July 02, 2005
Naruto and Bleach Summaries
Once again, I won't be talking about the Naruto anime. The only redeeming feature of this weeks episode was that they did show the part where Sakura goes to Tsunade and asks to be her pupil. Next week is more filler, if I remember correctly.
Bleach Episode 38
Last week, Chad was taken down by the 8th division captain, Kyouraku Shunsui.
Meanwhile, Ichigo is running for his life. Kenpachi is close on his heels. Kenpachi cuts Ichigo off and attacks him. Ichigo leaps away from the captain and barely blocks a blow from Kenpachi's sword. Ichigo takes advantage of Kenpachi being off balance and...runs away again. Kenpachi is beginning to think the fight isn't much "fun".
As Ichigo is running, he keeps telling himself to "calm down" and that there is no way Kenpachi is invincible; there has to be a way to cut him down. Ichigo thinks back to his first attack against Kenpachi, when the captain offered to let Ichigo hit him. Instead of Kenpachi being cut, it was Ichigo who was hurt (his hand is still bleeding). Ichigo keeps running, contemplating his perdiciment, when Kenpachi busts through the wall in front of him.
Kenpachi tells Ichigo to stop running and he says he hates playing tag with wimps. Ichigo is freaked out but attacks Kenpachi anyway. For awhile, Ichigo swings at Kenpachi and Kenpachi bats at him as if he's a fly. Ichigo lands a hit and once more Kenpachi just laughs and smiles. Ichigo takes off once more. This pisses Kenpachi off.
Ichigo hides in an ally. He knows he's landing hits, but Kenpachi just won't bleed. By this time, Ichigo is in full panic mode. He's no longer thinking rationally, scared out of his wits that the difference in the power will get him killed. He tries to rationalize his fear, but it's not working. At that moment he notices Chad's spirit force has disappeared.
Shunsui and Nanao are about to leave when Vice captain Nanao offers to administer the finishing blow to Chad, who is lying on the ground. Shunsui tells her no. Nanao says that Chad and the other intruders were probably the ones who killed Aizen, and Shunsui tells her "Maybe, maybe not". He tells her to call someone to pick Chad up and place him in a holding cell.
Ichigo focuses and finds a spark. He's relieved that Chad is not dead. Then, he realizes that if he loses to Kenpachi, not only will Chad be hurt, but everyone who has come to help him rescue Rukia will probably die as well. He can't let that happen.
Ichigo comes out of hiding to find Kenpachi sitting on the ground waiting for him. Kenpachi asks if Ichigo is ready to die or if he's just given up. Ichigo says neither and attacks. At first it looks as if Kenpachi won't be lifting a finger, but Ichigo lands a hit and Kenpachi bleeds.
Ichigo tells Kenpachi he's not going to die. Kenpachi looks a bit startled he's been cut, then annoyed...then he smiles--a very excited, happy smile. Then he tells Ichigo, "See, you can do it!" They start fighting again--with Ichigo looking a bit worried.
Back at the shinigami headquarters, a group of captains are standing over Aizen's corpse. One asks if it was tested to be a faux body. The answer is negetive. Captain Aizen is "really" dead. Tousen (how I HATE this guy) and Komamura go outside and run into Hisagi and another vice captain (I forgot his name). Tousen gives his speech about how he hates violence and fighting, but he will fight to protect the peace (STFU Tousen) and then leaves. Komamura says he will fight too.
Meanwhile, Ichigo isn't fairing to well against Kenpachi. Kenpachi grabs Ichigo's sword and lifts him in the the air while trying to stab him. Ichigo gets cut, but saves himself from being skewered. Kenpachi praises him but tells him he needs to fight harder. Ichigo tells Kenpachi he needs to stop taking him so lightly and release his Zanpaktou (sword). Kenpachi scoffs a bit and tells Ichigo that his sword is as it always is. It has no other form.
Ichigo is stunned. Zanpaktou usually have different forms. Kenpachi tells Ichigo he couldn't seal his sword if he wanted too. His spirit power is too high. His Zanpaktou has no name.
Ichigo thinks he might have an advantage, but Kenpachi proves him wrong. He stabs Zangetsu (Ichigo's Zanpaktou) and peirces Ichigo's heart. Zangetsu breaks in half and Ichigo falls to the dirt, gushing blood. Kenpachi starts to walk away, complaing about how dull the fight was.
Ichigo lays dying, telling himself to get up and move. He looks up and sees Zangetsu walking through Kenpachi. Zangetsu stops and stares at him. The show ends...for now.
Next week...Zangetsu joins the fight and Kenpachi takes the gloves off...or should that be the "eye patch"?
