One-Punch Man Manga Review

One-Punch Man is a Seinen manga adapted from the original web series ONE and has been re-drawn professionally by Yusuke Murata. The series One-Punch Man is one of the most unique series’ I’ve ever read. The series is released on a fortnightly/monthly schedule and is currently being printed in English by Viz Media.

Story

Everything about the show seems to be Seinen from the dark, hard lined and serious looking characters to the mass death and psychological warfare. The one thing that does not fit in with this story however, is the main character. Saitama is a slim built man wearing a superhero outfit more cliché than Superman’s and is generally disinterested with the world. What makes him special is that he finishes every single fight with one punch, no matter if its a thug on the street or a sea demon the size of a skyscraper. The story expands incredibly fast once he meets Genos the cyborg and together they decide to enlist as ‘official’ heroes of the world.

Although a significant part of the series is dark and serious the series is also quite comedic. The main character is misunderstood by almost everyone with nearly everyone underestimating him due to his appearance. The comedy is integrated well into the story, often pulling the focus away from the story when things start to get dark for a quick laugh.

 

Characters

There are many stand out characters in One-Punch Man that allow for effective comedy and an effective plot developments in the story. Saitama is a very simple character, he is most likely the most powerful being on earth, and everyone including himself does not know why. He isn’t very intelligent but has a strong sense of justice and just really wants to find someone he can fight on equal terms with. Saitama’s character is very original and an overall well constructed character, but in a different way to traditional main characters. Genos is a strong side character that has clear intensions, a strong sense of justice, a badass character design and the upmost respect for Saitama. Genos is frequently used as a plot device to bring perspective back into the story and is a generally relatable character.

The side characters in One-Punch Man are generally well constructed however the author has a habit of introducing many characters but not really including any of them for enough time and therefore many of the characters can seem very similar and shallow at times.

Art

The artwork of One-Punch Man is very good and not just in terms of nice looking pages. The artist effectively uses the art to transition between highly detailed battle scenes into comedic side jokes that you may not necessarily pick up on in the original. The attention to detail in both character design and most backgrounds is very impressive which is most likely the reason for the slow releases.

Conclusion

One-Punch Man is a relatively short manga that is based on a highly successful web comic with terrific art and is overall a great manga to read. The series never takes itself too seriously and you never feel like you are being overwhelmed with to much content despite the heavy narrative content on occasion. I give the series a 9/10, a good short series I would recommend to anyone that is in their mid-teens or older and enjoys a seriously, but not too serious story

-PandaSlayer

Mangaka san to Assistant-san to - Review

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san is a 12 episode animated adaption from the completed manga series by Sentai Filmworks. Each episode of the show is 12 minutes long made up of a collection of small segments, similar to The Daily Lives of High School Boys or Seitokai Yakuindomo.

Story

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san is first a foremost a comedy, the general premise is the story of a manga artist and his harem of female assistants, editor etc. This isn’t at all original, but in practice this doesn’t hinder the show. Romance may be apart of the show, however it is not it's strength nor it’s focus. Aito the main character is a pervert and spends his days either drawing manga or hitting on his main assistant Ashisu or who ever else decides to come over. The short, sharp style of the jokes plays well with the different characters and make for very light hearted entertainment. The majority of the series is a collection of separate scenes with no real development and focusing on humour, nevertheless at times there are extended situations that pack character development and general plot development into the show.

Characters 

The characters in Mangaka-san to Assistant-san are all very entertaining and diverse enough to keep situations largely unpredictable. Aito is a very simple character, he is a pervert that is very caring in his own way, however his attempts at being caring can often be misunderstood. Ashisu and the rest of the side characters are surprisingly well written for a comedy. At first manly of them seem to be very simple characters, yet as the series develops lots of back story is shown in the series that makes you care more about the character. Considering that the entire length of the series is around 144 minutes, this is quite impressive.

Art and Animation

The art and animation is honestly nothing special, the art is drawn nicely and gives the series an identity and the animation is nice and colourful. The animators would often have a freeze frame style moment highlighting different reactions to a situation, each character has their own colour and although it is a small detail, it was effective in emphasising the reaction of characters.

