#jidanbo

[crowreadsbleach]

Oh, okay, he's fine!

Looks like the commotion drew a crowd out of hiding.

Has...has the Soul Society frequently had Ryoka problems? Obviously it's happened enough that there's superstition and wariness around them, but how easy is it actually to break into Soul Society "illegally"??

AAAHHHH!! YÛICHI!! LITTLE BUDDY!!!!! Good to see you again, lil' dude!!! 💖💖💖

Thank goodness Orihime is here! Now she gets to test her skill by trying to reattach a giant arm! And once again, Ichigo being himself and stepping up to protect someone works out for him!

CHAD KEPT HIS PROMISE TO CARRY YÛICHI AROUND AGAIN!! Oh, but now I'm about to be sad.

That's...actually really depressing. Has nobody ever tried to reunite family members--well, I'm sure at least a few people must have tried at one point or another. But like, what would it take for the system itself to change and work towards that? Surely some kind of tagging system and death roster would go a long way??

I sure hope so, but I'm not optimistic that's gonna happen. Poor kiddo. At least he's lucky to have good people taking care of him now, but still...

[troius]

I’m such a sucker for last stands...especially when it’s some rando who you’d never take as the heroic type, like Hiyosu here. It’s a nice reminder of how great people can be, even in the midst of such terror.

[beautyissolitary]

[crowreadsbleach]

Uh oh.

It was at this moment that the reader knew: we fucked up.

I can only imagine how fast this is all happening in real time.

Ooh, and it feels like the air itself is standing still in the beat of silence before the release--

Thank goodness Ichigo is able to get his sword up just in time.

Not to take away from the urgency of the moment, but looking at the curvature, I can't help but imagine Shinsô making a wobbling noise like laminated paper or one of those metal sheets

I remember that panel very strongly! Put that heart back where it came from, you cheeky fuck!

Oh?? Renji saw?! Interesting! I wonder what he's gonna have to say about this later!

[crowreadsbleach]

(Oh, hey, Hisagi!) The wall has a name! I'm kind of tickled by them all being like, "welp, they're on the other side of the wall, so I guess there's nothing we can--" wait, hold on, holy shit.

Kira's been there the whole time?!?! I was fully ready to have to wait several more chapters for him to make an appearance! Oh, well, who cares--he's here! My favorite deep-thinking, multifaceted, sad wet cat!

You know, in hindsight, I'm kind of surprised that I overlooked Kira back then. He seems like exactly the kind of character my emo teen self would have fawned over. (Either him or Hisagi, tbh.) I mean, have you SEEN those bangs--OH. OH WAIT, HOLD ON, I CAN DROP THIS NOW! (I was gonna hold onto it until I started re-reading Thousand Year Blood War, but screw it)

I am so sorry.

Where was I? Oh, right. Less important characters are doing things.

I like how this kind of feels like a diorama someone would make in school!

I'm also glad to see that it's not just human souls living in Soul Society! Of course, this is far from the strangest person we'll see affiliated with the Seireitei, but shhh, we'll get there.

Those are some pretty impressive credentials! It's hard to imagine anyone being much stronger than that yet. I wonder what plan the gang is gonna come up with--

Ah. I see they share a brain cell with Ichigo.

Oh, no. See, you all waited too long after Ichigo pulled the boss. Now you're locked out of the room until the fight's over.

[crowreadsbleach]

Both of them? Both of them.

Oh, boy. I don't think Ichigo was expecting things to turn this way.

This just got so awkward and precious.

Hey, man, three hundred years is still an impressive win streak!

Aww, Ichigo trying to be nice paid off! And thank goodness Jidanbô doesn't seem to be the spiteful sort. (Ichigo's so cute when he smiles like that, too!)

It's called main character syndrome, Uryuu. Maybe if you went with a big sword instead of a bow, or made your cape flashier.

You know, my first manga that I ever read was Tokyo Mew Mew. I gotta admit, the heroine of that also being named Ichigo definitely brings my mind to strawberries every time I hear this Ichigo's name.

Hm? What's got you in such a tizzy, bud?

Ah. It's a guy. Standing there and smiling innocuously.

[crowreadsbleach]

I mean. He's kind of also holding it up with his back, but that's besides the point right now--

Oooh. Oh, the way he says that so easily without dropping his smile. Slithering little snake.

Okay. I'm officially unsettled by this guy.

And we can barely even see what he's doing!!

Ichigo, I appreciate you stepping in to put a stop to this, but I'm pretty sure you're way out of your depth here.

[crowreadsbleach]

The jovial, fake-friendly mask somehow works to make him seem even more unsettling.

And gives us a glimpse into the sort of callous cruelty we can expect in that place, I guess.