Chapter Review: Bleach 511 – Die Standing

Page 1: Gotta say this is a gorgeous colour page and a fitting tribute to Yama-jii. I think the white background and lighter colours make it look like the Captain-Commander is ‘walking into the light’ and passing on to the other side.

Page 2 – You gotta love these Yamamoto/Shunsui exchanges. Though they don’t happen very often they’re always fun to read (personally I think Yama-jii likes Shunsui more than Ukitake XD). Looks like the 8^th Division Captain has always been a trouble maker but isn’t that why we love him so much? To us the painting is obviously a portrayal of Yamamoto’s Bankai but the way Shunsui assumes it’s a picture of a god or a myth just further proves how much of a boss Yamamoto is – he’s so great his power can be compared to that of a god. We also see that people thought Yamamoto wasn’t the type to place sentimental value to things or have appreciation of artwork.

Page 3 – It seems the picture is there as a reminder to Yama-jii that his power isn’t something he can take lightly. He obviously doesn’t like this side to himself since he refers to it as a monster – he knows he can become a demon and seems to hate that. He also acknowledges that his actions in the past weren’t the best and Soul Society suffered as a result and he doesn’t want that to happen again. He’s resolved that he’ll never let that monster be seen again. Shunsui doesn’t accept such wishful think and asks what if it does return.

I love the amount of detail in the bottom panel. It fully shows the toll time has had on Yama-jii. He knows he’s at the end and is accepting it gracefully I feel. He’s just a tired old soul waiting for that eternal rest.

Page 4 – To be honest I don’t know how I feel about Yama-jii being cut in two. Yes, it’s very dramatic and shocking but I don’t know if it’s a fitting death for him. We see how the chapter got its name now. I think a more fitting death would have been something similar to One Piece’s Whitebeard’s death.

I think that would have been a death more befitting and it would have shown Yamamoto was immovable even in death – a fitting tribute to such an amazing man.

Page 5 – Shunsui and Ukitake sense that Yama-jii is dead. Shunsui loses concentration and gets cheapshotted. So we already see the effect Yamamoto’s death is having on his troops.

Page 6 – Title page with lots of kanji most of us don’t understand lol.

Page 7 – Bach is obviously enjoying himself very much and he should. He killed the man that no-one else could. Yes, he had to steal his Bankai to do it but he did it none the less. Good for you, Bach!! But speaking ill of the dead? Not so good, Bach. Just shows how much disdain he has for the Shinigami. It kinda looks like Yama-jii is prostrating before Bach’s awesomeness.

Page 8 – Looks like Bach’s packing up camp. But what’s this? Yama-jii is alive and trying to fight back?! And as quickly as a second round looked like it was going to happen it had an end put to it. Just how many pieces is Yama-jii gonna end up in?

Page 9 – Bach is obviously not taking any chance. He’s definitely done his research. We all remember what happened when Yama-jii got a hold of Aizen in his dying moments…

Bach then continues to show his hate for Yamamoto by stepping on his head – does his disrespect know no end?!?! I find it interesting that Yama-jii wasn’t among the five special war potentials. Raw power is obviously not a requirement to gain a title. I guess it’s your capabilities more than anything else. Then Bach asks the question everyone wants the answer to – Why didn’t Yama-jii heal his arm?

Page 10 – Bach came to the same conclusion I did months ago – it’s because of pride. Yama-jii isn’t the sort of guy to ask for assistance from the humans he’s sworn to protect – that would defeat the purpose. To him, he is above humans (hence the name Deaths GODS) so to accept help from them would have made him feel weak I suppose. He tried to take too much onto his great shoulders and evidently paid the ultimate price

Page 11 – So it turns out the Gotei 13 weren’t always the good guys they are made out to be. I guess this make sense in a way. For the Gotei to be the undisputed guardians of Soul Society they must have obviously wiped out any and all other competition and as we’ve seen from Yama-jii’s Bankai, he isn’t afraid to play dirty. And to think Yamamoto was once a bad guy. Sure he can be a bit strict every now and again but to find out he was the scumbag of his time? Shocking. It’s also interesting the way that the original ‘Divisions’ lacked the hierarchy system that the Gotei 13 has. It seems back then it was just about getting stuff done regardless of who you were under. The Quincy Extermination must have had a profound effect on him if it made him want to change completely. And it seemed he fell into the ‘Good guy’ trap of being honourable not that it’s a bad thing but maybe the Gotei might actually be more effective if they were all as sly and cunning as Mayuri or Shunsui.

