Customer Reviews

Bleach, Vol. 12

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Volume 12 of Bleach follows the aftermath of Ichigo's battle with Renji... seriously injured, Ichigo is in need of some healing, and Ganju is not above forcing him to rest. But can they avoid the powerful captain of the 11th Division, Kenpachi Zaraki

Meanwhile, intrigue is playing out, in full murderous fashion, in the court of the Soul Society... the various divisions have been completely mobilized and all out war is declared on the invaders.

Futher character development fleshes out Chad's motivations and his history with Ichigo, leading up to his fight with the seemingly lackadaisical captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyoraku.

The art is as tight as always, and it's nice to see new characters challenge the various members of the rescue team, but it's getting to be too much of the same thing over and over. Find an upper level Captain or Lieutenant, defeat them, move on. C'mon, let's get Rukia saved, already...

Honestly, I know there's a lot more to come... but I'm starting to jones for some closure to this arc so we can get back to the real world.

All in all, this is a volume strong in Bleach standards, an enjoyable read for all fans.

Wow! This volume is what good manga is all about. Volume 12 is more about the story than the fighting, which is not the case with most of the Bleach volumes.

Volume 12 centers mostly on Ichigo and Chad and their relationship. (Orihime and Uryu don't even appear in this one). Some of Ichigo and Chad's past is revealed as to how they became friends and why their conviction to help each other is so strong. There is also further insight into the Soul Society and something's amiss in the ranks of the Soul Reapers. What happens is a real catch you off guard surprise.

After Ichigo's defeat of Renji the Soul Reapers now consider the ryoka a major threat. The captain of first company had declared that all captain and assistant captain are allowed to used zanpaku-to and full wartime powers within the court. So, from here on out team Ichigo will have deal with the best the Society has and that's not a pretty proposition. The only acceptable outcome for the Soul Reapers is the death of the intruders.

With a great story, a monster cliff hanger, serious drama, and enough comedy to lighten the mood, this volume is one of the best in the series to date. This one is worth every bit of your $7.95.

every edition builds on the last, and every time i turn the last page, i'm dying for the next edition!

Tite Kubo, Bleach: A Flower on the Precipice (ViZ, 2001)

Things are looking pretty tough for the soul reapers, and the head of the city, in response, authorizes weapons and full battle capabilities inside the city. But the soul reaper guards don't have just Ichigo and his pals to contend with...

While A Flower on the Precipice does advance pieces of the plot not directly connected to fighting, the battles are the central thing here, with both Chad and Ichigo running into different captains. Even here, though, Kubo's mastery shows through, as the captains are fun guys to read about. (Not so fun to fight, perhaps.) A notably enjoyable volume in a series that's already notably enjoyable. ***

One review for this volume was complaining about Viz's translation of it. I'm here to address the points he made.

1. Shinigami, which does mean Death God, isn't exactly a good description of what they do. The name they're given in English, Soul Reaper, is a much better name as it fits what they do, which is guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife.

2. There is no language censorship. The Japanese language actually has no swear words, and words also have several meanings. The version he read was an illegally translated copy called a scanlation, in which they translate words very, very literally and out of context. They also have a tendency to translate adjectives as swears because it's easier. The reviewer apparently didn't know that a "company" is subdivision of a military regiment or battalion that constitutes the lowest administrative unit that is usually under the command of a captain and is made up of at least two platoons, which is more correct than squad.

I hope I've been of help.

Don't get me wrong. Bleach is one of my all time favorite animes. The action, story, and characters are all great. But the American version of the manga is very flawed. The thing that really makes me mad the most is that Viz constantely says "Soul Reapers." They translated the word WRONG! It is actually supposed to be "Death God." Why they said Soul Reaper, I have no frickin clue. Second, the editing from the original translation of Bleach is extremely annoying. Nobody probably has a clue how many swear words are in the original Bleach, when about one or two appear in an entire volume of the manga. Usually, two is about the minimum for one chapter. For example. Volume seven, when Renji meets Ichigo. In the japanese version, Renji says "What's with your big ass soul slayer." The Viz version goes "What's with that oversized zanpaku-to?!?" See what I mean. Also, while Ichigo and Ganju are in the soul society, they find out about the "Companies." What the hell is that? Viz also translated a frequently appearing word. The word actually translates to squads. The Bleach anime has been licsensed by Viz for America, and I hope to god they don't go and crap up the anime like they did with the manga. (Cross your fingers that it doesn't go on Cartoon Network!)