Hmm... Interesting stuff.
Other than going to the beach in New Jersey, I spent the weekend watching Bleach. I've now seen up to episode 63 and I'll stop downloading for now. I think I want to wait for the US manga releases to catch up where I've left off in the anime. Considering how much story I've seen in the past few days, that will probably take a few months. I won't mind too much, because I do know that at a certain point the anime introduces its own story arc that doesn't appear in manga. If I'm not mistaken, this new arc is what's currently airing, so I'm not going to miss too much story-wise (in relation to the manga) if I decide to wait for a while.
The Soul Society story arc of Bleach was rather interesting. Not only did it reveal the Soul Society side of Bleach, but it introduced the series' real antagonist as well. Up until this point, while the series had a plot, it had no real villain. Hollows themselves were the antagonists, but other than helping to explain the gist of the story and to show off Ichigo's powers, they didn't play a seriously important role. In the Soul Society arc, other than in flashbacks hollows don't appear at all. So in essence a great deal of the soul reapers in Soul Society become the antagonists. As it is Ichigo and his group's (Chad, Orihime, Ishida, Ganju and Yoruichi) goal to save Rukia from execution and run, not to take down Soul Society itself. The final fight between Ichigo and Captain Kuchiki only serves as a point on the climax, not the actual climax itself. With the defeat of Captain Kuchiki, the real villain of the series appears and turns the tables with very little effort on his part.
Who knew that the seemingly mild-mannered, gentle Aizen would turn out to be such a bastard? Then again, hints are dropped occasionally, so at the same time it's not so unbelievable. After all, in many ways Captain Kurotsuchi can serve as a foil of sorts to Aizen. Kurotsuchi is a mad scientist who thinks little of using his subordinates as tools to achieve what he wants. Especially when he, Kurotsuchi, tried to kill Ishida and Orihime, then later tried to capture them. The soul reapers are supposed to be the "good guys" who keep the balance of the living world and the afterlife, but he proves that not all soul reapers are good. In the same way, Aizen uses his subordinates to achieve his underhanded goals, but unlike Kurotsuchi he appears to be a kind person on the surface. The kindness also serves as an illusion, as it blinds everyone to his true, twisted nature. It's like the old cliché goes about catching flies with honey instead of vinegar. By the time the fly realizes its been trapped, it's already too late.
Storywise, it's a brilliant twist because it would have been disappointing to see Ichimaru turn out to be the master mind behind the unrest in Soul Society. In reality, Ichimaru is just a distraction (to both the characters in the story and the audience) while Aizen is free to do his own thing quietly in the background. Of course Aizen's been manipulating everyone, for not just months but years to achieve his goals. Although it was hinted at early that when Aizen was "murdered" that he might have been using some kind of faux body. In reality, that body was nothing but an illusion created by Aizen himself. As far as character goes, his strength is frightening. He easily dispatches Captain Hitsugaya, Renji, Ichigo (he only used his index finger stop Ichigo's bankai!) and even Captain Komamura without taking any damage to himself. It is then revealed that he's been manipulating hollows the whole time and is more or less in control of them. If that's not one hell of a way for a series' villain to make his appearance, I don't know what is. So what will Aizen do, now that he has the object that he's been seeking? Will he really sit on Heaven's throne as he arrogantly stated as he made his escape from Soul Society? Is it his goal not to just play god, but to be God? How much will Ichigo have to gain and lose in order to stop that kind of power? Will Ichigo have to become god-like himself in order to take down Aizen?
At this point is not clear that Aizen will fight Ichigo, but in most stories, no matter what type, the protagonist always plays a hand in stopping the antagonist.
The Soul Society story arc of Bleach was rather interesting. Not only did it reveal the Soul Society side of Bleach, but it introduced the series' real antagonist as well. Up until this point, while the series had a plot, it had no real villain. Hollows themselves were the antagonists, but other than helping to explain the gist of the story and to show off Ichigo's powers, they didn't play a seriously important role. In the Soul Society arc, other than in flashbacks hollows don't appear at all. So in essence a great deal of the soul reapers in Soul Society become the antagonists. As it is Ichigo and his group's (Chad, Orihime, Ishida, Ganju and Yoruichi) goal to save Rukia from execution and run, not to take down Soul Society itself. The final fight between Ichigo and Captain Kuchiki only serves as a point on the climax, not the actual climax itself. With the defeat of Captain Kuchiki, the real villain of the series appears and turns the tables with very little effort on his part.
Who knew that the seemingly mild-mannered, gentle Aizen would turn out to be such a bastard? Then again, hints are dropped occasionally, so at the same time it's not so unbelievable. After all, in many ways Captain Kurotsuchi can serve as a foil of sorts to Aizen. Kurotsuchi is a mad scientist who thinks little of using his subordinates as tools to achieve what he wants. Especially when he, Kurotsuchi, tried to kill Ishida and Orihime, then later tried to capture them. The soul reapers are supposed to be the "good guys" who keep the balance of the living world and the afterlife, but he proves that not all soul reapers are good. In the same way, Aizen uses his subordinates to achieve his underhanded goals, but unlike Kurotsuchi he appears to be a kind person on the surface. The kindness also serves as an illusion, as it blinds everyone to his true, twisted nature. It's like the old cliché goes about catching flies with honey instead of vinegar. By the time the fly realizes its been trapped, it's already too late.
Storywise, it's a brilliant twist because it would have been disappointing to see Ichimaru turn out to be the master mind behind the unrest in Soul Society. In reality, Ichimaru is just a distraction (to both the characters in the story and the audience) while Aizen is free to do his own thing quietly in the background. Of course Aizen's been manipulating everyone, for not just months but years to achieve his goals. Although it was hinted at early that when Aizen was "murdered" that he might have been using some kind of faux body. In reality, that body was nothing but an illusion created by Aizen himself. As far as character goes, his strength is frightening. He easily dispatches Captain Hitsugaya, Renji, Ichigo (he only used his index finger stop Ichigo's bankai!) and even Captain Komamura without taking any damage to himself. It is then revealed that he's been manipulating hollows the whole time and is more or less in control of them. If that's not one hell of a way for a series' villain to make his appearance, I don't know what is. So what will Aizen do, now that he has the object that he's been seeking? Will he really sit on Heaven's throne as he arrogantly stated as he made his escape from Soul Society? Is it his goal not to just play god, but to be God? How much will Ichigo have to gain and lose in order to stop that kind of power? Will Ichigo have to become god-like himself in order to take down Aizen?
At this point is not clear that Aizen will fight Ichigo, but in most stories, no matter what type, the protagonist always plays a hand in stopping the antagonist.