Page 12 – Bach seems to think the current Gotei 13 is a shell of its former guerrilla self and to an extent he’s right. Having a code of honour when it comes to fighting is a bit self-righteous and Shunsui seems to understand a lot…

Just because you feel your intentions are for the greater good doesn’t actually mean they. Sometimes you gotta fight dirty just for the fact you know your opponents will.

Page 13 – Considering the way Yama-jii’s body had been desecrated, having it blown to bits actually did the Gotei a favour. Since none of them saw him in this state, the Yamamoto that was powerful, immovable and just generally someone they admired  is the lasting image they’ll have of him instead of one where he is fully at the mercy of his opponents. When Bach gives the order to ‘violate’ Soul Society it sort of personifies it, making it seem like a helpless woman about to get raped. And it really is helpless – her children, the Shinigami are powerless to protect her from what is about to happen to her.

Page 14 – We get a bit Summoning no Jutsu lol (If you don’t read Naruto you won’t get the joke :P)

Page 15 – Enter the Quincy Soldat. The ignorance on the part of the Shinigami is quite shocking to be honest. For an ‘ordinary soldier’ of the Gotei 13 to not be worried about an enemy because he is ‘ordinary soldier of the rebel army’ just shows how pompous the Shinigami can be. Would he be as cocky if he was up and against an ordinary Arrancar (who would most probably wipe the floor with him)?

Page 16 – He and his fellow Shinigami soon pay the price for their ignorance. The Soldat walk all over the Shinigami with relative ease it seems. I’m glad Buzzbee survived Yama-jii’s attack. I’ve never been a fan of character’s being killed off just to show off another character’s abilities. We still hardly know anything about this Stern Ritter but it looks like we’ll get to see some more of him…yay!

Page 17 – And so Soul Society falls. Talk about effect. The powerhouse that was the Gotei 13 has been brought to its knees effortlessly. Finally we get a mention of the fabled Zero Division. Everyone has been hammering on about them for years but it looks like they’ll soon make an appearance. They really must be something if Bach is giving the order to temporally retreat. Can’t wait!!

Page 18 – An unexpected visitor? Who could it be?! I’m thinking it’s either Zero Division or whoever saved beat Opie (My money’s on Grimmjow). Guess we’ll have to wait until next time.

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Chapter Review: Bleach 510 – The Extinction

Page 1: Firstly, I just want to comment on the interesting use of, what looks like, blackface. Personally I’m not offended but I don’t think it’s necessary. Kubo has proven he can draw a very good negro on more than one occasion. Anyways…so we get a look into the past of one of the Stern Ritter, Loyd Llyod – a guy so amazing they named him twice and yet we never got to see him alive -_-…Shame on you Kubo!!! We find out Loyd had a twin brother and they completely resemble each other. To be fair children don’t have to be borne by the same mother and they still get mixed up. And then they become aware of their shape-shifting powers.

Page 2: So Loyd’s brother is called…Royd. Twins with rhyming names…really? Their powers as a pair are pretty cool and the fact their shape-shifting abilities are distributed pretty equal is a good call of Kubo’s part. Can’t lie, it would have been something to see Yama-jii fighting himself in Bankai mode. And so the mystery of why Bach was asking for forgiveness from himself is final solved.

Page 3: Yama-jii realises something is off when Bach starts to apologise to…Bach. It’s jokes the way Yama-jii looks like he’s crying as he shouts “What kind of monster are you?!”

Page 4: Nothing much to talk about here. It does look like Yama-jii is behind attacked from behind by that pillar of light…that would have been cool lol.

Page 5: The First Division Barracks is under attack!! And it seems old man Okikiba is done for – Rest in Peace. Here we get the title of the chapter – the Extinction. Doesn’t take a genius to work out who’s about to become extinct. Bad planning on the Captain-Commander’s part. He should have realised that not showing his Bankai was the only thing keeping him alive in this manga!! But alas Yamamoto played his trump card too early. I’ve also noticed that Yama-jii has been showing a lot more expression lately. When we first met him he hardly ever opened his eyes and even when he was going up against Shunsui and Ukitake, you would never have guessed these were his favourite pupils.

Page 6: Finally the real Juha Bach appears!! Is that shock on Yama-jii’s face? Fear? Maybe a bit of both? Whatever it is, the old man is rattled. And what does Bach do? Completely ignores him.

Page 7: Royd, like his brother, has the letter Y for ‘the Yourself’. I think Bach deserves some praise here. He has before him the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 but his primary concern was praise his fallen soldier for a job well done. To me it shows he, at the very least, takes the time out to know who’s who in his army. This shocks both the Shinigami and the Stern Ritter, the latter being overjoyed to the point of tears. Just shows how much the Stern Ritter love this guy and they obviously share the same ideal/dream. It also makes you think whether the Shinigami are the knights of justice they are made out to be. In previous chapters, Yama-jii talked about how Bach’s subordinates were just pawns to him and yet he put’s their importance over that of the Captain Commander.

