Bleach episode 341 review

The fake Soul Reaper arc is over! And what a letdown it is. The fake Soul Reapers never get defeated; they just disappear. Kageroza never gets his comeuppance, he just gets to fade away. Nozomi never gets a happy ending; she disappears shortly after Kageroza does. And that’s your arc, folks.

There’s so much negative to say about this arc, so I’ll try to be positive. It was nice for Kon to get something of a starring role. Getting him some extra screen time was a real bonus. And I liked getting to see a greater variety of Captains and Lieutenants. Other than that, though, this arc was a colossal bust. On to the final one.

Best girl of the episode: Nozomi (6)

Rukia’s real magic #: 8

Episode rating: 5/10

Bleach episode 340 review

At one point, one of the fake Soul Reapers calls the real Soul Reapers out on the carpet: “You’re acting totally out of character!” Was this an intentional or unintentional breaking of the fourth wall? The episode played it off like it was meant as a serious statement. And it wasn’t in the “Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers” segment that is done for laughs. My guess is that it was an unintentional breaking of the fourth wall, making it actually quite funny.

The rest of the episode is immaterial; Ichigo faces down Kageroza with a little help from his friends, literally – Kon ends the episode by again saying “the power of friendship,” which apparently wasn’t just a throwaway line but rather the entire message of the filler arc. My understanding of friendship, though, is that you don’t kick your friend in the face like everyone does to Kon.

Also, there’s a part in the episode where the Soul Reapers admit that Kageroza’s goal is to split them up, a.k.a. one-on-one battles. I joke about it so much, but it’s true: Bleach has an utter obsession with one-on-one battles. And likely these battles are going to be the Soul Reapers facing down themselves. An unenviable position, for sure.

Best girl of the episode: Rukia (64)

Rukia’s real magic #: 9

Episode rating: 6/10

Bleach episode 339 review

I can’t get over it. This episode is memorable for one reason: Retsu Unohana’s maniacal cackle. I guess she really was the first Kenpachi. Super bloodthirsty, crazy, power-drunk… yes, this is the Unohana we all deserve. Who cares that it wasn’t the *real* Unohana? If the fake one is even half as good as the real one, then she’s good enough for me.

Also, Kageroza gains tons of power and now is almost unbeatable. He defeats all of Ichigo’s pals, so Hollow Ichigo has to step in. No surprise there. The Captains continue to fight each other, to varying levels of entertainment. At one point Shunsui and Ukitake talk it out and basically admit that they are contractually required to have one-on-one battles. I mean that almost literally.

Hey, I was entertained by this episode. Positive steps.

Best girl of the episode: Unohana (7) (even if it was the *fake* Unohana; she moves into sole possession of ninth place)

Rukia’s real magic #: 11

Episode rating: 6/10

Bleach episode 338 review

Pretty much wash, rinse, and repeat from the last five to ten episodes. Captains fight themselves. Kon goes on trying to be the hero. (They’re pushing him so hard to be the hero even when it makes zero sense.) Kisuke fights himself too, that’s the big twist from this episode. And Ichigo goes full Hollow and loses control.

Unfortunately, there’s not much new about this episode that we haven’t seen recently. It just feels like the same old stuff. People need to start dying in order to make this thing interesting. Maybe start with Hiyori?

Best girl of the episode: Nozomi (5)

Rukia’s real magic #: 12

Episode rating: 5/10