thinking again about how interestingly jushiro is written honestly
like I feel like the majority of bleach fans would describe him as like.. overly cheerful, sunny, in that lighthearted and playful we see in a lot of scenes. stopping byakuya on the bridge, that scene in tybw right before the mimihagi stuff where he’s jarringly cheerful despite the tension of the situation. some of the older bleach games really just portrayed him that way too, pretty one dimensionally
and I don’t think it’s even wrong really. it’s not an act, or a front, but it’s a choice
I’ve seen a lot of discussion about how shunsui’s lazy, disinterested demeanor is a front to hide his more serious side, to hide regret and survivor’s guilt and the innumerable serious concerns that weigh on him. that’s true, of course, but I don’t see much said about how jushiro presents himself with just as much intention—he’s more genuine about it, I think, but being genuine is just as much of an intentional choice
because he’s no more naive than shunsui is: old enough and wise enough to know that there’s always someone watching, that confrontations can be eased and subordinates can be reassured so easily by the weight of a captain’s status, especially a captain who chooses to lean into such a reputation, who chooses to remain kind and vulnerable despite being a captain of a militaristic society
we see quieter moments, too: the conversation with hisagi at the beginning of the arrancar arc, talking about how good it is to see rukia making friends. sitting in the grass with shunsui, musing on ichigo’s growth and the nature of growing old. these more vulnerable moments are just as genuine, clearly—neither side feels like a facade. they’re a balance that seems to be very intentionally written as such
and honestly (this is getting into territory that I should make another post about) those moments especially feel so in tune with the themes and overall mood of bleach to me. that sense of time creeping forward, that bittersweet, melancholy emotion that exists in the quiet moments between the drama. nothing stays the same, people change and grow up and grow apart and die, the places and traditions that were home change too. it asks the characters and audience alike to sit with that uncomfortable feeling, to appreciate fond memories and old friends and then keep walking forward. it doesn’t feel like coincidence that so many of the moments that carry that emotion are scenes that feature him
or maybe I’m just insane because my entire decade as a bleach fan has been wholly consumed by being an ukitake fan lmao
tldr: ukitake is written a lot more complexly than I usually see discussed, and as I’ve been writing fic I’ve been trying to analyze that more closely
