Sometimes being cocky works.
Creative Staff:
Story/Art: Tite Kubo
What They Say:
Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghost – he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow- a malevolent lost soul – Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping tortured spirits themselves find peace.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With Bleach in full on action mode as we saw the last time around, it’s definitely one of those quick-read chapters – which is ideal if you’ve got the big magazine in hand on the train in Tokyo and looking for some enjoyment. When you’re sitting down looking at it in isolation, it’s something that’s a bit emptier overall simply because of its design. This chapter isn’t as bad in a sense as the previous one as that had a couple of double-page spreads that made it a very fast read and this one also works in a good bit of dialogue from both sides, though obviously Yhwach is doing most of the talking as he’s trying to get Ichigo to a certain place amid their fight. His larger plan is certainly taking shape but it’s hard to rally behind him as a villain because of the nature of his all seeing power.
Which, at least, is well played and described here with the analogy of grains of sand showcasing all kinds of futures that he can instantly plan for. Ichigo’s certainly fighting well but it is mostly a holding action at this point as Yhwach toys with him. He’s being “fatherly” to be sure toward Ichigo, teaching him aspects of the power that’s intended on some level to get him to realize the futility of it, but it also almost feels like he’s wanting him to learn it at the same time for a greater purpose. Which I wouldn’t put past Kubo. Ichigo, for his part, has a solid chapter even if it is him getting pushed back regularly and dealing with some pain along the way with all sorts of traps that Yhwach is about to throw at him, since he does know numerous futures as we’ve been told repeatedly. Ichigo taking the hits he does makes him a bit more compelling this time around since the struggle is more than half the fun here, but now the curiosity is laid down at the end as he gets ready to bring his bankai out. Will it be the game changer for the fans? With so much buildup, it’s damn hard to say.
In Summary:
Bleach continues to move forward and it has its interesting story points to it, though I keep waiting for the next feint or trick to arrive, which keeps me from investing too deeply in it. This chapter continues to showcase some very good artwork from Kubo and his team, though the strong focus on filling in areas with straight black continues to irritate me. Details in design, man, makes the whole thing richer and less cheap looking. And with our funky Ichigo right now, the book definitely needs a bit more style to it.
Grade: C+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media via Weekly Shonen Jump’s ComiXology Release
Release Date: June 13th, 2016
MSRP: $0.99