Music 

The music in the series is similar to the art and animation in that it is not really anything special, but not bad either. The opening and ending had a nice sound track and the background music was often used effectively.

Conclusion 

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san is an enjoyable little series that is about as light hearted as they come. The show is constantly funny without you really having to pay much attention and it is all packed into a 12 minutes episode meaning that you don’t really have to set much time aside to enjoy the show. I give the show a 7.5/10 a nice enjoyable series that is not a must watch, but is still a worthwhile experience.

-PandaSlayer

No Game No Life Review

No Game No Life has been one of the more popular animes of this season and for good reason. The series ran over 12 episodes, adapted from a light novel series with the same title by Mad House Studios. Many were initially worried that the storyline was perhaps a title too similar to Sword Art Online, however it proved itself to be an entirely different show trying to achieve an entirely different purpose.

Story

The story for NGNL initially appears quite simple, however as the series progresses it becomes clear it is much more complicated than that. Sora and his little sister Shiro are professional gamers and all round shut ins from society. They have a negative attitude towards the world and yet are extremely close to each other as brother and sister. The pair are accidently sucked into a game world by a man the only know as ‘god’ of this game world and so their story beings. The key part of this world is all conflict, growth and almost everything else has to be settled with a game. Both Sora and Shiro are geniuses in almost everything; Sora in particular is very knowledgeable in battle strategy and general function of games and gambling alike. The story of NGNL revolves around intense mental battles between different individuals/association in order to progress the story.

The story is overall quite satisfying. The introductions of new characters, situations, sudden unexpected developments and a good slice of comedy keep the story constantly entertaining and interesting.

Characters

The main characters in NGNL are very well written, however the sub characters can leave a little to be desired. Sora and Shiro are the two main characters of the show and are both interesting in their own respect. Sora has a distinctive character than combines the attitude and brains of a strategist with the humour and likeable idiot character. Shiro is equally smart if not smarter than her brother, however she remains silent throughout most of the series distinguishing herself from Sora in many ways.

The side characters in NGNL are not necessarily bad, but can often lack the depth. Each side character represents an important role in Sora’s plans and all remain relevant to some degree, however at times they feel very one dimensional. Considering the amazing amount of depth and development that is put into Sora and Shiro’s characters, it seems like many of them are ignored once a new character is introduced or a plot point is passed. In saying this, part of this issue is due to the 12 episode limit for the first season which left only so much time to do so many things and will no doubt build on this issue next season.

Art and Animation

Madhouse has never been one for poor animation and NGNL is certainly no exception. The character designs are nice and the scenery is amazingly detailed at times. The animation makes heavy use of filtering the overall colour either pink or blue colours improving the scenes overall.

Music

Music has been used reasonably effectively in this series tying in well with the older medieval style scenery. The music really stood out when used in battle scenes, it increased the intensity of the scenes dramatically and showed that NGNL is not just relying on voice acting to highlight plot developments in scenes.

Conclusion

No Game No Life is a slice of life that is a little bit different and in a good way. The plot is simple, relatable and it has a good line up of characters to match. It is not flawless, however it is a series with a lot of potential and in the hands of Mad House, little can go wrong. I give this series an 8/10, a great series that is well worth your time.

Bleach Chapter 586 Review

So the good guys are being overwhelmed by the bad guys, so Ichigo comes to help, but the bad guys get straight out of there leaving Ichigo to do…. what exactly? Commence the Bleach Chapter 586 review!

Before I start going on about Uryu I’ll keep this review in order of the chapter itself and talk about the Soul Reaper vs Sternritter clash. As I mentioned last week, the Sternritter seem to have a bit of an ego problem. This was nicely dealt with when Rukia quickly dissipated Bazz B’s full on attack. In a very ironic move, ‘the Zombie’ shows herself  to be the brains of the operation, as she tells everyone to go Vollstandig immediately or else Ichigo is going to get away.

At this point everyone is charging at everyone and shit is about to be real. This is pretty much where this issue ended and we move onto the main interest of this chapter.

