The first Bleach ending, in my personal opinion, is beautifully done. The imagery, the words, and the voice - it reminds me how much I love Bleach. If you listen to the whole song, part of the words are in English and the other in Japanese. One of the verses in the song went like this:
And every time I see your face,
The oceans heave up to my heart
You make me wanna strain at the oars,
And soon I can see the shore
Such a peaceful romantic song that entails connections, bonds, and promises. The red ribbon represents Rukia's connection to Ichigo and the human world and as soon as she lets go, she returns back to reality - the boat whisking her away. Life in a sense is a boat, it whisks us away in multiple paths that we can't clearly see. Those paths are made up memories that we foster in our hands, much like a ribbon. That ribbon is the guide (our paddle) and the boat is our transportation. The ribbon and boat forge memories that focus on lighting a path towards tomorrow. And the ribbon grows by seconds, creating a transparent reality to which we will soon come to realize once we get there. The ribbon is something we can never forget because it defines our journey from childhood to old age. Don't let go of the ribbon because though at times its hard to cling onto, it sings to us while the boat whisks us wherever the ribbon so desires. Ichigo's smile and his companions become a reminder of Rukia's involvement with Shinigami and Human, a boundary that isn't meant to be. However, Rukia's ribbon reminds her that she is happy, but at the same time - it's hard to cling onto that ribbon. In a nutshell, Ichigo changed Rukia and Rukia changed Ichigo. This is well done - the words are beautiful, the ribbon and boat models are ingenious, and the development of these characters' relationships is just phenomenal. This will always be one of my top very Bleach endings (I will make a list later on).
June 17, Memories in the Rain: Ichigo's character is complex. At times you know he's hiding something and other times he seems perfectly content with how things are. However, the moment that changed Ichigo is the day of his mother's death at the hands of a hollow. June 17, Ichigo never attends class and as such, only a few know of Ichigo's past (Tatsuki notably). Ichigo and his family visit their mother's grave, her memory still lives on in the Kurosaki family. Orihime, Tatsuki's best friend and Ichigo's crush, learns of Ichigo's past and the murder of Masaki Kurosaki is what would define Ichigo and change him for the worst. He was once a happy-go-lucky kid and whenever his mother was by his side, things were always so peaceful. The day of her death marked the end of Ichigo's Halcyon days. At her death, Ichigo refused to cry, clinging onto the idea that it was a sign of weakness. However, Ichigo's family reassures him that it's okay to cry at times like these to honor not only their mother, but to be one with the family - a memory that Ichigo will always remember and a reminder of who Ichigo is. Tatsuki went on to add that Ichigo became distant, not being the same person who smiled whenever his mother appeared. On the anniversary of their mother's death, Ichigo explicates to Rukia that he doesn't wish to get involved with hollows or Shinigami on this one day, June 17. Rukia laments when she hears of Ichigo's backstory and strongly advises to stay by Ichigo JIC (just in case) something happens. Meanwhile, Rukia is in a little trouble herself when a Shinigami (anime-only) visits Rukia and warns her of time in the Human world, but Rukia knows of this. At the same time, a hollow comes out and whisks away Ichigo's sisters as hostages while Ichigo prepares for the upcoming battle against this hollow - to save his sisters and to discover the truth behind Ichigo's mother.
This episode (and the next) develops Ichigo's behavior and character more. The implications surrounding Masaki's death are what define a shift in the Kurosaki family, but nonetheless, it seems as if the only one in pain still is Ichigo. Ichigo's battle with this hollow will be a revelation (spoiler) for what's to come and what will certainly be, one of Ichigo's many emotional outbreaks against the enemy. Until then, stay tune next week for Episode 9-10 between Wednesday-Friday. You all stay classy now.
Photos & Video courtesy of Bleachwiki.com and Youtube.com
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