BLEACH: THE DEATH TRILOGY OVERTURE (MANGA VOLUME 6)
March 10th 2010 00:25
Category: Graphic Novels/Comics
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
Story & Art by: Tite Kubo
English Adaptation: Lance Caselman
Translation: Joe Yamazaki
Touch up Art & Lettering: Dave Lanphear
Design: Sean Lee
Cost: AU$12.95/US$7.95
At some stage in a story the drama usually reaches a crucial turning point that will have a significant impact on the events to follow on from that point. In Lord of the Rings (LOTR) that point is when the fellowship splits and Frodo and Sam head off by themselves into the deeps of Mordor, in Star Wars it occurs when Luke Skywalker heads off from Hoth and rather than going to the Alliance rendezvous and instead heads for Dagobah, in Batman the moment is when that bat flies into his mansion giving him the inspiration for the guise he must adopt in his one man crusade against crime and criminals. With Bleach the turning point is in this volume, Death Trilogy Overture, this is where the life of Ichigo Kurosaki, high school student and substitute soul reaper finds his life and that of his friend irrevocably changed. As Obi Wan Kenobi points out to Luke as he trains him in the ways of the Force en route to Alderaan “You’ve just taken your first steps into a larger world” and the same applies here for the protagonists in this ongoing manga saga.
Looking at the character of Kisuke Urahara I wonder whether if the series creator Tite Kubo has ever seen the original Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope? The reason why I pose that question is that to my mind Mr Hat and Clogs has some similarities to the character of Obi Wan Kenobi in that seminal film, he is a mysterious wise individual who knows all about soul reapers, hollows, mod souls and in fact deals in merchandise from the heart of the Soul Society itself. He is obviously more than he seems and he seems to have an active interest in Ichigo who has just recently become a soul reaper. Kisuke is obviously also able to sense and feel spiritual energy as well as work out the effects someone like Ichigo, who exudes spiritual energy like Niagara exudes spray, can have on his friends and fellow classmates.
Chad and Orihime find this out when they wake up in the confines of Urahara’s shop located in a rather non descript cul de sac somewhere in lovely Karakura town. Kisuke explains what is going on and that like Luke Skywalker they have taken the first tentative steps into a much larger world, although the choice is there’s on to whether they want to take any further steps or back out and go back to their normal lives. At first the two high schoolers can’t accept what he has told them, but as he politely reminds them they have just gone through an experience that more than adequately proves what he has been saying. Still he is more than understanding of the fact that all of this may be just a little bit too much for Chad and Orihime to absorb at this particular point, an information overload as it were, so he suggests that the two join him as he leaves the shop and provides them with concrete evidence to cement his story beyond any doubt.
Meanwhile as Orihime and Chad attempt to come to grips with what has occurred to them Ichigo has finally confronted his rival Uryu, he suggests that in the wake of this ridiculously huge hollow incursion the best way for them to survive is to fight together. Only in combining their respective talents and abilities can they possibly hope to prevail, especially when it seems that all this activity has drawn the attention of something more frightening than the usual run of the mill hollow. Just as hollows feast upon the souls of humans and are drawn to those with immense spiritual energy so too are there things which feed upon hollows and become drawn to large congregations of such entities. Such entities are known as Menos or Menos Grande, these things are literally gigantic and feed upon other hollows in the same way such entities feed upon the souls of humans. Menos look like something from the Mexican Day of the Dead, they seem slightly comical yet at the same time irrevocably sinister and horrendous.
Normally an ordinary soul reaper would not have to handle a Menos who makes an incursion into the world of the living or the Soul Society, that duty is the responsibility of the Royal Special Task Force. Of course none of these worthies make an appearance so it is left to Ichigo and Uryu to deal with this lumbering behemoth that emerges from the depths of Hueco Mundo into the world of the living. Bleach: The Death Trilogy Overture is a gripping read that leaves you literally wanting more, so compelling is the drama and storytelling. Definitely a work worth taking the time out to get a hold of, it’ll give you some enjoyable reading on a cool autumn afternoon taking things easy and having a soothing cup of java.
| 20 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
