The Memoirs of a Bleach Zealot

7/24/2015

WBCR - Mad Men (Grade: B)

This was a relatively short chapter, but from the comments I've been reading, a lot of people are fans of Kenpachi & Mayuri's "camaraderie." I put that in parenthesis because they they couldn't be any more different and yet it's fun to see them interact with one another. One is the Brains & the other Brawn. One uses Intellect & the other Brute Force. One analyzes & the other does not. However, what the two share in common is ~ they're mad men. You could outright say that they are so engrossed in what they do that nothing really fazes them. Kenpachi, no matter how many times he's cut, always becomes stronger. Mayuri, not matter how much you push him into a corner, always has a trick or two up his sleeve. It's fascinating to see that Kenpachi's strategy is cut them before they cut you whereas Mayuri likes to think things through before acting irrationally. This is like the "polar opposites attract" thing and for them, it works so perfectly well. There is tension between the two & there is zero chemistry, but they have to fend off this fearsome foe because anything were to happen them. Pernida Parnkgjas is a mysterious Sternritter. Clothes & Robed, it's unclear on what he/she/it looks like. To Mayuri, it's a beast not of this world & others couldn't really comprehend. Just as Kenpachi landed a blow, his arm began to mangle on its own. With no hesitation, Kenpachi severed his arm before his body turned against him. Even Mayuri had to praise him for that ~ no pain, no gain. Of course Kenpachi didn't really learn his lesson & went forward anyways. However, this proved futile as Pernida attacked him once more. Before Kenpachi could get anymore reckless, Mayuri stabs him with his Zanpaktou and deduces that Pernida's abilities are ~ sending its nerves to attack the enemy's body & thus forcibly manipulating their movements. Quincy can augment themselves by inputting reishi throughout their body, but this doesn't in the slightest scare Mayuri. Mayuri doesn't fear this creature, but rather wants to analyze it. This chapter shows the differences between Intellect & Brute Force ~ how one takes the time to think & the other rushes in without a clear thought. I give it a B.

What did you think of the chapter? Did it satisfy and deliver or just outright sucked and disappointed? Comment below and let me know. Look forward to WBCRs whenever chapter's out (if delayed, post will be up on Weekends). Until then, you stay classy as always.

Throwback #93 - Gentei Kaijo (Limiter Release)

Just when Aizen ascended into power, he managed to create an Army that is said to best even the strongest of Shinigsmi. The Gotei 13 have their hands full now that the lives of the Humans are in danger. Aizen amassed the best of the best titled the Espada and it just so happens that one of em, going by the name of Grimmjow, were the first to disobey Aizen's orders and took it upon himself to target anyone who has the slightest bit of reiatsu. Grimmjow reprimanded Ulquorra for not finishing off Ichigo when he did and it's because of this failure that Grimmjow cannot overlook this anymore. Any posable threat could just as easily become stronger and to Grimmjow, that's not a good sign for the Espada if their enemy could amass even more power than they already possess. As Grimmjow & his Fraccion invaded the Human World, 10th division Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya alongside Lieutenants Rangiku (10th division), Renji (6th division), and 3rd & 5th seats Ikkaku & Yumichika were the first to clash with them and were overwhelmed by their strength & ferocity. For underlings, they proved to be much stronger than the Shinigami. It seemed as if all hope was lost until Hitsugaya's team received a call giving them ~ Gentei Kaijo. When in the Human Word, about 80% of their reiatsu is depleted. This limited was to avoid any high damage that could trigger anything. However, in a situation like this, permission was granted & the Shinigami's power amplified. With this opportunity, Hitsugaya's Team was quick to kill Grimmjow's Fraccion. Even in Death, Grimmjow could care less about em and instead went after Ichigo, the very man Ulquiorra failed to kill. Gentei Kaijo at the end of the day was the saving grace for the Shinigami as they won their first victory against Aizen's arrancars.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Throwback. I do apologize that I was unable to post Throwbacks for last 3-4 weeks. Must've slipped my mind Anyways, Throwbacks will continue for 7 more weeks. Stay classy as always. BF II post & WBCR will be up today.

