The Arrancar Arc is finally OVER!! The animation of the Arrancar Arc started in 10th Jan 2007 (Episode 110) and it finally ended on 22nd Feb 2011 (Episode 310). It took 201 episodes and more than 4 freaking years to finish the Arrancar Arc! =.= Well... among the 201 episodes, there are many fillers. Personally, I quite enjoyed the Zanpakutou Arc but I can't say the same for the Amagai Arc and the random filler episodes.
Enough about fillers and let's talk about the Arrancar Arc. Initially, I really liked it as it seemed interesting, especially with the introduction of new characters like Espada and Vizard. However, things began to go downhill after Orihime was "kidnapped" and the "save the damsel (first, it was Rukia, and this time round, Orihime) in distress" saga began all over again! It's cool to see Ichigo, friends and Shinigami fighting the Espada, but... I always wonder... why was Ichigo the ONLY ONE who experienced ridiculous power-ups?! Chad and Ishida did power-up but that was because they trained. As for Ichigo, he always get to power-up during battles. =.= When he suddenly powered-up and beat Kenpachi and Byakuya, I wasn't very happy and in this Arrancar Arc, he did it again and defeated my 2 most favorite Espada, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow!
In the end, I really don't see the point of Kubo sensei introducing the Espada.
As for the "war" over at the real world, I thought it was pretty interesting too but in the end, the "war" didn't feel like a war. A war should be chaotic but this felt like a systematic battle game. Though the "war" wasn't like a war, I was happy to see the shikai and bankai of some of the Shinigami like Gin, Hisagi, Soi Fon, Kyouraku and etc. Another part I liked was when the Vizard joined in the war. They were really cool and how I wish they could get more air time and development. However, I'm very disappointed with the fact that the anime left out this scene (below) during the Vizard entrance scene. I had been looking forward to it since I first read it and the anime staff just had to leave it out. =.=
Though I'm glad that the Arrancar Arc has finally ended, I'm not quite happy with the ending itself. Why was it that only the bad guys die and all the good guys (no matter how severely injured) survive? Quoting Kyouraku "Getting caught up in style and throwing away victory is something for the lower ranks to do. Captains can't even think about doing such a carefree thing. Don't try to be a good guy. It doesn't matter who owes who. From the instant they enter into a war, both sides are evil." I especially like the last sentence. I totally agree with it and since both sides are evil, both sides should suffer damage. Unjustly, only the Arrancar side suffered damage.
Towards the end of the Arrancar Arc, the reason behind Gin's action was finally explained but very soon after the explanation, Gin died! Gin is a great character and it's sad that he only had that little air time. Speaking of deaths, the ways some of the Espada (in particular, Starrk and Halibel) died were really pathetic. Starrk was the Primera Espada and though his powers was quite unique, it didn't seem very powerful. As for Halibel, the moment she was killed off by Aizen, my only thought was, "this whole "war" is damn meaningless!". Aizen is one of the most overpowered villain I've seen and he went through almost as much evolution as Ichigo. Even though he's ultra super-duper powerful, in the end, he still lost to Ichigo. Yes, it happened at the cost of Ichigo's shinigami power but I don't feel any pity for Ichigo as (*Spoiler Alert! in the manga, he has already regained it back!)
If you read the manga, I'm sure you know that currently, the anime has already caught up with the manga. The manga is only 16 chapters ahead. If you read the manga, I'm sure you also know how much content there is in 1 chapter. I usually finish 1 chapter in less than 3 minutes and I think that says it all. Since the anime is catching up with the manga, and the manga is progressing at turtle speed, this means we can expect at least a year of fillers!
Are you excited about it? I'm certainly not! Naruto Shippuden just finished its marathon of boring fillers and it's Bleach's turn now. Sigh...Anyway, sorry to turn this into a rant post. I didn't intend for it to happen but somehow it just happened.
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