Bleach: Forthcoming Action

Feast your eyes on the upcoming Bleach episode titles:

292.) "All Out War! Aizen vs. Shinigami"
"Zenmen sensō! Aizen VS shinigami" (全面戦争！藍染ＶＳ死神)

293.) "Blade of Hatred! Hitsugaya, Enraged!"
"Nikushimi no ha! Hitsugaya, gekkō!" (憎しみの刃！日番谷、激昂！)

294.) "The Sealed Genryūsai"
"Fūin sareta Genryūsai" (封印された元柳斎)

It looks like there's a series of surprises, even after Shinji's shikai gets revealed. However, the Anime is getting closer to the Manga more than ever. Let's cross our fingers and hope that this isn't a cue for fillers. Since Shinji claims that his Zanpakuto (Sakanade, 逆撫, Counter Stroke) has abilities that can affect senses just as Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu does, it seems we will get to see Aizen be forced to draw his sword and fight.

Since Tia Harribel has been disposed of, Hitsugaya's targets have changed. The question arises: Will he go toe-to-toe with Aizen or cross swords with Gin? Moreover, will he get payback for the blow Aizen inflicted on him back in Central 46 grounds? Or will he finish his fight with the one that was prohibited from making Hinamori spill even a drop of blood? (Gin, but ended up being Aizen who gave her the low blow).

In the Anime, Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryūsai has not had any airtime ever since he toasted Allon (Ayon) and Halibel's Fracción. Since all the espada in Fake Karakura Town have been wiped out, all focus will be on Aizen. The only underlings left on his side are Gin and Tōsen. But what about the rumored Vasto Lorde?

All in all, let's be grateful that the Anime has made it this far (in terms of canon material) without any series of fillers. Episode 287 was a single filler, so it never really killed anybody.

Stay tuned.

Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama: Anime Ends

Today marked the last episode of the Anime series:

Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama [Kaichō wa Maid-sama! (会長はメイド様!, The Student Council President is a Maid!]

Even though the Manga seems to be on-going, the Anime team decided to rush to 26 episodes and the show met its end. I say "rushed" because there was so much more material they had left to cover. In fact, they could have squeezed at least 10 - 20 more episodes to fully portray the Manga content. Not to mention the character, Hinata Shintani, was introduced so late in the series. However, some fans may feel that the relationship between Misaki Ayuzawa and Usui Takumi was dragging on for far too along and feel relief from the show's early conclusion. As a shōjo series, Kaichou Wa Maid-Sama is definitely an excellent one. Let's hope that the rumored season 2 no longer becomes a rumor.

Naruto Shippuden: One Week Break

If you are anxiously waiting for the next Naruto Shippuden episode to come out tomorrow, you might be disappointed to hear that it won't be happening. The next air date for the Anime is scheduled for September 30, 2010. Naruto Shippuden episode 179 is titled as follows:

"Kakashi Hatake, The Jonin in Charge"
"Tantō Jōnin Hatake Kakashi" (担当上忍はたけカカシ)

 It was unfortunate for us to look forward to even more fillers, but in actuality the Animation team decided to take a one-week break and put oil in the fire. So, how many episodes of filler are left? This is currently unconfirmed. Some fans believe that canon material will continue starting from episode 180, which is titled as the following:

"Inari's Tested Courage"
"Inari, Tamesareru Yūki" (イナリ、試される勇気)

Since Inari is a character that is tied to canon material in the Manga, fans seem to believe this may not be a filler after all. All will be explained next week. Stay tuned.

Unohana's Chat With Ichigo

This week's episode of Bleach was quite interesting. Kurotsuchi Mayuri opens up the Garganta with the assistance of Nemu. It looks like Unohana and Ichigo are headed to Karakura town for the real battle against Aizen! Along the way, Unohana asks Ichigo what he thought of Aizen's powers when he first confronted him in Soul Society. Fortunately, it turns out that Ichigo is the only one who has not seen Aizen's shikai.

