Bleach X: Deicide (this time for real)

[LaZodiac]

You know, I still enjoy "Bleach", I liked some of Kubo's artistic decisions which didn't go over well with many (most?) of the fans (like the "The Heart" spread), and I even think some developments and scenes which also didn't go over too well with the fanbase were actually quite reasonable (such as Resurreccion!Tousen being taken down by a sneak attack, the reveal of Komamura's origins or Kenpachi's fight with the Stern Ritter with the Green Lantern powers)... But Kubo's pacing is just terrible. It's probably not a fair comparison, but I've been re-reading my super-hero comics collection and by God, some writers could fill an issue with so much plot, character development and action scenes that they make "Bleach" look like a soap opera!

You know you have issues when comic books are being compared favourably too you.

[The Troubadour]

You know you have issues when comic books are being compared favourably too you.

Hey, now, there are several excellent comic book runs or series. They're much like any other mass-produced works of art: it's an ocean of averageness or low quality, but there are plenty of good-or-higher-quality material out there.

And when it comes to filler, older super-hero comics tend to be superior to manga. Before the time when writing for trade paperbacks became the norm, they had to write issues with self-contained stories, or at most stories that lasted 4-6 issues, so the writer had to cram as much content as possible - and the best ones did it without it feeling like "cramming" at all!

[LaZodiac]

Hey, now, there are several excellent comic book runs or series. They're much like any other mass-produced works of art: it's an ocean of averageness or low quality, but there are plenty of good-or-higher-quality material out there.

And when it comes to filler, older super-hero comics tend to be superior to manga. Before the time when writing for trade paperbacks became the norm, they had to write issues with self-contained stories, or at most stories that lasted 4-6 issues, so the writer had to cram as much content as possible - and the best ones did it without it feeling like "cramming" at all!

Oh sure yeah there are great comics, but I'll admit I'm probably just way to disdainful for how comics as a whole are written. They never really end and with all the shifting writers and artists it leads to a series losing what it had. Manga usually doesn't have this problem.

[Mato]

Also what the databooks say about Kenpachi and Ichigo's Zanpakuto has no bearing on this conversation.

{scrubbed}

The Reveal that Ichigo's Hollow and Shinigami powers were two halves of the same whole. It came bundled with an implication that The Old Man and Zangetsu were two halves of the same Spirit, which turned out to be a lie, but it did become true later when Ichigo made them the same spirit.

{scrubbed}

The fact that the Vizard's speech implies that they killed their inner hollows,

And when they said they defeated it, they really meant they killed it so they lied too.

All of this leads up to "Nothing But the Rain" which reveals that Ichigo was part hollow from birth.

And that's not even remotely true, and following that is this two chapter part labeled the blade is me where Ichigo him self confirms black Zangetsu is a Zanpakuto and a Zanpakuto is nothing more than him self, you know, the same exact things they said in Decide that was apparently a lie. That's all a lie too.

This is several years worth of evidence, vs your one piece of evidence that is easily explained by other events.

{scrubbed}

[Rater202]

{scrubbed}

[The Troubadour]

[...] but I'll admit I'm probably just way to disdainful for how comics as a whole are written. They never really end and with all the shifting writers and artists it leads to a series losing what it had.

Oh, I fully agree with this. It's why I tend to limit myself to specific runs (like Walt Simonsen's on "Thor") when collecting comics.

[danzibr]

One thing Rater said made me wonder...

So Ichigo's earlier bankai may either have not been his true bankai or not a bankai at all.

I wonder what his new one will be.

[ben-zayb]

Oh sure yeah there are great comics, but I'll admit I'm probably just way to disdainful for how comics as a whole are written. They never really end and with all the shifting writers and artists it leads to a series losing what it had. Manga usually doesn't have this problem.

