Search - Bleach Vol. 11: The Rescue (Episodes 42-45) on DVD

Bleach vol.11

Barry Liskell | Villa Central, CT USA | 08/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The fight between Squad 12's captain and Uryu is more than enough reason to get this disc."

This battle is not something I would ever want to let her se

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 06/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Uryu Ishida has always resented the Soul Reapers for one major reason: his beloved grandfather's death.

But the true facts about that come to light in the eleventh volume of "Bleach," which pits Uryu against the most horrible of all the Soul Reaper captains. The whole rescue-Rukia-from-certain-death storyline is visibly coming to a close, but Uryu and Ichigo's dramatic side-by-side stories keep it from feeling as though the series is too drawn-out.

Yoruichi knocks Ichigo out (in a very unpleasant way) and escapes from the white tower, with Byakuya Kuchiki hot in pursuit. When Ichigo awakes, Yoruichi reveals that the only way he can realistically beat Byakuya is if he achieves the bankai, the second release of his zanpakuto. Usually it takes years to achieve, but she offers him a risky method that may let him achieve bankai in only a couple days.

Meanwhile, Orihime and Uryu prowl around in disguise -- until they fall into an explosive trap set by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, a clown-faced captain who wants Orihime as his next guinea pig. But Uryu's fight against him becomes much more personal when Mayuri reveals his history experimenting on the Quincy. But to defeat this mad scientist

Most of the Soul Reaper captains we've seen thus far are pretty nice people, if a bit odd. Worst case scenario, they're chilly or inadvertently creepy. But Mayuri Kurotsuchi is probably the first really repulsive Soul Reaper officer we've seen thus far -- someone so nasty that he turns his own men into explosives, experimented on living people, and savagely beats his lieutenant/daughter.

It's hard to see why they haven't pink-slipped this guy yet, especially since nobody really likes him. That, and his zanpakuto looks insanely silly.

Anyhow, Uryu's fight scenes -- which stretch over almost two episodes -- are pretty spectacular in a gross, harrowing way. Poisonous bankai, super-bows and a technique that helps Uryu keep moving even when paralyzed are all used to up the tension in an already taut battle. And the fight is pretty gross as well, since Mayuri is all too happy to use his body parts as weapons.

And this volume is Uryu's chance to shine, with his anger ("The man in the picture is Soken Ishida. He was my teacher, as well as my GRANDFATHER!") driving him to win no matter what. And I do mean that, because the method he used to fight Mayuri promises to have some unpleasant long-term effects. Yet he also finds a few minutes to be kind and chivalrous to Mayuri's much-abused lieutenant, a timid miniskirted girl named Nemu.

After a subplot that emotional and intense, just about anything else seems like it was patched on. But the last episode shows the aftereffects of Uryu, Chad and Ganju's fights, and some random comic relief ("What a weird name!" "YOU'RE the one who nicknamed me that!"). But Ichigo's iron-clad determination to achieve the three-day bankai, and some brewing problems in the Soul Reaper jail, promise to make things more interesting.

The eleventh "Bleach" volume's gross, spectacular battle sequence manages to make the other episodes seem almost superfluous. And things promise to grow even more interesting as Ichigo trains for bankai."