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Bleach #9
Bleach, Vol. 9: Fourteen Days for Conspiracy
Ichigo Kurosaki never asked for the ability to see ghosts--he was born with the gift. When his family is attacked by a Hollow--a malevolent lost soul--Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper, dedicating his life to protecting the innocent and helping the tortured spirits themselves find peace. Find out why Tite Kubo's Bleach has become an international manga smash-hit!
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2003
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1562 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
February 17, 2023
Orihime and Chad are easily my favourite duo in Bleach.
Aftee the first few volumes, I started to expect that Orihime would fall into the “damsel in distress” trope, so I’m really happy that she's coming into her power instead. The scene where she protected Ichigo and the others with her shield, not even stopping to think about her own life (thak u mr. Yoruichi for reminding her to do so afterwards...) was great! she’s so selfless and sweet, I love Orihime so much.
These characters are always a joy to read about… I can’t wait until the plot picks up more with Rukia’s awaited execution.
Aftee the first few volumes, I started to expect that Orihime would fall into the “damsel in distress” trope, so I’m really happy that she's coming into her power instead. The scene where she protected Ichigo and the others with her shield, not even stopping to think about her own life (thak u mr. Yoruichi for reminding her to do so afterwards...) was great! she’s so selfless and sweet, I love Orihime so much.
These characters are always a joy to read about… I can’t wait until the plot picks up more with Rukia’s awaited execution.
May 25, 2024
"Here's a tidbit of idle gossip for you. Yesterday some new Ryoka entered the Soul Society. There were five of them. One of them was a Soul Reaper with a sword as tall as he was. A Soul Reaper with orange hair." [Renji to Rukia]
Welcome in the Soul Society!
We're in (probably) everyone's favorite Bleach arc, Soul Society (finally!). Our favorite heroes gathered together to use their powers to save Rukia who got sentenced to death for a (supposed) crime of giving her powers to a human. As nothing is ever easy, the journey to Soul Society didn't go smoothly. After an encounter with the Cleaner, Ichigo and the Karakura gang (Ishida, Chad and Orihime) came across the guardian of The Spirit Gate, Jidanbou. He needed to be defeated in order to open the gate for them.
"It's been a while since anyone tried to crash the Seireimon - The Spirit Gate - without permission. At last I have a customer. Welcome, boy!" [Jidanbou]
I adore Jidanbou. Can't say that he's one of my favorite characters (I don't know him that much), but after the little time we've got to spend with him, I can easily say that he's a giant with a gentle soul. His encounter with Ichigo was both funny and adorable, despite the fact that Jidanbou looked incredibly intimidating at first. He's crushed expression after he realized what he had lost and his "you have such a good soul" to Ichigo and Ichigo's uncomfortable "I'm sorry for the axes" made me smile. But the highlight of the scene was Ichigo's full on offended expression when Jidanbou called his name cute - it was hilarious 😂
"If you won't leave voluntarily, Soul Reaper, you and me are gonna have to do a man-dance!"
"Stop, Ganju! This man is a good Soul Reaper!"
"You should know better, Elder! Soul Reapers are all the same! They're all bad!"
After the failure that was an attempt to go through the gates, the gang needed another way to get to Rukia so Yoruichi decided to take them to a friend, Kukaku (she's the lady on this volume's cover). This is how we meet the Shiba siblings: Kukaku and Ganju. The atmosphere between Ichigo and Ganju is a little bit tense, since Ichigo is (temporary, but still) a Soul Reaper and Ganju is a Soul Reaper hater (it has it's deep reason). But they will become friends very very soon ;) And soon they all will come to Seiretei and the mission to save Rukia will begin.
A little life after death topic talk
After watching the anime, I already knew that Yuichi (the parakeet) didn't met his mother after he was send to Soul Society, but I thought that there is still hope that it might happen one day. This information changed everything I thought I knew about the life after death situation in the Bleach universe. First: after you die, you are transfered to a place that looks basically like a place you lived on earth. It's not Heaven. It's not Paradise. You're just a poor soul that will most likely end up in a poor place. Second: do not think even for a second that you will meet all your loved ones after you die. Nuh huh. Nothing like that. Everyone who died before you were thrown into different regions and you will most likely never ever meet them. But there is also a third, very important thing: you might not find your beloved ones, but you will become a part of a found family instead, so there is still a place for you and there are still people who will love an take care of you. You will not be alone. I think that's an amazing concept. It has a great balance - there will be something you will lose, but also something you will receive.
