Bleach Ep. 243 Discussion

[vitiates.livejournal.com]

Haha, my first legitimate post here that isn't related to fic. But I couldn't resist talking about the newest opening/ending songs in Bleach and what happened.



So it starts off with a large amount of action and ends with the King of all action, Kenpachi cackling madly in that kickass way of his. I'd like to note that Ashisogi Jizo is creepy. Creepy. Creepy. Blades protruding from his chest would freak anyone out, including Isane. Although, credit to her, she didn't moan about the paralysis, she shrugged and went with it. Very nice, Isane.

Return of the duo! The bickering, kind of annoying duo. Tobiume and Haineko need to stop yammering around. I feel like they waste valuable screen time that would be better spent on Kira or Byakuya or even better! RUKIA. Clearly, the anime producers aren't getting this.

And then we go back to Soi Fong. Or, at some point we go back to Soi Fong. She's snarky. Smarmy. I love her to bits in this episode. She's just so... awesome, for a lack of better terms. She bites. She kicks ass. She freaking holds lightening suspended. Color me a fan. She appears mildly tortured and queasy when Suzumebachi shows up, presumably because Suzumebachi likes to talk about wardrobes and looking pretty and "poking" people twice to you know...kill them, all this is a very chipper voice.

Is it just me, or are some of the zanpakuto really wonky?

Anyways, Yumichika gets uh, wrapped up (bad pun) with Fujikujaku. I find it interesting to note that in general, the expressions in this episode were ugly, very stressed, lots of heavy lines. Perhaps a better word would be intense. Oh, the irony. Yumichika's expression was terribly dark and ugly towards the end of his battle, especially with Fujikujaku and his rather painful words.

Ikkaku's lying in a ditch.

Kira. Kira. Kira. KIRA. This guy has the smartest head on his shoulders. He beats down Kazeshini by bluffing (I want poker!Kira fic now) just to be stepped on (literally) by his own zanpakuto. Wabisuke is frightening. I mean, if Mayuri's little alien baby was scary/creepy. Wabisuke looks like something out of a horror movie. The voice and his actions are terrible, in every sense of the word. I know the shape of Wabisuke is perfect for decapitations, but seriously. This was just horrific.

Rukia and Byakuya. She tells him to "please, don't do this." Small moment, but I appreciated it nonetheless. From the previews, she apparently might be engaging Fujikujaku in combat? Not sure. But any Rukia time is good time for me.

KENPACHI, THE BIGGEST BADASS IN THE WORLD AND UNIVERSES BEYOND, APPEARS.

Yes. Just yes.

Now on the beginning/ending themes. There was a lot of Byakuya/Rukia. I mean, I know I ship them, so I might be reading too much into that, but I felt like both themes really played up on Rukia and her relationship with Byakuya. The sakura petals in the ending theme, the gorgeous shots of her sitting and then back-to-back with Byakuya. Just beautiful. Clearly, the animation quality was spent on the ending song.

Did anyone catch the equally pretty shot of Sode no Shirayuki behind her fan in the end theme? <3 Extra points to those who saw Sode no Shirayuki and Senbonzakura together on the screen in the beginning theme.

Anyways, discuss! Did you think Wabisuke was cute and cuddly? Am I going crazy with my Byakuya/Rukia shipping and neglecting my Ichigo/Rukia? Does the title suck?

Speak, masses. I do so enjoy reading comments.

Comments

[stopwatch-plz.livejournal.com]

Ashisogi Jizō scared the living crap outta me, srsly. I'm going to have nightmares about that thing for weeks ¬_¬ Whoever designed that has a lot of explaining to do *lol*

I really liked Yumichika's fight, we've never seen him really get down and dirty while fighting, and I kinda like it - especially as it's against his own zanpakutou ;-) His worry for Ikkaku was cute though *draws sparkly hearts around them both*

Kira was flippin' awesome - I've waited so long for him to kick off his depression and go kick some ass. The fact he beat down Kazeshini was fantastic - and using one of Shuuhei's bracelets too? Where the hell did he get that from? Is it the shinigami version of friendship bracelets and, if so, does it mean the same if they're broken? *grin* Sorry, the Shuuhei/Kira fangirl in me coming out there ;-)

Wabisuke also scared the crap outta me - but what scared me even more was Kira's resigned face that you see a shot of with the blade so close to him! Don't die now, Kira - not when you've just gotten awesome!

