MJ Review: Bleach Volume 20

[Jason]

Title: Bleach
Volume: 20
Author: Tite Kubo
Serialized in: Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha)
Genre: Shonen, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Supernatural
Publisher: Viz
Rated: teen

Bleach volume twenty made one thought occur to me: these are becoming harder to review without spoiling them entirely. This is a keystone volume for Bleach fans. The entire long Soul Society arc has been building to this moment covering why Rukia must die, who betrayed the Soul Society and what Ichigo’s role really has been.

When it comes to the betrayers, some of them came as no surprise at all. You knew they were up to no good from their first appearance. Others were more surprising, though some of the surprise is more so because there are just so darn many Soul Reapers that you totally forgot about them.

How did the wolf in sheep’s clothing hide in plain sight for probably centuries? The master traitor offered this rather profound statement, ‘adoration is the state furthest from understanding,’ which is fitting since the betrayer was much beloved by his comrades. As the conspirators tear through the Soul Society, they track down Renji, and Rukia still seems utterly helpless, which isn’t explained adequately for my taste. I’m not sure how someone who was a strong fighter on Earth has become so weak she can barely stand. Not too surprisingly, Renji and Ichigo come together to protect Rukia, who does nothing to save herself, which is explained away by her being overwhelmed by the betrayer’s spiritual energy. We also get Urahara’s history at long last and find out what the betrayer’s ultimate goals are. The ending is a bit open here. I was expecting much more, which may come in volume twenty-one but honestly, the blurb for it didn’t sound as if it were.

The art is, as usual, very good. I have to give credit for the variety of faces the mangaka gives us. The storyline here is dense with plot and needed a second read-through to be fully appreciated. There didn’t seem to be any blips in translation. This one answers a lot of questions and if you’ve been following this series, this is a must-have.

Reviewer: Cornerofmadness
Proofer: The Mighty Highlord
Editor: Jiji