Bleach episode 32 review

I probably didn’t care much for this episode the first time I saw it; after all, wasn’t it just a typical story of two poor people growing up in bad conditions? But now having seen Rukia and Renji get together at the end of the manga makes me see exactly how important this episode was. We get a ton of backstory which is all necessary to understand these two characters. I complain about this a lot, but here it was used perfectly.

We also see Renji’s first blush in front of Rukia. See? I told you it was canon from Day 1! And we get an amazing scene at the end where Renji grabs Ichigo by the collar and makes him promise that he will save Rukia. It’s a poignant scene which establishes Renji as “one of us,” one of the good guys. This is Bleach at its finest!

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (10, moving her back into a tie for first place with Orihime)

Episode rating: 9/10

Bleach episode 31 review

Ichigo fights Renji, and as he beats Renji, he has a very long flashback about his training with Mr. Hat & Clogs. You could realistically call this a “training arc” episode because there was far more training than there was present-day battling with Renji. It’s not bad, really, especially with the theme of the name of this post being the reason why Ichigo can wash away Renji’s attacks and break him down.

But it is just one one-on-one battle for this one Episode Thirty-One. Ichigo won. And I’ll see myself out.

Oh, and we got Soi Fon’s Squad 2 “Houki Boshi,” which spoils the character of Yoruichi, whom we had never seen in human form before. Soi Fon shows pretty much every emotion imaginable in 60 seconds. Man, I love that woman. Forget Omaeda, Soi Fon, come make babies with me!

Best girl of the episode: Momo Hinamori (I totally forgot that she actually had a few lines in this episode, talking to Izuru Kira)

Episode rating: 7/10

Bleach episode 30 review

A throwaway line from Squad 2 Lieutenant Marechiyo Omaeda was the line of this episode. When told of Squad 11’s top guys going down, Omaeda says in the background, “I’ve told you for years that Squad 11 is overrated.” Great line by a great guy. I wish he and Soi Fon would go start popping out babies. It would give me hope for love.

Anyway, Hanataro sneaks Ichigo and Ganju through the sewer system, which somehow is totally ignored by the rest of the Soul Society. But when they come out, guess who’s waiting for Ichigo? Renji Abarai! And now they’re going to fight… the loser gets Rukia’s love! The winner survives and advances to the Sweet Sixteen. Or, should I say, Thirteen?

Great episode and lots of fun. The Lieutenants arguing with each other was the best scene of the episode.

Best girl of the episode: Rangiku Matsumoto, who had some great lines in said scene.

Episode rating: 8/10

Bleach episode 29 review

My sister and I nicknamed Squad 12 Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi “Mamba Wamba” because of his resemblance of the Scooby-Doo villain (look it up!). In this episode, he treats Nemu like trash, tortures Ikkaku, and gets into it with Zaraki. In other words, he’s a real jerk. Why Kubo let him stay alive through the massive list of deaths in the first two seasons of TYBW is beyond me. I want to see this guy die, and painfully.

Also, Uryu defeats that one Soul Reaper who was intent on killing Orihime, and it looked for a second like we might get a very unfortunate UryuHime moment. Fortunately, Orihime killed the romantic buzz with her Sailor Moon-esque craziness.

Oh, and Ichigo and Ganju take Hanataro hostage. I had totally forgotten about this guy until I picked up Bleach: Shattered Blade a few months back. He’s basically Shinji Ikari as a Soul Reaper (yes, that’s the same voice actor). But he’s got more humor to him than Shinji, and now he can help Ichigo and Ganju find Rukia. Is Hanataro the first Soul Reaper who turns on his fellow Soul Reapers? Or is that technically Mayuri, for treating Ikkaku so badly? In any case, the Soul Reapers are going to start turning on each other, because that’s what they do. Not very smart, of course, but hey, if you’re under a spell…

Best girl of the episode: Yachiru (3)

Episode rating: 8/10