Anyone who sees Sōsuke Aizen's shikai automatically falls under his "complete hypnosis", as he calls it. Aside from that, another important point gets established about Ichigo. He explains how his Shihakusho changes when he does bankai. Furthermore, his Shihakusho is an important part of his bankai and only a part of it was restored when Orihime healed him. It signifies the amount of spiritual pressure he has. Since it takes Orihime a while to heal spiritual pressure (reiatsu), he didn't stick around for it.

So the question is, how strong is Ichigo? Expect to see much-awaited action when these two arrive in Karakura town. Let's hope the animation team plans to finish up the arc before going into long-term fillers as always. Bleach Manga seems to be approximately 25 to 30 episodes ahead based on the current pacing. Stay tuned.

Shinji Hirako's Shikai: Next Month

It looks like the Fake Karakura Town Arc is yielding another surprise. Bleach episode 291 reads:

"Desperate Struggle with Aizen! Hirako, Shikai!"
"Aizen to no shitō! Hirako, shikai!" (藍染との死闘！平子、始解！)

It looks like we will finally get to see Hirako's shikai! What do we know about his nature from the Anime so far? For starters, a lot of the times he is seen upside down. Recall when he first confronts Ichigo by fighting in the sky during Isshin's surprise episode (Bleach episode 111). But then again, Shinji displayed another form of power later during the TBTP (Turning Back The Pendulum) Arc. Recall as Aizen was spying on Urahara and Hirako broke the ice by negating his hiding spot. The fact that it caught Aizen's surprise makes it an important ability. Does it mean that we can finally expect seeing a formidable threat go up against Sōsuke Aizen?

For those of you that keep up with the Manga, this is perhaps of little interest to you. But I'm sure seeing the animation won't be as bad as the latest filler that people have lately despised. Stayed tuned!

Bleach Filler: Priceless

After watching this episode, I feel that episodes like these aren't so bad to watch every once in a while. Just call it "taking a break" from canon material for a bit. I feel that a lot of Bleach fans wouldn't mind if the animators would follow this trend of having single episodes of fillers between the main storyline. After all, look at how One Piece is pacing along as an excellent example.

With that aside, the content in the filler was quite interesting and, yet, hilarious. They decided to make a parody of the Soul Society arc by changing the costumes and names of each character. Byakuya's entry in the episode was probably one of the best parts. There may be a few fans out there that just didn't get anything out of this episode, which I can understand. Rest assured, we return to canon next week! Stay tuned.

The Breaker Manga: A Closer Look

For those of you that haven't heard about The Breaker, I highly recommend checking it out. The manga consists of magnificent art and the main storyline/plot can lure in many people of different interests. Particularly, it consists of Shōnen-like themes and fights.

Here is my attempt at the plot:

Shin Woon, a weak high school student, is constantly being beaten to a pulp by an arrogant bully named Chang Ho. One day, a strange new teacher by the name of Chun Woo (Sunsengnim) is appointed in his homeroom. Shin-Woo learns that Chun Woo (Sunsengnim) has incredible fighting techniques and uses a special power called Ki (Chi). He makes a vow that he will protect himself and his friend (girlfriend) Sae Hie (Saehee) from threats and begs Chun Woo (Sunsengnim) to train him, but his request is declined. Later, it is confirmed in the Manga that Chun Woo is a secret killer known as Gumunryong (Goomoonryong). "Gumunryong is a title given to a person who has mastered nine different techniques." As a highly advanced and experienced fighter, part of Gumunryong's mission is to get revenge in regards to his master's death. There are lots of other characters that get introduced in the story as it progresses.

The Breaker does not include of an Anime series, but it's likely that it will come out with one after some time. The Manga for The Breaker is currently on-going and fairly new, so don't expect an Anime any time soon.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep Patch

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep has been released in Japan for quite some time now. If you are running custom firmware on your PSP, then you have probably already downloaded the ISO/CSO (if you are a true Kingdom Hearts fan). However, you will only find the Japanese version and, in most cases, the game will not run. There is a patch for this. If you would point your browser to Google and do a search including the keywords "KHBBS patch", you are sure to find more information for the process.