Bleach Chapter 185
Ishida leaps away from the Hollow that has appeared behind him. He's never seen a Hollow appear that way and wonders if it's a Menos (though it doesn't look like a Menos). Meanwhile, Kon meets up with the Grandfisher and is in serious trouble. Elsewhere, Urahara notices the disturbances as does Yourichi. Urahara doesn't look happy.
Hirako and Ichigo are fighting on a roof top. Kurumadani is watching/hiding. He wonders what they are, possibly monsters. Hirako stops and looks away, saying "They've arrived." Ichigo asks who he hell Hirako is and Hirako just looks at Ichigo, telling him what a pain he is because his spiritual pressure is always on high.
Again, Ichigo asks Hirako who he is. Hirako replies with a "why does it matter so much" but relents and shows Ichigo...his Hollow mask.
Ichigo is stunned (so am I).
Hirako tells Ichigo he has both a Hollow mask and a Zanpaktou--just like Ichigo. He tells Ichigo that they are the same; that they've both stepped into the Hollow's world. Hirako says he belongs to "Something Army" (sorry, didn't understand this) and that Ichigo doesn't belong to "the other side". Hirako tells Ichigo that he needs to join them instead.
Meanwhile, Ishida is fighting the Hollow, still wondering if it is a Menos or not. The spiritual pressure of the Hollow is incredibly high.
Ishida may have lost his Quincy powers, but he isn't unprepared. He pulls out these bomb like things and throws them at the Hollow, blowin it's arm off. The Hollow splits apart, it's arm regrowing. There are actually two bodies instead of one.
Just as it looks like Ishida is going to be caught and eaten, somone slices off the Hollows "tongue". From the shadows, the visitor says, "Oh boy, this isn't good...Uuryu."
Apparently he knows Ishida well enough to use his first name so intimatly (in Japan only family and the closest of friends use first names like this).
Whoooo~~ I've got lots of questions! Who's the mystery man? What's up with the white hollow? What the hell is this "army" and who exactly do they work for? And I hope Kon is okay!
Naruto 166
Finally, Naruto is getting a interesting again. We ran into a bit of stagnation after the "death of Gaara". This week's chapter jumps back into the-- "WTF? I didn't expect that!" Good for Kishimoto; I was beginning to worry.
Anyway...Granny and Sakura have busted up Sasori's puppet. Granny has used some "puppet jutsu" on Sakura, allowing her to dodge Sasori's traps. She also used the same jutsu on Sasori's tail, so she now has control of both. Sasori commends her and says he shouldn't have expected anything less, she was the one who taught him after all; and then he removes his cloak.
Meanwhile, back at the Sand village, a meeting of comittee members is going on. They're talking about whether or not finding Gaara is worthwhile. Gaara managed the Shukaku but still never managed to merge with it completely. Most of them feel he is a danger to the Sand and perhaps it's better that he's gone. The elder continues on, saying that even Gaara's father attempted to have his son killed, but failed, and the village has been under stress since Gaara became the vessel for Shukaku. The only reason he was made Kazekage was so that the comittee could keep an eye on him. Kankuro gets pissed off and grabs one of the members.
Kankuro is told to sit down and the elder tells a story about the third Kazekage who went missing. Apparently he was abducted and the Sand spent a lot of time searching for him. War's broke out, the village suffered, and the Kazekage was never found. It was disturbing, since he was the strongest of all in the Sand's history. No one wanted to believe that someone like him could be eliminated so easily.
Back in the desert somewhere, Naruto has gone Kyuubi and is attacking Dedaria relentlessly. Dedaria uses his paper birds to cause explosions, which Kakashi barely counters. This only angers Naruto further and he tells Dedaria he won't let the Akatsuki have Gaara.
Dedaria says Naruto is strange for jinchuuriki. Most Jinchuuriki are loners and hate other people because their villages, parents, etc hate them as well. Dedaria says they've already taken two other jinchuuriki's and their villages never even raised a finger to help them. Dedaria goes on to say that he's heard that some people were thankful to the Akatsuki for ridding them of the jinchuuriki.
He tells Naruto that Gaara is already dead. The ichibi (shukaku) has already been taken out and no jinchuuriki can survive that. Naruto is getting more pissed and tells Dedaria he's going to kill them all for what they've done.
Back to Granny and Sakura--Sasori has pulled off the cloak that was covering his body. Much to his Granny's surprise, Sasori hasn't aged a bit in 20 years. Sakura and Granny are stunned. Sasori says he's got a surprise for them, and the puppet he has was quite a pain to collect, but all the more reason for it to be his favorite.
Sasori releases the puppet. It's the missing third Kazekage.