I should end my review at that, but...
A little bonus corner - some of my additional thoughts
~ The Cleaner appears ONCE every SEVEN YEARS?! HUH?! 😯
~ Gin's hair seem to be a little bit longer in the manga than in the anime. I'm not yet sure if I like it or not.
~ Orihime imagining Ichigo as a warrior prince (wearing a Shakespearean outfit, LMAOOO) while healing Jidanbou was hilarious and irritating at the same time (girl, focus on your job, please!)
~ BONNIE THE WILD BOAR!
~ "Hey, wait! You're running away?!"
"I'm not running, dandelion! I'll fix you later! Until then, wait here like a good boy! Try not to turn to fluff and blow away!" - this exchange cracked me up, I couldn't stop laughing for good twenty minutes, lol (Ichigo's offended expression is EVERYTHING) 😂
~ I think that the Soul Society portrayed in the manga looks more impressive than in the anime. It's the same, really, there is no difference between the manga and the anime, but somehow I feel more while reading the manga.
~ AIZEN MAKE HIS ENTRANCE IN THIS VOLUME
~ "Dude, you kicked me without warning! It must run in the family." - I know that Ichigo meant Ganju and Kukaku having some, hm, violent tendencies, but after watching The Thousand Year Blood War and knowing who these people actually are, the little thing Ichigo said made me tear up T^T
~ Kukaku is a QUEEN, I LOVE HERRRR
additional info:
~ Byakuya's scarf costs the same as ten houses. TEN HOUSES. Do you even imagine 🤯
Welcome in the Soul Society!
We're in (probably) everyone's favorite Bleach arc, Soul Society (finally!). Our favorite heroes gathered together to use their powers to save Rukia who got sentenced to death for a (supposed) crime of giving her powers to a human. As nothing is ever easy, the journey to Soul Society didn't go smoothly. After an encounter with the Cleaner, Ichigo and the Karakura gang (Ishida, Chad and Orihime) came across the guardian of The Spirit Gate, Jidanbou. He needed to be defeated in order to open the gate for them.
"It's been a while since anyone tried to crash the Seireimon - The Spirit Gate - without permission. At last I have a customer. Welcome, boy!" [Jidanbou]
I adore Jidanbou. Can't say that he's one of my favorite characters (I don't know him that much), but after the little time we've got to spend with him, I can easily say that he's a giant with a gentle soul. His encounter with Ichigo was both funny and adorable, despite the fact that Jidanbou looked incredibly intimidating at first. He's crushed expression after he realized what he had lost and his "you have such a good soul" to Ichigo and Ichigo's uncomfortable "I'm sorry for the axes" made me smile. But the highlight of the scene was Ichigo's full on offended expression when Jidanbou called his name cute - it was hilarious 😂
"If you won't leave voluntarily, Soul Reaper, you and me are gonna have to do a man-dance!"
"Stop, Ganju! This man is a good Soul Reaper!"
"You should know better, Elder! Soul Reapers are all the same! They're all bad!"
After the failure that was an attempt to go through the gates, the gang needed another way to get to Rukia so Yoruichi decided to take them to a friend, Kukaku (she's the lady on this volume's cover). This is how we meet the Shiba siblings: Kukaku and Ganju. The atmosphere between Ichigo and Ganju is a little bit tense, since Ichigo is (temporary, but still) a Soul Reaper and Ganju is a Soul Reaper hater (it has it's deep reason). But they will become friends very very soon ;) And soon they all will come to Seiretei and the mission to save Rukia will begin.
A little life after death topic talk
After watching the anime, I already knew that Yuichi (the parakeet) didn't met his mother after he was send to Soul Society, but I thought that there is still hope that it might happen one day. This information changed everything I thought I knew about the life after death situation in the Bleach universe. First: after you die, you are transfered to a place that looks basically like a place you lived on earth. It's not Heaven. It's not Paradise. You're just a poor soul that will most likely end up in a poor place. Second: do not think even for a second that you will meet all your loved ones after you die. Nuh huh. Nothing like that. Everyone who died before you were thrown into different regions and you will most likely never ever meet them. But there is also a third, very important thing: you might not find your beloved ones, but you will become a part of a found family instead, so there is still a place for you and there are still people who will love an take care of you. You will not be alone. I think that's an amazing concept. It has a great balance - there will be something you will lose, but also something you will receive.
