Bleach 405: Deicide 7
It's been a while since I've made a Bleach post. So here it goes.
Sometimes Kubo's chapter titles are brilliant. Sometimes they are just annoying. Especially with this latest habit of his to number chapters as if they were mini-arcs. Sometimes it IS appropriate - for example, the Turn Back the Pendulum mini-arc was just numbered 1 through 10. Bleach has been stuck on "Deicide 1" "Deicide 2"... etc for a while now, which brings up an interesting question as to why Kubo decided to name these particular chapters as "Deicide." While I can't find any significance in Chapter 399 "Decide," Chapter 400 "Decide 2" begins Aizen's transformation and unification with the Hougyoku. (I'm assuming that by "deicide," Kubo really means "decide." Or is the spelling error significant? It's not like this is the first time he has misspelled English words... Coincidentally, every time I see the title, I read "die-cide" which gives it a more ominous feeling, lol.)
So is it the deciding point where Aizen relinquishes all control of his body to the Hougyoku? Or is it Ichigo's time to decide: is it futile to fight Aizen? Why is he blindly following SS's orders? Is Aizen telling the truth or not about the Hougyoku and how Aizen has manipulated his life?
Speculation, of course.
I actually liked this chapter, which I can't really say the same about the previous chapters. Like most chapters, the twenty pages don't tell the reader much more than what they already knew from the last chapter but it's a fun read anyway. Ichigo continues his battle with Gin. I find it interesting that Gin tells Ichigo to "run." Is Gin in earnest? Or is he playing a cat and mouse game? I interpreted it as genuine advice to get out before Aizen's transformation blows him up or something. Gin's comment that Ichigo was scarier way back in the SS arc in their first encounter than now was also noteworthy. Even with quite a few power-ups since last time they met, how is Ichigo less "scary" than before? Because he lacks his usual in-your-face confidence? Because he's not fighting for Rukia's life? LOL
The Urahara/Yoruichi banter is funny and cute as always. I love those two together.
Usually in Bleach, it's always a one-versus-one fight, so the fact that Isshin, Urahara, and Yoruichi are fighting together against Aizen stresses how powerful this ugly Aizen has become (I guess. I think his ego has exponentially inflated with every passing minute in his new form). Urahara, as always, is amazing. I love this new technique of his zanpakutou Benihime that was revealed in this chapter. Like its wielder, Benihime is a lot scarier than it looks and always has more tricks up its sleeve.
I know fandom is in an uproar over Isshin's ability to use Getsuga Tenshou. Frankly, I don't know why I am not as excited. I'm just meh about it. Isshin being able to use Getsuga Tenshou holds a lot of implications; for example, is Isshin's Getsuga Tenshou different from Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou? Where did Isshin acquire Getsuga Tenshou? Has he ever seen Ichigo use it and that's how he learned it? Can zanpakutou abilities, which is supposed to be unique to each zanpakutou, be inherited and passed down through genetics? I, for one, don't like this theory. It doesn't quite explain why only Isshin and Ichigo can share a zanpakutou ability despite holding two different zanpakutou. And, it cheapens the uniqueness of each zanpakutou if it can be passed on through genetics. I'm leaning more towards my own theory that Isshin has seen Ichigo use Getsuga Tenshou and that Isshin's zanpakutou has the ability to imitate a technique he has seen before. (Copy Ninja Kakashi?! hahaha.)
I did notice that Isshin's Getsuga Tenshou is white and Ichigo's is black, though.
Aaaaand, it looks like we are going to get a Gin/Matsumoto/Kira reunion, which I'm excited about even though I'm not a GinRan shipper. Poor Matsumoto. Barely healed and still running towards Gin. And Kira. Wounds still unhealed, crawling on the ground practically. I noticed last chapter that he still called Gin "Captain Ichimaru." Is Kira still not over Gin's betrayal? Gin's not a captain anymore, Kira.
