Bleach Chapter 527: The End of Ichigos Journey

Comments:
As I was saying last week of week before that that Bleach really needs at least some decent plot developments and my wishes were answered very quickly!

Zaraki Kenpachis Zanpakuto awakening is definitely a pleasant surprise, I hadn't even thought of that when I was only thinking how pointless his and Unohana Yachirus fight was, but it's pleasant to see that it did serve a higher purpose. If I'd have to speculate about his bankai it could be somewhat similar to Unohanas, since it could be linked to her death somehow. We'll have to see.

Ichigos failure at Oetsus test is also a pleasant surprise: of course a fan would have rooted for Ichigo to pass these kinds of tests with shining marks, but it's different with me. This plot development actually managed to surprise me and really got me thinking, what now. Things are not going as straightforward as it would have seemed in the first place and if that is not a good thing then I don't know what is. I'm hoping that Kubo Tite will be able to upkeep this kind of flow for chapters to come.

Recap of Bleach 527: Eliminate From Heaven

-Zarakis and Unohanas fight has ran its course. Zaraki Kenpachi is yelling for her not to die.

-Zaraki Kenpachi is hearing someones voice. It's obviously his Zanpakutou "awakening" telling Zaraki its name.

-Meanwhile at Oetsus place Renji has managed to survive his test unlike Ichigo

-Ichigo gets sent somewhere outside of the place.

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Bleach Chapter 526: Unohana Yachiru defeated

Comments

If you are a hardcore Bleach fan and happen to read this I have to say that Bleach has never been one of my favorites and I don't completely understand (remember) all the character chemstries that lie behind the story.

In my opinion Kubo Tite has a bad fetish of trying to make something like this too artistic and melodramatic, which happens to in my case work against itself. This whole fight mostly feels like a filler in which Kubo is trying to milk out the most money he can before he absolutely has to put stop to Bleach.

The artwork and style of bleach is too often too plain and seems a bit "lazy" even though it has it's uses. Unfortunately I'm not just satisfied with this crap, there absolutely was not anything I expected of this battle and in return I received less than that. There wasn't even splashy scenes or anything like that, but some forced drama.

This chapter could be described as confusing crap

Recap of Bleach 526: The Battle

-The battle between Zaraki Kenpachi and Unohana Yachiru continues.

-Unohana heals her wound with Kaidou which is healing kidou.

-Unohana then uses her Bankai, Minazuki which seems to be kind of that makes blood low everywhere.

-Next it looks like Zaraki and Unohana are both melting away, but that turns out to be just an illusion.

-Unohana reminisces over her past and the moment she met Zaraki.

-The battle ends with Zaraki Kenpachi apparently piercing through Unohana Yachiru.

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Bleach 525: Unrestraining of Zaraki Kenpachi

Recap and Comments of Bleach 525: Edges

Zaraki Kenpachi versus Unohana Yachiru battle continues. Zaraki is thinking to himself how nostalgic it is for him to lose consciousness in middle of the fight and how it has only happened once before.

We get a small flashback of Unohana Yachiru, one of her underlings is approaching here somewhere saying that "No matter how much we search through Rukongai I really don't think we'll be able to find someone strong enough to satisfy you", so Unohana is very much alike Kenpachi.

They find a mountain of dead corpses and on top of them a boy with a long sword. Yunohana describes her feelings as losing interest in the sword, in fighting, but this child changed everything.
I think it's pretty obvious that the kid was Zaraki Kenpachi.

We get back to the present where their fight currently happens. They both are thinking their own stuff, Kenpachi feeling alive when coming out of unconsciousness and Unohana thinking how Kenpachi unconsciously restrains himself.

Unohana is hurting Kenpachi over and over to awaken his old self, to awaken his true fighting power to surpass Unohana and go higher and higher..

