And since we didn't talk about last week's chapter, let's do that as well.
Spoilers and the usual revelations after the cut.
With Gerard Valkyrie being the Quincy version of Yammy, it makes sense that Kenpachi would reappear in all his glory to take on the beast, no?
Unsurprisingly, Byakuya and Toushirou were unable to beat the giant Quincy.
So here comes Kenpachi to save the day, Nozarashi released and at the ready. He even took off his eyepatch early in the fight to do maximum damage.
And then, like the other recent fights we've seen him in, we get the disappointment of seeing the previously invincible berzerker get taken out.
And here we have the revelation that I'd been dreading. Though I guess I could have only been dreading it had I known it was coming. Yachiru, the 11th division "vice-captain", reappears right at this time; somehow, she made it up to the Wahrwelt along with Kenpachi, even though at the time of her disappearance she was down in Seireitei.
She brings a message of despair to every Bleach fan who uttered the phrase "bankai is for the weak". I don't think it was something ever said in the manga itself, rather it was a meme that got attached to Kenpachi, who would routinely cut down people without even using shikai, much less the great crutch of all shinigami past and present.
Not only has Kenpachi figured out the name of his zanpakutou, he's also got his shikai form. And now he'll be getting his bankai.
I honestly never thought it would happen. But I made a vow that if it ever did happen, I would quit reading the manga. There are only so many things an author can do to his characters in the name of "development". This is not a positive development and is indicative of the further weakening of Kenpachi's character, for the mere fact that Kubo had no idea where the hell to take him, other than downward.
Kenpachi has become so weak that he must now rely on bankai just like every other shinigami out there.
And while there is more of the story to be revealed (obviously, as the manga is unfinished), I won't be reading it. Maybe after the manga is finished I'll go back and see how it all unfolded (and deal with the disappointment all at once).
I would like to thank everyone who read my chapter recaps on the blog. I've been doing these since September, 2013 and they've been one of the main features on my blog since I basically stopped writing about music.
Since I won't be writing these any more, you might wonder what I'm going to do with the blog. The short answer is that for now I don't know. I probably won't update for a while. I don't really have anything else to write about on a weekly or even monthly basis until the next NFL season starts. While there are always possibilities floating around my head, I haven't really felt the urge to translate them into reality. So it could be some time before I post here again.
That said, I won't close down the blog. I'm proud of everything I've written in the last couple years here and I want it to remain online in its original form.
Thanks again. Enjoy the manga.
