Bleach episode 329 review

Truthfully, the only good thing about this episode was its “Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers,” which included the scene shown above, as Yoruichi plays the part of Utena saving her Rose Bride, not Anthy but Soi Fon.

The rest of this episode is boring as hell, and I almost swore there trying to describe how awful it was. Much of the episode consisted simply of Mayuri giving exposition, and Kageroza doing the same thing. Kisuke Urahara joined in, as did Nozomi herself – but there was very little actual action in this episode. Just people talking each other to death.

When the action finally begins, it’s too late, because I’ve already been bored to death by all the talking. The “fighting” isn’t really all that much, with the biggest surprise being fake Isane defending Kageroza. In the end, the episode ends up being a total waste until that final scene with Yoruichi and Soi Fon making my day.

Best girl of the episode: Soi Fon (34) (because it was her imagination)

Rukia’s real magic #: 24

Episode rating: 5/10

Bleach episode 328 review

The Soul Reapers close in on Kageroza, who has nowhere left to run or hide. So, his plan is just to have all his flunkies – the fake Soul Reapers – show up and have an all-out brawl with the real Soul Reapers. And despite some good moments from Soi Fon and Yoruichi, the fact remains that it is almost impossible to keep track of a fight between characters who look nearly exactly the same. Oh, and on Kisuke’s computer, they finally figure out that Ichigo is alive, which makes everyone happy,

I can’t wait for this arc to be over. The experiment of “Byakuya vs. Byakuya, who would win?” has gotten stale, and I’d rather the Soul Reapers be fighting actual opponents. This was a failed experiment, and I’d like to move on now.

Best girl of the episode: Soi Fon (33)

Rukia’s real magic #: 25

Episode rating: 5/10

Bleach episode 327 review

Soi Fon beats the crap out of Komamura. Too bad it’s the fake Soi Fon. I can still cheer for her, can’t I, even though it’s not really her? Pretty please?

Byakuya fights himself the same way a chess player would play Petrov’s Defense. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nxe4 etc. Everything about him and his fake’s attacks go exactly the same as each other, so there’s no way of telling who is going to gain an inch. Meanwhile, the one-armed wonder Old Man Yama is still fighting off fake Shunsui.

And Ichigo has been summoned to an area by Kageroza where no one can sense his spiritual pressure. Instead of panicking or going off looking for him, the characters basically say that there’s no way he could die in a filler arc so we’re not worrying about him. Nozomi seems to be the one who’s the most worried, even though she’s known Ichigo for about 12 minutes.

And that’s another jumbled mess of an episode of this arc. Not very satisfying, and to be quite frank, the battles are getting old by now. The novelty of Soul Reapers fighting themselves has worn off. Something must be done to regain a spark.

Best girl of the episode: Soi Fon (32) (like Momo last episode, even the fake one is good enough for me)

Rukia’s real magic #: 26

Episode rating: 6/10

Bleach episode 326 review

While a battle between fake Soi Fon and real Kenpachi is teased, it never comes to fruition. Instead, Komamura steps in to fight fake Soi Fon. Ichigo runs and runs and runs, then ends up summoned somewhere to fight Kagarosa. All the while, Kon continues to have his starring role, while Nozomi just sort of stands around and does nothing.

But the real part of this episode is real Toshiro fighting off two Momos. The episode does a good job at making sure we don’t know which Momo is the real Momo; truthfully, I think they both could end up not being the real Momo, as a twist. In any case, the Toshiro vs. double Momo fight is actually quite entertaining, and for once I’m actually enjoying this arc. Please keep up the momentum from this episode!

Best girl of the episode: Momo (6) (moves into a tie for ninth)

Rukia’s real magic #: 27

Episode rating: 7/10