Retsgip’s Anime Blog

Darkshaunz stands amongst Shipper artillery

It’s a beautiful saturday afternoon here, and what better weather to get into the mood for some Hollow smashing (a’la Episode 140). Ah wait, there wasn’t much of that in this latest episode, in fact this episode was Bleach exploring some of the more lovey-dovey moments of two certain people. So on front there’s a war between mankind and its’ guardians against the corrupted souls wandering our planes of existence, and another front, an internal skirmish about the hometown girl and her never-reaching love for a sword wielding fool. We also question the need and the current war between the two major shipping factions.

Ichigo’s closet was undergoing a renovation.

Late entry this week, mainly because World in Conflict was released and I’ve been playing that intensively, one of the big draws for me is you can put up a custom decal for your tanks and shit and you can see the custom decals of other players (Mine is naturally Rukia, I’m bringing her Ice Dances unto the battlefield). Our friend Danny has covered episode 141 in Aces as usual, and he seems to have liked the “deep shades of emotion” presented in the later periods of the episode too. There’s not really as much to talk about this episode aside from the last 10 minutes. The first 10 really just sets up the mood for remainder, save for a scene where the Bounto Sensor dolls are playing Bandage-Bondage with Yumichika and Captain Shouta noting that Kisuke is always thinking about something after the Arrancar invasion. Of course he is thinking about something, Yoruichi’s fine ass (mmm).

Yumichika’s fashion secrets are kept under wraps.

Yumuchikia practices for his Mummy IV audition.

The Invisible War

This episode and the complementing manga chapter is probrably being discussed to the death right now. I can envision in my mind, some kind of Saiyanistic (word???) pride erupting as forum posters and bloggers erupt in a rage of passion, where absolutely no detail is spared, citing precedents in an epic battle in the courtroom of love. I am of course referring to the shipping wars, which is the tone I tried to set from my previous entries. The actual war is far from invisible, it’s raging as you read this, Humble Rukia shock troopers such as myself do what we can to get the message out, with having to continuously repel counter-facts presented by the “enemy” (Inoue fans). As the text-based ammunition along the lines of, “…… belongs to Ichigo” flies across my face, and with the bombshells of episode 141 scattershotting all around me, you can’t help but feel that we’re caught in an unnecessary scenario of who loves who or what likes what, as we begin our journey into Hueco Mondo.

Charge bravely, proud warriors of the Orihime Soldiers!

All Hail Rukia! Troops of our Lady Kuchiki, attaaackkk! (etc.)

Pretty Faces

Rukia looked good in this episode (lol bias), but the animation this time is entirely acceptable and then some. Ichigo looked extremely helpless and vulnerable, you feel like Kon could just go up to him and suffocate him with his fluff kind of vulnerable. Orihime’s face looks suitably mixed with the anxiety of having to say goodbye and the elation of stepping into Ichigo’s room for the first time. Rukia’s face is unchanging, she has this chronic worried look on her face, the kind of face which spends too much thinking of others as opposed to her own needs. This is a plesant break from some of the “Holy shit, they look like something my 4 year cousin drew” quality animation from some of the even non-filler episodes. Point is, we can see the expressions on their faces, which is important in a Bleach episode where something isn’t getting it’s nuts frozen and chopped off, decapitated or maimed.

Beautiful.

Exquisite.

There were also a lot of really nice camera long shots in this episode.

On Ichigo

So in the centre of this presumed “triangle” people theorize, is Strawberry face. Who, through no fault of his own, sought the power to protect those important to him, and in doing so won the hearts of many. First, it started with his immediate family, then it evolved into saving Rukia, then as we will see, he will clearly be prepared to give it all to do the same for Orihime. It’s what heroes do, it’s what we want to see him do. He was meant to save that glowing maiden in the ivory tower piercing the heavens, and we want to see him go save the princess doomed to serve the powers of the Citadel of Night. However, despite getting the Kamen Rider power from the “Karakura Sentai”, he lacks the potential and maximum power level to dent the ranks of the arrancar (now officially as overpowered as the Akatsuki). He’s beat up, and frankly speaking, it looks like a Princess has rescue the knight who’s armour and ego has been scratched. This princess is Orihime, and she will be an important focus in his life, remisniscent of this one time when he saved her from her own kin. I have not betrayed my regiment, oh no, allow me a chance to explain before you shoot me in the back (I’m looking at you wicked_liz).

This looks like something out of a Yaoi doujin.

Time for some emo-texting.

The Kiss that never was

See that rocky ridge over there? It’s super high, your eyes track what seems to be an endless peak and below is the crashing waves of unforgiving torrents. Essentially this was how Orihime was feeling. If she says no to Mascara-face Espada, then she gets swallowed into a sea of sorrow as she watches her friends perish before her eyes one by one. If she says yes, then she begins an uphill journey to palace of night. A painful, self-defeating journey of no satisfaction, the sorrow of loss is not there, but the clipped wings of freedom is felt shattering her nerves. One may argue, “Alas, she should have stayed on the ground and not go anywhere”, but as Orochimaru once said to the Third Hokage, “A still Windmill is nice from time to time, but everything gets boring if it doesn’t move”. Though in all fairness, Ulquiorra probably has more makeup on than Orochimaru. 12 hours to say goodbye to just one person. The one choice was obvious, the strawberry of her desire, the one thing she’d love to sink her lips into, all for the taking.

Rukia gets an allergic reaction to Ichigo’s sisters’ cuteness.