Comics as a whole, or do you mean chiefly "DC Universe"- and "Marvel Universe"- based comics as a whole? Because I'm pretty that there's a wealth of other mainstream publications that have only one or two writers. Not sure about Marvel, but DC has plenty of stand-alone, writer-light, alternatives under Vertigo, some of which are critically acclaimed.

Edit: Oh, and apparently we had a Bleach chapter this week. Hurray!

[LaZodiac]

Comics as a whole, or do you mean chiefly "DC Universe"- and "Marvel Universe"- based comics as a whole? Because I'm pretty that there's a wealth of other mainstream publications that have only one or two writers. Not sure about Marvel, but DC has plenty of stand-alone, writer-light, alternatives under Vertigo, some of which are critically acclaimed.

Edit: Oh, and apparently we had a Bleach chapter this week. Hurray!

I tend to mean in general but I really mean the big two.

My personal opinion is that I hope Boku no Hero becomes so popular that DC and Marvel look at it, realize how great it is, and just stop making comic books and stick solely to what they're good at (animated badass tv shows for DC, badass liveaction movies for Marvel). Because seriously, Boku no Hero Academia is all the best things about western comics without all the garbage, mixed with all the good things from manga (with an amazing art style).

Okay enough gushing about good series. Yeah we had a chapter this week. Everyone's all "oh man final dungeon time lets do it" and that's basically it. HOWEVER, to be fair, as much as I discount Bleach, the bit with our protagonists thinking about what Yoroichi's brother looks like was actually really funny. Stuff like that is what makes me so baffled that Bleach is so bad, because there are clearly moments where it harkens back to some of it's good points.

[ben-zayb]

I would probably enjoy that bit if only I didn't have a character introduction burnout for Bleach. I'm guessing plenty of manga I've read had more, but it's Kubo who has that uncanny ability to make many of his characters pretty much look/act the same, with phoned-in, rehashed, character personalities and quirks.

[HandofShadows]

Spoiler: New Chapter

Show

STILL not a whole lot happening. But we find out were Kenny was. And surprisingly he shows a slight amount of concern for others of the SS. And the Quicy from the SS show up.

[LaZodiac]

Spoiler

Show

So Askin Noclavar is going to be fighting all of team Ichigo solo. This'll be...interesting.

Meanwhile team Good Guy Quincy are doing something that actually seems important.

[ben-zayb]

Spoiler

Show

Ok. Quincy defectors + Espada remnants are so Vizard 2.0. Wonder who among them will get bisected this time. Meanwhile, the Quincy region Elite Four takes the top 3 (or 4) Espada rehash.

Is mangareader/panda mistranslating Wahrwelt? If I got my Deutsch right, Wahrwald sounds far less pretentious majestic.

[LordRahl6]

Spoiler

Show

Ok. Quincy defectors + Espada remnants are so Vizard 2.0. Wonder who among them will get bisected this time. Meanwhile, the Quincy region Elite Four takes the top 3 (or 4) Espada rehash.

Is mangareader/panda mistranslating Wahrwelt? If I got my Deutsch right, Wahrwald sounds far less pretentious majestic.

Yeah a lot of explanation continuing in this chapter, but I see that changing in the near future.

@ben-zayb: The Wahrwelt is the correct translation for True World. Wald is German for forest. Check Google Translate.

[Razade]

@ben-zayb: The Wahrwelt is the correct translation for True World. Wald is German for forest. Check Google Translate.

Google Translate isn't 100% correct. A better Translation would be Correct World, not True World.

[danzibr]

Spoiler

Show

Oh man. For a single Quincy to hold up to Ichigo's team or the big team, they'd have to be hella buffed.

[Infernally Clay]

Spoiler

Show

So Askin Noclavar is going to be fighting all of team Ichigo solo. This'll be...interesting.

Meanwhile team Good Guy Quincy are doing something that actually seems important.

Those two are right outside the main palace already. They're either going after Yhwach themselves or they're going to try to screw him over by releasing Harribel, who should still be in there and would be a serious threat to the Quincy.

