From the back cover:
Ichigo and his friends return to the world of the living, where life goes on as usual. But the arrival of a new transfer student raises disturbing questions, for outside school he carries a zanpaku-tou and wears the mask of a Hollow…

Review:
There. Now I am all caught up and the glut of Bleachiness will subside.

You know it’s a good sign when all the faces on the “story so far” page are the regular cast. After tying up some loose ends in the Soul Society, the focus returned in earnest to the core group as they headed back to the human world. It really did feel like coming home again after a long vacation. I particularly enjoyed seeing Tatsuki again.

The new plot built on the idea of Soul Reapers with Hollow power and vice versa that was broached in the Soul Society arc. So far, it was nothing special, though the fact that Uryuu doesn’t run out like the rest to fight the new threat does clue Ichigo in to the fact that the Quincy has lost his powers, so that’s something significant, at least.

And then there was Isshin. Connie said it best in her review: “It was too much. You just can’t DO that. You can’t decide that’s how it’s going to be after so long.” There can be no doubt that this reveal is audacious crackery. I don’t like it, and I seriously wonder if it contradicts what was established in earlier volumes, but I’m willing to keep reading and see where it goes.

From the back cover:
The shocking truth behind the collapse of the Soul Society is finally revealed! The magnitude of the conspiracy is far-reaching, and the perpetrators wield staggering power. Is this the end of the Soul Society?

Review:
Many, many explanations were forthcoming in this volume. Things that were revealed include who murdered Aizen; why Rukia was scheduled to be executed for a relatively minor offense; and more on Urahara’s background, research, and actions. Some of the answers were a little out of left field, but it more or less made sense.

Some cool things happened (Byakuya! ♥!) and one major lame thing, where all of a sudden every minor character in the Soul Society emerged from the woodwork in time for the final showdown.

All in all it was a satisfying volume. I can truly say now that I am ready for this arc to be over, though, and for the focus to return to the regular cast of characters.

From the back cover:
The long-awaited showdown between Ichigo and Byakuya Kuchiki has finally begun. Has Ichigo succeeded in mastering bankai, the highest level of power that a Soul Reaper can attain, to face Byakuya as an equal?

Review:
After a slow first chapter, this volume kicked some butt!

I vastly enjoyed the multi-chapter battle between Ichigo and Byakuya, which was full of nifty moves and engendered much excitement. The art was especially great in this section. When Ichigo displayed some new mastery of his sword (Zangetsu), his cape fluttered in a very Zangestu fashion. Throughout he looked more cool and in control than previously. And the surprise twist at the end of chapter 165 and throughout 166 was simply awesome.

As a bonus, it looks like the Soul Reaper plot is ramping up and will be concluding soon. Plus, Ichigo’s companions finally returned to the scene. Good stuff.

From the back cover:
The execution of Ichigo’s friend Rukia has begun, yet Ichigo himself is nowhere in sight. In a matter of seconds, the power of one million zanpaku-tou will slice through Rukia as punishment for sharing her Soul Reaper powers with Ichigo. Is this really how things are going to end?!

Review:
Well, that was sort of a disappointment. The events at the execution itself were good, but when Ichigo and Byakuya were juuuuust getting ready to engage in a fight that would surely eclipse Byakuya vs. Renji in coolness…

Cut to fights with other, mostly minor, characters! Granted, it was cool to have a fight between two powerful female characters, and two of the captains engaged in fighting elsewhere were among my favorites, but jeez! If I didn’t have volume 19 on hand already, I’d be sorely peeved by the delayed gratification.

No explanation was given, either, for Ichigo’s attainment of awesomeness. I know I’d wanted the training arc to just finish already, but this wasn’t exactly what I meant.

From the back cover:
The rebellion within the Soul Society grows as doubts spread about the death sentence of ex-Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki. Determined to save her, Rukia’s childhood friend Renji vows to cut down the captain of his own squad, unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits him.

Review:
The first five chapters of this volume comprise the awesome fight between Byakuya and Renji. I really love Byakuya—he’s so cold and remote. I’m sure this bit must’ve been so cool to watch animated.

The stuff pertaining to Rukia’s execution was also good, including some nasty manipulation by Ichimaru where he dangled a thread of hope in front of her and then yanked it away again. Less interesting was the fight between Zaraki and his two opponents. Yawn.

Ichigo and the other humans had a very minimal presence in this volume. Ichigo only appeared briefly in the middle of the battle between Byakuya and Renji, at a moment when his and Renji’s situations were analagous and were intercut for comparison. The others only showed up right at the end when Rukia’s execution was starting. Hopefully now that the big event is at hand, our heroes will reclaim the spotlight.

From the back cover:
The scheduled execution of former Soul Reaper Rukia Kuchiki has been moved up and is now just hours away. Meanwhile, the Soul Society is in chaos, with Soul Reapers drawing swords against one another. Something is rotting at the core of the Soul Society, but who, or what, could be behind it?

Review:
Some important things happened in this volume, namely learning the reason someone wants Rukia to be executed and what they hope to gain by it. The backstory of Rukia and Kaien (Ganju’s brother and the mystery guy from her past who reminds her of Ichigo) was also revealed. I was a little disappointed in the latter, frankly. I guess I expected it to have more of an impact than it did. Maybe if we’d seen more of Kaien before his death.

But also a lot of exposition happened. Some chapters would come to the end and I’d go, “Wait, so what exactly just happened there?” It seemed that the Soul Reapers are poised to square off against each other over Rukia’s execution. While I am enjoying the internal politics story, it’s beginning to feel like it’s taking the lion’s share of the story at the moment.

The main cast didn’t do an awful lot, really, though at least they all got some face time. Ichigo’s boring training continued. Random comment: I have decided that Uryuu, who is by turns a nebbish and a badass, is totally the Wesley Wyndam-Pryce of the group.

From the back cover:
During a bloody confrontation with a sadistic Soul Reaper, Uryuu chooses a path that will temporarily grant him enormous power, at great personal cost. Meanwhile, Ichigo races to master a powerful technique that will help him fight Byakuya and, hopefully, save Rukia from execution.

Review:
I had tried to take a break from Bleach to read some Hana-Kimi, but I just couldn’t summon any interest in Nakatsu’s embarrassing mother when Uryuu’s battle was still unfinished.

The first few chapters bring resolution to Uryuu’s fight while also giving an explanation for the swanky new glove that he began sporting prior to the start of this arc. The fight with Kurotsuchi was pretty cool, though I particularly liked the end, when a thoroughly battered Uryuu thought he was going to be the one to rescue Rukia, only to run into yet another Soul Reaper captain.

Ichigo’s training segments were not really very interesting, but did lead to a very unexpected revelation—Urahara’s identity! It wasn’t a total surprise, but part of it was, and also made perfect sense. I also appreciated that the reason the now-imprisoned supporting cast had been kept alive also made sense (they’re wanted for questioning regarding Aizen’s death).

I usually like the murder subplot involving just the Soul Reapers, but it was a little slow this volume. The cliffhanger promises more action next time. While I’d like to know who killed Aizen, I’m really more interested in why, since that will provide the reason to actually care about the impact it’ll have on the Soul Society.