Bleach 430: Running To You
[mood: 
Shippy]
[music: Sarah Brightman - Deliver Me]
This chapter = IchiUri off the charts. So happy.
How so?
He (Ichigo)'s running to...his lover Uryuu!!
In my theorizing for 430, I was right that…
• Ryuuken was once a surgeon (not strictly in hospital administration), and that he would be the one to treat his son.
• Ryuuken would meet Ichigo.
• Ichigo would have a really emotional reaction and be driven to something by this happening to Uryuu.
• Uryuu was bleeding out and therefore in critical condition.
• Uryuu was going to pull some more "It's fine" crap to try to assuage Ichigo the way he did in Hueco Mundo.
I may be right that...
• The injury is triggering memories of Hueco Mundo for Ichigo. His eyes ran the gambit from wild-eyed panic, incredible concern, and wild rage to wounded, genuine pain, and completely defeated.
• Ryuuken knows where Isshin is/what he's doing.
What I hadn’t expected…
• Ryuuken to be so playfully evil. He was a total tease.
• Ichigo having a non-reaction to meeting Ishida's father.
• Ichigo having a non-reaction to Ryuuken knowing his father (enough to know he'd get noisy even).
• Ryuuken to seem so overtly invested in Ichigo and Uryuu speaking to one another, even if it was just to bother Uryuu.
• Ryuuken not being a cold asshole to Ichigo after all the pains he took to try to ensure Uryuu was never around him again a few arcs ago.
• Ryuuken seeming like he was angling for his son to have a heart-to-heart confession with Ichigo.
At first, I was trying to figure out whether it was Ryuuken or Uryuu who called Orihime, and I'm almost positive it was Ryuuken. First of all, Uryuu wouldn't really be in a condition to do so. Secondly, her reaction definitely indicates the former because she cuts off when she starts to hear the person on the other line ("Ishida-ku--"), and it’s not like Uryuu to interrupt (unless it's to yell over Ichigo). Also, judging by Uryuu’s list of friends, Orihime would be the first person in the list of contacts, and thus the first person on the list that Ryuuken would be apt to dial, because Inoue Orihime comes alphabetically before Kurosaki Ichigo and Sado Yasutora. There’s no reason to assume with Ishida’s brand new phone (after all, Ichigo didn’t even know he had a phone earlier that day) that Uryuu would have put any other contacts into it. I love that the scenarios for how Ichigo was called could be the result of a) Ryuuken knew Isshin's number b) Ryuuken specifically looked him up or c) Uryuu knows Ichigo’s number even though he didn't have a cell phone and put it in his phone right away because he’s a stalker like that.
It's also of note that not only does Orihime fail to react with her usual "OMG, EXCLAMATION POINT!" screeching, her round of "Eh"s completely lacking their fairly typical interrobang punctuation (?!), she is also very composed sitting in the room, pretty far away from Uryuu. Her reaction seems almost lackadaisical compared to the way she's reacted in the past, and I think her emotional response may have been toned down to even further emphasize that Ichigo is the one who is most bothered by Uryuu getting hurt and that this is his moment with Uryuu.
Ichigo was very, very emotional in this chapter. He ran all the way to the hospital after stampeding down the stairs upon hearing the news. Sidenote: Karin and Yuzu once again very clearly mirror Rukia's and Orihime's different reactions to Ichigo. Yuzu has a strong desire to be directly acknowledged, found cute, is in need of consoling if he seems consistently cold/indifferent/sad. Karin makes that comment about Yuzu's "weird fantasies" (also like Orihime, who let's not forget has really crazed daydreams, one of which even happened in this chapter) seeing her brother as a sweet, caring, de-sexualized person thrown out there (though sometimes, I really think Kubo has an incest kink). Yuzu is also usually frustrated that Ichigo relates to Karin and that Karin more often possesses the ability to put him at ease, both of which accurately describe Rukia and Orihime's relationship, at least initially. It just all serves to drive home to me that Karin and Yuzu resemble Rukia and Orihime so closely because the latter two are sisters in their own way to Ichigo (Matsumoto says something to this effect in the manga, too), and that it is a strong familial bond, rather than romantic, that binds them together. That both are needed and important because they are so different--they provide different things that he needs.
Also, I laughed at yet another fourth wall joke (i.e., "he's not an anime character").
