Naruto Ch. 611 vs. Bleach Ch. 518 SPOILY SPOILERS!!

And now for the latest installment of my incredibly inconsistent Naruto vs. Bleach...chatty...bloggy...thing.  Whatever, who needs a title for it anyway, on to the show!

Naturally, there are SPOILERS.  If you don't want things SPOILED, then piss off! 

Naruto Ch. 611

Actually, this week's chapter wasn't too terribly exciting.  More fighting, blah blah blah.  Oh, but there was this though:

It looks like this chapter is leading somewhere.  Pretty much the whole Shinobi Alliance has arrived to kick Obito's ass.  Now Kishimoto-sensei, my dear, please take note of this.  If you're bringing all these mammajammas into the action, you need to deliver some major awesomeness.  I'm expecting battle of epic proportions.  Don't disappoint me, now!  I don't think there's much else to say about this one.  This chapter felt more like a lead-in for what's to come.  Oh, and btw, I was thinking just the other day that we haven't seen hide nor hair of Orochimaru since his revival.  I was kinda excited about that one.  I wonder when we'll get back to that.  This battle had better be so effin' awesome that I forget all about whatever's going on with our snakey friend.

Bleach Ch. 518

Ok, it hs seriously been months since I was excited about a new Bleach chapter.  This whole business with the Quincies has just made no sense.  The Quincies have been hiding out for two hundred years, biding their time and building their forces, and now they're back, and oopsie poopsie, whaddaya know, they just happen to be so strong that they can plow through vice-captain and captain level shinigami, and even kill off Yama-jii?  INCONCEIVABLE!  (Note, that word must be said with a Vizzini voice).  It's just weak story-telling.  I know that shounen manga requires one to have to suspend belief a little bit, but Kubo has done a fair job of keeping things pretty damn solid thus far.  Why drop the ball now? 

Hopefully, with the recent revelations, we're starting to see where this may be going.  We've got Quincy-Leader-Guy (CBF to remember his name...) paying a visit to Aizen, and let's face it, we knew he'd be back because 1) he's not friggin' dead, and 2)  Kubo wanted to end the series with Aizen's defeat and have him die.  The fact that he kept him alive after being pressured to keep the series going means that he still needs Aizen for whatever it is he's planning in this arc.  So I was expecting that to happen sometime, and that sometime is now.  Aizen has been a fun villain.  So far, the Quincies suck.  They've haven't been developed at all.  Perhaps something a little more interesting is about to go down. 

Then there's the reveal that Ichigo's mum was a Quincy.  That fact in itself isn't all that exciting, but it holds the promise that all this shit is gonna find its way back to Isshin Kurosaki and everything that went down when he lost his powers and left the Soul Society.  THAT'S what I wanna know about!  We already know that Isshin knows um...Ryuugen?  Was that his name?  You know, Uryuu's pops.  They know each other, so we know that Isshin knew at least one Quincy back in the day.  Simply put, I'm eager to see where all this is gonna go.

Now that I've said all that, lemme dig into this chapter.  First, there's this:

THERE!  In the second panel!  PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, tell me that's who I think it is?  Maybe it's just wishful thinking.  I've been waiting for ages for Grimmjow to come back.  It's gotta be him, right?  Grimmjow would totally call Ichigo a bastard, right?  And Ichigo's worried that he could be causing trouble for the good guys, so that means whoever it is must be a bad guy, right?  Well....Grimmjow was a bad guy...  And he's not dead.  And he's in my top five Bleach characters.  PLEASE BE HIM!!  Just the possibility that it could actually be Grimmjow made me break out my fangirl hands over this page.  Scary shit, man.

But that's not all!  Theeeeeen, there's THIS:

TSUKISHIMA!!  GINJOU!!!!  And Giriko, but whatever on him.  I have to say that somehow, I totally missed the return of those characters.  Um, hello Kim!  They were human they died.  In the Bleachiverse, where do humans go when they die?  The motherfucking Soul Society.  Where the hell else would they be?  Why the hell didn't I think they could come back?  I was disappointed when they died in the first place.  I wondered how we'd ever get the story of what happened to Ginjou. I mean, I knew the story would be told, but I had rather hoped that Ginjou would have been the one to tell it.  I'm so glad that they're back.  I'm sure you can gather that I rather liked them.  Not as excited about the return of Shukaku and Ganju.  I mean, they're alright.  It was fun and retro there for a minute.  Plus, since it's been friggin' years since Kubo-sensei has drawn them, it's interesting to see them rendered in his new, more-polished art style. 

Anyway, I came away from this chapter feeling a little giddy.  I'm looking forward to where we're going from here! :D

Naruto 598 & Bleach 504 *SPOILERS*

This post contains spoilers.  Lots and lots of spoilers.  You have been warned.  

