Bleach, Vol. 19

Tite Kubo, Bleach: The Black Moon Rising (ViZ, 2001) The Soul Society story arc is coming to a close, and of course, the big battle between Ichigo and Byakua has to take place, right? That's the subject of The Black Moon Rising, volume 19 of Bleach. While the battle itself is rather anticlimactic, Bleach has, over time, become more than the sum of its parts, and much of the fun of any volume of Bleach is seeing these characters interact with one another once again. This volume is simply setup for the big end of the story arc, but as always with Tite Kubo, it's really good setup. ****

A MUST HAVE FOR ANY BLEACH FAN! Ichigo saved Rukia but can he save himself? As Ichigo and Byakuya battle it out and Ichigo soon finds out that the only way for him to win is to use bankai, who will win? who will be cut down? this is the battle we have all been waiting for.

Volume nineteen of the super-stylish Bleach manga begins with the conclusion of the battle from the volume eighteen between 2nd squad captain Soifon and her former leader/idol Yoruichi Shihouin. It's immediately followed by a brief flashback of the history between the two. Next up is the long awaited showdown between makeshift soul reaper (or shinigami, if you're gonna be a snob about it) Ichigo Kurosaki and 6th captain Byakuya Kuchiki. Both reapers show off their bankai until it comes down to an explosive final clash. The volume ends with captain 10, Tôshirô and his vice captain Rangiku making a shocking discovery. Volume nineteen is a lot of fighting, centering around a pivotal battle that has been building for over ten volumes. That's not a negative asscessment of it. It never loses sight of why there is all this bloddshed going on. If you've been following this long, you're going to love this volume. Only one more volume to go the Soul Society arc.