Page 8: In a final act of mercy Bach kills Royd quickly and efficiently as to not cause him anymore pain. Before I go on I think we should take a minute to actually realise how amazing Royd was. This guy utterly DESTROYED Kenpachi without a single hair coming out of place. Don’t forget his brother is the one that imitates a person’s power level so Royd’s base power level must be through the roof! Where Driscoll was completely disintegrated by Yamamoto’s Shikai, Royd took it head on and came out with just a scratch. He also faired quite well for a time against Yama-jii’s Bankai…he truly was amazing. So what exactly was Bach doing all this time? What is it that was under the First Division Barracks that was so important that it shocked Yamamoto that Bach knew about it?

Page 9: I actually screamed when I saw Aizen!! Sosuke was finally going to make his long awaited return to Bleach and what a return it would be!! As far as overpoweredness goes there are few who could surpass Aizen. I would like to take this opportunity to point out the major flaw in the Gotei’s stratergy. All hell is breaking loose around Soul Society and the Underground Prison –home to some of the vilest and most dangerous beings ever known – is left to be guarded by a 3^rd Seat when there are opponents wielding Bankais all over the place. Really Yama-jii, really? So Bach was spending his time conversing with Aizen. If this doesn’t spell trouble I don’t know what will.

Page 10: Aizen is asked to join the ranks of the Vandenreich and we find out that he’s one of the special war potentials. It makes sense that he refused. Why would Aizen allow himself to take orders from anyone? I think a better Aizen move would have been to join the Quincy and then wipe them out after the Gotei were done for but that’s just me. Then Bach goads Yamamoto into using his Bankai. Again this is out of character for the Yama-jii we all know and love. The once level-head captain is now frivolously using his Bankai like a lot of the other Captains do even though he knows doing so could completely destroy Soul Society.

Page 11: Gasp!! Yamamoto’s Bankai has been stolen?!?! How the mighty have fallen. Looks like Yamamoto’s overestimation of his own powers and underestimation of his opponent’s has been his undoing. The fact Royd didn’t even attempt to steal his Bankai should have made alarm bells start ringing like crazy in his head. Bach was the only one who could seal the Captain Commander’s Bankai away and he did. Referring to the Stern Ritter as the ‘late Royd’, bravo for the respect Bach, bravo.

Page 12: Bach toys with the Shinigami, threatening to uses his own Bankai and its abilities against him. That statement made me think a lot about how cruel a person Yama-jii can be. As the Captain-Commander he should be a pinnacle for honour and integrity and yet he doesn’t see it as below him to use techniques such as Zanka no Tachi south to make his opponent suffer more than his necessary be fighting their fallen comrades. That’s the sort of thing you’d expect Aizen to do. Yama-jii charges only for Bach to release so new technique.

Page 13: A bow and arrow appear in the sky and something is shot to the ground in front of Bach. What type of arrow could this be?

Page 14: Alas it isn’t an arrow it’s a sword! I feel like it’s a bit of a fail that nearly everyone and their aunt seems to fight with a sword. It would have been a nice switch up if the Quincy were all projectile using fighters which would bring a nice change to the battles from all the close combat fighting we usually see. To me it looks like Yama-jii has lost all hope in that bottom panel. The surprise, shock and anger we’ve seen a lot of recently is no longer there and it has been replaced with a truer Yamamoto – an old, battle worn veteran who knows he’s about to meet his end – that is truly the face of despair.

Page 15: Bach says his final goodbye to the man who has caused him and his people to suffer so much…and looks menacingly cool as he does it lol.

Pages 16-17: Yama-jii gets taken out with one slash. I think the fact he didn’t even try and fight back just emphasizes the point that he knew there was nothing he could do. The look of confusion on his face was a nice touch. It’s as if he can’t comprehend what’s happening to him. A little bit of fight back would have been nice though. I think this is truly the end for the Captain-Commander.

All in all this was an amazing chapter and can’t wait for the next one!!

9/10

Chapter Review: Naruto 601 – Obito and Madara

Soooo…Madara makes an appearance and seemingly knows Obito even though there’s like three or four generations between them. How is this possible? I just don’t know. Obito is just as surprised as everyone that Madara is still there even though the Edo Tensei was released. But to be fair, like he said, this is Madara Uchiha we’re talking about XD.