I should end my review at that, but...
A little bonus corner - some of my additional thoughts
~ The Cleaner appears ONCE every SEVEN YEARS?! HUH?! 😯
~ Gin's hair seem to be a little bit longer in the manga than in the anime. I'm not yet sure if I like it or not.
~ Orihime imagining Ichigo as a warrior prince (wearing a Shakespearean outfit, LMAOOO) while healing Jidanbou was hilarious and irritating at the same time (girl, focus on your job, please!)
~ BONNIE THE WILD BOAR!
~ "Hey, wait! You're running away?!"
"I'm not running, dandelion! I'll fix you later! Until then, wait here like a good boy! Try not to turn to fluff and blow away!" - this exchange cracked me up, I couldn't stop laughing for good twenty minutes, lol (Ichigo's offended expression is EVERYTHING) 😂
~ I think that the Soul Society portrayed in the manga looks more impressive than in the anime. It's the same, really, there is no difference between the manga and the anime, but somehow I feel more while reading the manga.
~ AIZEN MAKE HIS ENTRANCE IN THIS VOLUME
~ "Dude, you kicked me without warning! It must run in the family." - I know that Ichigo meant Ganju and Kukaku having some, hm, violent tendencies, but after watching The Thousand Year Blood War and knowing who these people actually are, the little thing Ichigo said made me tear up T^T
~ Kukaku is a QUEEN, I LOVE HERRRR
additional info:
~ Byakuya's scarf costs the same as ten houses. TEN HOUSES. Do you even imagine 🤯
March 28, 2018
The race to save Rukia from the Soul Society is officially on, Ichigo and his friends have come to their first roadblock. Jindanbô, the Western gate keeper guards there for 300 years and he hasn’t let a single soul enter. He’s about to change his mind because Ichigo is the first person that defeat him. His crew had a rough trip to go and save Rukia.
June 8, 2023
New allies and more enemies and they’ve finally made it to the Soul Society but now they gotta find a way to get over the gate.
September 23, 2018
Soul Society arc
(ch. 71-182, vol. 9-21)
hello, nice to meet you. i'm a member of "the soul society arc is superior" fan club.
10/10 doesn't even begin to cover it, i guess? though i can't wait to finally have my rukia back in action in the upcoming arc... but still she was so amazing and she didn't even have her powers the whole time... *blows kiss to the sky* for the moon, rukia kuchiki
also, ichigo is literally the embodiment of "i haven't studied at all and now it's 2 days before the exam and i gotta do everything i can to pass" and that's relatable and i love him too
the amount of action packed in this arc is I N S A N E and like, every new character introduced is an instant fave. shoutout to my queen yoruichi! also uryuu if you're reading this, i love you!!!!!!!
and another big shoutout to byakuya's bankai. that shit is the most beautiful deadly thing i have ever seen.
(ch. 71-182, vol. 9-21)
hello, nice to meet you. i'm a member of "the soul society arc is superior" fan club.
10/10 doesn't even begin to cover it, i guess? though i can't wait to finally have my rukia back in action in the upcoming arc... but still she was so amazing and she didn't even have her powers the whole time... *blows kiss to the sky* for the moon, rukia kuchiki
also, ichigo is literally the embodiment of "i haven't studied at all and now it's 2 days before the exam and i gotta do everything i can to pass" and that's relatable and i love him too
the amount of action packed in this arc is I N S A N E and like, every new character introduced is an instant fave. shoutout to my queen yoruichi! also uryuu if you're reading this, i love you!!!!!!!
and another big shoutout to byakuya's bankai. that shit is the most beautiful deadly thing i have ever seen.
July 18, 2020
Ichigo and crew finally make it to Soul Society!
Or do they? Just as Ichigo shows off his new skills and lets a Giant know he needs to get through the gate a Captain shows up. Gin. And let's just say Gin doesn't play around as he quickly handles the Giant. All the first half is thrilling and fun and exciting. The second half? Not as much. Self proclaimed Soul Reaper hater is here and he's over the top stupid. Not to mention it felt almost like Filler as everyone just sits around waiting for the next plot point to go.