Is that white circular thing between these panels an ambulance light? A similar but not-completely-identifiable shape is shown in Orihime's panel when she's looking at her brother, but the SFX isn't translated so I can't tell if I'm interpreting that correctly.
I remember seeing a map of Karakura in a past manga chapter, and if memory serves, the hospital isn't very close to Ichigo's house. It's definitely accurate that he was dripping in sweat and out of breath by the time he arrived. He throws the door open and just screams his name; I loved it. Ichigo's face looks like Uryuu went into labor with their first born child while he was at work or something.
It was a nice parallel between Ichigo and Uryuu with “Inoue, you’re already here?” given that Uryuu said the same thing about her when she beat him to Ichigo’s…
Honestly, the entire scene with Ichigo and Uryuu in the hospital was amazing enough, but Ryuuken's behavior put it over the top. I have a feeling the scene would have played very differently if Ryuuken wasn't there--even moreso if they were completely alone. From the moment Ryuuken lurks up on Ichigo, it seems like he's just trying to meddle in his son's relationship with Ichigo, from goading to sabotaging!
The pain on Ichigo's face is evident from the moment he flies through the doorway in a panic, and it only escalates from there.
How creepy is Ryuuken just lurking up on Ichigo like that? Nice connection between the two Quincies with that gray sketchy line work, too.
Ryuuken arrives to tell Uryuu he's only good at talking the talk, not walking the walk...I think it speaks volumes for Ryuuken's not-so-subtle way of smacking Uryuu back down. Oh, you think you have some control over this situation? You don't. I do. ALL you can do is run your mouth. To me, Ryuuken also subtly implies that Uryuu is only saying it was needless to inform Ichigo when he didn't actually feel that way.
Uryuu then tries to default to an accurate reason for not looking at/speaking directly with Ichigo. He's even turned away despite there already being a drawn curtain as a barrier. Ryuuken doesn't seem to be enforcing this protocol at all--rather, he seems inordinately pleased that Ichigo has come to Uryuu's side and the distress it is causing Uryuu. Also, how freakishly bony and angular does Uryuu look here? He looks emaciated.
Uryuu knows immediately where Ichigo's mind went; it's well established he understands how Ichigo thinks much better than most of their other companions. Ichigo is having none of this "It doesn't concern you" business, and he unleashes some very desperate emotions.
Doesn’t "sharing information" paired with that body language come across like Ryuuken is very knowingly smug about something not being said? Perhaps even goading his son into a confession? I honestly think Ryuuken knows his son's secret feelings about Ichigo.
It's fascinating and telling to me that even though Ichigo is the one yelling, Uryuu appears to be telling his father to shut up. We have yet ANOTHER parallel. Uryuu was just talking about how Ichigo needs to be unraveled carefully to get him to actually speak about what's wrong, and now, here we have Uryuu doing the same thing--unwilling to speak, in need of that special coaxing. Uryuu, who was open/understanding/actually listening and addressing Ichigo’s concerns, a few hours ago is now unwilling to properly address them. Probably because it’s in front of his father this time.
Anyone else here a deep seme "Hooooh?" in their head just then? Ryuuken seems to be really enjoying playing his game of needling Uryuu, openly smirking when he causes Uryuu enough anger that he almost bursts his stitches and obviously causes Uryuu a great deal of physical pain (in addition to the emotional stress he's already having). What a sadistic bastard. I kind of love him. Kubo is paralleling them again visually because now it's Uryuu covered in sweat and grimacing instead of Ichigo.
Ryuuken's smirk could say so many things, including “I know you love Ichigo, Uryuu, so guess what…I’m going to let him stay. I’m going to tell him to talk to you, and I’m going to give you a moment alone." At the same time, Ryuuken’s comment about the 5hrz away from re-opening his wounds = all the fuel Ichigo needs to catapult into a depression and flee the scene, robbing both boys of the resolution they so desperately need. Ryuuken flips Ichigo's switch from “I need to talk to you NOW, make sure you’re okay, know everything about what happened, yell about you not letting me protect you--even if it has to be through others because I can't do anything, and query about whether or not this is my fault receiving an honest answer !” to “This must surely be all my fault, OMG, I'm making it so much worse on him--I must go wangst in an alleyway pounding the wall angrily and sinking into a defeated mantra about how powerless I am to protect Uryuu!”
