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Bleach (Manga)

  
  

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Seth
23:17 / 20.10.08
When Aizen explained to Unohana and Isane that his zanpakuto causes 'Absolute Hypnosis' he says the condition of the illusion is to see the moment of release. I agree with you that once released you're under its spell for good. Isane says that he gathered all the Shinigami to demonstrate its fake water-based shikai, which would fool all of them indefinitely. However, Aizen claims that after murdering the Council he released it in their meeting chamber to give the impression to any visitors that they were still in session. He wouldn't need to cast it on the Shinigami (any who were important enough to go there would have seen its earlier release) and any other visitor would not have seen him release it in the chamber, so it wouldn't work on them. When wartime orders are declared the Council has a good reason to seal themselves in, so the locks that Hitsugaya found in place would not have been too suspicious. However, Aizen murdered the council the moment he located Rukia in the real world (he gave the orders to Byakuya and Renji to apprehend her under the guise of the council). So there's a period of time in which the chamber was covered only by the illusion and the presence of either Aizen, Tousen or Gin (that spans between locating Rukia and Ichigo's assault on Seireitei that prompted wartime orders in the first place). Effectively, there's no point in Aizen releasing his shikai when there's only a room full of dead people to witness it and Shinigami visitors would be under his spell anyway. The only way I can see around that plot hole is that the word *visitor* was mistranslated by the scanlators/fansubbers, and that perhaps Aizen did it to fool some kind of surveillance system... but that's a big leap.
 
 
Seth
23:18 / 20.10.08
Good to have you on board, BTW!
 
 
ORA ORA ORA ORAAAA!!
00:30 / 21.10.08
Ah, I see.
It says in the translation I read (at readbleach.com) that he 'used' kyouka suigetsu, which I read to mean that he'd put an illusion in place, rather than that he'd released his shikai there. This is the impression I got from the anime, also.

I'm not sure how his ability is supposed to work, exactly, but it does seem that he can hypnotise people to see things in locations where he's not actively standing (his corpse, for instance - he was in the central 46 at the time, I read), which feels more like leaving an illusion in place than hypnosis per se.

Also, with regards to haatchi 'overdoing it', I read that has him saying he might have strained himself with his kidou, incantationless, and have been better off with the incantation version - in the panel after he fires it off, he's standing like people do, in bleach, when they're well beat up, panting. I don't think he was saying he'd made the kidou itself too powerful... But, again, you might have read a different translation to me, so who can say?

edit: actually, I've just checked, and the translation I read actually says "I ... overexerted myself a little"
 
 
Seth
13:08 / 25.10.08
331 is yet more evidence that one of Kubo's primary themes is the reframing of the bumbling, gurning, screaming idiot as a figure worthy of our attention and respect. Pesche and Dondo Chakka are brave and loyal; Nel exhibits the most nobility of all the Espada; Keigo displays the most sensitivity to others of all the characters (although he is so insecure that he rarely has any idea what to do with it); Ganju is resourceful and tenacious; Isshin is a single parent who has managed to raise three good kids despite his own grief and regret (leaving aside the fact that he hasn't told them who he really is, his reasons for which may at least be understandable); and now Omaeda has been revealed to knowing capitalise on his oafish façade in order to lull his enemies into a false sense of security. What I particularly like about this revelation is the inference that he considers everyone to be his enemy, including his Captain, because he maintains his façade all the time. The seeds for this revelation were sown during their conversation while walking to Rukia's execution. Omaeda's covert distrust seems to have been in place in his character since his first appearance.

What I'm less keen on is the implications this has for Soi Fong, because it seems as though she's been made to look like a fool twice in the space of two issues. Her dialogue to Ggio (brilliant name) in 330 seems to indicate that Omaeda has been successful in making her think that he's less capable than he really is. And rather than quickly dispatching her opponent (for which she praises Komamura, remember) she takes her time and lords it over her. Ggio takes great pleasure in pointing out that Soi Fong has carelessly thrown away her advantage, and that this necessarily makes her bad at her job. Considering the history of the 2nd Division one can't help but agree.

Soi Fong is apparently cold and cruel, and own only glimpse into her inner vulnerability is solely informed by her relationship to Yoruichi. In every respect she has been framed as an unworthy successor. It is Yoruichi who can pass unnoticed in Soul Society despite being a wanted criminal. It is Yoruichi who is the true master of Shunko. It was Yoruichi who seemed to have her fingers in every important pie that Soul Society had to offer (if my previous speculation is accurate). And it was Yoruichi's unnoticed escape that implied a dereliction of duty on the part of her bodyguard, Soi Fong.

2nd Division have five branches; 1: The Executive Militia (or Punishment Force); 2: The Patrol Corps; 3: The Detention Unit; 5: The Reversal Counter Force/Correctional Force/Secret Remote Squad (the duties of the 4th branch are unknown at this point). If my interpretation of those duties is accurate then Soi Fong is ultimately to blame for many of the events of the Soul Society arc. Rukia, Renji, Hinamori, Kira, Ishida, Ganju and Chad all escape from detention (twice in Hinamori's case). Ichigo's invading force are not immediately identified and eliminated by Omaeda's Patrol Unit. Rukia's execution is botched beyond belief, using a tool that should be under the jurisdiction of the Shihouin Clan (who are inseparably tied to the 2nd Division). Soi Fong was almost entirely absent from the action throughout Ichigo's invasion.