Naruto Ch. 598

Ok, with a last page like this, if Kishimoto-sensei doesn't finish out this reveal in the next chapter, I'ma fly all the way to Japan to administer a good old-fashioned ass-whoopin'.  For a while now, my number one suspect for Tobi's true identity has been Izuna Uchiha (that's Madara's bro if you have lost track of the names), so all this hinting that he might actually be Obito... Hmm... a girl has to think on this.

Ok, so here's the criteria that I used when coming up with my guess for Izuna.  Oh, and I'm sure that people have been discussing this in forums all over the interwebs, but I cbf to look them up, so sorry if I'm just rehashing things that have been talked about a zillion times.

1.  Tobi must be someone who has had some sort of mention in the story.  I mean, that would be some pretty shitty writing if Tobi loses the mask, and he's all, "Oh hey!  I'm Bob.  Konnichiwa, bitches!"  So, it has to be someone we've heard of.  Otherwise, the reveal has no impact.

2.  Tobi is someone who is presumed dead.  I think the characters in the story would have noticed someone mysteriously disappearing every time Tobi shows up to wreak some havoc.  Also, again we have the impact factor.

3.  Tobi was alive when the real Madara was.  I based this one on the fact that he knew so much about Madara's life.  Maybe that one was a bit of a stretch, but I couldn't really discard it since it pointed to Izuna, which seemed likely enough.  I guess this one isn't an absolute must though.

So anyway, Kishimoto-sensei seems to be pointing the finger at Obito Uchiha now.  Of course, this could be misdirection.  I suppose we'll find out soon enough.  If Tobi is Obito, I think I kinda like that.  It could open some new doors.  It would be an interesting development for Kakashi.  Not to mention that I'm curious as to what could make Obito go all "down with existence."  Hopefully, this next chapter will answer a lot of questions.  Though I wonder...maybe he'll putz around with the next chapter and save the reveal for the big 600.  Ya think?


Bleach Ch. 504

Ah, so finally we see a little bit of Yamamoto's and Sasakibe's pasts.  Well, you know what?  Too effin' late, Kubo-sensei!  Sasakibe is dead, and I can't say that I gave two shits when he died.  This would have been so much more meaningful a couple hundred chapters ago.  Sasakibe was probably the most under-developed character in the whole series.  Hell, I don't even remember his name actually being said in the manga until he friggin' died.  Stupid... Anyway, I guess it was interesting to see this stuff, even if it was horribly late.

I'm so ready for Bleach to get on with it.  I mean, the arc with Ginjou and the Execution was promising.  I thought we were about to find out all about Isshin.  Now, all that has been left in the dust in exchange for... Quincies?  That miraculously survived the purge?  For centuries?  Undetected?  That are worlds above even Captain-level shinigami?  Kind of a stretch, don't you think?  Granted, Kubo-sensei didn't plan this stuff from the start.  I remember hearing somewhere that he wanted the series to end with Aizen's death after the great battle at Karakura Town, but like Akira Toriyama with Dragon Ball, he was pressured into continuing the series.  Which brings me to another point.  He intended for Aizen to die at the end of that battle, not be locked up for 20,000 years.  I think the fact that Kubo-sensei left Aizen alive is significant.  He has to have a hand in all this, doesn't he?

Anyway, I've rambled enough.  Tune in next week for more inane blabber!

Naruto 588 vs. Bleach 494 *SPOILERS*

I'll get back on the reviews shortly.  I've been absorbed lately, in various things.  I'm almost finished with Kekkaishi!  I only have five more chapters left.  So why am I typing this instead of wrapping up those last five chapters?  Because I have satellite internet, and it's rainy and stormy outside.  My attempts to try to finish the series were foiled by internet outages.  So, here I am, typing at my word processor instead.

I've decided that I wanna discuss the new releases of the manga that I'm reading.  It's not like I have any readers.  I guess it's more just for my own amusement.

I suppose I'll start with yesterday's releases.  It was Shounen Jump day, and unfortunately, the only Jump series that I've read (thus far) are Bleach and Naruto.  So, onto the new chapters!  SPOILERS AHEAD.  LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOILERS.  IF YOU AREN'T UP TO DATE ON THESE TITLES, THEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE A WHOOOOOOOLE LOTTA SHIT THAT YOU AREN'T READY FOR.

Okay, that being said, let's begin with Naruto!