With a strange halt pacing this volume was heading for a 4 star but landed in a 3.
Or do they? Just as Ichigo shows off his new skills and lets a Giant know he needs to get through the gate a Captain shows up. Gin. And let's just say Gin doesn't play around as he quickly handles the Giant. All the first half is thrilling and fun and exciting. The second half? Not as much. Self proclaimed Soul Reaper hater is here and he's over the top stupid. Not to mention it felt almost like Filler as everyone just sits around waiting for the next plot point to go.
With a strange halt pacing this volume was heading for a 4 star but landed in a 3.
March 5, 2025
"Don't be scared."
September 18, 2022
This volume features the readers first foul scale introduction to the Soul Society. The volume has a bit of a slower pace, but considering it introduces huge characters like Kûkaku, and Aizen, it feels a lot more eventful on a second read.
February 9, 2021
1 Star
This whole series so far is just misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic. I started this series thinking it would be fun adventures and for the first few volumes it was what I wanted, but I am very hesitant to continue, because reading this as a queer woman is just dreadful.
This whole series so far is just misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic. I started this series thinking it would be fun adventures and for the first few volumes it was what I wanted, but I am very hesitant to continue, because reading this as a queer woman is just dreadful.
June 23, 2016
ahh man that ending
January 19, 2020
Ichigo Kurosaki and his squad continue their journey into the realm of the Soul Society looking to save their friend Rukia from her capital punishment.
Before being able to enter the inner circle, they encounter a couple of obstacles, including another creepy captain and a gatekeeper, but things aren't hopeless just yet with a solution being proposed.
Mangaka Tite Kubo continues this action-packed series with another beautiful and stunningly conceived story arc and teases loads of upcoming and exciting confrontations.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Before being able to enter the inner circle, they encounter a couple of obstacles, including another creepy captain and a gatekeeper, but things aren't hopeless just yet with a solution being proposed.
Mangaka Tite Kubo continues this action-packed series with another beautiful and stunningly conceived story arc and teases loads of upcoming and exciting confrontations.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
August 18, 2022
GIN! AIZEN! AHHHH I LOVE YOU BASTARDS
October 13, 2024
I have yet to see a character in this series that is not completely deranged in some way or another
December 10, 2025
Oh, all of us dream
That we are flying the skies
With our eyes open
This volume had some interesting moments but most of it felt like a filler. I am still interested in the new characters though! Oh, and I really wanna see what happens with Renji!
That we are flying the skies
With our eyes open
This volume had some interesting moments but most of it felt like a filler. I am still interested in the new characters though! Oh, and I really wanna see what happens with Renji!
June 26, 2015
Awesome.
January 23, 2024
Ichigo and the gang make it to the soul society and try to enter the seireitei (where the soul reapers live)
They’re blocked by a gate and a gate keeper.
Ichigo defeats the gatekeeper by destroying his axes and he agrees to open the gate for them. Gin shows up and cuts off one of Jidanbō’s arms. Ichigo protects him from getting killed but the gate is closed.
Orihime heals Jidanbō’s arm.
They meet with the Konpaku elder and he agrees to help them since they helped Jindanbo. A lot of people don’t like soul reapers and we find out they don’t reunite families. We see Yuichi again and he tells Chad he’s still looking for his mum.
Ichigo meets a guy who randomly fights him for being a soul reaper and then runs off.
They travel to the home of Kûkaku who is a lady with one arm who makes fireworks and is going to blast the. Through the sky into the seireitei.
Her brother turns out to be the guy Ichigo fought earlier.
In the soul society with Rukia she is transferred to a different prison holding cell. Renji escorts her. He tells her that Ryonka (rogue konpaku) have been spotted and one of them looks like Ichigo.
We meet Aizen, captain of 5. We learn that Renji has known Rukia since childhood and they’re from the slums and that Renji was originally in 5th division and then was transferred to 11th division (Kenpachi’s), he was only promoted to assistant captain of 6 a month ago during Rukia’s 2 month absence.
Aizen tells Renji that he’s suspicious of Rukia’s execution order as she’s not a captain so her execution method is unheard of, her execution time for reduced from 35 to 25 days and her crime doesn’t seem to fit the punishment.