There's no interpretive framework that can hold her solely to blame for allowing Aizen's conspiracy to go unnoticed. Everyone fell for that one. But her inability to find Urahara over a one hundred year span, given her personal investment in Yoruichi's whereabouts, is bizarre. The fugitive former Captain of the 12th chose put his name on a huge sign above his home address, from which he also did business! Even if his status as persona-non-grata is not all it's cracked up to be I would have thought that locating him would have been within Soi Fong's power, and even if the events surrounding their exile were kept secret one of the first people she would have asked would have been Yoruichi's childhood friend.

Now Kubo seems to be showing us that on top of being in the dark about her own Lieutenant's true nature Soi Fong has screwed up an easy kill through Chris-Claremontesque-this-is-how-my-power-works posturing. Virtually everyone in the series has been guilty of explaining their abilities before they use them at some point, so it's a little annoying that Soi Fong is the one who gets turned into a cautionary tale. Ggio is correct; it reflects badly on her ability to do her job. The entire narrative so far seems to reflect badly on her.

I'm gratified that Omaeda has had his dignity restored. What concerns me is that his Captain is much more deserving of the same, but has actually had more taken from her instead. I really hope this gets turned around in some manner.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
14:17 / 25.10.08
Hmm... based on all of the above, it's certainly looking bad for Soi Fong. Her inability or unwillingness to do what was necessary during the Soul Society arc is looking more and more like incompetence radiating outward from her blind spot over her beloved Yoruichi-sama - and if, as seems obvious, the former Captain's playful capriciousness masks an extremely pragmatic and far-sighted mind, it's worth pondering what her motivation was for leaving a successor with such glaring flaws as commander of the all-important Second Division and its subsidiaries. If it was solely to give Yoruichi a residual hold over the Second that she could exploit whenever the time was right, that's understandable, but it certainly doesn't appear as if she had Soul Society's long-term strategic superiority in mind when she arranged events this way. (Unless, of course, she intended the Second and Gotei 13 as a whole to be critically weakened, to give Urahara the necessary advantage or for deeper reasons still.) I have a feeling that Soi Fong is going to fall hard, and while it might seem unfair that she's singled out so in a narrative that's usually quite forgiving of its characters' flaws, I think that the way back for her is going to be long and tough - which will make it all the more satisfying, particularly if her eventual self-redemption and even potential surpassing of Yoruichi extends on into the next story arc. (I'm assuming here, perhaps without real cause, that Soul Society is about to endure a shattering defeat, maybe even during this Winter War, and that those at the top left standing will have to go through a lot of self-examination before they can call themselves captains once again.) Outside of the Shiba clan, Grimmjow Jeagerjacques and the Privaron Espada, and perhaps the Vizards, there aren't many characters in Bleach who've had to endure a humiliating fall from grace, and that's something I'd be interested to see play out here.

Totally agree with you on the brilliance of Omaeda's turnaround. He knows he's an unpopular, charmless buffoon who got his position through the old boy network, but it's worth remembering he comes from Soul Society's equivalent of old money, and in our world at least such people are often quite adept at putting on a silly-ass front while actually being extremely savvy about maintaining their power and status. It's the other end of the seesaw he and Soi Fong have been on since they were introduced, so it makes perfect sense to have him suddenly act clever and competent when her complacency is bringing her up short so abruptly.

Off topic, I'm a little surprised that you identified Ggio Vega (can't wait 'til the anime voice actors have to deal with that one) as female; I had him/her pegged as pre-adult male, probably because the character design and facial features seem to fall somewhere between Hitsugaya and Soi Fong on the Bleach gender spectrum. I don't think there's been a direct reference to his/her sex so far, unless the translation I read has missed something out - Japanese pronouns being a dense field at the best of times. Out of six Barragan Fraccion, it'll be a tad unconvincing if one doesn't manage a decisive victory, all the more reason to think that the next round is going to feature some real losses for the black kimonos.
 
 
Seth
14:43 / 25.10.08
Thinking about it I'll need to check the issues in which Urahara talks about his responsibilities as head of Detention. If the involvement of 2nd Division is restricted to the Maggots Nest then Soi Fong couldn't be held responsible for the escapes during the Soul Society arc, with the possible exception of Ganju and Hanataro's infiltration of the Shrine of Penitance (death row could be seen as her remit).

However, the Shihouin clan's ownership of a device that can destroy the Sougyoku would seem to place that execution method firmly under her jurisdiction. After all, Aizen tells Renji that it is designed to execute Captain-class Shinigami. Who else but 2nd Division would preside over the execution of powerful enemies of the state? If the Shihouin Clan possess a device that can unmake it then it seems implied that they made it in the first place. From memory it was Soi Fong who recognised what it was when Ukitate deployed it (again, I'll need to check). Could this sequence be taken as evidence that there is more division between the Shihouin Clan and the 2nd Division than is immediately apparent? Soi Fong was originally from a lower-class family who traditionally served the Shihouin Clan. If they took her promotion to Captain as an insult then they could have withheld power and influence from her out of pride (or spite framed as 'pride'). Does the presence of a member of the Shihouin Clan as Captain of the 2nd confer additional power and influence to the 2nd Division, or is the opposite true? Previously I believed that the two existed in symbiosis, but I'm starting to believe that the true power lies with the clan. If this is the case then Soi Fong's authority may have been severely impaired, and as such the many lapses under her leadership may not have been her fault at all, and might go some way to explain Yamamoto being lenient regarding how much he expects of her. Final authority would typically have fallen to the usually unlenient Council of 46, but given their mullered condition and Aizen's vested interest in a weak 2nd Division this can be easily explained. Less so the intervening hundred years…

I'm inclined to agree with Seele Schneider. Yoruichi can be held responsible for a lot of this. How far we take that responsibility is a matter of speculation. You could speculate that her status as head of the clan places her above the law in some respect, and that she retained clan influence while losing her Gotei 13 position. And you could speculate further that she has deliberately weakened her former division in order that she, Urahara and Tessai could continue their work on Earth unchallenged.

