Great Bleach Tangents

[http://users.livejournal.com/_debbiechan_/]

Discussion for the weekend.

Beyond the many Ban Kai Kubo has yet to show us and all the debatable growing up the kids have to do, there are so many unresolved tangents in Bleach that it would take Sensei  a nice ten years at least to thoroughly pick up all the loose threads, wouldn't you say? Given our manga-ka's propensity for dropping a thread and then picking it up a hundred or more chapters later, Bleach can sometimes resemble a very wooly carpet.

What are some of your favorite loose threads and what do you think are the chances of their being woven back into the glorious Bleachverse tapestry in some spectacular way?

For example, I've always been slightly pissed that we never got a resolution to the fact that Ishida had all those spy bacteria in him by Mayuri--did he get them out? Did Orihime undo that nasty business when she healed him? But I'm resigned to the fact that this loose thread may not be very important to the Master Tapestry. More important is the fact that Aizen got locked away with the hougyoku still inside him. And how about that BIG GIANT CLUE that Kubo threw in chapter 00b about Rukia's mystery visit to Earth with Kiyone--that's overdue some explanation. Rukia's connection to hougyoku. How about Orihime's vow to destroy the hougyoku? That got brought up in one panel and never touched about again. Don't even get me started about Orihime hints of development from Kubo that have gotten nerfed.

So, while we're all cozying up to some guaranteed Isshin backstory now, there's still a LOT of unresolved Bleach to bitch about. What are your favorite seemingly forgotten tangents? (I'm sure Sensei hasn't forgotten them--he's just slow and sadistic XD)

Comments

[strawberries-85.livejournal.com]

1. Isshin's backstory in which I'd also like to see Ryuuken, Masaki kicking ass, more about Chad's parents (hopefully), Urahara and that new guy...they seem to be all involved somehow.

2. How the hell did Rukia get the hougyoku inside her? And now that someone reminded me - what of that first mission she had in the real world? And why does Kubo torture Rukia fans so much?

3. Resolution for arrancar. I wish you'd just bring them all back, Kubo. :'(

4. I want more about Yoruichi, her backstory and her involvement with Urahara.

5. Orihime's powers and this denial she seems to be in now. How did her powers originate? Where are her hairpins? Why does she act unaffected by everything that happened prior to the time skip?

[nivek01.livejournal.com]

Your #5 is a big one for me too; she had such great character development, forcing herself to wonder which she wants more, to be protected or do the protecting, and now we're back at square one.

At least Chad doesn't seem to have gone back to how he was before.

[strawberries-85.livejournal.com]

Everyone seems to have a greater air of maturity about them, other than Orihime. Something about this is not right and I suspect that Kubo has a lot more in store for her in the upcoming years. I just fear that he will be too slow with her development, thus fandom will just grow weary of her.

And yes, I am aware that Ichigo is back to his moping, emo self, but that's Ichigo, I am not surprised. Orihime however, she surprised me this arc and I am not sure that that's a good thing.

LOL, Chad was the reason I started reading this arc again. XD

[jpblack.livejournal.com]

Are these not it? http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101204135120/bleach/en/images/4/4c/C427_cover_pages.png

[strawberries-85.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're on that cover page, but where are they in the actual story? She doesn't appear to be wearing them from what I've seen so far and since when has Orihime been known to change the location of her hairpins? And although she appeared to be quite good at sensing reiatsu, she did not seem to be aware of Ishida being attacked until she got a call from the hospital; that's how it seems to me at least.

[nehalenia.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's them, but that's just a cover page. She hasn't been shown wearing them in the manga chapters since she got back from HM. When that cover came out, I think a lot of people thought "OK, it's a style thing, she's got them but just doesn't wear them in her hair any longer", but then we got the chapter where Ishida was in the hospital with serious injuries and neither she nor anyone said anything about healing Ishida.

It is possible that she didn't offer or say anything since Ryuuken had already operated, but it was pretty obvious that Uryuu was far from well, and Orihime's Rikka could have healed him completely as if the attack had never happened. Always before, in every incident I can recall, Orihime has never hesitated to heal the wounded, even when they resisted her attempts (like with Loly in HM). For her to sit there by a seriously injured friend and not make the attempt or even suggest it makes me go "Whoa, what's wrong with THIS picture?"

Ryuuken confirmed Orihime still has her powers -- I assume that Ryuuken read her reiatsu and that's how he knows -- but we don't see her hairpins, and we haven't seen her healing, even though the opportunity was there. That's just really unlike Orihime's usual "Don't worry! I'll heal you right up!" personality, so I can't help but wonder what's going on.

Did she put her hairpins away and decide not to use them for some reason? Were they taken away from her by Urahara or Soul Society for "safe keeping"? Or to make her less of a temptation to any other evil-doers (since Aizen is currently under lock and key) who might want to use her powers?

It's just weird. I didn't put it in my list because other people have asked, but this is a question I really want answered, and sooner rather than later.

#4

[(Anonymous)]

I think that whoever took care of Rukia (after hisana abandon her) would have to be the one that put the hougyoku in her....