If you haven't modded your PSP and wish to actually buy the title for your device, consider yourself lucky in about a week. Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is scheduled for release in the U.S. on September 7th (09/07/2010).

Bleach: Interesting Characters To Think About

Most of us have been focusing on characters that are getting airtime in the Fake Karakura Town arc. Then there are the others who are busy with things over at Hueco Mundo. However, have you ever wondered what's going on with the rest of the characters that we haven't heard of in a while?

Let's look at a clear map of the characters and their location (Be sure to note characters in bold):

Division 1
Captain Commander Yamamoto Genryusai: Fake Karakura Town
Vice Captain Chōjirō Sasakibe: Unknown (Possibly in Soul Society)
Division 2
Captain Soifon: Fake Karakura Town
Vice Captain Marechiyo Ōmaeda: Fake Karakura Town
Division 3:
Vice Captain Kira Izuru: Fake Karakura Town
Division 4:
Captain Retsu Unohana: Hueco Mundo (On her way to Fake Karakura Town with Ichigo)
Vice Captain Isane Kotetsu: Hueco Mundo
Division 5
Vice Captain Momo Hinamori: Fake Karakura Town
Division 6
Captain Kuchiki Byakuya: Hueco Mundo
Vice Captain Renji Abarai: Hueco Mundo
Division 7
Captain Sajin Komamura: Fake Karakura Town
Vice Captain Tetsuzaemon Iba: Fake Karakura Town
Division 8
Captain Shunsui Kyōraku: Fake Karakura Town
Vice Captain Nanao Ise: Unknown (Possibly in Soul Society)
Division 9
Vice Captain Shūhei Hisagi: Fake Karakura Town
Division 10
Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya: Fake Karakura Town
Division 11
Captain Kenpachi Zaraki: Hueco Mundo
Vice Captain Yachiru Kusajishi: Unknown (Possibly in Soul Society)
3rd Seat Ikkaku Madarame: Fake Karakura Town
th Seat Yumichika Ayasegawa: Fake Karakura Town
Division 12
Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi: Hueco Mundo
Vice Captain Nemu Kurotsuchi: Hueco Mundo
Division 13
Captain Jūshirō Ukitake: Fake Karakura Town
Unseated Kuchiki Rukia: Hueco Mundo
Co-Third Seat Sentarō Kotsubaki: Unknown (Possibly in Soul Society)
Co-Third Seat Kiyone Kotetsu: Unknown (Possibly in Soul Society)

Others outside the current Gotei 13 (護廷十三隊, Goteijūsantai) that are unknown in terms of location include Urahara Kisuke and Yoruichi Shihōin. More importantly, where is Kurosaki Isshin?! I guess we will find out as Bleach uncovers as the Fake Karakura Town arc progresses further! Stay tuned.

One Piece [Action & Pacing]

Many incredible things are happening in One Piece Anime. Whitebeard has arrived on the scene and the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) has been revealed. Evidently, he has been standing in the same exact spot on his ship (Moby Dick) for the past three episodes! This, however, doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. One positive aspect about One Piece's pacing is that because of the fact it may be slow, it's a great way to avoid fillers. In fact, if the pacing would be any faster I believe the animators would be forced to show as many fillers as Naruto Shippuden or Bleach. Many have said that One Piece fillers have always been more interesting than both of those Anime series.

More airtime has also been given to recently-introduced characters such as Admiral Akainu. We have also seen new powers of devil fruit users such as Marco the Phoenix and Diamond Jozu. Juracule "Hawk-Eyes" Mihawk has, once again, given us a small performance of his swordsmanship skills. "Little" Oars Jr. is a new character that has fallen on the battlefield shortly after he was introduced to show his friendship with Ace and create emotion among the audience. These features represent One Piece for what it really is.

Many of us wait for the action that is coming up once Luffy arrives on the grounds of Marine Ford. For those of you that read One Piece Manga, perhaps you are waiting for the way animators will show the cruel fates of Ace & Whitebeard. Stay tuned.