Regardless: Kubo, please give Soi Fong some respect. She's been the underdog Captain for too long.

Regarding Ggio's ggender… I guess we'll see. I like your androgyny specs!
 
 
Seth
17:33 / 25.10.08
First of all, checks complete. Yes, Soi Fong is the one to recognise the Shihouin Clan crest at Rukia's botched execution. And yes, normal detention was part of Urahara's duties as well as Special Detention in the Maggots Nest. As he puts it to Hiyori (translation: Ju-Ni), "My main duty was to imprison and supervise those that have committed crimes in Seireitei... the Internment Unit has another job known as 'Special Internment.'"

OK. Because the whole of Barbelith is screaming out for it...

Fan Theory #875,943,679: Soi Fong as Working Class Hero

Soi Fong is born as 'Shaolin Fong' into the working class Fong family. She sees her brothers die in selfless devotion to the Shihouin Clan. She claims she hates them for their incompetence, but I suspect that she actually hated the system that made them cannon fodder and projected that anger elsewhere. The anger was a cover for her fear, because she knew she was about to enter that same system that had crushed her brothers. For her it was better to hate her brothers than succumb to a class victim mentality. Soi Fong hates being looked down upon and hates being a victim.

She takes her great grandmother's code name 'Soi Fong.' In her narration of these events this is her choice, her rejection of her own given name in pursuit of her goals, which are the same goals as a former operative and family member. That she is her great grandmother hints that Soi Fong the elder survived into old age, and that the young Shaolin Fong may have known her personally. She is therefore a symbol of the survivor, something to which she aspires (because her brothers never managed it). Soi Fong sets her will to achieve what her grandmother achieved and thereby surpass her brothers.

Soi Fong worships Yoruichi, who notices her and tells her she has potential. In the anime Yoruichi goes further and tells Soi Fong that she reminds her of herself and that she considers her to be like a little sister. It cannot have escaped Yoruichi that Soi Fong's feelings for her extended far beyond the normal Captain/subordinate relationship. Aizen says something like "Admiration is the feeling furthest from understanding." Anyone who wants to pursue the theory that Yoruichi has manipulated Soi Fong from the outset can use this as their starting point, but the story doesn't necessarily have to be interpreted in that manner.

The events of Turn Back the Pendulum. Yoruichi disappears and is convicted of colluding with Urahara and Tessai in absentia. I'm increasingly of the belief that Soi Fong's feelings of betrayal were an unfortunate but necessary consequence, and that Yoruichi didn't have any other option in her flight from Soul Society. She didn't have time to explain. Soi Fong also feels responsible for not being able to keep track of the movements of a woman she was supposed to protect. But who can really blame her for not keeping pace with the God of Flash? In her eyes her brothers betrayed her and now Yoruichi has betrayed her. They are flawed, fallible and weak. In reality she loved her brothers and still loves Yoruichi. She misses them desperately and seeks to cut that part of herself out and discard it.

Soi Fong is no victim. She is not weak, not like the others. She will survive and she will thrive.

The Council of 46 recognise that there is a problem. Shihouin Yoruichi was capable of pulling too many tricks under their very noses. The fact that she herself interrupted the trial and entered their chambers without authorisation to assist Urahara and Tessai is seen as a personal insult. They order Soi Fong's promotion as a means of making an example out of the Shihouin Clan. She becomes the first working class head of 2nd Division. Although everyone recognises her determination and ability her promotion is viewed as a political decision, one that makes the traditionally influential Shihouin Clan lose face.

The clan leaders hope that she will fail. They stack the odds against her, withdrawing all the support they can while maintaining the appearance of normality. They might even have tried to remove her from power or assassinate her. Soi Fong courageously maintains the position for one hundred years in spite of massive adversity, continually locked in a power struggle with an upper class that were responsible for the death of many in her family.

Her anger towards Yoruichi far exceeds the belief that she has been betrayed. Yoruichi is the one who installed her into a position of power, and coupled with her disappearance and the fact Soi Fong should have been aware of her whereabouts at all times this made Soi Fong an excellent candidate for the humiliation of an old clan in the eyes of the Central 46. Soi Fong is smart enough to realise this. While she makes the most she can of a promotion that most would find untenable she hates Yoruichi for putting her in that position.

Omaeda is installed as her Lieutenant. Received Bleach wisdom holds that Captains choose their own Second Officers. Perhaps Soi Fong chose him because of the chip on her shoulder, believing that she could hammer this pampered rich slob into shape, using him to take out some of her class frustration. Perhaps she chose him to appease the elite of Soul Society. Perhaps it was because she wanted to flip the bird to the Shihoiun Clan by promoting someone who was rich and influential from a different family over someone who may have traditionally been expected to fill the position. Perhaps she installed someone who seemed to be her polar opposite as a constant reminder to herself to keep on her toes regardless of how much time had passed. Perhaps she wanted to torture herself even further.

The events of the Soul Society arc. Yoruichi returns. Perhaps she seeks out her old clan in the spaces between panels and encourages them to use their influence to weaken Soi Fong (I increasingly doubt it). Perhaps the Shihouin Clan decide to seize this opportunity themselves in order to humiliate in turn the very person who was promoted to humiliate them. Many grievous errors are made, but Soi Fong is not to blame. The errors were deliberate on the part of a jealous and humiliated upper class old guard. She is absent throughout much of the arc because she is involved in damage control measures.