Hey Orhime, you're playing the observer to their relationship again (just like that time peering at Handicraft from the door way when you wonder aloud what's happened between them. So, remember don’t be a cockblock. Ryuuken: I’ll fix that no worries! *escorts her out*
What a devastated, pained expression. He looks so vulnerable here. To me, that definitely looks like his mind is playing awful scenarios for what happened to Uryuu (what he looks like behind that curtain) and replaying the atrocities of Hueco Mundo.
I'm shocked Ichigo bowed to Ryuuken; surely he must have an inkling of how he treats Uryuu? And typically, Ichigo is not the type of person who warrants any respect or good manners to someone who treats his friends poorly. Perhaps he's so overwhelmingly grateful that he saved Uryuu's life, or maybe he just really needs to get out of there and is grateful that Ryuuken is giving him the opportunity to have a solitary melt down.
Also important: Ichigo burst in screaming and proceeds to scream some more at Uryuu, but it's only Orihime that gets reprimanded for yelling in the hospital when she's yelling after Ichigo. Again, interesting that Ryuuken only bothers to chastise her. In fact, he's rather polite to Ichigo all things considered. Perhaps he has a little knowledge/theory of what's going on with Isshin, or simply has decided that speaking openly with Ichigo is a more effective way to drive Uryuu nuts.
Bonus points from Kubo = Ryuuken saying that Isshin would get "noisy" if he "kept [Ichigo] out too late." Oh my God, jointly parent the children some more, Ryuuken. Though, I had to wonder if Ryuuken knew Isshin hadn't been home and whether or not he informed Isshin about what happened with Uryuu.
That is some major wangst. That's o n par with some of the most emotional scenes we've seen from Ichigo ever, including the scene where he thinks Rukia is going to die. This version of Ichigo feels so helpless and hurt and distraught. Every fiber of him seems to be aching and breaking beneath the weight of all this.
Then, he does the only thing he can think of--he is willing to call a number that's clearly dangerous. Something he probably knows to be a trap of some kind with execution right in the name...just because he feels like it’s the only hope he has of doing something.
Scans by Binktopia; analysis by me. SPOILERS
Shippy]
[music: Sarah Brightman - Deliver Me]
This chapter = IchiUri off the charts. So happy.
How so?
He (Ichigo)'s running to...his lover Uryuu!!
In my theorizing for 430, I was right that…
• Ryuuken was once a surgeon (not strictly in hospital administration), and that he would be the one to treat his son.
• Ryuuken would meet Ichigo.
• Ichigo would have a really emotional reaction and be driven to something by this happening to Uryuu.
• Uryuu was bleeding out and therefore in critical condition.
• Uryuu was going to pull some more "It's fine" crap to try to assuage Ichigo the way he did in Hueco Mundo.
I may be right that...
• The injury is triggering memories of Hueco Mundo for Ichigo. His eyes ran the gambit from wild-eyed panic, incredible concern, and wild rage to wounded, genuine pain, and completely defeated.
• Ryuuken knows where Isshin is/what he's doing.
What I hadn’t expected…
• Ryuuken to be so playfully evil. He was a total tease.
• Ichigo having a non-reaction to meeting Ishida's father.
• Ichigo having a non-reaction to Ryuuken knowing his father (enough to know he'd get noisy even).
• Ryuuken to seem so overtly invested in Ichigo and Uryuu speaking to one another, even if it was just to bother Uryuu.
• Ryuuken not being a cold asshole to Ichigo after all the pains he took to try to ensure Uryuu was never around him again a few arcs ago.
• Ryuuken seeming like he was angling for his son to have a heart-to-heart confession with Ichigo.
At first, I was trying to figure out whether it was Ryuuken or Uryuu who called Orihime, and I'm almost positive it was Ryuuken. First of all, Uryuu wouldn't really be in a condition to do so. Secondly, her reaction definitely indicates the former because she cuts off when she starts to hear the person on the other line ("Ishida-ku--"), and it’s not like Uryuu to interrupt (unless it's to yell over Ichigo). Also, judging by Uryuu’s list of friends, Orihime would be the first person in the list of contacts, and thus the first person on the list that Ryuuken would be apt to dial, because Inoue Orihime comes alphabetically before Kurosaki Ichigo and Sado Yasutora. There’s no reason to assume with Ishida’s brand new phone (after all, Ichigo didn’t even know he had a phone earlier that day) that Uryuu would have put any other contacts into it. I love that the scenarios for how Ichigo was called could be the result of a) Ryuuken knew Isshin's number b) Ryuuken specifically looked him up or c) Uryuu knows Ichigo’s number even though he didn't have a cell phone and put it in his phone right away because he’s a stalker like that.