All the captains and assistant captains are called to a meeting.
They’re blocked by a gate and a gate keeper.
Ichigo defeats the gatekeeper by destroying his axes and he agrees to open the gate for them. Gin shows up and cuts off one of Jidanbō’s arms. Ichigo protects him from getting killed but the gate is closed.
Orihime heals Jidanbō’s arm.
They meet with the Konpaku elder and he agrees to help them since they helped Jindanbo. A lot of people don’t like soul reapers and we find out they don’t reunite families. We see Yuichi again and he tells Chad he’s still looking for his mum.
Ichigo meets a guy who randomly fights him for being a soul reaper and then runs off.
They travel to the home of Kûkaku who is a lady with one arm who makes fireworks and is going to blast the. Through the sky into the seireitei.
Her brother turns out to be the guy Ichigo fought earlier.
In the soul society with Rukia she is transferred to a different prison holding cell. Renji escorts her. He tells her that Ryonka (rogue konpaku) have been spotted and one of them looks like Ichigo.
We meet Aizen, captain of 5. We learn that Renji has known Rukia since childhood and they’re from the slums and that Renji was originally in 5th division and then was transferred to 11th division (Kenpachi’s), he was only promoted to assistant captain of 6 a month ago during Rukia’s 2 month absence.
Aizen tells Renji that he’s suspicious of Rukia’s execution order as she’s not a captain so her execution method is unheard of, her execution time for reduced from 35 to 25 days and her crime doesn’t seem to fit the punishment.
All the captains and assistant captains are called to a meeting.
June 14, 2019
Bleach, Vol. 9 continues where the previous tankōbon left off and contains the next nine chapters (71–79) of the on-going manga series.
Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends arrive to the Soul Society's Rukongai District with Yoruichi Shihōin accompanying them. Ichigo quickly finds himself in a battle with the gatekeeper Jidanbō when he carelessly tries to enter the Seireitei where the Soul Reapers reside. Though Ichigo easily defeats Jidanbō, he and his friends are ejected from the Seireitei by Squad Three captain Gin Ichimaru.
After an encounter with Ganju Shiba, who claims to be the number one hater of Soul Reapers in the western Rukongai, Ichigo meets Yoruichi’s friend who can get them into the Seireitei: Ganju's older sister Kūkaku Shiba. Kūkaku agrees to send the group into the Seireitei using her fireworks cannon.
This tankobon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Ichigo Kurosaki and his group have finally got into Soul Society. However, getting to Rukia Kuchiki would be more difficult than expected. As the narrative progresses, we learn more about the Seireitei – the base where all the Soul Reaper live and work. The tankōbon ends with Ichigo and his team by passing the guards to reach the inner sanctum of the Seireitei.
All in all, Bleach, Vol. 9 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends arrive to the Soul Society's Rukongai District with Yoruichi Shihōin accompanying them. Ichigo quickly finds himself in a battle with the gatekeeper Jidanbō when he carelessly tries to enter the Seireitei where the Soul Reapers reside. Though Ichigo easily defeats Jidanbō, he and his friends are ejected from the Seireitei by Squad Three captain Gin Ichimaru.
After an encounter with Ganju Shiba, who claims to be the number one hater of Soul Reapers in the western Rukongai, Ichigo meets Yoruichi’s friend who can get them into the Seireitei: Ganju's older sister Kūkaku Shiba. Kūkaku agrees to send the group into the Seireitei using her fireworks cannon.
This tankobon is written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. Ichigo Kurosaki and his group have finally got into Soul Society. However, getting to Rukia Kuchiki would be more difficult than expected. As the narrative progresses, we learn more about the Seireitei – the base where all the Soul Reaper live and work. The tankōbon ends with Ichigo and his team by passing the guards to reach the inner sanctum of the Seireitei.
All in all, Bleach, Vol. 9 is a wonderful continuation to a series that seems intriguing and I cannot wait to read more.
December 31, 2024
Finally in the Soul Society arc!
Ichigo and the gang are really coming together in this one and are determined to do everything they can to save Rukia.
In this volume Ichigo is thrown out after finally getting the gate open by Gin Ichimaru. Surprisingly, although Gin is a captain who could have easily decimated Ichigo, he lets him live. The question is why?
