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Bleach

 
  

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Maat
12:03 / 18.06.08
Plus soul society's scariest hardass's zanpakutou being a pink-haired little girl is the best thing I can think of.

It is indeed. In fact, if you don't mind I may shamelessly steal this idea and use it in a story. I shall credit of course, although given the type of stories I write you may not view this as a good thing..
 
 
nanao-chan
13:08 / 18.06.08
One thing that just struck me is how Yachiru and Mashiro are like long-lost sisters! Same tendency to give people silly nicknames, temper tantrums, and utter guilelessness. Hmm, I wonder if this lack of guilelessness is behind Mashiro's easy command of her Hollow nature? Maybe there isn't that much demonic alter ego to battle to begin with.

I am now amusing myself trying to imagine Vizard Yachiru.
 
 
nanao-chan
13:12 / 18.06.08
Rail Transfer, thank you very much for catering to our collective pervyness And Urahara is somewhat of a perv himself, or at least his seiyu makes him sound very pervy.
 
 
Maat
16:03 / 18.06.08
Urahara's seiyu also voices Yohji from Weiss Kreuz who is a reknowned perv so I'm thinking this may be something he brings to the characters as much as anything. He does a a lot of yaoi anime as well.

Rather scarily he looks a bit like both Yohji and Urahara and is one of a four man band called Weiss Kreuz which is made up of the four seiyu from Weiss Kreuz. They kinda dress like their characters...

Urahara's seiyu is the tall blond

Be warned. I am not responsible for the effect some of those links may have on sensitive minds.
 
 
nanao-chan
18:19 / 18.06.08
Haha Urahara's seiyu looks scarily like him - he could play Urahara if they ever made a live-action Bleach movie (they made a live-action Casshern movie, c'mon). Ukitake could be played by strangely popular in Japan Korean actor Bae Yong Joon (or Yonsama as he is known to his Japanese fans). Check out the picture of him in a recent Korean TV drama, is that not the spitting image of Ukitake?

Urahara's voice fits the current Urahara very well, but it doesn't seem like it would be a good fit for the younger Urahara in the current comic book arc. The anime Urahara so far is a rather untrustworthy character, and that comes across in his voice. I wonder how they'll handle this if they transfer the current comic book arc to anime.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
22:08 / 18.06.08
Shinichirou Miki's Weiss Kreuz cohort Takehito Koyasu is probably most famous for inspiring endless inventively mucky fantasies in his rôle as Kiryuu Touga in Revolutionary Girl Utena , and incidentally can be heard in Bleach in the slightly less sexy person of doltish snotgoblin Pesshe Guatiche. Which is by way of saying, in response to Nanao-chan's point, that I'm sure Miki for his part is sufficiently versatile to play the younger Urahara - look at the range of the character he plays, from facetious fan-waving buffoon to a playful, yet deadly sincere combatant. It seems clear from the flashback in the manga (talk of which should be kept in that thread to avoid spoilers) that Urahara then was just as much a flighty, capricious and slippery sod as he is today, if perhaps rather more naïve.
 
 
Seth
04:57 / 19.06.08
175. Well, that was a lot of nothing happening. Here's to hoping that this whole deal only lasts twenty six episodes.
 
 
Triplets
13:05 / 19.06.08
Innit. So much for it being great filler, although perhaps they're saving the lumber for Captain Tuning Fork's episodes.

Hollow takes on it's regular meaning with 175. My secret, inner fanboy is glad, though, that Bleach has turned into Ninja Scroll for a bit.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
13:11 / 20.06.08
So enervating is this plot, indeed, that this is the first time in months that I haven't bothered to watch the episode the same day I've dl'ed it. The only points of interest for me were Orihime's enormous laundry backlog and the return of Ichigo's NICE VIBE t-shirt.

Anyone finding this filler arc boring should consider watching Kure-nai, which executes the same basic plot with about ten times as much wit, style, character depth and excitement as Bleach is managing just at the moment.
 
 
Sjaak at the Shoe Shop
07:12 / 24.06.08
I did not want to join this threat since I was fully caught up (I am up to ep 144 at the moment) but since apparently everybody is deeply depressed with filler, there aren't many spoilers for me to worry about.

So as a pastime I can offer some of my musings on the show. I could start by stating all the things I love about it, but that has already been done by many, so instead some of my thoughts on Soul Society.