Naruto overreacts as usual (definitely needs some anger management classes) and misses the point completely. He’s asking why the Uchiha is where he is and not where the Kages are…shouldn’t he be asking how he is still ‘alive’ even though the Edo Tensei was released?     And this guy wants to be Hokage? And in typical Madara fashion he instantly knows that this Naruto is a shadow clone. Then there’s some more overreacting Naruto and demanding what happened to the Kages. And the response we get from Madara is “I wonder…I guess…”

Madara’s complete disregard for human life is really funny. These are five of the strongest, most respected ninja of this time and he couldn’t care less. So how did he beat them? WE DON’T KNOW!!! Skipped fight scenes have to be the BIGGEST taboo in manga and yet they happen sooo often! Firstly it’s disrespectful to the Kages. Five of the strongest living ninja and we don’t get to see how they met their end. Keep in mind they’re not fighting for fighting’s sake but to ensure the continuation of the free world as they know it. Everyone’s hope, dreams and ideals are banking on the outcome of this fight and we don’t get to see how those hopes and dreams are crushed?! Secondly it’s disrespectful to Madara. Going 5 on 1 with the Kages is by no means an easy feat for any ninja. Yes, it’s a plotkai, but in honour of such an important plotkai it should be shown how it happened. Lastly it’s disrespectful to the FANS!! We deserve to see how these epic characters met their end!!

That’s my rant over lol. So next Tsunade regains consciousness and summons Katsuyu the Slug…where she gets the chakra to do this from I don’t know. And then what do we see?

It seemed a bit strange that the Kages were all intact but then we see Tsunade’s upper and lower body have been separated. How they managed to become separated either side of that giant tree branch is mystery that will probably remain unanswered forever but bravo to Madara for the creativity. Here we see the true mark of a Kage. Instead of saving herself first she decides to put what little strength she has into healing her comrades. This is more deep and pivotal than it seems. This is the ninja world we’re talking about. These guys have been fighting each other for generations in one form of another. Chances are, after the war the villages will go back to fighting amongst themselves because that’s what they do. You might think this would be a great opportunity to get rid of some of the competition and make your village the strongest military force in the world. But instead Tsunade makes a move towards the united ninja world her close friend Jiraya dreamed of…but it will probably come at the expense of her own life… Or leave her in a wheel chair at the very least.

Next up Naruto removes the spikes Obito planted in the Eight-Tails and launches them at the Uchihas. Obito returns Madara’s fan to him and Madara activates Susanoo. It was actually very interesting to see how casually Obito talks to Madara. There’s absolutely no sense of hierarchy between them even though Madara is a legend.

Madara blocks the spikes with ease and we find out that he seemingly knows about the Tsuki no Me plan. The more the chapter goes on, the more questions there are to be answered. Obito has a bit of a healing moment while Madara questions why he started the plan early. Then we find out Madara knew of Nagato too and finally the jutsu that caused me so much annoyance, the Rinne Tensei Jutsu, finally made sense. When Nagato killed half of Konoha only to bring them back to life I was not impressed in the slightest. But now we know that jutsu had an actual purpose – to revive Madara. Before I go on I want to draw your attention back to chapters 559 and 560.

When Madara was first summoned using the Impure World Technique he assumed it was Nagato using the Rinne Tensei Jutsu that brought him back to life. Also his seemingly unimportant rambling about things not going to plan finally makes sense – he was in on the Tsuki no Me plan from the beginning!! He then finds out about Nagato’s betrayal and says “Everyone’s doing as they like…”. It’s pretty clear now that this whole plan was Madara’s idea to begin with.

Then, in typical Naruto fashion, Naruto attacks Madara – the guy who just took out five Kages – only for his Mini Biju Bomb to be blocked by Madara’s fan and then absorbed using the Rinnengan. Then comes that devastating Uchiha Gaeshi. I can’t say for certain but I think, based on the attack’s name, he used the power of the Biju Bomb against Naruto…not too sure though. And poof…the shadow clone disappears. Madara then goes after the Eight and Nine Tails and leaves Kakashi and Guy to Obito. And then…

So Obito did survive…and was apparently saved by an old, decrepit Madara Uchiha. I see a few things wrong with that. Firstly, Obito’s whole right side was crushed and yet his eye is completely intact. Erm how? Secondly, how could Madara be alive? To be honest it is possible since he was alive when Oniki, the Third Tsuchikage, was so it’s plausible. But from everything we’ve been told Madara was killed by Hashirama, the first Hokage, and someone like Madara couldn’t just vanish off the face of the world, could he?

It’s interesting how he says “between your world and the next…” instead of “between our world and the next”. Obviously he doesn’t think of himself being part of the normal world and/or lives in another dimension. I’m sure we’ll find out next week lol.

I gave this chapter 7/10 because of the skipped Kage battle.

