As Nodt vs. Rukia - review
During the time my blog was on a hiatus, what mainly happened in Bleach is As Nodt vs. Rukia fight. Of course, there were some other worth mentioning things, but to make the review clearer I’ll write only about this fight. Overloaded reviews are hard to read, right? So I thought I should separate all the stuff which happened during my absence! I’ve been writing Bleach reviews for quite a long (or maybe actually short? Tt depends on the point of view) time, so I’m improving my skills and I hope this change will make my posts better! Let’s start.
Here we have As Nodt’s power. Shooting with fear. Personally, I find this very interesting. I always like the powers which attack your mind instead of your body most. There is nothing what can be used as a shield, because fear is not a thing, it’s an emotion, and this Quincy’s power is just an embodiment of it. But
It’s said that As Nodt cannot attack Rukia when she’s dead, because fear is the emotion of living ones. Okay, even he’s explained it.
So that his power isn’t too hard to beat, it’s basically said that it attacks your brain rather than your mind. It works thanks to anatomy. If your body is dead, it can’t attack you. But aren’t all the shinigamis already dead? I really don’t like the fact how Rukia became untouchable by freezing. Well, it’d be a good solution if it was an As Nodt vs. Human fight, yes, but Rukia is itself a soul, she doesn’t have a body. At least so we think. Maybe As Nodt’s fight is trying to make us realize that shinigamis are souls but do have bodies? It’d explain why some of them (Ukitake) are ill, age etc. I like how it can explain things, but it comes out boring in a fight. Now, when I look at it again (I mean I had different emotions while reading it at first), I find it better because it actually did explain the shinigami’s body thing = fulled a gap which existence we’ve been irritated about. This is good, the only thing which irritates me is that I really wanted As Nodt to have a power which would injure your mind not in a scientific way. But what I say is so subjective. Actually, for the manga it’s better when we can scientifically explain As Nodt’s power to some point, because if we couldn’t, it wouldn't change the fact Rukia and Byakuya would have to win against him and then their victory would be even less natural. There is one character whose power works only on your mind – Aizen – and Tite still hasn’t thought up how to beat him (or has but it’s a plan for the end of the manga/isn’t going to beat him at all).
This way of dying had much sense but didn't satisfy me. I was really happy when later we found out that As Nodt hasn’t died yet. And that there is As Nodt’s power-up awaiting us.
What is typical to mr. Kubo and what I personally love is how he shows villain’s boundaries with The Antagonist. Arrancars – Aizen (and Arrancars – Arrancars) relationships were really well shown and now he’s trying to show us Quincies – Yhwach relationships as well. They're very similar but slightly different… From what I've understood, Aizen gave Arrancars ability to be more human-like, power (thanks to which they could stop and start many activities, actually, it depends on a character), he gave them a king. And Yhwach seems to be more, like… the person who makes you feel useful? Who creates sense in your life (= fighting and dying for him)?
I can’t really say anything yet, since we don’t have much information about how did Yhwach create Vandereich (not literally 'how', more like, why did he give them such powers, etc.). It seems very interesting to me. I guess I’ll be able to study Quincies – Yhwach relationship better when the arc ends… Or at least when Quincies die and we’ll get a more readable silhouette of Yhwach’s personality.
I find it very cool how the fight lasts longer? I know it’s easy to grumble about Tite’s endless fights, but this power is interesting enough to let us know how exactly does it work. Especially when we know that there will be no possibility of As Nodt appearing again. His power seems very difficult to beat, but we have the ‘scientific’ (as for a manga) explanation of it, which means that there will be a logical way to win against him, too.
I just love how As Nodt’s power reminds of the moment when you lie in a bed in the middle of the night, can’t fall asleep and start remembering all the scary moments or even periods of your life you’ve experienced, no matter if it was yesterday or 5 years ago. It’s exactly the same thing, but much more expanded + because of conditions he creates you can’t really calm yourself down.
Pls appreciate my As Nodt being an asshole.
After rereading everything I do understand why did As Nodt die and why it isn’t actually badly shown better, but I still dislike the power-ups of Byakuya and Rukia – I don’t like sudden power-ups, that’s all. I didn’t like the idea of Shinigamis training at Soul King’s form the very beginning and still don’t like it. I’m okay with characters showing a secret power nobody’s ever seen (e.g. Yumichika, Ulquiorra) or becoming slightly better (e.g. Rukia becoming a lieutant), but those sudden, unnatural power-ups just annoy me so much! Ugh. But I understand that I can’t have everything – I love powerful villains, and that’s what I do have in Bleach, but on the other hand I must accept unnaturally powering up characters, because they have to win against the dark side, at least sometimes.
I don’t like power-ups because of the course fights take when they happen – but I like thanks to what our characters powered up at Soul King’s. I disliked Ichigo’s fast trainings (although they seem to have much more sense now that we know what’s been inside of Ichigo for all those years) because they seemed to show us how powerful Ichigo is. Soul King’s training are easier to accept for me because of the fact, that they’re basing on Shinigami’s relationship with their zanpakutou. I may dislike seeing Rukia suddenly having bankai or Byakuya suddenly beating a very powerful Quincy only with a shikai, but I understand how it happened and I like that it’s thanks to them becoming friends with their swords. The power of friendship, isn’t it?
I find it really cute and important for the Byakuya – Rukia relationship, but if I were Kubo, I’d put these panels after Rukia kills As Nodt. So that it doesn’t spoil the mood. But I guess he’s put the dialogue here to make the ‘You have absolutely nothing to fear, Rukia’ and ‘Yeyeye I’ll kill that Quincy with a single stab’ thing more possible. You know, so it’s not like ‘Nii-san said I have nothing to fear yeye’ but like ‘Nii-san said im powerful so now I can’t show him the worse side of me right’. So yeah. Still, I’d like it to be a little later.
I don’t have to tell you how Rukia won and what did Byakuya say afterwards, do I? It was a beautiful scene, especially for her fans, but I don’t think there is anything I can comment on.
I like how As Nodt is full of fear… It’s not only his weapon, it’s what he hates most. He's depended on it We can see how afraid he is in the short flashbacks (short and very well done – I enjoyed them much). I still don’t understand basing on what does Yhwach give people power – are there any rules, even? But I like how As Nodt used the thing he’s been afraid of most – fear – as his weapon.
And I love how his last thought is about being afraid.
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chapters used: 566th - 570th