Bleach Ep. 20: Gin Ichimaru’s Shadow

The final episode of Bleach’s first season contains every element that makes the series worth watching. Ichigo and his friends complete their training then take a time out before the assault on Soul Society. As an added bonus, a review of an extra from the season one box set is included.

When you see the title graphic, it does not fit where the story left off last episode. But no worries, it does fit this episode just not right away. With Ichigo having briefly turned into a hybrid of Hollow and Shinigami before regaining control, it is time for him to move to phase three of Urahara’s training. We have to wait a bit for that to resume, though.

A brief recap of Byakuya’s announcement of Rukia’s execution in 25 days starts the show and we get a further teaser of Soul Society. It appears to be inhabited by very shady characters, two of whom show up to needle Captain Kuchiki over his sister’s impending execution. One is a trickster type, Captain Gin Ichimaru of Squad 3 and the subject of the episode title. The other is Squad 11’s one eyed captain, who tries his best to provoke a duel with Kuchiki. All in all, Soul Society does not look like any kind of heaven and seems savage.

Back to our hero and his training. The creepy big guy with glasses, Tessai, emerges from the pit to find quite a spectacle unfolding. After successfully goading Urahara into pulling out his sword cane, it dawns on Ichigo that a stub of a blade is not that handy for fighting. A comic chase ensues, but after some thinking, the substitute Soul Reaper remembers that only zanpakutos can cut spirits and since he is in spirit form he should be invulnerable to a mere sword…

Just one problem. It turns out the sword can has a name, Benihime, or Red Princess. Yep, it is a soul cutting blade and that stub of a blade is soon chopped to bits, leaving Ichigo defenseless. Urahara tosses the boy around like a rag doll while the carrot top freaks out like a little child.

The mysterious spirit from Ichigo’s internal world reappears and chastises him for his actions. Fear is something to be overcome and faced head on. Once the teen does that, he finally hears the name of his zanpakuto and shouts, “ZANGETSU!” thereby unleashing his true sword.

The blade is still oversized, but now it is far nastier looking. It is no proper sword blade and resembles a butcher’s knife more than anything else. There is no guard and no hilt, just cloth wrapped around the tang. Zangetsu is a sword made for attacking with no consideration for defense.

While he has his own zanpakuto for the very first time, Ichigo still has to knock the hat off of Mr. Hat and Clogs. His spiritual pressure builds and Tessai looks very afraid. For a guy who has taken as much abuse as he has, what could frighten him so much?

The results lead Urahara to call Ichigo “one scary kid” afterward – for good reason. I find the use of a negative image of Ichigo particularly interesting given what happens in the next two seasons. Phase 3 is clear and the training is over.

As it also is for Ichigo’s friends, who have done this behind his back. Uryu’s training with a Quincy device is complete, even if we have no clue whatsoever what it is supposed to do for him. He is ever a mystery, but at least he doesn’t have a talking cat training him.

Actually, I shouldn’t pick on Yoruichi since the cat has a pair of chuckle heads to teach. Chad finally summons his power and promptly causes a public disturbance. It is all very amusing, but it makes you wonder how he and Orihime can possibly survive a place like Soul Society.

With all training ended, the show stops to take a breath with a festival outing that is extraordinarily short for an anime. Usually full episodes are devoted to festivals, but here we only get to see the fireworks at the end. All of Ichigo’s friends and family are there except one, Rukia. Thoughts of her continue to haunt him and his resolve to rescue her only strengthens.

Goodbyes, unexpected arrivals, a surprise gift, and a promise finish out the episode. Oh and of course there is a cliffhanger. It wouldn’t be Bleach without one!

Thoughts

The first half of the episode is typical Bleach comedy and action, but it is the second half that resonates emotionally the most. When the show slows down and becomes sentimental, it is usually at its best. That is strange to say about a series dedicated to escalating fights, but there you have it.

Episode 20 also feels like a last inhaled breath before jumping into the midst of something dangerous, which is appropriate. Mystery, action, comedy, and emotional moments blend in a recipe that does not quite fill you, but leaves you wanting more. Of course, that would be the second season.

For a first season, it was an unusually strong one and was enough to keep me interested. It was quite a ride and in some ways was never matched again in the series.

Odds are that I will not review the individual episodes of the next two seasons, though I may review them as box sets. Never say never, but there are other anime series that need to be finished out.  As a farewell, a review of the best extra from the box set follows:

Behind the Scenes of Bleach is a short look at the dubbing done by Viz Media here in the States. If you ever wondered how dubbing is done and some of the problems involved, you will find this very interesting. Things such as matching dialogue to mouth movement (one reason dialogue can be too rushed) and finding character motivations are covered. While I have been very critical of the English dub, I found the twenty odd minutes to be a lot of fun to watch.

Interviewed are only four of the voice actors involved, Johnny Yong Bosch (Ichigo), Derek Stephen Prince (Uryu), Stephanie Sheh (Orihime), and Wendy Lee (Tatsuki) who doubles as the voice director. Anecdotes and approaches to vocalizing the characters take up most of the time, with Prince being the most entertaining of the group. It is clear just how much he likes playing Uryu.

If you wondered whether or not voice actors try to get into the heads of their characters, wonder no more. Looking for motivations is important to finding the right voice and delivering a good performance. Then there is the yelling. Oh the yelling and the toll it takes on their vocal chords.  All I can say is even if I had the talent, I could not hack the toll it would take on my throat.

If you own the set, you’ll find this on the final disc. Watch it.

BEWARE! HERE BE SPOILERS!!!

 

 

 

 

Orihime’s conversation with Tatsuki seems to raise a lot of death flags for the character. The whole promise to come back is ominous. There is another aspect to the exchange that I liked and it has to do with the change in roles in their friendship. Tatsuki was always the protector and fighter, but now she is being left behind by a newly confident Orihime. She also knows there are things her best friend is not telling her and it stings a bit. It is honest to goodness character development handled with subtlety.

While not really character development, Ichigo’s dad has a nanosecond of responsible behavior when he gives his son a protection charm. The charm was given to him by his late wife and his action hints that the old man knows something dangerous is going on. It is sentimental in a purely macho way, which fits the relationship.

I admit the scene where Ichigo’s friends showed up one at a time to accompany him to Soul Society put a grin on my face. The surprise of the boy and their counter reactions were great. The scene where Orihime expresses amazement about the underground training room amused me because it appears Tessai doesn’t get compliments on his work. Lots of little amusing moments occur before the final leap into Soul Society.