Yoruichi chooses not to approach Soi Fong for assistance. Perhaps this is to weaken Soi Fong (again, I doubt this to be the case). Perhaps it is because she knows what has befallen her former bodyguard and is wracked with guilt because of the unavoidable role she played in causing such difficult circumstances. Perhaps Yoruichi simply cannot face Soi Fong until there is no alternative. Instead she approaches Ukitate and Kyoraku, knowing them to be good judges of character. Kyoraku was already suspicious of Aizen. He suspected him at the time of Turn Back the Pendulum when Yoruichi originally disappeared. Now Ukitate says she has returned, at exactly the moment when Aizen is mysteriously 'murdered.' The two suspect foul play and are therefore receptive when Yoruichi hands them the keys to the device that can destroy the Sougyoku.

Aizen defects. Everyone is made to look like fools. The Council of 46 are dead. Yamamoto cannot continue without soldiers of Captain and Lieutenant level, so he grants amnesty to everyone who acted dubiously (including Yoruichi, Urahara and Tessai), especially if they sided with the Ryoka/Nakamakura. Soi Fong returns with Yoruichi to capture Aizen without anyone needing to order her to do so. As a result she weathers the opportunistic storm that was caused by the Shihouin Clan. Soi Fong uses the return of her mentor to reassert her position, and this time she is given the support of Yoruichi herself.

Her relationship with Omaeda is fraught with difficulties. She sees him as representing everything that she hates, a ruling caste that has shaped her fate and against whom she has struggled her entire life. This blinds her to what he is really like, to the similarity that binds them. Soi Fong has fought against people who have tried to topple her throughout her whole life and sees enemies everywhere she looks. So does Omaeda: everyone wants a piece of his fortune. They are united in their paranoia, bitterness and misanthropy.

So there we go. Losing her advantage over Ggio is the only mistake of which Soi Fong is truly guilty througout the whole history of Bleach. We can explain it away because she's trained herself to overtly display her power. After all, overt displays of power have been what's kept her alive and in charge for a hundred years. It's her survival strategy.

I think I've just fallen in love with her.
 
 
Seth
17:43 / 25.10.08
This theory also explains Soi Fong's inability to locate Urahara and Yoruichi. The Shihouin Clan were protecting their own. They sabotaged every attempt.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
18:58 / 25.10.08
Wonderful analysis, and the first time Rukia's had a serious rival for the coveted position of Seth's waifu. Particularly strong on Soi Fong's potential reasons for choosing Omaeda as her lieutenant: for my part I'd always vaguely assumed that such a chinless blowhard could only have risen to such a level thanks to his social connections - the old boy network as I termed it above - and Second Division's strong ties to the nobility only strengthened my conviction that this must the case. That Soi Fong might potentially have feelings about him other than resentment at being saddled with the fool never entered my mind.

One minor cavil: it's more accurate to speak of the Fong clan as 'lesser nobility' (the term used in the Viz translations in this regard) than as 'working class', certainly as we understand the term. Given that Soul Society is a fantasy of pre-Meiji Japan with iron-hard and intricate social distinctions intact, bear in mind that for the exalted likes of the Shihouins (Bleach's analogue to the Tokugawa line, I'm hazarding) 'working class' people would be the miserable wretches of the Rukongai - hardly even worth considering as fellow human beings. There would still be plenty enough levels of status between the Shihouin clan, the Kuchikis, the Shibas and the Fong clan for each to seem to the other to belong to entirely different social strata, even while the differences between them wouldn't be readily apparent to anyone outside their society. Of course, from Shaolin Fong's perspective (and I totally forgot that point about her adopting her great-grandmother's name; thanks for the reminder) the power of the Shihouins over her family was indeed as absolute as any aristocrat's over his serfs, so the analysis still holds up.

Something you haven't mentioned, that my reread of the manga following this has brought up: Shihouin Yoruichi's official title was Tenshi Heisouban (Viz trans: Defender of the Realm), suggesting she did indeed have some status of overall responsibility or stewardship over Soul Society, perhaps making her the highest power of the nobility not to hold the executive status of the Council of 46. And one thing further: we're told that Yoruichi was the twenty-second head of the household, and the first female to hold both that position and the title of Tenshi Heisouban. Institutional sexism doesn't come up often in Bleach, and the meaning of the title isn't enlarged on overmuch, but that relationship to tradition combined with her typically perverse personality certainly seems like the recipe for someone who'd be itching to overturn the system that created her from within. No wonder she and Urahara fit together like Meccano, and no wonder she has plenty of time for an uncouth, instinctively egalitarian young cuss such as Ichigo. Idle speculation ahoge (ni-ban).
 
 
Seth
19:21 / 25.10.08
Some lovely Yoruichi speculation and a nice correction on status distinctions. I might stick with the Working Class Hero tag though, purely because I like the sound of it.

Soi Fong now rules in my estimation.

A further prediction. Look at the way Soi Fong is dressed. It could be an indication that she has chosen to fight as a Captain alongside the other Captains, with all the honour, etiquette and courtesy that entails.

But Ggio has asked for an assassin, an executioner. He/she even made the mistake of saying words to the effect of "Judging by your attire." If that's what Ggio wants, that's exactly what Soi Fong can deliver. All she needs to do is - ahem - tear off a few strips of clothing through sheer force of her reiatsu...