Todays chapter really created a lot more questions than it answered. The main question being, what is Uryu’s game? Uryu has been apart of the base group for a long time now and the first thing you would think is that Uryu’s agenda is either one of two things.

1. Uryu is pretending to be a bad guy, going undercover until the last second where he back stabs the big boss
2. Uryu has found a significant reason why he must destroy the soul reapers, e.g. Juha has a good cause, Soul Reapers did some messed up stuff to Quincies and Uryu wants revenge.

Personally I don’t think it is either of these things for the simple reason that Kubo never likes to keep things simple. Look at any arc in Bleach, everything will look simple and then it will be turned on it’s head at least once or twice, with everything perfectly falling into place. 

In order for Uryu to pose some sort of significant rivalry to Ichigo, he needs have power that is on par with Ichigo’s, which is quite realistic given power that was given to him by Juha. We also have to remember that because Uryu was the only Quincy alive, he had no idea how to develop his power. All the training he did was self improvised, and being trained by the Quincy god would help him to develop his power significantly.

Upon the continuation of Ichigo’s charge Uryu seemed to want to make a point to Ichigo by deliberately stopping Ichigo himself. The one thing I found hard to ignore was just how sad Uryu and Ichigo looked. I think to a degree Ichigo expected Uryu to try and find out more about his people, even if he found himself fighting against the people he cares about. If I remember correctly back in the Arrancar arc he stated: "my only goal is to protect my pride as a Quincy, my friends and the human race, everything else is a matter of similar interests". Take it or leave it, but Uryu is a pretty headstrong guy and I don’t think he would just abandon his words and values too quickly.

Uryu’s words “you cannot defeat his majesty” seemed to be words of protection, warning and assistance all at the same time. It is a strange situation and I don’t think we’re going to have the answer anytime soon. Enter Chad and Oriheme. Oriheme now showing 30% more boobs than ever before and Chad has now become so massive that he can’t find shirts that fit anymore. On a serious note, it seems that the both of them have been powered up, especially Oriheme. She can now project her power a significant distance away very quickly and the shield itself is much stronger and larger than before. Chad it seems, has just become more massive in general and now looks 30 years old, which I'm sure is not just for show. Oriheme and Chad share a similar situation to Uryu, their powers have never been developed by people who had the same powers themselves. Their powers are hollow based so they no doubt had some useful training in Hueco Mundo which helped to develop there powers and maximise their potential.

Next week we could be seeing some interesting developments going down. With Oriheme and Chad coming back we could be seeing Urahara and possibly Grimjow finally, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. I give this chapter a 7/10, kept me interested, fantastic art as always, a bit light on content as always but satisfying none the less.

- PandaSlayer

Nisekoi Review

The Nisekoi manga has been a popular addition to Shounen for years now, with 127 chapters to date. Chapters 1-50 have been adapted into 20 episode season covering almost two seasons. Even before the anime adaption was announced the sales for Nisekoi were doing very well. 

Nisekoi has several reasons for its success. It's most noticeable is that it lacks any kind of clear flaw overall. The series also makes use of multiple genre’s and character types and subsequently appeals to many different audiences.

Story

The main story of Nisekoi revolves around Raku the main character who wears a locket around his neck where ever he goes. Raku believes the locket will only open to the key belonging to a girl he made a promise with as child, the problem is that he has no idea who the girl is. 

The story grows to be more complex as the story progresses and there are quite a few times where perspective the of the situation is changed to add more depth to the show. Raku’s mystery only increases as the series progresses, even as he discovers more about his past and his friends that may have been apart of it. The way the story contracts and expands is what keeps Nisekoi interesting and the storyline from falling into typical story lines.

It is rare for a romance to feature such originality and a well written plot and although on occasion it can be predictable or feature many romance cliché’s but these moments are few and far between and don’t effect the overall quality of the story.

Characters 

The characters in Nisekoi are just as important if not of even more importance than the story in the series. By introducing different character types like the clueless yet thoughtful male, the confused tsunade, the shy girl, the loveable stalker, possibly gender confused individual and other character types. The story can take a regular situation and make it extremely hilarious very quickly. The side characters are also very important, often providing much needed movement to the plot and exaggerating the hilarity even further than it was initially (I’m looking at you Shuu).

