Something that’s always struck me about Eastern horror stories - - specifically ghost stories, more often - - is the specificity of the rules
concerning the paranormal. Again, from GANTZ to DEATH NOTE, it seems like spirits aren’t so much terrifying expressions of the unknown, but
simply undesirable clauses in the law of the universe. Certainly, there’s still going to be a lot of
grief and duress; but a person can navigate around them in about the same
fashion he’d finesse his way out of parking ticket.
I mean, just look at the title of this one. This episode’s centered on
Chad, not breaking the procedures of shinigami and Hollows so much as just
literally dancing around them. All the business of him punching the air, and
hitting the Hollow only when Rukia’s correctly guiding him… it makes me think
of how my cousins would tell me to hold my breath after passing a graveyard. You know, lest I attract unwanted attention from the people buried there.
As I recall, they said I had to hold it for three house for a small
one, and five houses for a big one. Made perfect sense when I was a kid. Recalling it now, though, it’s amusing to think about quantifying horror to such
measured degrees. And that’s what I’m seeing while watching this.
Guess it should be even less of a surprise in a genre so renowned for
power levels right? Maybe taking your universe as literally as this is another secret to shonen's success. I can imagine the staffs of so many
other series saying, “Why even bother worrying about those details? It's all fantasy at the end of the day.” Well, perhaps that's it. BLEACH does go on and play out a scenario - - precisely showing what happens when a character can touch ghosts, but can't see them.
There you go. A lesson to end this last HST sampler with. Do you figure I'm on to something here?
Watch "Beat the Invisible Enemy" and decide for yourself, then read my comments about the
previous episode.
About the Author
 | Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk |
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