It's also of note that not only does Orihime fail to react with her usual "OMG, EXCLAMATION POINT!" screeching, her round of "Eh"s completely lacking their fairly typical interrobang punctuation (?!), she is also very composed sitting in the room, pretty far away from Uryuu. Her reaction seems almost lackadaisical compared to the way she's reacted in the past, and I think her emotional response may have been toned down to even further emphasize that Ichigo is the one who is most bothered by Uryuu getting hurt and that this is his moment with Uryuu.
Ichigo was very, very emotional in this chapter. He ran all the way to the hospital after stampeding down the stairs upon hearing the news. Sidenote: Karin and Yuzu once again very clearly mirror Rukia's and Orihime's different reactions to Ichigo. Yuzu has a strong desire to be directly acknowledged, found cute, is in need of consoling if he seems consistently cold/indifferent/sad. Karin makes that comment about Yuzu's "weird fantasies" (also like Orihime, who let's not forget has really crazed daydreams, one of which even happened in this chapter) seeing her brother as a sweet, caring, de-sexualized person thrown out there (though sometimes, I really think Kubo has an incest kink). Yuzu is also usually frustrated that Ichigo relates to Karin and that Karin more often possesses the ability to put him at ease, both of which accurately describe Rukia and Orihime's relationship, at least initially. It just all serves to drive home to me that Karin and Yuzu resemble Rukia and Orihime so closely because the latter two are sisters in their own way to Ichigo (Matsumoto says something to this effect in the manga, too), and that it is a strong familial bond, rather than romantic, that binds them together. That both are needed and important because they are so different--they provide different things that he needs.
Also, I laughed at yet another fourth wall joke (i.e., "he's not an anime character").
Is that white circular thing between these panels an ambulance light? A similar but not-completely-identifiable shape is shown in Orihime's panel when she's looking at her brother, but the SFX isn't translated so I can't tell if I'm interpreting that correctly.
I remember seeing a map of Karakura in a past manga chapter, and if memory serves, the hospital isn't very close to Ichigo's house. It's definitely accurate that he was dripping in sweat and out of breath by the time he arrived. He throws the door open and just screams his name; I loved it. Ichigo's face looks like Uryuu went into labor with their first born child while he was at work or something.
It was a nice parallel between Ichigo and Uryuu with “Inoue, you’re already here?” given that Uryuu said the same thing about her when she beat him to Ichigo’s…
Honestly, the entire scene with Ichigo and Uryuu in the hospital was amazing enough, but Ryuuken's behavior put it over the top. I have a feeling the scene would have played very differently if Ryuuken wasn't there--even moreso if they were completely alone. From the moment Ryuuken lurks up on Ichigo, it seems like he's just trying to meddle in his son's relationship with Ichigo, from goading to sabotaging!
The pain on Ichigo's face is evident from the moment he flies through the doorway in a panic, and it only escalates from there.
How creepy is Ryuuken just lurking up on Ichigo like that? Nice connection between the two Quincies with that gray sketchy line work, too.
Ryuuken arrives to tell Uryuu he's only good at talking the talk, not walking the walk...I think it speaks volumes for Ryuuken's not-so-subtle way of smacking Uryuu back down. Oh, you think you have some control over this situation? You don't. I do. ALL you can do is run your mouth. To me, Ryuuken also subtly implies that Uryuu is only saying it was needless to inform Ichigo when he didn't actually feel that way.
Uryuu then tries to default to an accurate reason for not looking at/speaking directly with Ichigo. He's even turned away despite there already being a drawn curtain as a barrier. Ryuuken doesn't seem to be enforcing this protocol at all--rather, he seems inordinately pleased that Ichigo has come to Uryuu's side and the distress it is causing Uryuu. Also, how freakishly bony and angular does Uryuu look here? He looks emaciated.