As for Askin, he's totally askin for it. *ba-dum tish!* In all seriousness, I like how things are panning out. Zaraki and Mayuri are pretty much guaranteed to end up tag teaming one of the Stern Lichter, which should be really epic to see. Grimmjow and Nel will probably end up taking Askin on so Ichigo and the others can push forward. I say that because I don't think Ichigo is going to be busting out Bankai for the rest of the year and, as the fight against Dordonii proved, Ichigo has a habit of using Bankai even when he doesn't need to.

[ben-zayb]

Askin's lethal dose ability is actually pretty scary against any opposition not named Urahara, Mayuri, Aizen, Ichibei, or Nimaiya. Unless, of course, we get another bull**** like "I've frozen all the liquid in my body, nya nya nya!"

[The Troubadour]

Askin's lethal dose ability is actually pretty scary against any opposition not named Urahara, Mayuri, Aizen, Ichibei, or Nimaiya. Unless, of course, we get another bull**** like "I've frozen all the liquid in my body, nya nya nya!"

I'd find that a logical use of Rukia's abilities, myself. :-)

[Rater202]

If he can alter the lethal dosage of the blood in your body, then I don't think that blood being solid will help much.

[ben-zayb]

I'd find that a logical use of Rukia's abilities, myself. :-)

I'd be 100% on board only if Kubo can resist the urge to try hard making overly complex pseudoscientific explanation that doesn't really add anything more than saying "I can freeze tangible and abstract concepts without harming my body".

[HandofShadows]

If he can alter the lethal dosage of the blood in your body, then I don't think that blood being solid will help much.

Blood that is solid does not flow and so a poison will not travel through the body and do any harm.

[Starwulf]

Blood that is solid does not flow and so a poison will not travel through the body and do any harm.

If your blood stops flowing, you're going to die awfully quickly from your entire body being oxygen starved.

[Frozen_Feet]

Uh, Rukia's explicit power is to kill herself and keep moving by manipulating Reishi she consists of. She literally froze herself solid when fighting As Nodt.

[Starwulf]

Uh, Rukia's explicit power is to kill herself and keep moving by manipulating Reishi she consists of. She literally froze herself solid when fighting As Nodt.

Hmm, I totally forgot that part, mostly because it was so ridiculous. I guess if she entirely froze herself that would obviously include her blood.

[ben-zayb]

Uh, Rukia's explicit power is to kill herself and keep moving by manipulating Reishi she consists of. She literally froze herself solid when fighting As Nodt.

Yes, and Kubo uses the term "absolute zero" apparently without knowing jack about what it actually means. The stupid (and pretentious) part is the sad explanation, really.

[Rater202]

Using Reishi to move something that can't be moved sounds like your standard Shonen Anime mystical Bull Plop technique.

[The Troubadour]

Yes, and Kubo uses the term "absolute zero" apparently without knowing jack about what it actually means.

Meh. Sorry, but if the misuse of scientific concepts bothered me that much, I wouldn't be such a fan of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure". :-)

[ben-zayb]

Meh. Sorry, but if the misuse of scientific concepts bothered me that much, I wouldn't be such a fan of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure". :-)

Duly noted.
*goes out and checks it anyway*

[Durkoala]

Hmm, I totally forgot that part, mostly because it was so ridiculous. I guess if she entirely froze herself that would obviously include her blood.

I never really had a problem with Rukia's freezing trick because we've already seen people creating several tons of ice out of nothing, making time advance millenia in seconds, having skin and only skin be immune to said time advancement, turning into a cat, permanently making people perceive anything the user wishes, make reality play by the rules of children's games, be able to refuse anything, create and wear clothing of solar plasma and make it so that two superhuman armies didn't notice the 15,000,000 degree man standing within a few miles of them, create alternate histories and make anything happen as long as your target isn't deaf.

Compared to some of these things, freezing your body to death and sort of forgetting to die barely puts a dent in my suspension of disbelief.