Now Ichigo and his friends need to find a way to bypass the gate altogether and get into the Soul Society another way. I don't want to spoil anything but the solution is... quite interesting.
Meanwhile we find out that Rukia's crimes shouldn't be punishable by death, and that her execution date was moved forward for some reason. Seems like someone really wants her dead quickly - but why is a mystery at the moment.
This volume is hilarious and mysterious, and I enjoyed every bit of it. On the next one!
Ichigo and the gang are really coming together in this one and are determined to do everything they can to save Rukia.
In this volume Ichigo is thrown out after finally getting the gate open by Gin Ichimaru. Surprisingly, although Gin is a captain who could have easily decimated Ichigo, he lets him live. The question is why?
Now Ichigo and his friends need to find a way to bypass the gate altogether and get into the Soul Society another way. I don't want to spoil anything but the solution is... quite interesting.
Meanwhile we find out that Rukia's crimes shouldn't be punishable by death, and that her execution date was moved forward for some reason. Seems like someone really wants her dead quickly - but why is a mystery at the moment.
This volume is hilarious and mysterious, and I enjoyed every bit of it. On the next one!
December 3, 2020
This was a pretty good volume and we have Ichigo breaking into the soul society and they wanna go into the main area where the Shinigami's live and they have to fight Jidanbou, the guardian there. And the battle is epic and just shows Ichigos power and the way he destroys his axe is funny and then he goes up against Gin and their battle is..nowhere equal. They have to find an alternative route and they do, they encounter Ganju and his encounter with Ichigo is hilarious. Both are hot headed and enemies almost. To go there Yoruichi contacts her friend shiba kuukaku and its an interesting plan they have. Also: Enter AIZEN! This volume was short and decent and focused on Ichigos raw power while setting some interesting stuff up.
August 29, 2023
3,75 / 5
La carrera para salvar a Rukia de la Sociedad de Almas ha comenzado oficialmente, e Ichigo y compañía han llegado a su primer obstáculo tras aterrizar de malas maneras. Un volumen de ritmo un poco extraño, con mucha introducción a la estratificación de la Sociedad de Almas pero que tiene la PRIMERA APARICIÓN de GIN Y AIZEN. Y cuando sabes a donde va esto… se siente mucho más importante.
La carrera para salvar a Rukia de la Sociedad de Almas ha comenzado oficialmente, e Ichigo y compañía han llegado a su primer obstáculo tras aterrizar de malas maneras. Un volumen de ritmo un poco extraño, con mucha introducción a la estratificación de la Sociedad de Almas pero que tiene la PRIMERA APARICIÓN de GIN Y AIZEN. Y cuando sabes a donde va esto… se siente mucho más importante.
October 12, 2022
I really liked Ichigo’s duel with Jinabo and his subsequent defending Jindabo against Ichimaru. I reallllllly don’t like that soul reaper LOL. I really want to get into the Soul Society proper and find out more about how it works!
October 20, 2018
God I love Ichigo, the most OP of OP characters. There’s just something about it man, something about him.
5 star rating for some 5 star chapters!
5 star rating for some 5 star chapters!
February 11, 2019
Action awesomeness! And I love the kindness that Ichigo shows to his opponents ❤️ #jindanbo
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2023
Le cose si fanno sempre più interessanti ✨
January 24, 2024
Third company captain is really cool
May 8, 2025
renji ahh
September 1, 2020
面白くて素晴らしい
Read
November 2, 2022Oh SNAP ichigo, Chad, Orhime and even Uryu go into soul society and ichigo beats the nonsense out of giant that goes HARD
December 4, 2025
this is stupidly Dragonball-esque, but at least it's not what it previously was. the adventure element helps whip natural progression into the manga.
May 13, 2008
Overall Rating: A+
Synopsis: Ichigo Kurosaki sees ghosts, and fights...a lot. All of this is pretty normal for Ichigo, but then he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Shinigami (Death God) and member of the mysterious Soul Society. When a Hollow, an evil spirit, attacks Ichigo and his family, Rukia attempts to defeat the Hollow, but is wounded. To help him save his family, she lends Ichigo some of her powers, but something goes wrong, and Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Ichigo becomes a temporary Shinigami, and works with Rukia to handle the hunting of hollows until Rukia can recover. At least, that was the plan...