Art and Animation

The art and animation is very unique for a romance series and is adapted almost perfectly for the manga’s art style. The animation style plays a tremendously effective role in over dramatizing the hilarity of the show without it feeling predictable, too frequent or ineffective. The character design is often very impressive, facial details and movements are visible and impressive to see.

Music

There is nothing particularly special about the music in Nisekoi apart from the fantastic opening and endings in the show. A nice feature that was included was the voice actor’s for new characters would sing the ending song in a staggered format.

Conclusion

Nisekoi is a fantastic series in both manga and anime adaption alike. The story and characters are unique, interesting  and don’t grow to be boring and predictable as the series progresses. I would recommend Nisekoi to anyone that really just wants to laugh their ass off and have a good time, with a bit of romance thrown in and a story to keep them curious.

-PandaSlayer

Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru/ Oregiru review

The base story of Oregiru is very simple and slightly unoriginal, yet it develops into a rather unexpected gem as the story progresses. The anime has been adapted from an ongoing light novel series sharing the same name. A second season is currently in production and will mostly likely air later this year, however a date has not been announced.

Story and Characters*

The story revolves around an antisocial loner named Hikigaya Hachiman. Hachiman is soon forced by a strong willed teacher into an unusual club designed to help others. The club only has one other member, Yukino. At this point you might be thinking, yes another typical romance, but you would be wrong, very wrong. Both Hachiman and Yukino have a significant lack of social skills and have developed natural defence strategies to prevent themselves being hurt by others, which only causes them more loneliness. The story also introduces another character named Yui. Yui appears socially knowledgeable on the surface but we soon learn that her social happiness is mostly hollow. The series really shows you the darkness, the pain and the happiness that is experienced in social ranking systems in a way that not many anime's do. The show is more focused on those with problems unconsciously working together and helping each other, than it is about romance. While romance is a focus in the story, interaction between these well written character is what makes Oregiru unique and well worth the watch.

Art and Animation

The art and animation in Oregiru is really nothing spectacular but it does have it’s own unique style. The colour, particularly in the backgrounds is vibrant and pleasing to see. The facial details can sometimes leave much to be desired, however this is mostly likely done deliberately to emphasis the blandness of the character’s personalities. The animation as a whole is a little bit above average, there are some scenes where it is impressive and there are others particularly in the classroom that can be rather average.

Music

There isn’t really much to say about music due to its generally narrative based plot, however when used, it is used quite well. The background music never overpowers the scene and the openings and endings are quite enjoyable as well.

Conclusion 

Overall Oregiru is a very enjoyable anime. It is rare to find a slice of life that will make you think about the actions of the characters and to understand their motive. At the same time it is not too content heavy, it can still be a sit down and relax type of show and I enjoyed doing just that. I give this series an 8/10, not perfect but it had enough to keep me very interest and eager for the second season.

*Note I have chosen to combine the story and characters for this review as they are heavily intertwined.

- PandaSlayer

My favourite anime and manga of all time

10. Attack on Titan/ Shingeki no Kyojin

Like many I hopped straight on the hype train with this anime last year and my love for it may have calmed down now, but certainly not receded in the slightest. I generally consider myself to have a well rounded love for genres, but my soft spot will always be intense action paired with a hard hitting dramatic story. For me Attack on Titan nails so many good points: originality, well written characters, etc, etc. In the first episode we were hit with absolute destruction and devastation all the while creating the questions that became the premise to the story and what kept us all intently interested throughout the series. To top this off we have the fantastic animation. For the most part this only really applies to the action scenes, as general scenes where people are sitting around talking, or landscape scenes are not bad, but they are nothing special either.

A classic scene that I will never forget is Eren scraping on buildings and the ground as he uses his semi-working 3DMG on his way to fix the hole in the wall (sounds more exciting if you’ve seen it). That scene for me was one of the best pieces of action animation I had ever seen, a truly unforgettable experience.