... and by doing so demonstrate that she has equalled or surpassed Yoruichi at her own secret technique.

I'm betting that Soi Fong won't even need to use her bankai to teach this malicious little upstart the lesson they deserve.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
19:23 / 25.10.08
One minor cavil



HEY GAIZ WATS GOING ON IN THIS THREAD
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
19:24 / 25.10.08
Quiet, you.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
19:27 / 25.10.08
Aaand I've trod all over El D's fine last post with my SO RANDUM humour. Sorry, aniki.
 
 
Seth
19:31 / 25.10.08
You just want to be the focus of attention / the name that everyone must mention.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
19:35 / 25.10.08
SENSATIONAL

God I miss that song.

This thread's going well isn't it?
 
 
Seth
21:09 / 25.10.08
Very. You are to be commended. While everyone else is either jumping ship or moaning about the state of Barbelith I think this thread represents some of the best fun this site has ever offered.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
22:06 / 25.10.08
You're right. Welcome back, RFR, I neglected to mention.

Next objective: get Ma'at-chan and nanao-chan back in here and get *them* giving us their thoughts on what the hell sex Ronnie James Ggio Tigertailz is supposed to be.
 
 
Seth
09:29 / 26.10.08
The presence of Ma'at would liven this thread up considerably, and it's already one of the livelier ones on the site. She says she's too busy to contribute, but in actuality that means she's writing porn about these characters rather than writing analysis.

In some ways they're the same thing, though...
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
10:48 / 26.10.08
Dude. You should trade.
 
 
Seth
09:43 / 27.10.08
Who would I pair off? I'd want them all for myself. I'd probably end up writing myself in and it'd turn out as egomaniacal as The Invisibles.
 
 
Feverfew
18:20 / 27.10.08
Just to stop by and say that although I haven't posted recently following my Kon-speculation, I love what's been written here, and your hypotheses flesh out characters in ways that I really appreciate.
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
18:42 / 31.10.08
#332: ....

...I don't think I've been so happy to be spectacularly, thunderingly wrong in quite a while.

Go team 2nd!
 
 
Seth
12:04 / 06.11.08
I'm less convinced at the moment. Omaeda's hubris at his own seeming victory caused him to underestimate his opponent. He survived by chance alone. That rather seems to undercut the reveal of his concealed sneakiness in 331. He also steps in to save Soi Fong, which again seems to rob her of the status she deserves. Off the top of my head I can't recall a single other instance in which a Captain is saved by their Lieutenant. It seems to reflect particularly poorly on her, because she refused to show any concern for him and thought he deserved a taste of 'reality' at the hands of Barragan's as yet unnamed Fraccion. She believed that he needed assistance and chose to patronise him instead, he believed that she needed assistance and stepped right in. Of course, any and all of these observations may get reversed in the light of new chapters, but right now I'm still wishing Soi Fong was given more respect.

However, I loved Omaeda's observation that Soi Fong was too proud to appear weak in order to deceive her enemy, because by implication that means that Omaeda has no pride at all. A nicely judged hint of self-awareness and arguably even humility from a character who I'd previously believed lacked both.
 
 
Seth
04:50 / 07.11.08
Argh! Who is it?
 
 
Seth
04:56 / 07.11.08
Please, please, please...

... be Momo Hinamori.
 
 
Seth
12:54 / 07.11.08
Oh hell yes. Oh hell yes. Oh hell yes.

It's Momo Hinamori. I'm sure of it.

After beating the insomnia and feeling a bit more awake I remembered that Kubo has shown us Tobiume's release once and once only: when Hinamori faces Kira and Gin over Aizen's fake corpse. I checked back and it exactly matches what we see here. Plus... how many other characters would provoke that kind of startled reaction from Matsumoto?

It's Momo Hinamori. Utter fucking brilliance. Kick their fucking heads in and have your moment, because you really fucking deserve it.

#333 has gone some way to addressing my problems with the Soi Fong fight. It turns out she was telling the truth last issue: she was using her fight with Ggio to prepare herself for the Espada. And I was totally blindsided by how she beat Ggio. We know she was telling the truth because she needed nothing in the way of a power up to kill him. She didn't even need him to be trapped against the wall. She could beat him with Suzumebachi any time she felt like it. Which is another gratifying touch: having introduced her sword as the decisive two-hit kill I'd begun to despair of ever seeing it in operation. To be denied it twice in Soi Fong's only two fights seemed a stretch too far, but still Kubo made us think he'd passed on that moment.

So now it's only Halibel's Fraccion left, right?

The asskickery rundown is as follows:

Matsumoto (and Hinamori, I hope to god) vs Sun Sun, Mila Rose and Apache

Hitsugaya vs Halibel

Kyoraku and Ukitate vs Stark and Lilinette (although it appears to be just Kyoraku vs Stark at this stage)

Soi Fong and Omaeda vs Barragan

Ichigo vs Ulquiorra

The Nakamakura vs The Exequias

Currently without battles:

Yamamoto, Aizen, Tousen and Gin

Defending pillars:

Komamura, Iba, Hisagi, Kira

Out for the time being:

Ikkaku, Yumichika, Grimmjow

Whereabouts known but not currently engaged:

Ishida, Byakuya, Kenpachi & Yachiru, Mayuri & Nemu, Unohana, Isane & Hanatorou.