7/23/2015

Watchlist #42 - Song of the Sea (Film)

As I've said before in My Garden of Words Watch-List post (#41), I've only started scratching the surface of Anime movies. Names like Hayao Miyazaki & Makoto Shinkai have, for years, cultivated in captivating its audiences' with their storytelling, the hand-drawn animation, & the attention to detail behind it all. To say it's good is an understatement for I'd like to call these movies ~ an Art. I'll reiterate again that I don't dislike Pixar/Disney movies, but I just find Japanese animation to be refreshing, cleaner, and....unorthodox. Most Animated flicks nowadays are computer-animated, but, in this man's opinion, I prefer the hand-drawn style better. The ingenuity behind the artistry of the characters, setting, theme, & emotion is just so fascinating to see. Don't get me wrong again, computer-animated isn't bad by any means, but by MY Animation standards ~ It doesn't appeal to me as much as I thought it would. Since entering the world of Anime, I have a new perspective on Animation. I used to have a bias against the unorthodox, but now I look at it with an open heart & mind. I can criticize something and people may agree/disagree, but to me ~ I find Anime more appealing to the eye than North American cartoons. It's not the Animation by any means, but it need to pull me in. I want to fee invested from the get-go and I'm just not getting it today with North American cartoons. In the 90s and early 2000s, that's where it piqued, but now ~ I've been noticing a very generic formula: Random = Funny. Yes, by incorporating the unorthodox into storytelling & by sporadically perceiving that randomness + unorthodox equals funny, it doesn't always hit the right marks. For Anime, I feel as if the unorthodox nature behind each scene and frame works better because of the way Japan makes cartoons. North America can learn a thing or two from Anime storytelling. I know it seems that I'm criticizing/bashing on North American cartoons, but remember ~ I do not hate American & Japanese cartoons. I just prefer one style & direction over another is all. To agree/disagree is up to you. I will openly admit I'm a fan of Regular Show & the show is all over the place. Well, I can could go on and on and on on this issue, but since we're on the topic of cartoons, let's discuss on in particular that was directed by an Irishman titled: The Song of the Sea.

Watching this movie, I didn't know what to expect. The animation style isn't like anything I've ever seen and once the movie concluded, I was tear-eyed on how just much this movie fascinated me. The storytelling, the direction of where it went was so unpredictable that seeing something refreshingly new gives me a great insight on watching Anime films of all kinds I've begun exploring different directors, animation styles, & seeing the direction of where it went. Song of the Sea is the first Animated flick I've seen that wasn't American nor Japanese. It was refreshing to see this and have a different perspective. You cannot compare this with something else because, to me, it's downright impossible to even compare Song of the Sea to anything else but magnificently, beautifully, and lovingly a masterpiece in Animation cinema. The director, Tomm Moore, has done it again and this is only his SECOND film. The first was titled The Secret of Kells and I've heard many MANY good things on that one as well. With Song off the Sea, not only did I ind the story interesting, but the music was heavenly. I love music in film that can tell the story. Sometimes words aren't always needed, the music carries the action & emotion & progresses the story. I felt terrible for the father & by the end of the film, you can see the genuine evolution of siblings Ben & Saoirse turn from sour to sweet. I was in love with this film and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone a fan of storytelling, Animation, & just all around an adventurous, ambitious, and emotionally-gripping film. Sorry I glossed over the details on what the story's about, but I wouldn't to spoil anything. Tomm Moore's films are going places I tell you and as one of his audience members, it's a staple in Animated cinema.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Watch-list post. Look forward to Watch-list posts on Thursdays. Until then, you stay classy as always. WBCR, BF II post, & Throwback will be up tomorrow. Don't forget to check out the other Watch-list posts (in order):

1) Tenchi Muyo

2) Cowboy Bebop

3) Trigun

4) Dragonball Z

5) School Rumble

6) Is This A Zombie?