[vitiates.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree with you on the Ashisogi design. >> There's a story behind that one. One that involves some drugs and a hallucination or two, for sure.

I liked Yumichika's fight and yes, I want to draw sparkly shipper hearts around those two. :) They are my favorite slash pairing in Bleach. :3

I KNOW. I completely forgot to mention that. But I squeed like a mofo when he used Hisagi's chain, bracelet...thing. My fangirl was definitely pumping her fists when that happened. I want a super Hisagi rescue now. Except, he's recovering. But, this is Bleach. He'll show up. Somehow. Or maybe that's just my wishful thinking.

[stopwatch-plz.livejournal.com]

I think it's the eyes and the baby's head that does it for me... just using something that usually looks innocent and turning it into something that nightmares are made of. Very wrong *checks under bed before climbing in*

Haha, I know, they rock. Last week's omake with Yumi and his zanpautou giving Ikkaku a makeover... XD I loved this weeks omake as well *grin*

Hisagi has to turn up now. Has has has. Kira went up against his emo!zanpakutou and beat it down, now Hisagi has to come and return the favour TRUFAX! ;-) I didn't like Kira's creepy smile/thing when he was fighting though - made him look really wrong. I think even emo!Kira is better than creepy!Kira

[pogo2468.livejournal.com]

KIRAAAAA!! Oh aside from your creepy out of character smiley faces, you were amazing this episode! I love how he bluffed, outsmarted and freaked Kazeshini out. It was just wonderful. The guy's a bad ass when he fights. He's cold and cunning and I love it! And Wabisuke. Effin creeper. And the way he held the blade to Kira's neck was quite poetic. Very reminiscent of Kira's actions in his fight against the Bird Man. Hmm, will it be Hisagi to the rescue?

Tobiume and Haineko are irritating. I tolerated the bickering, at first, but now it's just getting old and tiresome. There's too much of it.

Anyway, I loved this episode. Kira is one of my favorites and I'm glad he got his chance to shine :3

[lunarkitty24.livejournal.com]

I loved Suzumebachi (and Soifon's reaction to seeing Suzumebachi for the first time). She was like cute in the way Yachiru and Nel are cute, but a huge diva attitude that was made even more hilarious by how tiny she is!

Kira was definitely creepy with that look on his face, and yuh Yumichika was drawn quite ugly in this episode.

Haineko and Tobiume were fun at first but are kinda lame now, even their attacks are boring.

I ship ByaRuki for fun, and yeah this filler is filled with moments between those two. And I'm very happy that Kenpachi has arrived. He looks like he's about to have fun.

Btw, does anyone else find Senbonzakura to be a bit bipolar and all over the place with his overall intent? Initially I thought he was the cold and silent type, but he seems to be the opposite. I mean, he told Byakuya to kill his sister's zanpakuto. And when Byakuya did Senbonzakura was angry and threatened him. He's willing to fight his owner, but at every turn ends up fighting FOR Byakuya. I don't know Senbonzakura's status as far as whether he is still under Muramasa's influence, or if he and Byakuya just have that sort of relationship....but I don't know. It's obvious Ichigo doesn't want to fight him and instead wants to help Kira, Yumichika, and Ikkaku.....and so he and Byakuya (who is just standing there) have all the time in the world to escape. But Senbonzakura is intent on fighting Ichigo, and while watching the ep I forgot why he was fighting him. I don't even consider Senbonzakura to be a threat or a villain in the grand scheme of things. I don't understand his motivation. He also seems more emotionally-driven than his owner. I still love him, but I'm trying to figure him out. :D

[kchanlp.livejournal.com]

That title was a traaaap! Here I was, so "Go Go Senbonzakura! Byakuya-sama! Team up already, would ya?! ;_;", and then there was just that ending scene wich, in my august opinion, was just to explain the title. I was mad. Fangirly mad. That's dangerous, you know.

Then there was Soi Fong being badass, Suzumebachi telling her to get a boyfriend adn, ok, I laughed a little bit at that.

Yumichika's expression was terribly dark and ugly towards the end of his battle, especially with Fujikujaku and his rather painful words.

