WBCR - The Counterattack against the Royal Palace (Grade B)

So, where the F*ck did that come from? It appears as if one of the TGPZ sisters, Giselle "The Zombie" Gewelle, may be a dude because, according to Yumichika, he reeks of semen. Is Tite Kubo trolling us? I hope so because Giselle looks like a girl, plain and simple. I don't know if Yumichika is saying that confidently or is provoking her to fight, but man I sure do hope that's wrong. There are far far far way too many characters in Anime where they look the opposite gender and what would be the reason (if true) to exploit Giselle being a dude? Nothing, it served no central focus of the storyline + it seems like something you'd pull out of your @$$ just to troll us fans. Other than my rant, this week's chapter is a Grade B for 2 reasons ~ Kirinji of the Zero Division released his Zanpaktou + BAMBIETTA IS BACK! So without further ado, let us go over the 4 crucial points in Bleach this week.

Crucial Point #1 ~ The Zero Division's Dilemma

With Yhwach, Jugram & Uryu entering the front door of the Royal Palace, the Zero Division now knows that break time is over. The Healer, Cook, Fashion, Creator, & Namer are now on the defense as they prepare for what could be their biggest threat ~ The Wandenreich. As Yhwach gazes upon the Royal Palace where the Spirit King rests ~ Jugram says he has the Lord's deepest condolences, but much to Jugram's surprise - Yhwach questions if he has any fraction of emotion as Yhwach calls the gravestone "decrepit." With the arrival of the enemy forces + the enemy commander posing a true threat ~ it's only a matter of time before the Zero Division begins their counterattack. The Leader of the Quincy is no push over as he was able to easily kill + humiliate Captain Yamamoto. This great loss triggered the Soul Society to act as mercilessly as possible to the enemy forces due to the loss of their fallen Head.

Crucial Point #2 ~ KINPIKA (Gilded Splendor)
The first member of the Zero Division to respond to the crisis at hand is none other than the hothead healer himself, Kirinji Tenjirou. A gush of water burns the foot-soldiers and, one by one, they fell to Kirinji's hot water temperature that is able to leech out blood & reiatsu from anyone who can't take the heat. Yhwach knows of Kirinji and, being overly cocky as the main villain, thinks that Kirinji alone isn't enough to take him down. Kirinji, however, is pretty damn confident that he can thwart Yhwach's attempts, but deep down ~ I think this is a set-up for what's to come so that when Ichigo arrives, all the Zero Division is defeated and Ichigo will once again have to save the day. That's the most likely thing to happen once Ichigo shows up ~ all members of the Zero Division who are stronger than the Gotri 13 combined are no match for, say....a God among Quincy. Kirinji releases what appears to be his Zanpaktou ~ KINPIKA and then.....cliffhanger. What is his Zanpaktou's ability? Will it be enough for Yhwach? We'll just have to wait and see.

Crucial Point #3 ~ HUH!?

I'm not going to elaborate on this much considering I ranted about it in the beginning, but seriously ~ it has to be addressed....HUH!? I mean look at the picture? Is that the face of a male or female? Perhaps it thinks it's a female when it's a male? Perhaps it's a male cosplaying as a female? Perhaps it's a transgender? Perhaps it's a lesbian? Gay? I don't know and it drives me nuts when I, the reader, can't tell if that's a male or female ~ it should be easy to identify while at same time it trolls you. To me, Giselle is a chick and always will be a chick. She's adorable, playful, and, much like a child, kids a lot. Why all of a sudden would Yumichika of all people know that Giselle, a Quincy he just met, is male just from saying he "reeks of semen?" Why kind of logic is that? No over 9000 ~ Giselle Gewelle is a Zombie Sternritter & regardless of Tite Kubo really decides to go with Giselle being a dude, Giselle is still a girl in my eyes despite not showing cleavage or having big BEEWBS like Candice or Meninas.

Crucial Point #4 ~ Bambi's Back!

So Bambi's back and who could say that's a bad thing? In my opinion, she was defeated way too easily and her absence garnered much debate since the last time we saw her, it appears as if the TGPZ sisters were going to kill or torture her. But nonetheless, she reappears in the flesh & almost looks zombie-like. Did Giselle do anything to her? How powerful has she become in her absence and what could the TGPZ sisters have done to her to maker her dark-skinned? If you look on her back, you see a worried Giselle ~ did the "you reek of semen?" comment bother her so much to the point where she had to summon Bambi? Much like a child, Giselle clings to Bambi as they prepare to fight the 11th Division.

Overall Impression (Thoughts, beliefs, etc)

This chapter once again is another set-up for a bunch of fights we have yet to see. The Brawl between Shinigami & Sternritter hasn't even taken place yet and we're already seeing more of a development in who Yhwach is going to be fighting. I don't necessarily hate set-up chapters, but they need to either do 1 or 2 things ~ introduce something or focus on a particular scene. It appears as if the next couple of chapters will be going back-n-forth to the events in the Soul Palace & the Soul Society ~ it's both a distraction, but at the same time gives perspective on the morale of the ally-enemy forces. With Bambi's return, there's another Brawl waiting to happen. With the whole Giselle gender issue, that grinds my gears and I have to say ~ it's my only gripe with this chapter. Other than that, it'a a set-up for another fight scene (which isn't bad, but the author should take note that diverting our attention for so long can be a setback or a booster). With Bambi's return, it boosted up the grade a bit considering I think she's pretty cute.

So what did you think of this week's chapter? Good? Bad? In the middle? Comment below and let me know. As always, look forward to WBCRs every Wednesday (unless author is on break or Golden Week). Until then, you all stay classy now + don't forget to check out the 3rd Bleach Kombat Round ~ Johnny Cage vs. Mask De Masculine below.