7) Fairy Tail

8) Omamori Himari

9) FLCL

10) Gurren Lagann

11) Shin-Chan

12) Tenchi Muyo GXP

13) Tenchi Muyo In Tokyo

14) Power Puff Girls Z

15) Kirby!

16) Samurai Champloo

17) Hanaukyo Maid Team

18) True Tears

19) Zombie Powder (Manga)

20) Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai

21) Teen Titans
22) Yu-Gi-Oh
23) Rosario+Vampire
24) Death Note
25) Pokemon
26) Digimon
27) Big-O
28) X-Men (Anime Version)
29) D-Frag
30) Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
31) Akame Ga Kill
32) Invaders of the Rokujyōma!?
33) OniAi
34) Ben-To
35) Testament of a Sister New Devil
36) Minamoto-kun Monogatari (Manga)
37) My Love Story (Ore Monogatari!)
38) Space Dandy
39) Wanna be the strongest in the world
40) When Marnie Was There (Film ~ Studio Ghibli)
41) The Garden of Words (Film ~ Makoto Shinkai)
42) Song of the Sea (Film ~ Tomm Moore)

7/22/2015

Bleach Fantasy II Round 18: Orihime Inoue vs. Yuna

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. On Monday, FF once again snatched another victory against Bleach (FF still leads 11-6 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 18 ~ Orihime Inoue vs. Yuna. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam!

Storyline (Orihime)

Where do I begin with this one? Aside from Orihime being one of the main characters and Ichigo's love interest, Orihime has been a central figure since the beginning of Bleach. Orihime would soon develop her own powers and be spiritually aware thanks to the influence of Ichigo (much like how Tatsuki, Keigo, and Mizuiro are now spiritually aware). Orihime, in a nutshell, is a funny gal, but is naive and at times clueless. She is often described as weird, but nurturing and caring. Orihime is a mixed bag of responsibility and childishness. Orihime's upbringing wasn't the best - raised by a drunken father and a prostitute mother, the two parents bickered and constantly abused their children, Sora & Orihime. It wouldn't be long before Sora and Orihime run away together and Sora becomes the paternal figure in Orihime's life. Orihime, however, was far from safe as she was constantly bullied at school for her orange-colored hair. One day, Orihime was given hairpins by her brother, but at first thought they looks childish. However, the same day she got into an argument with her brother about the hairpins, Orihime's brother died. As a result, Orihime wears the hairpins her brother gave her everyday. She wanted to showcase that she'll be happy from now on as she prayed for her brother everyday. However, after meeting Ichigo and making friends at Karakura Town, she suddenly stopped praying to her brother ~ which greatly angered him as Sora was turned into a Hollow and attacked Orihime, nearly killing her in the process. This is where Orihime first was spiritually aware as Ichigo saves her. As a result, she gained her own powers and fended off her first Hollow and managed to save Tatsuki as a result. Since then, Orihime owes Ichigo and remains as one of Ichigo's faithful friends and allies ~ helping him out, tending to his wounds, and being a member of Team Ichigo (alongside Chad & Uryu). Orihime first helps out as a member of Team Ichigo when trying to save Rukia. She practiced and trained with Yoruichi to harness and have control of her powers - Shun Shun Rika.

