Bleach, Vol. 11

Tite Kubo, Bleach: A Star and a Stray Dog (ViZ, 2001) The crew are still scattered throughout the soul reaper city. Uryu and Orihime are fighting the younger brother of the gatekeeper, while Ichigo and Ganju, along with a new friend they picked up along the way, run into one of the assistant captains. And where are Chad and Mr. Y? Kubo, though, never lets the action get in the way of his characters, which is what makes Bleach so special, even this far down the line. A fantastic series. ****

The pinnacle of action. This series does action and plot together so well I don't know if I can go back to reading anything else. Naruto has to take a backseat to this series. Ichigo versus Ikkaku. Uryu shows what a Quincy is capable of. And finally Ichigo and Renji have it out. The battle is amazing and ends with a huge cliffhanger. This volume pushes the series to a new level, the top of the mountain. Highly recommended.

Team Ichigo has been separted while trying to enter the Seireitei to save Rukia from execution. She is being detained in the white tower Senzaikyu, with the Soul Reapers on full alert of Team Ichigo's presence. With the team separted, they have to rely on their new skills to survive the Soul Reapers attacks. The group has been divided into Ichigo and Ganju (assisted by an unlikely ally), Orihime and Uryu, Chad, and the Cat (forgot the name). Each of the members have grown much stronger and it shows. Especially with Ichigo and Uryu. Uryu has become a much more mature, interesting, and stronger character. Orihime is much stronger as well, but she gets overshadowed by Uryu. Chad only had a brief appearance, but it's made obvious that he has grown stronger too. Ichigo shows just how tough he is now, with the rematch between Renji and himself. His strength seems to grow exponentially with each volume and he needs every bit of it against Renji. Ichigo learns very quickly and has become a much better tactian as well. A must read for the Bleach fan.

Any fan of bleach will enjoy continuing the series with this issue, it just keeps getting better.