Status ambiguous:

Gantenbein, Dordonni and Cirucci

Whereabouts totally unknown:

Yami, Wonderwice, the Urahara Shop employees (including Yoruichi), the Kurosaki Family (including Kon), Ryuken, the remaining Karakura High cast, the Shiba Clan, the Vaizard, Maki Maki, Zennosuke, Don Kanonji

Does anyone else have the vaguely ominous impression that the Gotei 13 are all being given a chance to shine before they either get the shit kicked out of them or are tricked out of their victory? The Espada and their Fraccion may not even be there if you consider that Aizen's zanpakuto possesses a proven ability to make fools of everyone. Or are the top three Espada really that powerful?
 
 
Razor Wind
01:00 / 09.11.08
I'll be going with Momo too.
 
 
Seth
17:22 / 14.11.08
#334: This is much better than I could have expected or written myself. Rather than being the triumphant return of a character who has resolved her pain and confusion or a misguided and desperate attempt to 'save' a former captain, Momo Hinamori's presence is as difficult and ambiguous as it ought to be while so far seeming to be the Fakekura Battle's defining moment of bravery. She is not well. Her words betray her. She admits that she is outgunned by the Fraccion. But she is fighting regardless.

The ripple effect of her sudden appearance is what makes this issue so electrifying to read. Hitsugaya is thrown but does not allow Halibel an opening. Halibel's reaction is extremely unusual: surely she can't expect an honest answer to her question? Is she seeking a means of leverage over her opponent? If she is, why has she let on that she's noticed? Frankly, what do we know about Halibel? She has seemed most concerned of all the Espada for her Fraccion, and perhaps the reason that she hasn't seemed to pay them much attention in the battle so far is because she doesn't believe that Matsumoto represents a threat. So far she seems both insightful and honourable, at least as much as one can be while allied to Aizen. And on the subject of Sousuke, even he seems to suffer a moment of surprise… to the extent that I wonder whether he himself has secret concerns about the wildcard he has created. Exactly how many times can he reply that a change in the enemy "Won't make a difference" before he's proved wrong?

But it's Hinamori's pairing with Matsumoto that makes me wonder most. Back here I speculated that Hitsugaya's relationship with his Lieutenant has seemed topsy turvy since they turned up in Karakura Town with Renji, Rukia, Ikkaku et al, and that he might be keeping a close eye on Rangiku. Both Lieutenants have deeply ambigious relationships with two of the primary antagonists. Matsumoto has so far never seemed defined by her relationship to Gin, but Hinamori has been obsessive about Aizen to the point of mania. Hitsugaya was concerned about Matsumoto prior to her deciding to take on Halibel's Fraccion single handed. How much more concerned must he be now to have Hinamori also guarding his rear flank?

Since Turn Back the Pendulum there has been a suspicious amount of thematic material devoted to the delicate balance of trust between Captains and their Lieutenants. Hiyori is devoted to her former Captain and manipulated by Urahara until her loyalty is secure. Yoruichi and Kyoraku both tell Urahara to trust in his subordinate in their particular idiosyncratic ways. Kyoraku shows absolute trust in Lisa. Aizen and Tousen betray Shinji and Kensei respectively. Komamura tells Iba that his place is at his side rather than retreating from the battlefield. Soi Fong tells Omaeda that he should use his Captain's apparent failure as an opportunity for an opening instead of defending a comrade. While all of this is admittedly speculation based purely on subtext… no one questioned Hisagi, Kira or Komamura prior to their respective fights despite their close relationships to Gin and Tousen, whereas Hitsugaya seems to have had concerns about whether Matsumoto has his back covered and now both he and Rangiku have concerns about Hinamori. Is the implication of the Fakekura Battle that female characters are expected to waver whereas male characters aren't? Or is this a red herring or symptomatic of something else entirely?

The 10th Squad front in this battle now seems far too complex for an outcome to be easily predicted. But I'm wondering whether we have a similar situation to Yumichika and Ikkaku's earlier battle. I guess it's some kind of narrative law that demands contrasting outcomes for similar situations. Yumichika was allowed to conceal his powers a second time, and so by default Ikkaku couldn't be given a similarly easy ride. Matsumoto and Hinamori are both on ambiguous ground regarding their stance towards Yamamoto's villainous Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The former (deliberately?) picked a battle that she was ill-equipped to win, arguably exposing her Captain to attack from the rear (at least that's one interpretation. She may have been valiantly but misguidedly trying to free him up to take on Halibel); the latter's incongruity has been worryingly laid bare by a Freudian slip. Will one prove loyal, the other disloyal? However, there's less contrivance here than when Yumichika fought Coolhorn. That victory was suspiciously convenient and therefore had to leave Ikkaku in trouble. This situation is nowhere near as clear cut and not convenient for anyone. If Matsumoto intends to draw out Gin or attempt a defection then Hinamori is now in her way. Hinamori surely can't be subjected to further indignity: surely Kubo wouldn't intend for her to attempt to join Aizen, especially not as she seems to be fighting with everything she has (and so far succeeding admirably where Matsumoto had stalled)? If both are potentially traitorous then we're in for an uncomfortable shift in my understanding of gender representation in Bleach. My desired outcome? That together they're victorious against Sun Sun, Mila Rose and Apache, that both are rock solid on the side of the Shinigami, that narrative jujitsu turns Hitsugaya's concern for his rear guard into a three on one fight in which Halibel has the short straw... and that if betrayal comes at all then it is from another quarter altogether.

And for this to properly mirror the Soul Society Arc there has to be some kind of betrayal, right?

Unrelated: Where is Nanao?
 
 
Seth
17:29 / 14.11.08
...waiting in the wings for Lilinette?
 