Attack on Titan is not flawless but it is an example of how good action anime can be in the modern industry.

9. Black Lagoon

Black Lagoon was an anime I watched early on and was I first anime I watched that did not involve super natural powers. Black Lagoon has a strong fan base in the west and Japan and for good reason. The show has a vey interesting story that is driven by the interesting and unique characters. The two main characters Rock and Revy both come from very different situations and its fascinating watching how they carry out the same situation differently but still work together. Out side of the main characters is a small army of morally questionable side characters. It is never really clear who is on whose side. You don’t feel the typical, he’s a good guy because he’s a main characters. This is mainly because they are no good people in this show and that makes everything incredibly unpredictable. Everyone does terrible things for their own selfish reasons and watching how they react deal with their actions is equally interesting. The dubbed version for this anime is also very good, and for that reason is well suited for someone just starting to watch anime. However I must warn you, some of the scenes and topics in this anime may be confronting to those who are not expecting it. Overall I love this anime and its manga. It has a simple story line with no real ‘goal’ but because of the strong characters and their constant development, I will never tire from watching this anime.

8. One Piece

When it comes to top ten lists One Piece is always a given to be on the list. One Piece simply covers so many bases when it comes to anime, action, story, comedy and other less specific sub categories. The best thing about One Piece is that you don’t have to pay any attention when watching it, making it a fantastic ‘chill’ anime to marathon when you’re perhaps not feeling the best or just want to have a good time. It also has a simple yet interesting story and epic moments to keep you fanboying. Unfortunately One Piece does have problem with its overly simplistic animation and slow pacing, nevertheless One Piece is a fantastic anime experience that will entertain many including myself for years to come.

7. Naruto

Naruto is no doubt one of the best Shounen mangas ever written and that’s not just my personal opinion. Naruto is a two part series that has been going for over 10 years now. The strengths of Naruto come from its technical fighting, well written characters and story. The series noticeably increases in quality as it develops to a point where it is almost an entirely different show than it was in episode/chapter 1. The show also matures and darkens as the main character grows older making you feel almost like you’re growing up with the main character. Naruto has similar problems with One Piece, it is a victim of its own popularity. The animation in Naruto is either really good, or really bad. Filler is also an issue as almost half of the total episodes are filler, but people will keep watching despite this and the studio knows this well. Naruto is overall, a fantastic series that is slowly coming to an end after many, many years in the spot light, it has been a fantastic ride, but it’s not over just yet.

6. Full Metal Alchemist

Full Metal Alchemist was the first anime I ever watched and since then I have re-watched it numerous times since. The series has two animes, the original was made when the manga was yet to be completed with an original ending and Brotherhood was the remake once the manga was completed. FMA performs well in many areas making it a great series overall. The characters are very relatable and the story is just the right length with a satisfying resolution in a brilliant ending. The series is commonly acknowledged as being university loved, sitting at no1 on MyAnimeList.net for quite a while now, with an average rating of 9.23. Full Metal Alchemist is a good anime for those who have never watched anime before. The dub as won many international awards and it’s not too long of show that it will seem different from watching a regular tv show.

5. Hajime no Ippo

Hajime no Ippo has been going since 1989! Making it the oldest manga that is still publishing chapters weekly. It has nearly 1100 chapters and is most likely not going to finish anytime soon. Unfortunately the anime has not covered much of the manga, with the third series reaching the 550 chapter mark. Nevertheless it is still a series I love to death. Hajime no Ippo has brilliant intensity that I have only ever seen in the likes of Initial D and a few other series’. The author is knowledgeable on boxing, has nice art, easy readability all of which adapts well into the anime. The series is funny, intense, loveable containg well written characters and above all, is a classic Shounen story of a hopeless good for nothing kid proving to everyone one by one that he has what it takes to beat the worlds best. Hajime no Ippo is in my opinion (and many others) the best written sports series in existence and it’s a series I will always love.

4. Chuunibyou demo Kai ga Shita (Love, Chuunibyou and other delusions)

Now at this point you may be reading this thinking that I am a real he-man who craves action and hates the colour pink or anything remotely feminine immensely. For the most part you would be right, however it does not change the fact that I have an embarrassing soft spot for a good romance, and Chuunibyou is all that and more.