Naruto Ch. 588

I'm glad to see that we're finally ending the Itachi and Sasuke vs. Kabuto battle.  I was interested in it at first because I kinda like Kabuto, and I was glad to see Itachi and Sasuke able to fight side by side.  I liked finally seeing Kabuto's history.  However, the battle was getting a little long.  One side would whip out an ultimate technique, then the other would do the same.  The battle itself just didn't have the magic and intensity of other fights in the series.  Therefore, it's nice to see it end, especially with an ending that leaves it open for a Kabuto redemption.  I am a little disappointed in how it's ending for Itachi and Sasuke though.  I was really looking forward to them finally being able to have a heartfelt talk with no more lies and airs.  But instead Itachi's just like, "Hey, I'm gonna end the Edo-Tensei now, so I'm gonna go back to being dead.  Have a nice life, bro!"  Hey, wait a minute... I feel gipped.  Really, I do understand why Kishimoto-sensei is doing this.  He's setting this up to be a big Naruto vs. Sasuke fight and during that fight, Naruto will finally get through to Sasuke, who will finally redeem himself (hopefully by dying).  I think if Sasuke and Itachi were to actually sit down and talk, Itachi would sway Sasuke a little bit, which would lessen the impact of Naruto's breakthrough later.  Sasuke's already being pretty dumb though.  Can't he see that yet again his brother has proudly given his all to protect Konoha?  Yet he remains unwavering in his desire to destroy the village.  Hmm...I still kinda like him though...

I'm glad that we got back to the Kages vs. Madara.  Oh, Gaara, how I've missed you.  He's one of my favorite characters, and I'm glad to get back to his fight.  Of course, this battle is already going to be fraught with the same problem as the previous battle.  Madara's already bringing out the big guns.  "Oh, Susano'o ain't enough for ya?  Ok, let's try the ULTIMATE Susano'o.  Yeaaaaahh, booooooyyy!"  Ok, I may have dumbed that down a little.  I realize that I can't complain too much.  This is a shounen manga.  Ridiculous strengths and abilities have been a part of the genre for a long time.  So, I can't be too picky.  For the record, I'm ready for the plot to move forward.

Bleach Ch. 494

I'm really not invested in this whole Quincy arc.  C'mon, Kubo-sensei!  This is the FINAL ARC for Bleach!  It needs to be epic and kick the shit out of everything that has happened already!  The substitute shinigami arc was pretty good and seemed to promise that several reveals were in store.  So far, I just don't see how those are gonna be worked in.  What went down with Ginjou back then?  What were the circumstances that led to Isshin losing his powers and leaving the Soul Society?  THOSE are the things I wanna dig into.  I really don't get the whole Quincy thing anyway.  So the Soul Reapers wiped them out two hundred years ago, yet hordes of them managed to survive and build a super-powerful army that is capable of subduing Espada-level arrancars and killing thousands of Soul Reapers within only minutes of the invasion?  I don't have a problem with having to suspend belief a little bit when it comes to manga, but this is starting to get a little ridiculous.  Not to mention that I don't care about these villains at all.  They have no history, no background.  I've always thought that it was vital for a series to have a good villain.  So far, none of these characters are developed at all.

I suppose the highlight of this chapter is the fate of Izuru Kira.

That's a pretty tough blow, and Akon remarks that Izuru's reiatsu can no longer be detected.  Is he dead?  Is he alive?  Part of me hopes he's alive because I really like him.  The other part of me thinks that Bleach needs another good death.  The Division 1 lieutenant's death had little impact.

As ridiculous as I'm claiming it to be, I'm certainly not gonna give up on the series.  Of course, I'll keep reading.  He simply has to work in the whole Isshin thing, and I can't wait to see what will happen there.  Also, I'm eagerly awaiting the return of one of my absolute favorite characters:  Grimmjow.  He's gonna come back.  He has to.  I can feel it!

So for this week's releases, I think Bleach wins the battle.  What edged it out?  Probably Izuru's injury.  It was an interesting read and leaves one wondering what will happen next.  I'm kinda guessing that Orihime will scurry over and fix him, though.  I'll be surprised if that's the end of Izuru.

Bleach

Title:  Bleach
Mangaka:  Tite Kubo
Length:  53 Volumes (Ongoing)
English Translation?  Yes, 38 volumes so far by Viz Media.
Demo/Genre:  Shounen/Fantasy/Action/Comedy

How did I hear about it?  Um...how would I not hear about this one?  It's only one of the most popular manga in the world...