 
Mysterious Transfer Student
18:40 / 14.11.08
Little to add to that, except that the first panel on page two of this week's issue, with Hinamori's first appearance since her last, awful cameo in chapter 224, is one of my favourite single panels in the recent run. Hinamori's completely isolated in the centre of her white space, stooped as if carrying the weight of Tobiume is almost more than she can bear, her face betraying the tremendous amount of stress she's under. It's the perfect reintroduction for the character who more than any other represents the depth of Aizen's cruelty and talent for manipulation. And I was quietly joyful when she answered Rangiku's doubts (another wonderfully eloquent panel, the latter's expression while looking at Hinamori's armband was perfect) by declaring herself the leader of 5th Division. Even in the face of the continued doubt and ambiguity over her loyalty and sanity, this couldn't have been a better reintroduction for the character. Let's hope she and her friends - the richest cross-squad web of relationships, if you include Gin, in the series - come good as El Directo anticipated.

Off my remarks above, is anyone else of the opinion that Kubo's art in the last few issues has been, well, really terrific? The 2nd Division vs. Tiger-boy and Mammoth-dude fight had some unrivalled actioned sequences, really capturing Soi Fong's desperate attempts to outpace Ggio (I still maintain she was fighting as hard as she possibly could until Omaeda gave her the few moments she needed to catch up and deliver the coup de grace); the range of expressions on Omaeda in #332 as he ran the gamut of emotions from stoic warrior to craven buffoon to embarrassed second fiddle to his heartlessly ungrateful superior were perfectly done, only outshone by the pin-up splash page ('This is the Face of Stubbornness!') with his magnificently detailed and vulgar Edo-wanksta jewellery. It's fitting that even after Omaeda revealed his hidden strength and laid everything on the line for his captain, absolutely nothing about their relationship has changed - they're both far too attached to their usual identities for that. I know El D's flown the flag for Soi Fong in this thread recently, but I'm quite partial to her as someone who in her own way is as nasty and unsympathetic as Mayuri, even if she is rather more interesting in dramatic terms.
 
 
Seth
15:42 / 16.11.08
And I was quietly joyful when she answered Rangiku's doubts (another wonderfully eloquent panel, the latter's expression while looking at Hinamori's armband was perfect) by declaring herself the leader of 5th Division.

I initially had a similar reaction, but after a few seconds Hinamori's claim to leadership of the 5th started to feel more troubling than anything else. Both Hisagi and Kira are in the same boat, but to the best of my recollection neither has claimed leadership, just a temporary responsibility for their former Captain's duties (Kira's recognition as temporary leader is non-canonical, happening as it did within the Amagai Arc. God, I hate gracing that story with a name as though it has any kind of importance). They were deployed to the Fakekura Battle as 'skilled' or 'elite' fighters, not as leaders. Hinamori has been out of action since Aizen left. God knows what Soul Society's Sickness/Absence Procedure must be, but from Matsumoto's reaction she hasn't even had a Return to Work Interview, let alone been placed on Restricted Duties, much less been allowed to assume any of Aizen's responsibilities, so the notion of her as any kind of leader can only be seen as a striking example of her mentally unbalanced state, divorced from the reality of her situation.

Saying that… the 5th Division Lieutenant's badge has seen quite a lot of action recently. It was last seen around twenty issues and a hundred years ago being cut from Aizen's arm by Urahara. There's the hint of a certain symbolic symmetry, only without enough information for us to be able to fully judge what it might mean. The badge has the obvious literal meaning, but is it indicative of some kind of 5th Division curse, that anyone who wears it is likely to have dubious loyalties towards Soul Society? Or that anyone who wears it is destined to betray their Captain (who Hinamori has indicated to be Aizen, which makes her alliance with Soul Society seem more stable in a skewed sort of way)?

Hinamori may have delivered decisive blows against Halibel's Fraccion, maybe even have defeated them outright. And she has done it right under Aizen's nose, in a manner that seems to have surprised him, which is all the more remarkable given how long it must have taken her to set up that kidou web. All the evidence so far seems to indicate that he neither sensed nor anticipated her presence until she released Tobiume. This is the third such instance that I can think of from recent issues. Aizen seemed temporarily blindsided by Urahara's arrival at the scene of what was probably his first betrayal one hundred years ago, although he almost certainly expected him to arrive at some point. He seemed not to anticipate the switching of Karakura Town, because his response indicated that he would go to Soul Society to destroy the real town after defeating the Shinigami in the human world. If he'd anticipated the switch, why didn't he go straight to the outskirts of Rukongai? On each occasion he has asserted his composure. These things may genuinely be of no concern to his plans. But what if we're starting to see cracks in his machinations? What would be more interesting for the reader; an inscrutable, implacable foe; or an enemy that is forced to think on their feet?

It's very hard to judge when we can't believe a word that comes out of Aizen's mouth. For example, Tousen's presence as his subordinate could be a carefully nurtured red herring to give misleading evidence for a false explanation of the operation of his zanpukuto's shikai (in which case my previous reading that his illusion in the offices of the Central 46 was a continuity error is rendered moot). Why else would he nonchalantly reveal the workings of such an effective weapon? Ukitate has seemingly uncovered evidence of his plot to recreate the Kings Key. But what if that evidence was planted? Yamamoto seems very convinced of what he thinks he knows, enough to mobilise in full force. But what if it's all misdirection, or at least partially misdirection? Yamamoto is on the battlefield. He alone knows the location of the real Kings Key (or so he says). Creating a new one apparently demands a certain sized plot of spirit-filled land and 100,000 souls. But if the 100,000 souls are just a measure of the amount of reiatsu required then Aizen may be able to get that from killing one or more Captains. The only circumstances in which I can imagine Yamamoto handing over the real key are if he is revealed traitorous or if it is the only way to protect the real Karakura Town. I strongly doubt he'd give it to Aizen to protect any of the Gotei 13, who he would consider to have willingly placed their lives on the line anyway.

