BLEACH: FOURTEEN DAYS FOR CONSPIRACY (MANGA VOLUME 9)

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BLEACH: FOURTEEN DAYS FOR CONSPIRACY (MANGA VOLUME 9)

May 8th 2010 00:39

Category: Graphic Novels/Comics

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

How does one who is not dead or soul reaper manage to make it into the Soul Society? Surely it would be totally impossible for someone from the material realms to make their way into a realm of pure spirit? Certainly it would be rather problematic if you didn’t have friends who could solve this riddle. Gathering Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends, Orihime, Chad and the sole Quincy; Uryu Ishida in the vast basement of his store Kisuke Urahara, aka Mr Hat and Clogs just explains what is going to happen, how he has resolved this particular issue. In the Bleach universe travel between the Soul Society and the living world is usually handled by traversing a Senkaimon, a Tunnel World Gate, which allows souls and soul reapers the means to travel. Now the usual Senkaimon can only accept beings of spirit, thus it won’t work for people like Orihime etc but Urahara has added a spirit particle converter to his basement gate which will covert matter into spirit and thus allow Ichigo’s friends to accompany him.

And so the great escapade begins, lead by the enigmatic black cat Mr Yoruichi, the fearless four embark on their effort to try and rescue their mutual friend Rukia Kuchiki from death at the hands of her fellow soul reapers. Of course the Soul Society has no idea what is about to hit them and one could say that the fearless team have no idea on what to expect when they get there. Still judging by the fact that they have been willing to accept the ‘leadership’ of a talking black cat with little reservation it is likely that whatever strangeness or exotica waiting at the other end of the Senkaimon is unlikely to phase them for any significant period.

Strangely though it seems as if the Soul Society seems to be already aware of the attempted incursion from the world of the living even before it has managed to make any significant headway. The very first page of this manga shows the soul reapers receiving an alert that an incursion has occurred into the territory of the Soul Society. It seems that stealth is not going to be an option in the rescue of Rukia, although this doesn’t seem to faze the five invaders once they have made their way through the Dangai, the precipice world that separates the Soul Society from the world of the living.
Now the whole structure of the Soul Society is a rather interesting construct, in actual fact it reminds me a little of Tokugawa Era Edo, as the city of Tokyo was originally known. At the heart of the Soul Society is the region known as the Seireitei which could be seen as analogous to the Shoguns palace whilst on the outside of the Seireitei lies the vast sprawling region called Rukongai. Rukongai is where the vast bulk of the souls who arrive in the Soul Society end up living, it could be regarded as analogous to the Floating World of the Edo period, the vast sprawl of buildings and dwellings that grew up outside of the Shoguns palace and depending upon their closeness to said palace depended on the type of person who lived there. A similar dynamic is occurring here in the Soul Society, Rukongai is where the commoners dwell, those who are not affiliated to the rulers of the Soul Society or are Soul Reapers, unlike Tokugawa era Edo though there is a chance for mobility, souls can become soul reapers and thus move into the Seireitei. This is precisely what happened with Rukia and Renji.
Once on the streets of Rukongai Ichigo suddenly spots a part of the cityscape that looks different from where he and his comrades have landed and immediately dashes towards it, he has deduced correctly that this is the Seireitei, where the soul reapers dwell and where Rukia is currently imprisoned. His exuberance has an unforseen consequence, descending from the heavens like a vast swarm of Lego bricks is the wall which surrounds and guards the Seireitei from unwelcome intruders such as Ichigo. This wall has four gates and at each of the gates stands a single guardian; Ichigo finds out that he is before such a gate and that if he is to pass through he must fight the giant known as Jidanbo, the strongest of all the giants in the Soul Society.
Feeling confident in himself and his newfound abilities as a soul reaper Ichigo rises to the challenge and manages to defeat Jidanbo in one on one combat. Viewing this intruder with a great deal of respect the defeated giant gallantly allows the five friends passage into the Seireitei, warning them though that they will face far greater and stronger opponents on the other side of the gate. And it is here that things begin to go pear shaped, awaiting Ichigo and his comrades on the other side of the gate is none other than Gin Ichimaru, Captain of Squad Three. Somehow the ever smiling Gin has managed to arrive right on the spot, ready to prevent an incursion into the Seireitei. This he does after seriously wounding Jidanbo and almost piercing Ichigo with his zanpakuto. Pushing both the giant and the spiky haired substitute out into the Rukongai sees the initial hopes of Ichigo and crew dashed like a ship in wild storm tossed sea crashing against the shore.
All though is not lost, as it seems that Yoruichi has something up his metaphorical sleeve. From an encounter with some boar riding goons to a weird looking house out in what could rightfully be considered the sticks of Rukongai the crew and their feline mentor eventually meet up with Kukaku Shiba, the premier fireworks expert of the Rukongai. It seems that she has the means to get the five into the Seireitei, a giant cannon which will shoot them through the sky and into where they want to go. Truly an unconventional means of entrance. Still it seems that as well as being a premier fireworks expert Kukaku is something of an unconventional character to say the least. Bleach; Fourteen Days for Conspiracy is enjoyable to read and like the other volumes in this manga it just keeps you wanting more. Definitely worth getting your hands on.

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