Chapter Review: Bleach 507 – The Fire 3

Because this is my first Bleach chapter review I don’t think it would be right to begin it without starting where the last chapter left off with this picture…

If this isn’t the best page ever drawn in Bleach I don’t know what is. Yamamoto’s Bankai, Zanka no Tachi, is the most beautiful and perfect Bankai in the whole of Bleach. The simplicity of it is almost paradoxical and, in a sense, portrays Yama-jii’s old school-ness. It goes back to basics. Most Bankais we’ve seen are big and flashy…and then there’s Zanka no Tachi – a simple katana with a burnt blade. Yamamoto is one of the (if not the) first Shinigami and it shows in his Bankai. It’s not about the aesthetics; it’s all about the practicality.  It’s a lot deeper than that but I can’t actually find the words to describe it lol.

Anyways…Chapter 507!!

The fact Zanka no Tachi is referred to as a ‘little charred katana’ is actually jokes. How can you honestly look down on the Bankai of the Captain-Commander?! But to be fair Komamura’s Bankai looked amazing and look what a let-down it turned out to be (but that’s a rant for another post). The way Bach says ‘it’s the end of everything it touches’ does the Bankai the justice it deserves.

The way Yamamoto seems to toy with Bach here is actually kinda funny…who knew the old geezer had a sense of humour. I also like the katana blade’s close up and you can see it’s as old and worn as he is which kinda shows how long he’s journeyed with his Zanpakuto for.

And then we see the effects of the Bankai, mind you it’s not even doing anything apart from being in his hand. It dries up Ukitake’s throat, it chaps Shunsui’s lips (Vaseline is urgently needed) and even evaporates the water in Unohana’s vase. There’s almost something symbolic about these three being shown first since they are all original Captains and probably the only ones that know the full gravity of what is about to happen. The little exchange between Unohana and Isane is cute, showing a bit of a relationship we don’t see very often. Unohana’s thought actually shows how crazy the situation is about to become.

Finish this as quickly as you can. Before Soul Society itself is destroyed by your power.

Never before in the whole of Bleach, not even with Aizen, has the existence of Soul Society been put in jeopardy like this and Unohana doesn’t seem like the type to exaggerate. And what power it is. Evaporating all the water in Soul Society and even melting Toshiro’s Bankai – that’s intense heat right there. Then there’s that knowing look in Shunsui and Ukitake’s eye – ish just got cray!

So what can the Bankai do? Nothing at first it seems. You’d think it would be an advancement of his Shikai with flames flying out everywhere but…squat. Then…

And keep in mind that was the result of the finish of the swing. He wasn’t even trying to cut the ground!

Zanka no Tachi, East: Kyokujutsujin is without doubt one of the most coolest (how ironic) techniques I’ve seen. Condensing all the flames Yamamoto has – and that’s a lot of flames – into the edge of the blade and eradicating anything it touches….I like :D!! Bach’s theory about just avoiding the blade and attacking the Shinigami is pretty sound (not like he could do much else at this point) but then again this is Yama-jii’s Bankai. So what happens? Bach’s blade is gone!

Then the Shinigami has a bit of a troll moment. ‘If there’s an east, there will be a west’. Classic. Talking down to the Quincy like a teacher would a student and boy is Bach about to get schooled. So what does  Zanka no Tachi, West, look like?

Yamamoto is on fire…literally!!! I love the way the flames intertwine with his beard and moustache. Zanka no Tachi, West: Zanjutsu Gokui It’s almost like he’s become one with his Zanpakuto which goes perfectly with the meaning of Zanjutsu Gokui –  Prison Uniform of the Remainig Sun…need I say more? This form is more in line with what a Bankai is expected to look like. In your face. Flashy. Beautiful. The fact he has to ‘will’ this form to be seen is pretty epic – you can be burnt to death before you even realise it. I think the whole thing about being 15 million degrees is a bit excess but I guess it’s understandably done to exaggerate his power. And then…

You gotta love statements like that. And since Yamamoto said it you know he can back it up. But I fear that Yama-jii’s end is coming soon. In the same way the Arrancars and Stern Ritter are wiped out as soon as we see what they can do, the Captain-Commander will be leaving the world of Bleach in the next few chapters. It’s way too early for Bach to be wiped out and now we’ve seen his Bankai, as mean as it sounds, he no longer has a purpose in story except to crush the morals of the Gotei 13 with his death and then spur them on to victory in his honour. The fact that his Bankai techniques contain the opposite pair of east and west could be seen as a metaphor of the rising and setting of the Sun of Yamamoto’s life.

Well that’s it from me. I’m gonna give this chapter a smoking 9/10.