Plus Aizen seems very confident that he will be able to get into Soul Society to destroy the real Karakura, which is strange considering that the exiled Urahara and Tessai (masters of technology and kidou respectively) weren't able to return, and that it's likely that the only reason Yoruichi could get back in was because of her shapeshifting ability. Or will he just follow Barragan's plan, destroying the pillars to bring the real town back? We also know that there are two other spirit dimensions besides Soul Society and Hueco Mundo; the King's realm (inhabited by the Royal Guard); and the much nastier Hell that we glimpsed very early in the series. What if the method of creation is accurate but the destination inaccurate?

is anyone else of the opinion that Kubo's art in the last few issues has been, well, really terrific?

Absolutely. In placement, panel layout, pacing, conveying movement and speed, the expressiveness of character's faces, the construction of the fight sequences, the stark expressionist inking of the Shinigami uniforms… he's outdoing himself time and time again. I get the impression that he's having a whale of a time.

Another standout panel that seems to speak volumes is Soi Fong's downcast expression having killed Ggio. It seems to echo in microcosm what Hisagi already said about his relationship with his zanpakuto: that he doesn't like it, that it is a tool designed only for killing. Soi Fong knows very well what she is and it is only in panels like these that we can see how she feels about that. It's absurd to think that she regrets killing Ggio, but her own self awareness at how effectively she can slaughter an enemy is clearly taking its toll.
 
 
Red Concrete
19:16 / 16.11.08
All this sequence keeps reminding me of the exposition about the arrancar given by Hitsugaya back in Ichigo's room about Gillian, Adjuchas and Vasto Lordes. His words were "Vasto Lordes are more powerful than Captain-class Soul Reapers" and went on to point out that with three captains defected, "If Aizen has ten or more of these Vasto Lordes under his command, the Soul Society is doomed". Fade in to Ulquiorra presenting the results of his expedition to "the 20 brothers" (end of issue 197).

Now, I'm not sure if that's a slip up.. Aizen can't have been counting the Fraccion with that 20, as there's at least 2 of them for each of the top ten arrancar. Is there another set of 10 that are "missing"? Have I overlooked a set of arrancar somewhere?

Re: the relative strengths of the Captains and the Arrancar, so far as the fighting over Fake-kura has gone we don't know too much, apart from the fact that Soi Fong has utterly defeated one of them. Going back to the Hueco Mundo fights, we have 3 Captains that have beaten numbered arrancar. Perhaps they had been weakened enough by previous fights. Or do the good guys always have to win? Is it possible that there's another wave of baddies yet to be revealed?
 
 
Seth
00:40 / 17.11.08
I think it's a matter of Hitsugaya's character more than anything. He is the youngest and most inexperienced of all the Gotei 13 Captains, and as a result he has no real idea of how much of a difference experience can make in a fight. Hence his observations. Shawlong said as much when he fought the 10th Squad Captain: that he was young and couldn't use his bankai to its full potential. The Espada are immensely powerful, but they are all practically newborn compared to many of the Captains. Byakuya won on ruthlessness and tactics. Kenpachi won on endurance and tenacity. Mayuri won on forward planning and sneakiness.

I think this will continue to be the pattern. It's likely that the top three Espada will lose, if not to their first opponent then eventually. Some may survive, but in the battle over Fakekura they will almost certainly be defeated. I'm convinced that's what Aizen wants: the removal of the Espada as a potential threat to him. He's using the Nakamakura and the Gotei 13 to do it, but then he very rarely strikes by his own hand. Once they have seemingly vanquished the enemy I'm betting he will snatch the victory from them and leave them as defeated and humiliated as they were at the end of the first arc (or worse). If Aizen is to remain the villain then the Gotei 13 cannot win this battle. Right now I'm enjoying each of them having their fifteen minutes of fame, while being fairly sure that there's something really fucking horrible right around the corner.

On the subject of the number of Vasto Lordes... there are only ten Espada, and with the exception of the mullered #9 we can be sure that they're all Vasto Lordes. Regarding any numbered 11 and higher we can be fairly certain that the ones who died accompanying Grimmjow were not VL, but that any of the others might be. They're numbered chronologically, not by power. So Po might have been. Ggio might have been. Who knows? At this point in the story they're not being numbered or classified, and Hitsugaya's earlier predictions of doom seem to be more about his own inexperience and self-seriousness than anything else.
 
 
Seth
00:55 / 17.11.08
Returning to #334: being honest, my gut interpretation of Halibel's questioning of Hitsugaya is that she's genuinely motivated by concern. I think she appreciates compassion for those weaker than herself, hence her relationship with her Fraccion. I reckon she may have recognised that quality in Hitsugaya. Iggy feels similar. I'm probably wrong... but will she stop fighting out of concern for Sun Sun, Mila Rose and Apache, or will she go all out for vengeance? I kinda hope it's the former, but if it's the latter then will she target Hinamori and Matsumoto to get even, and will that be her undoing? I'm concerned because I kinda like her.
 
 
Seth
13:09 / 20.11.08
#335: Heads up brothers and sisters! We're a day early!
 
  

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