I first discovered Chuunibyou about 2 years ago and instantly began to love it. The original storyline combined with Rikka’s multi layered interesting backstory played a vital role in giving Chuunibyou individuality. Distancing it from the hordes of boy-meets-girl romances or harems that we see year after year. It takes a while but as Yuuta begins to understand Rikka’s unusual nature better and learns of her reasons for doing so, everything comes together. Chuunibyou also doesn’t just end as soon as the two get together, although the second season was not as good as the first, it was still amazing and delivered everything Chuunibyou is about.

Chuunibyou is an anime that ticks all the boxes, is extremely adorable and a truly fantastic anime.

3. Fairy Tail

To honest, until about May last year Fairy Tail was sitting around 7th-8th position on my top ten, but ever since the story entered the Sun village arc and the anime returned, it has been a really good time to be a Fairy Tail fan. Hiro Mashima is a fantastic artist and it shows in his artwork, which at times can be staggeringly good. The detail, the features and the consistency are some of the best you can find in manga and yet he is renowned for his incredible drawing speed.

Hiro has spent the last three years fixing everything that was wrong or lacking in Fairy Tail and it has taken his series to another level. Fairy Tail is not a series to be taken seriously. It has it’s moments of darkness and tragedy, but for the most part Fairy Tail is a series filled with fanservice, friendship and truly, truly epic fights that I can only pray will be adapted well in the anime. Overall Fairy Tail is a long running series that is just generally a good time. I won’t pretend the series is without fault,  but I have had a really great time watching this series.

2. Bleach

Bleach was the first long running anime I ever watched and it instantly loved it. Bleach’s strength is in its fights and it doesn’t pretend otherwise and as a hot blooded teenager and now adult, this ticked all my boxes. The fighting in Bleach is simply unparalleled with moments that have quite literally had me gawking at my screen for extended periods of time like I had dislocated my jaw.  It also helps that Ichigo Kurosaki is also one of my personal favourite protagonists. He is relatable, humble, more mature than most protagonists and most importantly, fights for completely selfless reasons. Ichigo doesn’t really want to do anything but live a happy and easy life but he also understands that he has a responsibility and fulfils this responsibility time after time without questioning it. For a long, long time Bleach has been my favourite series and even though it has had its ups and down, I will still fanboy this great series to everyone I know.

1. Gintama

Gintama is one of those series that people either love or simply don’t understand. The first 25 episodes of Gintama are rather bland, they provide an interesting premises, characters and setting however the story never really goes past that. Once you get past these episodes you will understand why Gintama is so universally loved. There is something about Gintama that feels so different from any other anime. The characters almost feel like they are real people the way they act and react to situations. Almost everyone in the show has experienced some hardship in someway, yet they still live their lives how they want to and that, is the true message of Gintama.

The action while generally short is truly amazing. The fights are fast, skilful, filled with emotion and character driven purpose. It is truly a testament to Sorachi to write in a Shounen magazine dominated by powers and magic and yet can still write fight scenes that are on par with the highest level of anime fights.

Yet, this isn’t even the best part of Gintama, The real strength of Gintama is its comedy. Shinpachi plays the perfect straight man to Gintoki, with constant parodying off of other animes, Japanese companies, celebrities, you name it they parody it.  A key reasons for the hilarity is much of the humour is character based resulting in the series just getting even funnier as the series progresses. I have often cried with laughter while watching it or had jokes stuck in my mind for days sending me into laughing fits on the bus, making me look like a complete psychopath.

Gintoki is a fantastic protagonist, he is on the surface a total waste of a human being but once you see past the initial shell you see a totally different person and begin to understand the reason why he acts the way he does. Although fictional, he is a character I have legitimate respect for, and for a fictional work to do that is quite amazing.

Gintama in my opinion is a solid anime in every respect. The author himself was laughed at by his peers and family in his initial attempts to draw manga and this cycle of living the way you want to live, not the way others tell you should live is heavily reflected into Gintama. That is why Gintama is my no.1 favourite anime and manga of all time.