There has been quite a bit of discussion about some of the Shinigami being not the nicest people in the world (such as Yamamoto or Byakuya) or downright evil (Mayuri).
I have always tried to capture this in Roleplaying terminology, and Soul Society as a community should be considered Lawful Neutral (where the first term refers to the attitude towards society, i.e. to what degree do people follow their own moral compass over the group's, and the second term indicates where that moral compass is actually pointing) .
This morality is very much in line with their role of keeping a balance in the world.

Some of the key people in Soul Society exemplify this in their own personal morals, especially the Captain Commander but also Byakuya and maybe Konamura. A lawful neutral society can easily encompass other character types such as Lawful Good (i.e. Ukitake, or Renji & Rukia) and Lawful Evil, as long as they are Lawful.
I am a bit unsure where to fit in Kenpachi. During the Bound arc he went AWOL to fight Maki, which would fit a more Chaotic Neutral type (which seems a general trait of 11th squad), but then him showing up to stop 11th squad to join Ichigo is very Lawful behaviour.

Actually that was an interesting scene, as Renji & Rukia especially were willing to go against all their beliefs and disobey Soul Society (moving to the Chaotic Good of Ichigo and friends).

This brings me to the subject mentioned earlier that Soul Society could use a good shake-up. Yes, I would agree with that, on the other hand what morality should take its place? I mean, their chief task is to Balance the Souls, not to be nice to them. And, following from that, could that function? A Good Soul Society?
To be honest, I don't know. But fun to think about.
 
 
Maat
21:01 / 25.06.08
*Escapes from marauding pile of files briefly*

Hour long recap of Infinite Fail goes here. All Hail Dougras.

Gah! Work. My head. End of line program.
 
 
Seth
21:51 / 26.06.08
Better than Ma'at's linked recap indicates. Some dreadful keyframes but some pretty good fighting, and if the Karakura Scoobies are meeting their matches so quickly then chances are the arc won't be too long.
 
 
Triplets
23:25 / 26.06.08
Really glad they compacted this into an hour. It felt like we got an hour of fight! rather than two bits of semi-fight with an entire week inbetween. If you're gonna have junkfood you might as well pig. Actually loved Rukia quite a bit in this one with her never-say-die-ness, "You're fighting me!". She has such a great, deep voice.

Also, Dougras brings teh funs:

ISHIDA: QUINCY MAAAAAAGIC! ::A MASONIC PENTAGRAM IS INSCRIBED ON THE BATTLEFIELD::

LOVELY OBJECT: NO, NOT THE MASONS.
 
 
nanao-chan
02:03 / 27.06.08
Very nice display of Rukia's shikai. Is hers the only one we've seen so far that has multiple forms or stages?
 
 
Triplets
10:52 / 27.06.08
Possibly. Ichigo's shikai is his always-on cleaver blade but he also has his Getsuga Tensho blade-blast technique.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
12:17 / 27.06.08
Don't forget Ikkaku Madarame's katana => naginata => three-section-staff triple threat zanpaktou, Hōzukimaru.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
15:29 / 27.06.08
True, this episode didn't fail as hard as feared, but I can't help saying that when Bleach filler is plagiarizing other shows that are normally in the shadow of Bleach, it leaves me a little cold. Specifically, the Ishida fight and his opponent's character design and attack style are a near direct lift from an episode of Busō Renkin (ep 18-ish, Gōta Nakamura vs. Shinobu Negoro, if anyone's interested).

I don't mind so much, on balance, because it gives a pretext to flaunt my anime knowledge and use lots of macrons in my posts.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
18:48 / 30.06.08
Footage from Memories of Nobody New York premiere. Of interest for the last-second reveal about the content of the in-production Movie #3....

If I saw a life-sized Kon walking towards me, naturally, I would shit a tower of bricks.
 
 
Sjaak at the Shoe Shop
06:32 / 02.07.08
That was... I don't know what to say...
Kon...
 
 
Sjaak at the Shoe Shop
06:43 / 02.07.08
By the way, I have some questions that keep going round in my head. (I have only reached Ep150, so they may have been answered already)
It's really about the end of Ep143, when Kurosaki & Ishida Senior are talking. Apparently they go way back, together with Uruhara, to some 'Bleach the Previous Generation' setting?
Apparently Ishida Sr knows Isshin's real name? ('this is the first time you called me that')
Also, is Isshin wearing one of Uruhara's Special gigai? that masks reiatsu? (but also drains it?)
And lastly, Ishida Sr makes a remark about Isshin wearing his Shinigami outfit again (as I recall, I haven't got the episode at hand so can't check the exact wording)

Would like to hear your views, speculations, etc!
 