OMG I WAS TERRORIZED BY THE LINES ON YUMICHIKA'S FACE!! They were screaming ROYALLY PISSED!

Hyourinmaru's so cute, I want him in my wardrobe. (L)

AND KIRA! OMG KIRA, YOU BASTARD, HOW COOL CAN YOU GET???? Kazeshini was POKER OWNED by Kira! Freakin' cool!!! AND WABISUKE!!!! He's kinda creepy, horror movie spawn and so on, but... Cool. Damn cool, dammit! I'm fangirling about Kira, who I always thought was kinda lame, how crazy is that?! I should stop now. Yeah.

And Kenpachi. KENPACHI, THE BIGGEST BADASS IN THE WORLD AND UNIVERSES BEYOND, indeed. Just his laugh is enough to make a minor character weep in dispear... That's how cool you can get, being Yachiru's ride.

[iluxe-love.livejournal.com]

Talk about ugly, creepy faces in this episode!

Yumichika and Ruriro Kujaku (his zanpakutou? Don't know if that's how his name is spelled) had the ugliest expressions in the beginning of the episode - very heavy lines, as you said, and also deep set, glowering eyes. And KIRA! Haha, what was up with his grimace/smile while he was bluffing? (He looked like he was in pain.) No wonder he doesn't smile that much LOL.

LOVE KIRA in this episode. The guy has brains :D He read Kazeshini like an open book, it was really neat how he revealed at the last moment that he had one of Shuuhei's explosive things, literally up his sleeve XD. Stupid me, I think I'm becoming a Kira/Shuuhei shipper, haha. I fangirl over such trivial things.

Lol at Soi Fon's reaction to Suzumebachi. Suzumebachi goes on and on about how cute her outfit is and it would have been so perfect if Soi Fon had said something like, "You're my zanpakutou?! What an ugly little thing!" ...judging from her expression (my imagination decided to interpret it as disgust rather than shock XD).

About the OP and ED: Can't say that I really like either of the songs they picked (I liked the previous ones!) but definitely feeling the ByaRuki vibes. THERE WAS SO MUCH OF IT! But I gotta say that there were a little bit of IchiRuki in that ED too. So it's really IchiByaRuki (new OT3?!)? I really like that part where Byakuya walks past Rukia in the ED, and then Ichigo is shown walking up to her. Adding in the rest of the human nakama at the very end of the ED was a bit random though.

(Anybody else notice that in the last scene of the ED, Rukia stood in the middle, with Ichigo and Renji flanking her sides? Made my OT3 shipper heart happy. Something so minor, but still <3)

Yes, so anyway, Kira was the best part of this episode <3 The title should really have been reflected on Kira or Ashisogi. Not much about Ichigo and Senbonzakura except hacking away at pink petals. Kenpachi's hair looks somehow shorter - which is why I wasn't so sure it was Kenpachi at first even though *obviously* he had his eyepatch and ripped haori and everything.

[iluxe-love.livejournal.com]

Also, Hyourinmaru is sooooooo overprotective, haha.

[kaibasgirl.livejournal.com]

Omg, I LOVED this episode!!

Isane. ISANE <33 I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!! She was freaking awesome! This is actually the first time we actually SEE her fighting, anime or manga (well, not sure about anime, cause I don't watch anime 'cept this arc, so I could be wrong). I was cheering SO hard when she took control of the situation, and blasted Ashido.

That zanpakuto is CREEPY! When those knives sprung out of his chest, I was soo creeped out! But so many props to Isane, she was shocked, but she didn't let that get her down. The girl is showing exactly what she's made of, I'm SO happy!

And when she was down on the ground with her legs paralyzed, and Tobiume appeared behind her. Oh gd, am I the only one who found the scene extremely creepy?

Especially Tobiume's line to her "You're like a bird that's had it's wings clipped".

Honestly, the timing was perfect, especially with Tobiume's expression. Actually, her face was expressionless. Normally when she mocks, she smiles, or gets this condescending look in her face, but no. Not here. She appeared silently behind Isane, and in a neutral voice told her her fate. I just got a chill down my spine at that moment.

