BLEACH: BE MY FAMILY OR NOT (VOLUME 21)

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BLEACH: BE MY FAMILY OR NOT (VOLUME 21)

January 7th 2012 22:02

Category: Manga

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Story & Art by: Tite Kubo
English Adaptation: Lance Caselman
Translation: Joe Yamazaki
Touch up Art & Lettering: Evan Waldinger
Design: Sean Lee
Cost: AU$12.95/US$7.95

So finally at last the truth has been revealed and it has proven to be something rather distressing and decidedly painful, the Seireitei has been rocked to its very core as three of its finest captains have proven to be traitors to the Soul Society and their fellow Soul Reapers. The real motive for the execution of Rukia Kuchiki has been revealed for a step on the grand agenda of traitor Sosuke Aizen, former captain of Fifth Company and his subordinates Kaname Tosen and Gin Ichimaru. So what happens now? Essentially this volume opens with the Soul Society and the Ryoka picking up the pieces in the wake of Aizen’s betrayal…

Naturally though this entire volume isn’t entirely about Soul Society picking itself up from this tumultuous time and dusting itself off and then getting back to business. In fact what this particular volume is about is about transition, it’s like being on a long train journey where after travelling for a while you reach a point where you stop and have to change trains in order to continue onwards. Kind of like a trip I made a few years ago out to Broken Hill, to get there I had to travel from my hometown down to Sydney then once there I changed trains to head westwards bound out to Broken Hill…bit of an experience I can tell you, especially when you go past the wetlands out near Menindee, truly superb to see as the morning sun rises. But I digress…
This volume in the Bleach manga series is like that change of trains, one story has effectively ended and now another one is beginning. We’ve left behind the train ride that was Ichigo’s attempts to rescue Rukia with the aid of his friends and Soul Reaper allies and now we move onto the next stage. Of course it doesn’t quite terminate like that, there are a few loose ends to wrap up, and of course there is the fact that Ichigo and friends have to get back to the world of the living. Still all of this is handled adroitly as one would expect from Mr Kubo, then once these ends are wrapped up things move into the next stage, the next story arc.

Off course like any good storyteller the general tone of the next arc has already been set; the betrayal of Aizen and co is but one element in this new unfolding arc. Aizen has seized the Hogyoku, the sphere of mystical power that can be used in all manner of insidious schemes…and it looks like Aizen has more than his fair share of insidious schemes up his metaphorical sleeves. So it looks like both sides are given a breathing space, a time in which to gird one’s loins and get ready for the impending conflict. Aizen and his minions are no doubt intending to launch an attack either on the Seireitei or the world of the living, what isn’t know is when and where this attack will occur.
Sounds pretty much cut and dried? Well it seems that it isn’t as cut and dried as we’d like to think, and frankly that is what we should expect in any major manga series, especially a series created by a man who knows how to weave together a tight taut story. Once Ichigo and friends have returned to the living world things seem to be destined to fall into their usual patterns, high school, home life and fighting hollows…you know the usual kind of thing. And to a certain extent this is pretty much how things do pan out with some extra spice, first in the form of a mysterious transfer student to Ichigo’s high school and secondly in the fact that it seems Uryu has suffered the loss of his ability as a Quincy and cannot fight as effectively as he used to.
These two developments will have some impact on what happens to the two characters, they are plot devices intended to enhance further character development, to show that the two will grow in power and ability. But the mysterious transfer student also has another agenda; he is there to recruit Ichigo into a mysterious group known as the Visored, the Masked Army. Shinji Hirako has appeared out of nowhere seemingly and transferred into Ichigo’s school with the sole intent on recruiting the spiky haired substitute soul reaper into his group. It seems that all of this is at the behest of another person behind the scenes, a Ms Sarugaki. Apparently Visored are Soul Reapers who have crossed over into the realm of the Hollows whilst still maintaining their abilities as Soul Reapers. And it looks like they’re seriously interested in Ichigo hence the arrival of Shinji and his efforts.
Shinji isn’t the only one though who is interested in Ichigo, whilst he’s trying to figure out what the deal is with this newcomer someone else, someone from the past has emerged into the world of the living looking for some serious payback… Grand Fisher has returned, although he looks nothing like he originally did when Ichigo first encountered him. Stalking the streets of Karakura town he seeks out Ichigo and finds instead something else, a case of bitting off more than he can chew so to speak… With this volume Tite Kubo has demonstrated the depth of his manga, he has shown that he can easily ramp up the action and intensity whilst keeping things fresh, original and engaging. Bleach manga volume 21: Be My Family or Not is an enjoyable and gripping read, well worth taking the time to track down and get a hold of, so why not do yourself a favour and grab a copy…

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