Gwenael Lee's powers to alter a person's perception of reality mean little against a wild animal who has the instinct to strike and kill on sight. That beast is named Yachiru Kusajishi.
The Good
Here I was thinking that this enemy that can control your memory of events and those creepy, bug-eyes would be the scary part of this next front in the war. How do you trust what you know when the enemy can control your perceptions in such a way? That's what I loved about those aliens from DOCTOR WHO, who had a similar ability. You see them then you're overcome by the terror of realizing this ominous creature has been standing inches behind you this whole time. Glance away for a second, and you've forgotten they're even there.
Just let that idea marinade for a minute. You're a soldier fighting in a war, and you suddenly start developing wounds with no idea where they came from. That's terrifying. However, events of this chapter bring back memories of yet another pop-culture trusim via BUFFY's Xander. "When scary things get scared. That's not good.".
The power behind Yachiru has been hinted at for almost as long as she's appeared in the series. I've been curious about her ever since the little flare up she had while watching Kenpachi and Ichigo's first brawl. A little demon flourishing in the shadows of the larger one, but with the potential to one day over take him. We've just never been able to see what she was capable of accomplishing with Kenpachi in the way. Well, he's not here now, and we're about so see what she's capable of doing.
The Bad
Isane's criticism of Yachiru's response of strike first doesn't quite make a lot of sense. I can understand that mentality if you're not in a war behind enemy lines, but neither of those are true in this case. Attacking someone you've never seen before and who's dressed like the enemy seems perfectly rational to me. Just because you shouldn't let instinct rule you isn't valid cause to ignore them.
Verdict 4/5
Count me as both amused and entertained with this week's edition. I don't know what changed in Kubo, but he's maintained a solid hold on me with final arc nearly every passing week. Sure, not a great deal actually happened here, and things are a little exposition heavy. Yet this has only just opened the door for what could be another great shonen battle with a pair of very unlikely opponents. Kenpachi may be known for his swift, one-sided victories, but I doubt that's going to happen here. Rather, I should say that I really hope that doesn't happen. I've waited a long time for this payoff. I'm very curious to see how far Kubo is willing to take this.
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About the Author
 | Kristoffer Remmell (FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek. Follow for news updates: @AnimeVicers / @FoxxFireArt / http://kristofferremmell.tumblr.com/ |
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