She didn't play much of a role since Ichigo, Chad, & Uryu were doing all the heavy-lifting. Excluding the fillers, Orihime plays a pivotal role in the Arrancar & Hueco Mundo Arc, being praised for her "God-like abilities" as well as being used as bait for the Gotei 13 to abandon Ichigo in his hopes to rescue her. Before Orihime was threatened by the 4th Espada to leaving for Las Noches, she paid one last visit to Ichigo and says if she had 5 lives - all would in love for Ichigo (BEST ICHIHIME MOMENT EVER!) Orihime then is held hostage under Lord Aizen and is constantly at ends with various Arrancar including Nnoitra, Loly & Menoly, Grimmjow, & Ulquiorra especially. After seeing Team Ichigo rescue her, she becomes weary of their safety, especially Ichigo. Ichigo found valiantly against Grimmjow & Ulquiorra, but his hollowfication and close-to-death managed to scare Orihime as she warned him to not fight anymore and to protect himself. Listening to the damsel in distress's words, Ichigo calmed down and it wouldn't be long before all the Espada were taken down in Hueco Mundo & Fake Karakura Town. Orihime constantly worries over Ichigo's safety and she herself has proven to be the glue that holds Team Ichigo together. After Aizen's imprisonment, Orihime reappears in the Fullbringer Arc and, alongside Chad, is tricked by Tsukishima into thinking that they've known him for years now ~ implanting fake memories. Aside from not playing much of a role (since her main role was taken up in the Hueco Mundo Arc), she reappears in the current arc as a support and is doing anything she can to assist in the upcoming war.

Storyline (Yuna)

Born in Bevelle to Braska and an unnamed Al Bhed mother (hence why Rikku is a distant cousin), Yuna didn’t get to know that much about both her mother and father in person. When Yuna was just four years old, her mother journeyed on a ship back to the Al Bhed Home to make amends with her older brother Cid, but tragically, the ship was attacked by the whale-like behemoth, Sin, who is believed to be created by Spira’s ancestors as punishment for relying too much on machina technology, a practice that is heavily against the teachings of Yevon. When Yuna was seven, her father, Braska, became a summoner as a result of the mother’s death and he left Yuna behind in Bevelle for the pilgrimage to Zanarkand along with his guardians, Auron and Jecht (Tidus’ father) in the quest to defeat Sin. Braska eventually defeats Sin, but sacrifices his own life and Jecht’s life in the process. On one final request, Braska asked Auron to bring Yuna to Besaid Island to spend the rest of her life living there in which Auron agreed to do but upon returning to Bevelle, he was attacked by Lady Yunalesca, a strict enforcer on the teachings of Yevon. Auron passed on Braska’s request to Kimahri. Kimahri then successfully took Yuna to Besaid where Yuna was raised in the island’s temple and grew up under the care of Kimahri, Wakka, Lulu, and Wakka’s brother, Chappu.

By the time, she’s all grown up, Yuna decided to be a summoner just like her father. In the Besaid temple, she, along with her fellow guardians, Kimahri and Lulu, went through temple’s Cloister of Trials, to get into the Chamber of the Fayth. In the chamber alone, she stayed there for one day in prayer to the Fayth to obtain her first Aeon, Valefor. Along with Wakka, Kimahri, Lulu, and Tidus, Yuna departed for her pilgrimage journeying to Kilika via ship. There, Yuna performed her first sending, a dance rite for the deceased to guide the souls to rest in the Farplane after Sin laid waste to Kilika. Basically throughout her journey, she’s doing sendings, collecting new Aeons as well meeting with rival summoners and then her role becomes relevant again storyline-wise when she reunites with Auron in Luca, establishes a connection with Tidus, getting “kidnapped” by the Al Bhed, and encountering Seymour during the events of Operation Mi’Hen. Particularly, after the event with the forced marriage with Seymour is where Yuna starts to question Yevon’s beliefs, which helps her relationship with Tidus grow because Tidus taught her just to believe in herself. She ultimately decides to carry on with her pilgrimage with her guardians and in a sequence of order, they fought Seymour many times, breaking the Final Summoning rite by defeating Lady Yunalesca in Zanarkand, fought Sin and traveled inside the beast, defeating Seymour a final time, defeating Jecht in the form of Braska’s Final Aeon, and finally defeating Yu Yevon all inside, ending Spira’s cycle of death at the hands of Sin, granting her the title as High Summoner, but losing the Fayth, Aeons, Auron, and Tidus. As the main heroine in X-2, she is a spherehunter along with Rikku and Paine collecting spheres around Spira after seeing a Tidus look-a-like in Shuyin in a sphere movie. After uncovering so many spheres, she finds out about Shuyin’s love interest in Lenne. During the battle against the ancient machina weapon, Vegnagun, Yuna channels Lenne’s spirit to ease Shuyin’s soul, in which she successfully does after besting Shuyin in battle. Then there’s the alternate ending after beating X-2 100% where Yuna reunites with Tidus in Besaid and they venture off into the Zanarkand ruins wondering if Tidus is still a dream.

