Bleach 650 Review – The Theatre Suicide: Scene 4

Bleach 650 Review – The Theatre Suicide: Scene 4

Written by: ClayDragon

WARNING: Sufferers of oclophobia should probably avoid reading this review.

So it turns out that Lille wasn’t kidding when he said he was invincible. Even though he got decapitated by Shunsui’s Bankai, he simply regrows a new head from his reiatsu. However, his new head isn’t exactly the same as his old one. In fact, with a freakishly long neck, no nose, vertically-lidded eyes and a beak, he’s about as far from his old face as he can get.

If this is what an angel looks like, I'll take my chances with a demon.

As Shunsui laments over how his Bankai wasn’t enough to kill his enemy, Lille reiterates his claim of being immortal, and goes on to say that, as an instrument of God, it is his duty to annihilate all sinners. He then grows a huge arm from nowhere and raises it to the sky, firing a massive beam-like version of his ‘X-axis’ power. Despite this slicing through the entire island and reducing most surrounding buildings to rubble, Shunsui still manages to escape.

 

Part of me wants to curl up and hide after seeing this. Another part of me really wants to see this animated.

Due to his injuries, Shunsui is unable to run far and has to resort to hiding behind a nearby tower. As Lille draws closer, Shunsui and Sakuranosuke discuss their chances of escape. Sakuranosuke tells him that he’s done all he can do, and she offers to take over from him so that they can run away together (and I don’t know about you, but that sounded an awful lot like a suicide pact to me). Just as Shunsui shuts his eyes, he’s brought back to his senses by none other than Nanao.

 

"I will bitch-slap you into consciousness if I have to!"

Even though he’s glad to see that Nanao is still alive, Shunsui is so wounded that he can’t even speak without coughing up blood. Before he can say any more, Nanao interrupts him and tells him to bring out her Zanpakuto. She tells him not to worry about the consequences and to forget about some promise that Shunsui made with her mother. Just at that moment, Lille appears behind her and proclaims that she is also a sinner that must be eradicated.

 

"I should not have come back here."

Even though they were in his line of sight, and Shunsui was gravely wounded, and he attacked them at point-blank range, the two Shinigami still manage to escape from his blast in time. Hiding out underground, Shunsui asks if Nanao knew about her mother, to which he gets an affirmative response. Deciding that there’s no point in hiding things any more, Shunsui says he’ll ‘give it back’ – Nanao’s Zanpakuto, Kyoukotsu. And, just as Shunsui’s first Zanpakuto spirit has the same design as she had during the anime-only Zanpakuto Rebellion arc, Kyoukotsu’s spirit takes the form of the ninja girl spirit from the same arc.

 

Hello, Ninja Girl! Long time no see!

So. Quite a lot to talk about this week. Firstly, I was not expecting to see Shunsui’s Zanpakuto spirit, much less for her to take the same form as she did in the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc. Given that the arc was filler, and that Zabimaru’s form changed for no apparent reason, I didn’t really give much thought to the canonicity of the designs of the other spirits. But now, it seems that even though the arc is non-canon, the designs themselves aren’t. As such, it can probably be inferred that all the other Zanpakuto spirit designs are canon as well.

 

You can't argue with canon, guys.

Speaking of designs… I don’t even know what to think of Lille’s new form. On one hand, I like the fact that it’s outlandish, eerie and utterly twisted. On the other hand, he’s an owl now. Maybe if Kubo had chosen a different animal for Lille’s face I wouldn’t be so conflicted, but I have no idea what an owl has to with a seraphim. It certainly gets points for being creepy though, so I guess that’s a good thing. And at least it isn’t as bad as Pernida’s design.

 

WHAT THE SHIT, KUBO?

The fact that Nanao is apparently holding onto part of Shunsui’s Zanpakuto was interesting, as it raises the question of whether or not Soul Reapers can use each other’s Zanpakutos (Zanpakutos? Zanpakutwos? Zanpakuti?). Plus, there’s also the fact that Shunsui was somehow able to split his Zanpakuto into two parts for some unexplained reason. This also brings up the question of what physical form Kyoukotsu took, as we’ve seen Shunsui use both of his swords during this fight, and if his case is anything like Ichigo’s, then each sword would have an individual spirit.

 

Careful, Sakuranosuke. He's only got one eye now.

I’m not sure how to feel with regards to the fact that Nanao’s mother is getting brought up. Since we’ve never heard mention of any other Soul Reaper’s parents, it seems rather random that the first one we hear about is Nanao’s. I guess it could be interesting to see what direction Kubo takes this in, but the fact that it’s shown up with zero foreshadowing whatsoever gives me the uneasy feeling that it’s going to be a rushed setup for a deus ex machina later.

 

Come to think of it, why don't you have your own Zanpakuto? I thought every single Soul Reaper was given an Asauchi when they started.

Finally, does Shunsui’s Bankai only have that one move? Okay, it’s technically split into four parts, but it seems like only the last two parts are actually fatal, and if the enemy survives them then he’s pretty much screwed. Almost every other Bankai we’ve seen has had more than one application in battle (like Byakuya’s or Hitsugaya’s), so how come Shunsui’s is so limited in comparison? It could be because Nanao is holding part of his Zanpakuto, but that just raises the question of why he gave her a part of his Zanpakuto in the first place.

Chapter 650 Review – The Theatre Suicide: Scene 4:

Good Things:     Most of Lille’s new form is suitably creepy.

                             We might get to see some of Nanao’s backstory.

                             Shunsui’s Zanpakuto spirits keep their anime designs.

Bad Things:        Owl face.

                             Possible contrived coincidence involving Nanao’s mother.

                                    

Manga Rating:   3/5

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 claydragon.on@gmail.com. He has an ask.fm account at ask.fm/ClayDragon. When not playing games or reading, he can be found with his head in his hands whilst trying in vain to understand quantum physics. Oclophobia: A fear of owls. Not to be confused with ochlophobia (a fear of crowds).