-PandaSlayer

Bleach chapter 585 – The Headless Star 4 review

First off I would just like to apologise on the behalf of myself PandaSlayer and Simple Productions* for our lack of posting. We have both been finding it hard to deal with our increased workloads of our first semester of Uni, but im currently on holidays and Simple Productions will be in one week. So to make up for this along with the HxH reviews and Bleach reviews returning, I will be writing full anime and manga reviews along with each of our top 10 personal favourite animes to date.

Now on with the epic Bleach review!

Well what can I say but to put it simply this was one of the top chapters of Bleach this year. It seems that Kubo has started to realise the results of his lack of content and with his rankings doing really badly I would expect that his editor is really on his ass as of late, telling him to put more content into his story. For this reason I think we have missed out on a few fights like Shinji vs Bazz-B that was foreshadowed heavily last week, which would have been a great fight. Bleach’s strength has always been the fights, they are almost always amazing and it’s no surprise that Kubo just loves drawing them, however the content has been heavily neglected lately it has been leaving the fights without much purpose and therefore effecting the series overall.

The chapter starts out with the mysterious column of light and Juha chanting the same words as last chapter ‘The one who will lead us to the light is….’. Ichigo seems to put his hand up to his ear or the side of his head, signifying that Juha may actually be communicating telepathically at first, or even communicating with the people back at squad zero at first.

We learn that Ichigo has clothed himself in some serious gear with heavy defence properties. From what has been said at the start, the soul reapers clothing is generated by the properties’ of their own soul and its physical representation of the soul. This is why Ichigo’s and other clothes change when entering Bankai or gaining new powers. This coat he is wearing however was a gift made of the kings key material, which rather creepily, is made of the hair and bones the Zero Division. Subsequently this means someone else apart from Ichigo, including Juha Bach, can use the coat.

The part that makes curious is the specifics of Juha’s information. He clearly states that there are 72 barriers and that Ichigo broke them open for 6000 seconds (1:40 hrs). This information makes me believe even more that Juha has a strong connection to the Soul King and the Soul Palace as this could not simply have been discovered by observation alone.

 

Upon hearing this Ichigo charges straight in with no real thought at all and as a result stopped by several Sternritter. Now when I say stopped, its important to note that Ichigo isn’t even bothering to really acknowledge the attacks or follow them up, he is simply powering on though them. It was also interesting to note that Ichigo easily dodged a bullet that was fired 2cm from his face, he was always fast, but that is simply amazing speed and something that will be a key moment of awesomeness when it gets animated.

Now for some reason even after all of the Sternritter have seen what Ichigo has done they have a huge amount of confidence about themselves when attacking. I don’t expect them to throw their hands in the air and run away wetting themselves in fear, however, perhaps some better focused and well coordinated attacks would be more effective instead of everyone charging in one after another.

From what we know Bazz-B seems to be the strongest of the group, with Renji’s blocking of an attempted attack on Ichigo may be a potential foreshadowing for a Bazz-B vs Renji fight. With there similar personalities and different yet seemingly equal strength, could make for a very good fight.

The appearance of Renji and friends seems well timed by Kubo. We have seen in previous chapters in side panels each character making their way towards Ichigo making it feel like everyone didn’t just happen to be there just in time.

The match up as it stands is the four Sternritter girls, Bazz-B, a man I shall call Mr Moustache, an old man using pistols and a gap toothed guy who was following Renji prior to the battle. Facing off we have Renji, Byakua, Rukia, Shuhei, Ikkaku and Yumichika. We have yet to really see either Ikkaku or Yumichika fight 1v1 since the time skip so their power remains unknown, Renji has had a power, Byakua the had one as well, Rukia is mildly injured by still a very, very opponent and Shuhei has recently unlocked his Bankai. Despite the number difference they don’t really need this many people, just Renji, Byakua and Rukia would be fine, but things may change as we discover more of the Sternritter’s strenght.

I give this chapter an  8/10, fantastic art as always a nice bit of progression and just generally covered all the bases.

- PandaSlayer

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