Powers/Abilities (Orihime)

Stated by Aizen himself, Orihime's power is considered a phenomenon rejection ~ limiting, rejecting, and denying things that happen to certain objects. In other words, it allows things to go back to the way they were before it happens. Aizen went so far as to say that Orihime's power - Shun Shun Rika is greater than turning back time or reverting space, having the ability to overturn the events set by GOD himself, and finally ~ her power "impinges upon God's territory." Before, however, Shun Shun Rika were 6 manifestations of Orihime's spirit that allows her to fire projectiles, form shields, and, as Aizen said it best, allows things to go back to the way they once were. The names of her Shun Shun Rika are: Ayame, Baigon, Hinagiku, Lily, Shun'o, & Tsubaki. Honestly, Aizen's explanation of Orihime's power sum her up.

Powers/Abilities (Yuna)

In FFX, Yuna wields a rod and in X-2, she wields two guns, still looking at that, it still boggles my mind how a transition like that happens so here, I’m going to emphasize on her abilities in FFX more. By investing more time playing FFX since the last BF series, I got a better understanding of Yuna’s abilities more. In X, she has one of the highest Magic and Agility stats in the game. Most of her magic abilities emphasize on white magic abilities, such as magic defense, a whole lot of healing, and casting Holy on the opposition for a good amount of non-elemental damage. She has four magic nullifying abilities that protect herself or her party that resists elemental damage from the opposition for a short period time: Nul-Blaze (nullifies fire attacks), Nul-Tide (nullifies water attacks), Nul-Frost (nullifies ice attacks), and Nul-Shock (nullifies lightning attacks). As she progresses throughout her pilgrimage, she obtains Aeons (summons that resemble the Fayth to establish a deep connection with the summoner through the summoner’s prayer) under her wing to summon and there’s a total of 8 Aeons, dividing them into two groups. The first group of Aeons are four Aeons that each represent at least one elemental aspect, but are less powerful: Valefor (air) (Overdrives: Energy Ray and Energy Blast), Ifrit (fire) (Overdrive: Hellfire), Ixion (lightning) (Overdrive: Thor’s Hammer), and Shiva (ice) (Overdrive: Diamond Dust). The second group of Aeons are four immensely powerful Aeons, capable of doing 9,999 or more damage to opponents, especially when executing their respective overdrives: Bahamut (Mega Flare), Anima (Oblivion), the trio of the Magus Sisters, Cindy, Mindy, and Sandy (Delta Attack), and Yojimbo (the only exception of a powerful Aeon without an Overdrive, but his attacks become more powerful if paid a large amount of gil). Yuna’s Overdrive is Grand Summon, which is basically a rehash of the Summon command but the Aeon’s Overdrive is all maxed out and ready for execution.

Verdict (By Stillmattic)
And the winner is...

