Bleach, Vol. 10

The ninth volume of Tite Kubo's "Bleach" was all about our heroes struggling to get into the Seireitei, failing miserably, and going to the crazy one-armed lady. Well, "Bleach Volume 10" is about what our heroes do to get inside, and what they do once they discover that they've got hundreds of Soul Reapers ready to take them out. Obviously there's lots of action and fighting (including a wonderfully bloody duel), but plenty of humour in the fights as well -- especially with the inclusion of two very eccentric Soul Reapers. Now that they know she's a fireworks expert and plans to shoot them into the Seireiti in a massive cannon, Kukaku Shiba has them work on forming spirit-energy "cannonballs." Turns out Ichigo is practically hopeless at it.But when our heroes have finally learned how, she blasts the group (plus her brother Ganju) into the Seireitei. But things don't go quite as planned -- they all get blasted in different directions, landing in completely different parts of the Seireitei. Ichigo and Ganju are promptly challenged by a pair of Soul Reapers -- Ichigo fights the bald, dancing swordsman Ikkaku, and Ganju the fey, narcissistic Yumichika. Chad and the cat Yoruichi are apparently in hiding, but Uryu and Orihime are being trailed. Oh yes, and the Soul Reaper captains have gathered to discuss the punishment of Gin Ichimaru. While the first several chapters drag somewhat -- come on, GET INSIDE already! -- things pick up wonderfully as soon as Ichigo and Company hit the ground. After that, there's lots of action, comedy, headless-chicken chase scenes, and new Soul Reapers who love fighting and have feathered eyebrows. Or both. The plot in this one is a bit scattered, since the "ryoka's" story is interspersed with the Soul Reapers', and it goes from zero to sixty in less than a chapter. But in the second half, there are some nice kinetic action scenes with Ichigo and Ikkaku, where both combatants are slashing each other up, as well as the literally explosive entry into the Seireitei. But it's not all action -- there's plenty of comedy woven in. Ikkaku and Yumichika provide most of it -- one of them claims he's going to kill Ganju because he's "ugly," and the other does goofy celebration dances on his tiptoes ("Luh-luh-luh-luh-LUCKY!"). And our heroes even get some laughs in, such as Ichigo mangling Yoruichi's tail and waking with a cry of "CATNIP!" And this time around, we get some focus on the Soul Reapers rather than Our Heroes. Ikkaku and Yumichika show that the Soul Reapers can actually be quirky, if not outright bizarre. Kubo also introduces the big players among the Soul Reapers, and starts setting up their personalities -- including some further depth and friendships for flame-haired, tattooed Renji. The tenth volume of "Bleach" is full of action and comedy, with some important new characters introduced in the Soul Society. And things will only get hotter.

The ever expanding universe of Tite Kubo's masterpiece, Bleach, expands again with this awesome volume.

Tite Kubo, Bleach: Tattoo on the Sky (ViZ, 2001) So how will the crew get into the walled city where Rukia is being held? By being shot out of a cannon, of course! But that doesn't mean all their problems are solved-- far from it, as what waits for them on the other side of the wall makes the battles they've had before look like a walk in the park. Another fine entry in the series, which is well worth your time-- if you're not a Bleach fan yet, pick up the first issue and become one. ****

If Ichigo and the rest are to survive their way past the barrier to the Soul Society, he must first learn to control his massive spiritual energy into a shield to punch through it. More of the Soul Society is introduced, giving some idea of how things are run in there. The battles are few, but excellent. And the rest is far from boring.

"Tattoo on the Sky" finds our heroes as guests of the slightly crazy explosives expert Shiba Kuukaku--Ichigo, Yoruichi-san and company need her help breaking and entering into Seireitei. Kuukaku's brother Ganjuu, with whom Ichigo tangled in the previous volume, is hanging around too, with predictable (and amusing) consequences as far as Ichigo's temper goes. Although the group succeeds in turning themselves into a spirit-force cannonball, once they arrive in Seireitei, the fun is just getting started. Meanwhile, meetings of the captains and vice-captains of the 13 squads are held, and Ichimaru Gin is called on the carpet to answer for his unapproved actions regarding the intruders. In my opinion Bleach is probably the best shounen manga in print today. Tite Kubo is certainly one of the best mangaka; his artwork is always amazing, his shifts from chibi form and back are perfectly timed, and he has an uncanny ability to pick the exact moment to depict in every frame. The sense of movement in his best work is palpable. Bleach was awesome from the beginning, but as the Soul Society arc picks up speed it's only getting better. Hollows are nothing compared to the challenges Ichigo has already faced and the new opponents (Madarame Ikkaku) he fights in this volume...to say nothing of the foes who lie ahead. Moreover, despite introducing a wealth of fascinating new characters, Tite Kubo still finds time to depict the continuing growth of our favorites Orihime, Ishida, and Chad, and Rukia's own history is slowly revealing itself. All in all, Viz is doing quite a good job with its American editions, but I suppose I've been spoiled by reading Del Rey. The lack of honorifics is disorienting, and there are a few cases where attempts to make the Japanese more easily understandable come dangerously close to destroying the meaning (in particular, Ikkaku's comments about he and Ichigo's names). Moreover, I want my color pages! And would it kill Viz to print the title on the front cover? It's in English in the Japanese...But, all that being said, it is nice that Viz translates the sound effects, which are almost impossible to pick up unless one can ask a native speaker. Really, what are you waiting for? It's awesome. Run, don't walk.