And YES FOR HINAMORI COMING BACK <33 I was disappointed that her fight with Tobiume ended so quickly, but I'm glad they'll be facing off against each other once more. I'm really hopeful for some serious character development for both these girls.

Tobiume's shocked expression when Byakuya killed Sode no Shirayuki was telling. I think it drove home the point that Zanpakuto aren't invincible, and they can be destroyed. Of course, that will probably make her want to fight even more against the shinigami, but I foresee a serious convo. between her and Momo (hopefully) in the future. After all, Hinamori never mis-treated Tobiume ^.^

And Hinamori!! I'm so excited! The way she fought against Tobiume in the first episode was freaking AWESOME! I'm really hoping that we'll get to see her breaking out some more new moves soon! Her going shikai would be a dream come true! Actually, she may already have had the ability to go shikai, since she the last time she used kido, she was holding her sword out in front of her, so.

Of course, the icing on the cake for me was the Soi/Suzu fight! Holy crap, was I the only person thinking Soi Fon went super saiyin?! And when she caught the lightening, I was like, "NO WAY! She can bend lightning?!" haha, a:tla moment, but it was freaking awesome!!

And omg, I LOVED her little laugh this episode <33 just the way she was trying to cover it up was so cute!! I love seeing this side of her! And wow, she's so mean! "Are you two really captain-class zanpakuto" & Gonryomaru's "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" was AWESOME!

I guess now we know Sasakibe's shikai ability ^^ it's actually quite cool, if you think about it. And I'm starting to like Gonryomaru more and more every day. Poor sap. Just trying to be more than wall paper XD and I find his friendship with Tengen so cute! (that is NOT meant to be taken in a yaoi way!)

But wow, Suzumebachi. Oh my gd, Suzumebachi! I totally love her! Love love love love love her! I was so nervous for this fight, because I was scared the animators would completely mess up on it! Especially since inevitably, they have Soi being rescued by Yoruichi, which bugs me to no end.

But Suzumebachi's lines to her were everything I could have hoped for! "It's so annoying when you keep saying Yoruichi-sama! Yoruichi-sama!" YES!! You tell her Suzumebachi!

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Soi Fon, but I find her infatuation with Yoruichi annoying and unhealthy. I'm so glad someone beside Omaeda is finally calling her on it! Especially someone who isn't afraid to tell it like it is!

And her next line was GOLD. "If you're that bored, go buy some decent clothes and get a boyfriend!"

Oh gd, YES!!! ROFL! Thank you Suzumebachi! Thank you!! <333

And Soi's horrified expressions were absolutely hilarious. "I can't believe your my Zanpakuto", oh yes!! Believe it, Soi Fon <33 I seriously can't wait to see more of their fight! Suzumebachi's definitely got sass!

[kaibasgirl.livejournal.com]

I was honestly expecting more from the Ruri'iro/Yumichika fight. But I guess after analyzing it a little, there was a lot said between the lines.

I think what Ruri'iro Kujaku wants more than anything else is for Yumichika to say that he accepts him as he is, fully and completely. Or, in laymen terms, just tell him he's beautiful XD

Like last episode when they both faced each other, Yumichika asked him if he knew why he brought him all the way here, and Ruri'iro said he knew, cause Yumi didn't want anyone else to see him.

Is it just me, or did he look a bit hurt? And did you notice how Ruri'iro looked so bothered when Yumi called him Fuji Kujaku? And even after he told him that he'd kill him if he called him that again, he tried changing the subject, and started talking about how good Yumichika looks and other crap.

I think he was honestly trying to change the subject, because he really didn't want to kill Yumichika, he just wanted to be accepted. -sniff- I feel so bad for Ruri'iro.

And then when Yumi called him 'Fuji Kujaku' again, Ruri'iro had this look of 'why did you have to call me that?! Why couldn't you just accept me for who I am, and we could continue sharing fashion tips?'

And you can tell this episode he didn't really want to kill him! After he saw that diplomacy wouldn't work, he tried getting Yumichika to surrender. He tried so many times! Calling him a pushover, telling Yumi that they were all winning, pointing out that Ikkaku wasn't in the game anymore...

