Friday 20 December 2013

BLEACH SERIES 12 PART 2 REVIEW


Bleach Series 12 Part 2
Released By: Manga Entertainment
Rating: 12
Running Time: 250 Mins
Audio: English: DD 2.0 & Japanese: DD 5.1
Release Date: 23/12/2013
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

The captains and lieutenants are still fighting against their zanpakutos and it looks like they are winning all too easily. Though some have tamed them, there are many others who defy their masters, and some who actually hate them and want to see them dead.

Ichigo and a few of the other Soul Reapers are busy helping them fight off their  
relentless zanpakuto in an all out war for dominance. The zanpakuto  is supposed to be a tool for fighting, not one who wants independence from the Soul Reaper, but Muramasa, the one controlling them thinks otherwise.

One of the things that has been annoying Ichigo is Byakuya Kuchiki's unusual and unexpected alliance with his own zanpakuto senbonzakura using the bizarre excuse that he too wants to be free to do what he wants. Rukia has always been close to her brother since he took her into the Kuchiki clan at the expense of his parents as the next head. Due to their closeness, Rukia finds it hard to believe that he would go against the very Soul Society he is supposed to stand for, though the other captains and lieutenants are seem not to get on with him as he is a changeable type. Renji wants to help Rukia but he can't seem to stop the zanpakuto from overrunning the place.

Momo and Matsumoto are still having trouble with their own zanpakuto as they are working together against them. Tobiume and Haineko are trying to stop them from getting to Byakuya who everyone has noticed is behaving strangely, though why he would side with Muramasa is beyond them. Comedy comes from some mini gag pieces at the end of each episode that only last a couple of minutes, but give us a fun moment in the lives of the characters.

All the way through the arc Muramasa has convinced them he has a plan, but it's one he hasn't told them about. It is obvious he wants Ichigo, but a surprise attack on the zanpakuto by Kenpachi throws Muramasa's plan when he gets in their way. Ichigo being the daring soul we have all come to know and love sets off to where Muramasa's hideout is. But what we don't expect Muramasa's plan to be to go to Karakura Town, but why he would want to go there remains a mystery. With a musical score we remember from the earlier Bount Arc, Series 12 Part 2 continues the story of Muramasa and who he is, though we are never fully prepared for the reveal or the back story about him. Muramasa has a dark past that unravels before our eyes.

The other Bleach characters feature somewhat in this two disc set are; Orihime who doesn't use her brains when she accidentally heals a tired-out Muramasa, Uryu has to fight Senbonzakura, cracking part of his mask while Ichigo's reputation is at stake if he can't stop Muramasa's plan. Bleach is the sort of anime that just keeps going and going, and this break from the normal arc keeps the interest in the new characters that look like they have been well thought out.

Languages: English, Japanese (with English subtitles) Contains episodes 242-253

Bonus Material: Opening and Closing Animations.

Verdict: This is a highly enjoyable second part of a winning series.

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