Pepe only wants to share his love with Byakuya Kuchiki, then use it to tear him apart. If he won't accept it, perhaps his zanpakuto will.
The Good
I may be in the minority on this, but there's just something I enjoy about watching as the super-serious Byakuya is forced to contend with such an oddity as Pepe. It's nice to have a level on contrast between characters, and these two couldn't be more different from one another. Byakuya is all about controlling his emotions, and Pepe is so expressive and uses his powers to turn their emotions against his enemies. The way this fight turns at the end of this chapter has really caught my attention and excited me for next week.
I was completely ready to just brush aside this Stern Ritter until I realized his love could even control a zanpakuto to attack its handler. That power is both wicked and effective in a world where all your opponents use swords with souls. To have your primary weapon literally turn against you in an instant must be surprising enouigh. It can then be wielded by anyone who is under the same spell. I was confident that Byakuya could win this fight with ease, but he's paying the price for his hesitation and has been caught off balance.
The Bad
I'm not so sure this issue does the best job of explaining the events. As much as I criticize the series for over explaining, I'm confused why Byakuya can still control himself after being hit by Pepe's power. I don't want to judge that one event too harshly since it could just be explained later. Just a thought that I'm left with.
Verdict 4/5
This chapter was feeling good but a bit so-so until the finale. I think Kubo is giving away a bit too much with the reveal, but the idea of those two battles crossing over into each other is rather intriguing. I wouldn't hold it against anyone who might disagree with my scoring for this week. As with any of these, I'm just calling it from my own experience. I just like where I see this going so far. Shonen battles are classically solo affairs. Even if the participants are in groups -- two on one, two on two, and such. This feels just so much more fluid than most of what I've experienced in shonen.
Follow along with the latest BLEACH chapters yourself, tune in for the SJ Podcast, and check out the free starter pack sampler at ShonenJump.com here. You can download the free app for both iOS and Android devices.
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/ |
No comments:
Post a Comment