Man, Yumichika is really dense. He doesn't get subtlety at all. If he did, he wouldn't have been all 'okay just shut up and fight'. I'm actually glad Ruri'iro has him trapped in his special ability. Even though I love Yumichika, he really deserves what's coming to him =\

Which brings me to Kira & Kazeshini. Honestly, they did a very smooth job with this fight. Unlike the Ikkaku/Houzukimaru fight, where it was just like, "I win cause of plot-kai and shounen clichés", this was actually very clever. Even though I wasn't so happy with the fact that it was Kira fighting against Kazeshini, it was handled well enough that it didn't feel so intrusive.

I loved Kazehini's line to him, "I'm getting bored of that expression! I'm going to gauge out your eyes!" ROFL!! I was definitely reminded of the Avirama/Kira fight XDD!

It's funny, cause even though Kira usually keeps to one expression, when he does show a different emotion, the expression is usually hilarious. Except his smile. I'm sorry, but that smile was as creepy as Ashido.

And wow, Wabisuke. I seriously don't like that guy. I was impressed with how Kira recognized him right away, but I suppose that's to be expected. It was a great twist having Kira fall so quickly after just having achieved victory. Wabisuke standing on his back, man oh man.

But what really got me was the expression on Wabisuke's face as he held his sword to Kira's neck. Am I the only one who thought he looked completely mad? Like some deranged psycho?

The gleam in his eyes were bad enough, but the way his mouth was open silghtly, and he seemed to be drawing in rattling breaths, it was like...-shudder- he looked extremely unstable.

It's funny though, because after that scene, I was like, "yeah, he fits Kira to a 'T'". Cause if you guys remember, in the manga, Kira was pretty much portrayed as emotionally unstable. Like when Hinamori attacked him, and he's like, "I have no choice but to treat you...as an enemy", his face there was freaky. And then when he was in the detention cell, he was in a straight jacket, and there were scratches on the walls, scratches on him...

So yes, even if this sounds cruel of me, Kira and Wabisuke definitely fit. And the way Kira just put his head down in defeat when he saw the sword...my impression was that he was basically saying, "After everything I've done, I probably deserve to be taken by your hands, Wabisuke." That's what I thought, at least, cause he didn't look so shocked as he did submissive.

Like with the other Zanpakuto confrontations, the reactions were mostly shock, betrayal, or anger. Kira's is very interesting though. I'm not so sure he had the best relationship with Wabi, and I'm really hoping that we'll find out more.

[kaibasgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, and the little bit with Hyorinmaru and Hitsugaya was AWESOME! Especially when Hyorinmaru's like, 'believe in them' and then next scene we see Hinamori showing up, the HitsuHina shipper in me was going -SQUEEEEEEEEE-

Haineko & Tobiume's arguing is getting a little old, but I guess the animators are trying to underscore how badly those two get along. I loved the way Tobiume slammed down one her bells in anger/frustration saying "Why am I always the backup?!" bits of Momo's personality are really starting to come through in her--I love it!

And I loved Haineko's snark towards Matsumoto, LOL. It's interesting, because I think their relationship is the reverse of Yumichika & Ruri'iro Kujaku's.

Haineko's the one who's so unaccepting of Matsumoto, and while Matsumoto is afraid to give her snark for snark, Haineko is really the initiator when it comes to their fighting. She's the one who greets Matsumoto as 'hag', which provokes Rangiku.

I really wonder why she does that though. I think that Haineko is kind of jealous of Matsumoto, and that's why she's constantly putting her down, but I'm not 100% sure.

The Senbon/Ichi fight was boring as hell. Thank gd it only lasted a few minutes. I mean, there's only so many times you can throw pretty pink petals before it gets boring.

I was kind of disappointed to see Zabimaru down again.

But Kenpachi arriving?! Holy hell, that is just awesome.

I really wonder if we're going to see his sword's corpreal form. I mean, in truth, Kenpachi doesn't even know his sword's name, and he never uses whatever ability it may have. But Muramasa doesn't know that. Hm...this is going to be extremely interesting.

Oh, and why didn't anyone mention the shinigami golden this episode?! I laughed SOO hard by it! I've been waiting for either Kubo or the anime to make a death joke about Ukitake for AGES!! The way he was just like, -coughcoughcoughcoughcoughDEAD- was hilarious!!