Catch 22. Rukia seeks out Orihime….

….and Orihime seeks Ichigo.

Five Lives is what Orihime would have liked. I guess you think about living multiple lives as you are about to become a prisoner in an alien land. For example, I think a lot about living multiple lives too, I’d love to have been a Tiger-tamer, an X-wing fighter pilot and a Vampire Hunter. I’m a Tiger-tamer at the moment by the way. That aside, the five lives speech leads up to the punchline of “Despite the divergence of careers or interests, there is but one love”. Awwwww, am I right guys? This heart of mine, made out of the coldness of the arctic and the unforgiving molten fires of Hell, stopped in a moment to time, as if to bask in the (slightly cliche’d) glowing and purifying light of true love. Her lips did not connect with Ichigo’s and I think there was a brief reprise with IchiRuki fans, as they prepared to hit the “Enter” key on their post which would have looked like, “omg, Orihime that opportunistic b*tch!”. I think they looked on at the kiss-abortion in a vague confusion, part relief and part why Orihime didn’t capitalize on one of the few times she was alone with a completely incapacitated love of her life. The answer lies with the war being fought over a two dimensional, “he likes her better than the other”, when really these two girls and the guy have an understanding deeper than the scheming crevices of Aizen’s mind.

Ichigo is so going to get Girl Cooties.

Ichigo’s such a clueless and lucky bastard. He scores even whilst unconscious.

The Warrior, The Priestess and The Sorceress

Did anyone else find it Ironic that episode 141 was the first time ever that Orihime has ever set foot in Ichigo’s room? I mean here we have a lovely girl who adores Ichigo to heck, and this is the first time she’s even visited his room. Then on the other hand, we have Rukia, who clearly has only a high level of platonic feelings for Ichigo, having used his room extensively and even calling his closet a “second home” to the Kuchiki mansion over in the Hamptons. I think this kind of irony makes the whole situation more delicious and more intriguing. It’s all too easy if it’s reversed, if the girl who adores him so shared the same roof with him constantly, and if the “stranger” from another place was relegated to the outer echelons of his life, would it not? Ah, but we all secretly love this situation and scenario, guys and girls alike, we just love the thrill of mystery and the adrenaline of the “hunt”. I suspect Kubo Tite loves feeding us the breadcrumbs of clues, and keeps the ultimate steak to himself. The Invisible War raging might not be necessary after all, this could all be an elaborate ruse meant to confuse us, after all, is it just me….or has Rukia and Orihime bonding nicely recently? The testosterone swirling within me definitely wants what is being implied to be true.

That’s because he’s been spraying his man-juice thinking about you, baby.

Wait, what?

Essentially, I think there is an unspoken realization that Bleach is just that, a good-times beat’em’ up involving obscenely large weapons slicing through the very beings which seek to end humanity ™. There’s also the fun in choosing a “side” in a conflict, suddenly something which seemed somewhat trivial at the start, grows into something interpersonal with the viewer, something which teases and prods our sentimental side and causes us to question events of the past. Though it could all amount to nothing in the Penultimate finale of Bleach, we also hold in our minds the possibility of the whole “love” concept amounting to something, no matter how insignificant. It’s natural for the minds of men and women to deviate from the grander scheme of things to partake in the minor pleasures which seed healthy debate and promotes critical thinking. It’s never been a better time to be an Orihime fan, the girl is going on a massive emotional and possibly a power-levelling exodus of her life, I hope they capitalize this and give Orihime the attention she deserves. Rukia’s had a fantastic run after her long absence, and I obviously want to see more of her (not necessarily with anyone, just having her around is awesome). Good things never tend to last however, and I think Orihime’s sayonara just affirms that.

She would still have that great rack in five lives, I bet.

In an alternate universe, Inoue and Ichigo are actually Power Rangers.

Ichigo x ???

The finale of Bleach will be an truly epic event. It’s going to be up there for when Naruto finally gets named the Sixth Hokage, when Luffy finally gets the ultimate Pirate treasure, When Yin finally smiles without the aid of her fingers and when the End of Eva movie remake shows us more of Giant naked Rei humping the Earth. I’m also going to laugh (at myself and everyone) when Kubo Tite decides that he won’t resolve who Ichigo “chooses” at the very end. Of course I don’t know how long Bleach will be going, but it’s popular and doing well enough to take it the journey of a boy and his sword a long way into the horizon. Bleach fans are the true masters of filling in the blanks to create a frankenstein-ish theory when the true master behind it purposely continues to leave holes in not only the grand plot, but also for the brave and bereaved warriors fighting in the forum trenches in what seems for the moment, a stalemate-like battle with no end in sight. I’ll conclude by saying that the journey to the Dimension of Hollows has truly begun, don your shinigami robes, tattoo your limit breakers and have a swig of sake. My friends, the Winter War is upon us and by Haruhi, blood will be crimson this night!

I bet he is having a wet dream. Look at that face.

Meanwhile, in a distant and battered landscape.

Game is World in Conflict, perhaps to say that not all “shipping” or “fanboy” wars are fought on imageboards, forums and just blogs. I’m taking this war to the next level, join me in my fight, or keep track of the Rukia’s army progress Here. To Arms, my Battle-brothers and sisters.

This tank’s crew proudly wears the Rukia banner.

Non believers will be completely obliterated.

Cheers,

Darkshaunz

PS: Don’t tell Rei I’ve been seeing someone else for now.