 
Seth
13:53 / 02.07.08
On the first point, translations differ. The one you site is the Dattebayo fansub, the scanlated manga I downloaded (translator unknown) opts for "You've never addressed me like that before," which might be a reference the honorifics - or lack of - applied by Ryuken. I don't believe this issue has an *official* translation yet, but I'm also not sure that Kubo speaks or reads English so I can't say whether that would be more accurate to the meaning or not... especially considering that it might relate to a story point that doesn't exist for us yet and that Kubo might not want to spoil, even with the pretty slim possibility of it being leaked by translators.

Ah, Bleach. We'd have less trouble annotating the Bible. All we can say for sure is that Ryuken has let slip something about a possible change in the nature of their relationship through how he has addressed Isshin.

As for the loss of Isshin's powers, we can speculate that he's been wearing one of Urahara's gigai, got his Chain Link and Soul Sleep severed, transferred his powers to another person in the same way as Rukia does in the first issue/episode or was stripped of his powers as punishment (that's a mini-spoiler for something upcoming in the comic, forgiveable in that it tells you nothing... I hope). Those are the only ways of losing your powers that we've seen besides the one-shot-blow-your-wad-in-one-go thing that seems uniquely Quincy. Lethality Stone also does the Forge/Storm thing but we can discount that as no one else in Karakura Town has any trouble using their powers, and the only other way of limiting power that hasn't yet been adapted into the anime is similarly not likely to be the case as it also relies on enclosing the subject in a single geographical location, and we know that Isshin moves around.

Ultimately, the inclusion of these elements into Bleach so early is a massive tease because we're not likely to find out the real story for absolutely bloody ages. At which point I have again offered a spoiler for the anime, because you can infer that it hasn't been explained in the comic yet, either. Essentially, no one knows any of the backstory yet and we really don't have enough material to speculate besides being able to say (based on this one scene only, nothing that hasn't seen adaptation yet) that the relationship of the fathers seems a lot like the relationship of their sons. That plays out much better in the original issue, as it is split in half almost exactly, with Ichigo and Ishida bickering on the way into Hueco Mundo mirrored against Isshin and Ryuken bickering in the Quincy base with the minimal decor.
 
 
Seth
12:08 / 04.07.08
I suppose the best thing gthat can be said for 178 is that having got the FAIL NINJA out of the way we're 'revealing' (who actually doubted it for a second?) who the real bad guys are... which right now seems like a Captain, his speccy mate and two old men (who actually look like they'll turn out to be the same old man). That's only enough villain to last us another fifteen or so episodes, I reckon right up until the theme music changes.
 
 
Seth
10:40 / 10.07.08
That was very much a game of two halves. The interactions between the characters were all a lot of fun, and the resistance to fighting together as squads was certainly in keeping with everything we know about the Shinigami (bunch of idiots), but the gridlocked conclusion to not being able to co-operate was just a bit bollix, wasn't it? Plus are we supposed to be ignoring the fact that Amagai has two swords, thus making him the top baddest bad guy of the baddies?
 
 
madfigs #32, now with wasabi
16:39 / 10.07.08
I dunno about that - they actually added some new scenes to the opening this week, including one with the Lovely Assistant in the background looking sinister, and one with Amagai fighting against him. So unless it's a ploy to throw us off the truth, Amagai may still be a good guy. He seems so nice...

I'm still not quite sure what the turning fork does, exactly.
 
 
nanao-chan
20:31 / 10.07.08
The third squad captain will forever be Captain Tuning Fork to me now. I thought the tuning fork in this episode worked as a fancy megaphone? Not sure what else it does. And Shunsui has two swords which both transform. Captain Tuning Fork didn't seem to use his sword once (I assume) the shikai form of the tuning fork was released.

What is that thing that Kifune wears under his shinigami robes? Every time I see it I think he has dense lavender chest hair.
 
 
Triplets
22:17 / 10.07.08
"Vice-Captain Kira! How can you say pull back when we've come this far?!"