The previews for the next episode didn't tell much. It looks like Bya-Bya and Ken-chan might be facing off against each other (YESSSSS!) but I can't be sure. There was nothing at all about Suzumebachi & Soi Fon, so my only hope is that there fight is SO awesome, they didn't want to give any of it away!

Though, it's also perfectly plausible that they might take a break from it next episode to focus on the Ruri'iro/Yumichika, Ken/Bya fights, and will dedicate an entire episode to it later. I'm not sure which to hope for XD

And on the op/ed, they were FANTASTIC! The Sen/Shira shipper in me was jumping up and down doing the macarena!!

That shot in the op with Bya, Sen, and Shirayuki--omg, it seriously looked like Senbonzakura was looking at Shirayuki, though it's impossible to tell XD and the ending, with Shirayuki surrounded by sakura petals, this is a hint y/y??

Though, I don't ship ByaRuki XD but I looove all the little hints for SenShira ♥

(dang, I really talk way too much ^^; sorry 'bout that)

[yulieana.livejournal.com]

Ikaku and Yamichika are eating dirt. Ichigo is his usual I'LL PROTECT EVERYONE self. Forget the fact that he is getting his ass handed to him by Senbonzakura.

And Kira. Kira. KIRA!!! He is actually HOT here. I mean, he is ONE HOT POTATO. I never knew Kira could be so hot.

*ahem*

Mayuri's sword is creepy, to be expected.

Rukia is cute.

And the crazy SOB Kenpachi went Super Seyan.

Love it.

[hanaki-neko.livejournal.com]

It was a great ep, way too awesome XDDD. I love this ep <3.
I used to liked Soi Fon but after this ep, I like her even more and more, her reaction when she saw her zanpakutou. Suzumebachi really reflect her personality a lot IMO.

Kira's face when he's fighting made me laugh a lot, I never seen his face like that.He was smart XD, but Wabisuke creep me out. I never ever thought Kira's deep personality would be like Wabisuke!?

Did you think Wabisuke was cute and cuddly?
Oh no, deffinetly not in this ep !

I still don't get it, Rukia's hair when she told Byakuya "Please, don't do this" is kinda different. Is it me or did anyone notice this? Byakuya going to have Senbonzakura's mask, I guess all those "Naze naze..." finally work on Byakuya LOL.

OH Zakari Kenpachi - sama !!! I have been waiting for this moment since I watched this filler! Go get them Kenpachi XD. But, where is Yachiru!? Y_Y

Am I going crazy with my Byakuya/Rukia shipping and neglecting my Ichigo/Rukia?
Nah, you are fan right, and fans need to going crazy when there's a pairing they like/love/surport get the spotlight. It like their instinct so don't worry about it. Laugh.

yes, after this ep many and many more ByaRuki fangirls just squee. I do like ByaRuki because of there brothers love, and I really adore the OP and the ED a lot, it showed how they are connected, how they love each other. I really like it but..., for some reason,...
Oh forget it, I don't want to wreck your mood.I already post what's my feeling anyway.

Does the title suck?
This ep tittle or your tittle? Both of them did not suck (Laugh)

[happier-balance.livejournal.com]

Soi Fon-taichou, when did you get to be such a smartass? <3<3<3
and who would have ever thought that Suzumebachi'd turn out to be such a... girl?

Kira whipping out that bracelet is like another Renji-and-Byakuya-with-the-heirloom-scarf moment... Wonder how many fanfics that's going to give birth to?LOL

and ZARAKI-TAICHOU! Every time he starts going BWAHAHA! I get this crazed fangirl grin on my face. That man just totally kicks ass!

[schweinsty.livejournal.com]

Wait, what was the Renji/Bya scarf moment? I don't remember that...

[happier-balance.livejournal.com]

Aaaaahhhh...

The part where Byakuya totally beat up Renji in the Rescue-Rukia arc and he sort of let his scarf drop over Renji...=)

The part where we find out Renji already has bankai?

[conquistadora.livejournal.com]

When Kira put on his rape face = had to change my pantaloons. When Wabisuke came upon the scene = had to change them again. When Ken-chan arrived = had to go to the hospital due to blood loss from brain.

oh and soifon's zpt still sucks arse

WABISUKE IS YOUR GOD BOW YOUR HEAD BITC--I MEAN... BBS.