Before I picked up the manga, I saw the first four episodes of the anime at Stellarcon '06. It was a fansub (this was before it was airing on Adult Swim), so the translation wasn't great, but I fell in love with the characters and mythology of the series. I immediately started picking up the manga and planning a costume for Ichigo. A few months later, I cosplayed Ichigo at Heroescon, had read all of the manga that had been translated, and watched as much of the anime as I could get my hands on.
So, what's the big deal, right? I think it comes down to the characters. There are dozens of of them, and the writer Tite Kubo takes the time to give them all detailed backgrounds and relationships. I'm 19 volumes in, and while there's plenty of action, it's the character development I'm hooked to.
In the first 19 volumes, there are three main groups of characters, humans, the Shingami, and the Quincies. When humans die, their souls become Wholes or Hollows. Wholes are normal spirits, but the spirits that become Hollows are corrupted souls that must feed on the souls of the living (kind of like spiritual vampires). The Shinigami release Wholes and help them cross over to the Soul Society (the spirit world), and cleanse the Hollows so that they can cross over as well. They do so using big ass swords called zanpakutō.
The Quincies use bows made of spiritual energy in the form of bows to hunt Hollows, similarly to the Shinigami. However, unlike the Shingami, who purify the souls of the Hollows preserving the balance of souls between the two world, the Quincies destroy them. This endangers the balance of the world, and as a result the two groups went to war. The Shinigami won, and there is now only one Quincy left, Uryū Ishida. Despite his hatred of Shinigami, Uryū eventually becomes friends Ichigo, and even travels to the Soul Society with him.
This only scratches at the surface of the series. I have only seen ~50 episodes of the anime, but what I have seen follows the manga very closely. I highly recommend checking out the series, it's fun, interesting, and has some great cosplay opportunities.
For more manga and anime reviews, please check out Hobotaku.
Synopsis: Ichigo Kurosaki sees ghosts, and fights...a lot. All of this is pretty normal for Ichigo, but then he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Shinigami (Death God) and member of the mysterious Soul Society. When a Hollow, an evil spirit, attacks Ichigo and his family, Rukia attempts to defeat the Hollow, but is wounded. To help him save his family, she lends Ichigo some of her powers, but something goes wrong, and Ichigo absorbs every last drop of her energy. Ichigo becomes a temporary Shinigami, and works with Rukia to handle the hunting of hollows until Rukia can recover. At least, that was the plan...
Before I picked up the manga, I saw the first four episodes of the anime at Stellarcon '06. It was a fansub (this was before it was airing on Adult Swim), so the translation wasn't great, but I fell in love with the characters and mythology of the series. I immediately started picking up the manga and planning a costume for Ichigo. A few months later, I cosplayed Ichigo at Heroescon, had read all of the manga that had been translated, and watched as much of the anime as I could get my hands on.
So, what's the big deal, right? I think it comes down to the characters. There are dozens of of them, and the writer Tite Kubo takes the time to give them all detailed backgrounds and relationships. I'm 19 volumes in, and while there's plenty of action, it's the character development I'm hooked to.
In the first 19 volumes, there are three main groups of characters, humans, the Shingami, and the Quincies. When humans die, their souls become Wholes or Hollows. Wholes are normal spirits, but the spirits that become Hollows are corrupted souls that must feed on the souls of the living (kind of like spiritual vampires). The Shinigami release Wholes and help them cross over to the Soul Society (the spirit world), and cleanse the Hollows so that they can cross over as well. They do so using big ass swords called zanpakutō.
The Quincies use bows made of spiritual energy in the form of bows to hunt Hollows, similarly to the Shinigami. However, unlike the Shingami, who purify the souls of the Hollows preserving the balance of souls between the two world, the Quincies destroy them. This endangers the balance of the world, and as a result the two groups went to war. The Shinigami won, and there is now only one Quincy left, Uryū Ishida. Despite his hatred of Shinigami, Uryū eventually becomes friends Ichigo, and even travels to the Soul Society with him.
This only scratches at the surface of the series. I have only seen ~50 episodes of the anime, but what I have seen follows the manga very closely. I highly recommend checking out the series, it's fun, interesting, and has some great cosplay opportunities.
For more manga and anime reviews, please check out Hobotaku.
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