Big words for someone who has, essentially, run down to the shops. 3rd squad really are idiots, innit.
 
 
nanao-chan
01:56 / 11.07.08
All that said, I like Amaagai and would like him to survive past the filler arc.

That scene with Ukitake was too cute!
 
 
Triplets
13:35 / 11.07.08
Anything with Ukitake or Kyoraku tends to be win. Even in filler.

Aye, I'd like to see Amaagai to cross Heaven's border into canon. Same with Ashido/Acid (the One Man Against Hell) from the Hueco Mundo insertion arc. I've heard tell that he (Acid), like Captain Tuning Fork, was designed by Kubo himself, with the added bonus that Kubo was going to put Acid in the manga but cut him out due to pacing.
 
 
Triplets
13:39 / 11.07.08
My problem with the arc as a whole, though, is that it keeps giving Amaagai problems that are perfect for him to jump in and solve at the last minute. The Doom Trains in the Severing World and, here, gridlock on the streets of Soul Society.

Amaagai's supposed to be the underdog newcomer trying to make good, yes, and they've only got so many episodes to build him up, I get that too, but I can see the strings and it's taking me out of the story.

(Random aside: Amaagai's character design and colour scheme is bloody aces. Subtly iconic, if such a thing can be)
 
 
nanao-chan
14:52 / 11.07.08
Looking at the episode title list on Wikipedia, in future episodes we get to see Amagai's zanpakuto release (shikai? bankai? "Amagai's True Strength, zanpakutō is released!"), and Kifune may turn out to be evil after all ("The Darkness Which Moves! Kifune's True Colors")?

I was suspecting some 2nd division involvement in all these shenanigans and it looks like they make an appearance, too ("The 2nd Division Sorties! Ichigo is Surrounded").

Amagai makes me think of a brunet version of Urahara.

And who is looking after the 5th division? No captain, vice-captain out of commission - didn't they need a captain more urgently than 3rd division? And, how come the bad captains all came from odd-numbered divisions?

Watching episode 179, I got to wondering what it must be like for Ukitake to stand next to Zaraki in captain meetings year after year. Do they ever chitchat? Exchange hair care tips? And it's probably a good thing Kyoraku stands between Byakuya and Hitsugaya, I imagine things could get pretty frosty between those two if they stood next to each other.
 
 
Seth
18:08 / 17.07.08
Red pineapple!

While the closing theme is full on Rukia-tastic (a good thing), it does seem rather unambiguously romantic between my Never-to-be-Wife and Ichigo, doesn't it? And doesn't she seem a little dispirited?

Not sure what in the blue hell is going on with the tune, either...
 
 
nanao-chan
18:33 / 17.07.08
That episode, even Dougras's recap could not save it.
 
 
nanao-chan
13:17 / 24.07.08
Episode 181, totally saved by the omake.

I still have no idea what's going on with the current storyline. And for a minute there, it looked like there'd been a 3rd squad captain switcheroo - thank you quality animation!
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
19:37 / 24.07.08
I did enjoy the toyed-with notion that, despite being in theory more powerful than her, Ichigo could have his ass handed to him quite readily by Soi Fong since he's not used to her fighting style. But since this episode contained more aborted fight scenes than any I can remember, that type of fan-pleasing enquiry will go unexplored.

Some of the QUALITY did make me laugh and wince pretty hard, with Ichigo's completely off-the-wall facial expressions when being attacked, and the decision to give Soi Fong an apparent 14" waistline.
 
 
Maat
15:34 / 29.07.08
181 - Does it make me a bad person if I admit to watching the scene where Soi Fon kicks the crap out of Ichigo three times in a row?

Also, does anyone else think that the wimpy fiance boy looks like he is related to Captain Tuning Fork?

Episode 181, totally saved by the omake.

For sure. My Sweet Baboo makes everything better. Although why on earth he didn't kick off big time during the scene at the Captain's meeting I have no idea. Surely since Kuchiki pwns everyone in noble ranking then Bya would have been the obvious choice to sort this mess out? Filler has no character logic. Filler needs no character logic.

My theory to explain this plothole? Bya was actually asleep during the captain's meeting. He stands there with his eyes closed and everyone thinks he's being stoic and uninterested when in actual fact he's taking the opportunity to catch up on some of the sleep debt he's incurred since embarking on a tempestuous affair with his vice captain.
 
  

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