(One final note: AIZEN IS SO. FREAKING. UGLY.)
Sometimes Kubo's chapter titles are brilliant. Sometimes they are just annoying. Especially with this latest habit of his to number chapters as if they were mini-arcs. Sometimes it IS appropriate - for example, the Turn Back the Pendulum mini-arc was just numbered 1 through 10. Bleach has been stuck on "Deicide 1" "Deicide 2"... etc for a while now, which brings up an interesting question as to why Kubo decided to name these particular chapters as "Deicide." While I can't find any significance in Chapter 399 "Decide," Chapter 400 "Decide 2" begins Aizen's transformation and unification with the Hougyoku. (I'm assuming that by "deicide," Kubo really means "decide." Or is the spelling error significant? It's not like this is the first time he has misspelled English words... Coincidentally, every time I see the title, I read "die-cide" which gives it a more ominous feeling, lol.)
So is it the deciding point where Aizen relinquishes all control of his body to the Hougyoku? Or is it Ichigo's time to decide: is it futile to fight Aizen? Why is he blindly following SS's orders? Is Aizen telling the truth or not about the Hougyoku and how Aizen has manipulated his life?
Speculation, of course.
I actually liked this chapter, which I can't really say the same about the previous chapters. Like most chapters, the twenty pages don't tell the reader much more than what they already knew from the last chapter but it's a fun read anyway. Ichigo continues his battle with Gin. I find it interesting that Gin tells Ichigo to "run." Is Gin in earnest? Or is he playing a cat and mouse game? I interpreted it as genuine advice to get out before Aizen's transformation blows him up or something. Gin's comment that Ichigo was scarier way back in the SS arc in their first encounter than now was also noteworthy. Even with quite a few power-ups since last time they met, how is Ichigo less "scary" than before? Because he lacks his usual in-your-face confidence? Because he's not fighting for Rukia's life? LOL
The Urahara/Yoruichi banter is funny and cute as always. I love those two together.
Usually in Bleach, it's always a one-versus-one fight, so the fact that Isshin, Urahara, and Yoruichi are fighting together against Aizen stresses how powerful this ugly Aizen has become (I guess. I think his ego has exponentially inflated with every passing minute in his new form). Urahara, as always, is amazing. I love this new technique of his zanpakutou Benihime that was revealed in this chapter. Like its wielder, Benihime is a lot scarier than it looks and always has more tricks up its sleeve.
I know fandom is in an uproar over Isshin's ability to use Getsuga Tenshou. Frankly, I don't know why I am not as excited. I'm just meh about it. Isshin being able to use Getsuga Tenshou holds a lot of implications; for example, is Isshin's Getsuga Tenshou different from Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou? Where did Isshin acquire Getsuga Tenshou? Has he ever seen Ichigo use it and that's how he learned it? Can zanpakutou abilities, which is supposed to be unique to each zanpakutou, be inherited and passed down through genetics? I, for one, don't like this theory. It doesn't quite explain why only Isshin and Ichigo can share a zanpakutou ability despite holding two different zanpakutou. And, it cheapens the uniqueness of each zanpakutou if it can be passed on through genetics. I'm leaning more towards my own theory that Isshin has seen Ichigo use Getsuga Tenshou and that Isshin's zanpakutou has the ability to imitate a technique he has seen before. (Copy Ninja Kakashi?! hahaha.)
I did notice that Isshin's Getsuga Tenshou is white and Ichigo's is black, though.
Aaaaand, it looks like we are going to get a Gin/Matsumoto/Kira reunion, which I'm excited about even though I'm not a GinRan shipper. Poor Matsumoto. Barely healed and still running towards Gin. And Kira. Wounds still unhealed, crawling on the ground practically. I noticed last chapter that he still called Gin "Captain Ichimaru." Is Kira still not over Gin's betrayal? Gin's not a captain anymore, Kira.
(One final note: AIZEN IS SO. FREAKING. UGLY.)