For as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see spirits.  His life changes when he meets a certain spirit, a girl named Rukia Kuchiki.  She explains that she is a Soul Reaper (actually, a "shinigami."  I wish they had left that word untranslated in the English manga/anime.  Shinigami sounds better to me.).  Soul Reapers are the ones who are responsible for guiding the dead to the Soul Society (this story's version of the afterlife) and for cleansing fallen souls known as "hollows."  She is injured while trying to simultaneously fight a hollow and protect Ichigo and his family.  To give them a fighting chance, she transfers some of her powers to Ichigo.  Unfortunately, he absorbs all of her powers.  Until she can regain what she lost, she has Ichigo carry out her duties in her stead.  Everything is hunky dory until two other Soul Reapers arrive to take her back to the Soul Society to stand trial for granting her powers to a human.  And thus begins a story involving many characters, plot twists, conspiracies, and a hell of a lot of action.

As is common with most long series, the artwork shifts as time progresses.  I didn't dislike the art in the beginning, but I much prefer the art's later stages.  This manga has a huge cast, and I love how unique all of the character models are.  I believe that took a great deal of imagination on Kubo-sensei's part.  Not to mention the fact that so many of these characters are given pasts and histories.  While he might not go into detail with a lot of them, I thought that it was great just to see where each of them came from.  It's very easy to neglect these little details, but Kubo-sensei managed to create such an intricate web of characters that the reader can interact with emotionally.  That's one of the many things that I adored about this series.

Is the plot perfect?  No.  Despite its flaws though, it's still very well-done.  One can easily tell that Kubo had a good idea of what the big picture was going to be as he moved along with Bleach.  I read it all online first, and now I've been re-reading as I'm collecting it.  I'm constantly discovering little details that I missed the first time around that really show how unified the whole series is.  I love it when you can do that.  The introduction spans roughly the first fifty chapters, then you finally enter the first true story arc.  The story moves fluidly from arc to arc, never losing its momentum, which is quite the accomplishment considering its massive length.

The main cast is very solid.  Ichigo is a pretty typical shounen hero.  However, as the manga continues, I feel that he really begins to shine.  Yes, he always wants to do what's right.  Yes, he cares very much about the safety and well-being of his friends.  But we also start to see his flaws.  He's very confident in his abilities, and yet it almost seems that's he's confident because he's so insecure.  When something happens to one of his companions, he takes all of the blame himself.  He believes that it happened because he wasn't strong enough or wise enough to prevent it.  This really weighs on him, and so when he finds himself in a battle, he doesn't give himself the option of losing.  He has to win.  He pushes himself to his limits every time, and not because he believes so strongly in his cause that he'll do anything to achieve it.  More because losing means that he has failed his friends, and that is simply not an option.  I don't think I explained what I'm thinking very well, but I'll just say that to me, Ichigo is both simple and complex because of this.  We don't really start to see these things until the second major story arc.  That doesn't mean that Ichigo is boring and one-sided until that point.  It means that he is constantly growing throughout the series.  We don't see everything he has to offer right away.

Another character whose development I was very impressed with is Orihime.  She is the bright, bubbly, ditzy, big-breasted (of course) classmate of Ichigo, who happens to be in love with him.  I am usually immediately turned off by these types, but not with her.  For a large chunk of the series, she was just "okay" in my books.  But again, we see that when that second arc hits, Kubo-sensei dives into these characters and expands them.  Orihime has negligible offensive capabilities (at least in the scope of the powerful enemies they are fighting at this point), but her strengths lie in her defensive powers.  She can create an almost impenetrable shield and has the ability to reverse almost any injury.  Thus, she almost always finds herself being protected.  She wants to be by her friends' sides, but in battle, all she can do is hang out in the back, making her an easy target.  This could make her an easy character to hate, but instead, we really start to see her emotions shine through.  There comes a point where she is given a choice, and this choice allows her to do the protecting for once.  We start to see how much she believes in her friends, and how she doesn't want to be a burden to them anymore.  She loses her ditzy visage and becomes an emotionally strong character who would go to the ends of the earth to save her friends.  Again, I'm having difficulty putting it into words.  If you've been reading my reviews, then you've probably already figured this out.  Anyway, I found Orihime's character development to be excellent.  She went from being pretty low on my list to being in my top five Bleach characters.

I feel like I could talk all day about Bleach, but I think I'll end it here.  Suffice it to say, this series has achieved its popularity for a reason.  It's a great shounen.  I think even those who are not typically shounen readers will enjoy this one.  Look out for the anime though.  While it's very well done as well, it has tons of filler arcs in it that break up the momentum terribly.  I definitely recommend reading it as opposed to watching it.  Will I be collecting this one?  Yup.  As of the time of this writing, I have 25 volumes of Bleach.

This series is still ongoing in Japan, and only just a few weeks ago, a big announcement was made:  Bleach is entering its final story arc.  I'm excited!  I'm a little sad that it probably only has a couple of years left on the series, but at the same time, I'm excited because I know that this is going to be a great arc that will answer a lot of questions.