Ichigo and the gang get a blast from the past by their new party member, and Senjumaru of the Zero Squad crafts a suit for Nianzol that he'll absolutely despise. She guarantees it.
The Good
The battle between Senjumaru and Nianzol was the highlight of the chapter for me. Who would have thought that his powers would be as freaky as his duel tongues? All enemies that he either sees or perceive of bends away from him. That's a formidable ability that you'd think makes the perfect defense, but he also displays that is has a wicked offensive side to it, as well.
Sure, this battle plays on the ever present shonen theme of characters talking too much about their abilities, but there's something I enjoy about its use here. I think it's in the way that Senjumaru finds and manipulates the loophole of Nianzol's defenses. Distracting him with the cannon fodder guards while she alters his own clothes to turn against him. It makes for a great closing to the chapter.
The Bad
You want to talk about a false start. What was with the dramatic launch countdown from last week? The way this chapter starts out with Ganju just busting in with the map comes across as incredibly confusing.Urahara even implies that he's already taken that into account and the map isn't needed. So then why are they taking him along? I just get this feeling that the only reason Ganju is appearing at this point is to serve as a trigger for an unnecessary bit of nostalgia that focuses the heroes on Uryu.
While we're on the topic, I can't say I'm even remotely pleased with the choice of adding Ganju of all people to the team for the finale. He was largely unhelpful the last time they rocketed off together, then hardly appeared in the series since. This is the time to get to know characters with a bit more mystique about them. I would have loved it if Kukaku had come along. She's a bad-ass that we know so little about, owns a sword with unique trait, and has used powerful kido spells during previous events. Awfully suspicious for someone who hates Soul Reapers so much.
Verdict 3/5
I wouldn't say this issue started off on the best foot, but it certainly got better. For as much as I like the fight in this chapter, I really hope that is the end of Nianzol. It would diminish the reputation of the Zero Squad if they couldn't best such a low level enemy. I don't think you could blame anyone for being confused why their attacks were always bending away from Yhwach earlier, but having them adapt quickly and strike back so ruthlessly really paints them as a force to be reckonded with. I look forward to seeing where that goes.
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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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