Bleach 529 Review - "The Rudiments"

Bleach 529 Review – “The Rudiments”

Written by: ClayDragon

At last, we’re getting some answers.

First though, we get to see Ouetsu talking to Renji, and telling him that no one in the history of the Soul Society has been able to awaken their Zanpakuto without getting the basic model made for them by Ouetsu, meaning that Ichigo has once again done the impossible.

We then jump back an unspecified number of years to see a young Matsumoto trying to find her captain, who isn’t Hitsugaya, but instead it’s...

Two revelations in the one panel? Tite Kubo's being kind to  us.

That’s right, after years of knowing virtually nothing about Isshin; two things about him are revealed at once. It also turns out that he manages to out-lazy his current lieutenant Matsumoto, who isn’t exactly known for her ‘get-up-and-go’ attitude. After (maybe) having his nose broken by his lieutenant, we’re introduced to the third seat of Isshin’s squad – Hitsugaya. It turns out that two months previously, some Soul Reapers in charge of protecting a city died accidently, and it’s happened again.

Isshin immediately runs off to investigate, leaving Matsumoto and Hitsugaya behind. Meanwhile, we see Gin, Kaname and Aizen discussing hollowfication, and their intent to find out the whereabouts of the Visoreds.

How he became a captain is anyone's guess.

 It’s pleasing that we’re finally getting some answers about Isshin, and the fact that he’s the head of the Shiba family goes some way to explaining why Kaien Shiba and Ichigo look so alike. It might also be that Isshin is the ‘uncle’ Kuukaku refers to in chapter 518.

 Also, the ‘accidental deaths’ of the Soul Reapers, Isshin going to investigate, and Aizen discussing hollowfication raises a possible theory: what if Isshin has an inner hollow like Ichigo? They both already know how to use Getsuga Tenshou, and the names of their Zanpakuto sound very similar, so it’s not that big of a leap to imagine that Isshin has a hollowfied form as well.

This chapter seems to have finally set the ball rolling with regards to revealing information about Isshin’s past, and it can only be a good thing if we continue to learn more about him. The reappearance of Aizen is interesting, if somewhat frustrating – it seems like nothing in the story happens without his involvement, and it would have been nice to have a flashback without involving him in some way.

In general, Tite Kubo has handled flashbacks well, and this one seems set to answer some big questions about Isshin and his wife.

Fingers crossed it works.

Manga rating: 4/5

"Why does this keep happening to me?"

ClayDragon:









ClayDragon is currently studying Physics at university, and is constantly bewildered by it. The main method of contacting him is his Gmail account at kyleroulston1993@gmail.com. The alternative is his Skype account at kyleroulston1993. When not playing games or reading, he can be found with his head in hands whilst trying in vain to understand quantum physics.