win these battles? My money’s on the Arrancar. jk lol, but let’s see exactly how these opponents go down. I know Mayuri’s coming victory is an especially sweet one.

Best girl of the episode: Yachiru (14)

Episode rating: 9/10

Bleach episode 195 review

Ichigo gets tossed around like a rag doll, Nel gets defeated horribly, Renji and Uryu are getting destroyed by the voodoo dolls, and all we’ve got left is Pesche and Dondechakka. Fortunately, those two fight back, with Pesche pulling out something from a certain area of his body that literally causes the show to have to switch to commercial break because of its unsuitability for broadcast television. Apparently, that’s where Pesche keeps his power. I know.

Then it’s Nnoitra and his Fraccione beating up on Ichigo and torturing him, while Orihime looks on in sheer terror. But at the last second, when all hope looks lost, a familiar voice is heard. That’s Kenpachi Zaraki’s music!

Best girl of the episode: Orihime (36)

Episode rating: 7/10

Bleach episode 194 review

We get a sad flashback about Nel’s past, which ordinarily would mean that she’s about to die, but I can’t be too certain about that, since she’s a good guy. Nnoitra is one evil dude, but not quite as evil as Szayelaporro. He has now made voodoo dolls of the Quincy Uryu and Renji and is injuring them one torn Achilles tendon at a time. By the way, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers blew his Achilles in the final game of the NBA Finals. He’s going to miss all of next season and not play again until the fall of 2026. So, Renji shouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

But that’s when Pesche and Dondechakka come to the rescue! They have some way of fighting against Szayelaporro to give Uryu and Renji a fighting chance. Hopefully they have a surgeon on hand who can fix Achilles tendons. Even if they do, Renji’s out for the arc and maybe some of the next arc as well.

Best girl of the episode: Nel (5)

Episode rating: 6/10