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.

From the back cover:
Ichigo and Yoruichi race to save Ichigo’s friends from Rukia’s cold-blooded brother, Byakuya Kukichi. They arrive to find Ganju in tatters, and Rukia with him. Ichigo is bent on defeating her brother this time, but he is nowhere near prepared. Can he learn decades’ worth of skill in just a matter of days?

Review:
Of course he can! This is a Shonen Jump manga!

I didn’t enjoy this volume as much as the previous few, even though a couple of significant things happened. Yoruichi’s true form is revealed, for one, and I like the character design and how it retains some cat-like traits. Also, it was good to see Uryuu and Orihime again.

There were just a lot of bothersome things regarding women in this volume. Orihime was ushered away from the fight for her protection and against her wishes. Kurotsuchi (a Soul Reaper captain) was incredibly abusive to his female Assistant Captain. There was one powerful female character in the earlier chapters, but it didn’t really balance out the other things.

Other frustrating things include Ichigo’s embarking on yet another training mini-arc and the fact that Uryuu’s smackdown of the evil, maniacal Kurotsuchi (also head of research and development and fond of conducting sadistic experiments on unwilling subjects) was delayed until the next volume. What a vile character that guy is!

From the back cover:
Chad has stormed his way into the heart of the Soul Society, only to meet his match in Captain Kyouraku. Meanwhile, Ichigo struggles in his battle against Kenpachi Zaraki, the captain of the 11th company. Although Ichigo succeeds in drawing blood, the secret of Kenpachi’s zanpaku-tou may be his undoing. Before Ichigo realizes it, Kenpachi’s blade has pierced his heart!

Review:
This volume started slowly but really built up to a great ending. Things picked up around chapter 111, when Ichigo seemed to’ve lost his fight against Zaraki. Zangetsu (Ichigo’s sword) put him through a test to determine whether he (Ichigo) was worthy to possess him (Zangetsu). What originally seemed like a lame gimmick to have Ichigo fight his mirror self actually turned out to be pretty cool as he learned to rely more on Zangetsu’s power. Hopefully this means we’ll be seeing more of Zangetsu in human form in the future.

The best bits, however, were from chapter 113 to 115. In these, Ichigo’s exciting battle came to a conclusion, the past of Zaraki and his Assistant Captain Yachiru was glimpsed, we possibly learned the name of a person from Rukia’s past who referenced a few volumes ago, Ganju and Hanatarou found Rukia, there was an awesome revelation about Rukia that I probably should’ve totally seen coming but loved that I didn’t, Yoruichi appeared on the verge of divulging his true form, and then Byakuya arrived on the last page. I didn’t even miss any of the supporting cast, it was that good.

From the back cover:
With reports of powerful intruders defeating a number of assistant captains, the inner sanctum of the Soul Society—the Seireitei, the home of the Soul Reapers—is put on a state of high alert. Matters are further compounded by the mysterious death of a prominent captain. Is his death a cover-up to prevent a valuable secret from being exposed?

Meanwhile, Ichigo confronts Kenpachi Zaraki, captain of the eleventh company, and by far the most brutal fighter in the Seireitei!

Review:
This volume was similar in structure to the last: one of the secondary characters got to be a badass (Chad this time), Ichigo had a fight with an opponent more difficult than the last (a powerful Soul Reaper captain), there was a flashback chapter providing character backgrounds (how Chad and Ichigo met and became friends), and more members of the Soul Reaper guards were introduced.

While everything was sufficiently entertaining, the parts I liked best pertained to the Soul Reapers. I like that there are sympathetic characters within the organization, and the mystery about the murder and the secret interests me. Also, I’ve somehow actually begun to like Ganju, who I disliked in volume 10 and merely tolerated in volume 11. How did this happen?

From the back cover:
Ichigo successfully defeats Ikkaku of the Eleventh Company and is rewarded with a valuable piece of information—the location of where Rukia is being detained as she awaits execution. However, Ichigo’s companion, the pyrotechnics-wielding Ganju, is having a much harder time with his Soul Reaper opponent.

Meanwhile, Orihime and Uryuu confront the younger brother of the gargantuan gatekeeper whom Ichigo defeated a little while ago. It’s time for Uryuu to put all his training to the test and prove to everyone (and himself) how much more powerful he has become.

Review:
Two things earned this volume a grade in the A range:

1. Chapter 98, in which background information on Rukia’s past is revealed and the intense rematch between Ichigo and Renji concludes.

2. Badass Uryuu! I really like him, and it’s fun when he goes from the somewhat fussy guy with a home-sewn outfit to a cold-eyed fighter.

The rest of the volume is solid as well, with much fighting with weird weapons and spiritual abilities. Some of the Soul Reaper officers glimpsed in the last volume are also seen again, and are introduced slowly enough that their names finally begin to stick.

I like the balance between information given (see above re: Rukia and also more detail on how the Soul Reaper organization works) and mysteries as yet unclarified (specifically who exactly Yoruichi and Urahara really are). At the moment, I think I am actually more interested in these things than Rukia’s fate, since I can’t possibly imagine this arc will not end in success. This is a Shonen Jump manga, after all!