I have to admit that I'm not a huge Bleach fan, so the things that happen in it don't very well stick to my mind. These kind of chapter sure raise my interest since they are well designed, even if they don't serve a higher purpose. What I'm really wondering is the timing for this to happen, since I can't shake the feeling of Zaraki Kenpachi just getting utterly beat by the Quincy guys and now he's being described as someone who unconsciously restrains himself and his fighting power? I've probably missed something, but it just doesn't make sense. We'll most likely see Kenpachi beating Unohana in the next or the chapter after it and hopefully see an unrestrained Zaraki Kenpachi.

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Bleach 524: Unohana vs. Kenpachi

Recap of Bleach 524:

Zaraki Kenpachi and Retsu Unohana "Yachiru" battle begins! Kenpachi makes the first attack, Unohana dodges and almost manages to hit Kenpachi to the neck, but only scratches him. The battle continues and Unohana makes a remark of Kenpachi removing his eyepatch from the beginning, which means that he's serious.

Unohana says that Kenpachi is weak, sinche he only uses one hand and does nothing with remaining arm. Still, after a while Unohana overpowers Kenpachi - he doesn't seem to be able to do anything.

They talk a little bit and it may be that Kenpachi became weaker since last time they fought. He rhetorically asks if he's going to die without being able to defeat Unohana.

We see Kenpachis neck getting penetrated by Unohanas sword, but that turned out to be some sort of illusion, Unohana makes a remark that he looked like he lost consciousness.

Unohana thinks in his mind that Kenpachi won't die: every time he crosses border to death he becomes stronger.

"That is the mistake you imposed on you and also my sin" Unohana says, and the chapter ends.

Comments and Predictions.

After this chapter it's in my opinion pretty clear that Kenpachi will win Unohana. It would be very anticlimatic to be otherwise. We most likely will be having some flashbacks in the next chapter, as Unohana's last words would imply. What is their relation in the past that we don't know yet? Maybe we'll find out in Bleach 525.

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Bleach 523: Unohana Yachiru

Recap of Bleach 523: Words of Origin

Ouetsu the creator of Zapakuto threw Ichigo and Reiji to a dark hole. There's lots of "Asauchi", the strongest zanpakuto which can become anything. The Asauchi attack both of them.

Then we get a explanation of Asauchi saying that The entirety of more that 6000 Gotei 13 Members are temporarily loaned a nameless Zanpakutou when they graduate and enter a division. Then all of the Shinigami spend time with these Asauchi and they in that way construct their "own Zanpakutou".

Ouetsu explains that Asauchi are attacking Ichigo and Reiji because of the way they use their Zanpakutou. Obviously he means that their Zanpakutou had been treated wrong.

Scene changes to Soul Society: Central Underground Great Prisona, Bottom floor "Muken".

Zaraki Kenpachi has breaced some kind of vault, where he speaks to someone. This someone is Unohana Yachiru, who is the first captain of 11th division. She was said to have possession of all sword styles and flows in existence thus naming herself "Yachiru", meaning "thousand styles".

It's said at the end of the chapter 523 that in fight Zaraki Kenpachi vs. Unohana Yachiru, one of them will die.

Comments and Predictions

Well, it wasn't as big of a disappointment that I expected. Somehow I don't even care about this this Ouetsu stuff and all of those Zanpakutou, it feels a bit pointless.

What's interesting is that Kubo actually decided to bring Unohana back to us who instantly fights with Kenpachi: I find this "twist" a bit weird in a sense. Somehow it doesn't suit the flow of the current storyline, but there may be something (and most likely will be) something important that we don't know about this character and why she was put out now. Maybe to tie loose ends for fans?

As for predictions, no thanks. There's really nothing truly interesting to predict of.

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Ichigo and Renji meet lots of Zanpakuto

Without them even knowing. They meet the original maker of zanpakuto, cool etc. Too bad this whole consept of some "higher" force than Soul Society feels a bit forced. Well, I believe Bleach is still selling pretty well so why kill a good moneymaker?

There have been only couple of good Bleach chapters in couple of years and you can surely guess which ones those are. I'm leaving a small hint. These chapters were honestly well done from entertaining point of view: they had good build up, not too much hype and they simply delivered.

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