Uryuu knows immediately where Ichigo's mind went; it's well established he understands how Ichigo thinks much better than most of their other companions. Ichigo is having none of this "It doesn't concern you" business, and he unleashes some very desperate emotions.
Doesn’t "sharing information" paired with that body language come across like Ryuuken is very knowingly smug about something not being said? Perhaps even goading his son into a confession? I honestly think Ryuuken knows his son's secret feelings about Ichigo.
It's fascinating and telling to me that even though Ichigo is the one yelling, Uryuu appears to be telling his father to shut up. We have yet ANOTHER parallel. Uryuu was just talking about how Ichigo needs to be unraveled carefully to get him to actually speak about what's wrong, and now, here we have Uryuu doing the same thing--unwilling to speak, in need of that special coaxing. Uryuu, who was open/understanding/actually listening and addressing Ichigo’s concerns, a few hours ago is now unwilling to properly address them. Probably because it’s in front of his father this time.
Anyone else here a deep seme "Hooooh?" in their head just then? Ryuuken seems to be really enjoying playing his game of needling Uryuu, openly smirking when he causes Uryuu enough anger that he almost bursts his stitches and obviously causes Uryuu a great deal of physical pain (in addition to the emotional stress he's already having). What a sadistic bastard. I kind of love him. Kubo is paralleling them again visually because now it's Uryuu covered in sweat and grimacing instead of Ichigo.
Ryuuken's smirk could say so many things, including “I know you love Ichigo, Uryuu, so guess what…I’m going to let him stay. I’m going to tell him to talk to you, and I’m going to give you a moment alone." At the same time, Ryuuken’s comment about the 5hrz away from re-opening his wounds = all the fuel Ichigo needs to catapult into a depression and flee the scene, robbing both boys of the resolution they so desperately need. Ryuuken flips Ichigo's switch from “I need to talk to you NOW, make sure you’re okay, know everything about what happened, yell about you not letting me protect you--even if it has to be through others because I can't do anything, and query about whether or not this is my fault receiving an honest answer !” to “This must surely be all my fault, OMG, I'm making it so much worse on him--I must go wangst in an alleyway pounding the wall angrily and sinking into a defeated mantra about how powerless I am to protect Uryuu!”
Hey Orhime, you're playing the observer to their relationship again (just like that time peering at Handicraft from the door way when you wonder aloud what's happened between them. So, remember don’t be a cockblock. Ryuuken: I’ll fix that no worries! *escorts her out*
What a devastated, pained expression. He looks so vulnerable here. To me, that definitely looks like his mind is playing awful scenarios for what happened to Uryuu (what he looks like behind that curtain) and replaying the atrocities of Hueco Mundo.
I'm shocked Ichigo bowed to Ryuuken; surely he must have an inkling of how he treats Uryuu? And typically, Ichigo is not the type of person who warrants any respect or good manners to someone who treats his friends poorly. Perhaps he's so overwhelmingly grateful that he saved Uryuu's life, or maybe he just really needs to get out of there and is grateful that Ryuuken is giving him the opportunity to have a solitary melt down.
Also important: Ichigo burst in screaming and proceeds to scream some more at Uryuu, but it's only Orihime that gets reprimanded for yelling in the hospital when she's yelling after Ichigo. Again, interesting that Ryuuken only bothers to chastise her. In fact, he's rather polite to Ichigo all things considered. Perhaps he has a little knowledge/theory of what's going on with Isshin, or simply has decided that speaking openly with Ichigo is a more effective way to drive Uryuu nuts.
Bonus points from Kubo = Ryuuken saying that Isshin would get "noisy" if he "kept [Ichigo] out too late." Oh my God, jointly parent the children some more, Ryuuken. Though, I had to wonder if Ryuuken knew Isshin hadn't been home and whether or not he informed Isshin about what happened with Uryuu.
That is some major wangst. That's o n par with some of the most emotional scenes we've seen from Ichigo ever, including the scene where he thinks Rukia is going to die. This version of Ichigo feels so helpless and hurt and distraught. Every fiber of him seems to be aching and breaking beneath the weight of all this.
Then, he does the only thing he can think of--he is willing to call a number that's clearly dangerous. Something he probably knows to be a trap of some kind with execution right in the name...just because he feels like it’s the only hope he has of doing something.
Scans by Binktopia; analysis by me. SPOILERS