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Reviewed by Michael Aronson Ichigo Kurosaki may not know this, but the world he lives in is one predicated on balance between the living and the dead, between everyday life and the Soul Society. Soul Reapers aren’t merely fighting Hollows, they are charged with the grand task of equalizing the balance between this life and the next. Naturally, if too much energy is channeled to one side, really bad things will happen – just as they’re happening now! Ichigo and Uryu’s competition inadvertently results in generating a leviathan of a Hollow whose sheer size is capable of tearing the Soul Reapers’ delicately constructed balance to ribbons. Is Ichigo Soul Reaper enough to fell this giant and protect the equilibrium of the universe? A handful of new characters enter the stage, and yet I really couldn’t care less. Each of the three new characters is characterized by their might and menace, but that shifts the focus of the story away from the plot and personalities and into muscle flexing instead. When the big bad Hollow comes to town, its defeat relies not on Ichigo and Uryu’s ingenuity and wits but on posturing and tapping into greater powers that have yet to join the characters’ repertoire. It’s not quite a deus-ex-machina construct, but it feels almost as cheap and anticlimactic. Otherwise, this is a fair conclusion to Ichigo and Uryu’s rivalry and the history of the Quincies. It’s an expected resolution, but it’s handled adequately enough. The subplot involving Orihime and Chad doesn’t yet come to a head, but it develops a bit further while Rukia and Kisuke gain a little more significance in the series. Volume six shows the beginnings of the bridge between the opening concept of Bleach and the status quo it will eventually become, as represented by much of the Bleach merchandise out there. I can’t say I’m thrilled, since the lighter fare is growing thinner and the power posturing is taking over. I still hold out hope. Comment on this review of Bleach v6 on the Manga Life Forums. |
7 May 2008
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