So where do I begin with this one? Both respectable heroines of their own ~ Orihime Inoue of Bleach & Yuna of FF X/X-2. Both are pivotal members of Team Ichigo/Team Tidus, have supernatural powers, and to top if off, are the primary love interest for Ichigo/Tidus. However, it boils down to one word in particular ~ relevance. As I've explicated before, Orihime's role diminishes largely because she played a key role in the Arrancar, Hueco Mundo, & Fake Karakura Town Arc. She now plays a secondary character while everybody else gets screen-time. A large chunk of her story doesn't progress aftrer ~ she's madly in love with Ichigo, but doesn't really act on it. She's still the clumsy & ditzy girl we all love, but her usage of Shun Shun Rika is very VERY minimal to say the least. Orihime Inoue may be part of Team Ichigo & possess God-like abilities, but at the end of the day, Yuna from FF X/X-2 had more relevance in the story than Orihime Inoue. I think Yuna's abilities offer more variety and she can be utilized more in the games whereas Orihime Inoue uses to heal/regenerate wounds and....yup, that's about it. Orihime's projectiles don't do sh*t whereas Yuna has ~ Aeons, 4 magic nullifying abilities, and is said to possess one of the highest stats in Magic & Agility. Now tell me, if these two lovely ladies ended up in a fight, who'd win? Personally, Orihime doesn't utilize Shun Shun Rika offensively so she lacks in the Offense department whereas Yuna is powerful Defensively. So tell me, between a battle of offense and defense, which is considerably stronger? In this man's opinion, defense ALWAYS wins. Yuna is a videogame character and as such, the gamer can always utilize her to the best of her abilities. Orihime Inoue is a one-dimensional Anime/Manga character that is seen more as the damsel and comic relief with Big Ol' Beebiez. Storywise & I think abilities wise, Yuna conquerors in all departments. Orihime, you know I still loves you, but the lovely Yuna takes the cake. Tidus, you a lucky lucky man to have Yuna by your side. Take good care of her. Orihime, better step yo game before Ichigo's taken by Rukia or perhaps Nelliel. Yuna acts while Orihime is on the sidelines.

So who do you think won this matchup? Orihime Inoue from Bleach or Yuna from Final Fantasy X? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (12-6):

1) Yoruichi Shihoin vs. Prishe ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
2) Uryu Ishida vs. Hope Estheim ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
3) As Nodt vs. Vincent Valentine ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
4) Kenpachi Zaraki vs. Jecht ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
5) Shunsui Kyoraku vs. Auron ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
6) Sui-Feng vs. Tifa Lockhart ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic)
7) Mayuri Kurotsuchi vs. Barthandelus ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
8) Sajin Komamura vs. Sin ~ Bleach (Verdict by MechG)

9) Toshiro Hitsugaya vs. Kuja ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
10) Tia Harribel vs. Tidus ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
11) Bambietta Basterbine vs. Rinoa Heartilly ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic)
12) Riruka Dokugamine vs. Ultimecia ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic)
13) Baraggan Louisenbairn vs. Exdeath ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
14) Ginjo Kugo vs. Caius Ballad ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by MechG)
15) Coyote Starrk vs. Cloud Strife ~ Bleach (Verdict by MechG)
16) Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck vs. Kefka Palazzo ~ Bleach (Verdict by Stillmattic)
17) Shinji Hirako vs. Emperor Mateus ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic)
18) Orihime Inoue vs. Yuna ~ Final Fantasy (Verdict by Stillmattic)

7/21/2015

Affinity #99 - Strawberry Contact 3 (Ichigo & Rukia)

Welcome to the Penultimate Affinity post. Funny, it's been 2 years since this segment began and it's one of my longest ones alongside Throwback posts (which will continue this Friday). It's hard to think that there are so many relationships & friendships in an Anime series, but the truth is ~ that's the beauty behind watching an epic. The way Bleach has unfolded with its humble beginnings to where it is now, it's am epic that has layers upon layers of history. To reach 100 is an understatement because the list could've gone on. However, I've decided to conclude at 100 because this segment needs closure. I'll try to incorporate new segments later on, but I feel as if the Affinity & Throwbacks posts have had a LONG run. All things must come to an end. In today's Penultimate Affinity post, I've decided to venture back to the first Affinity ~ the meeting of the fated two: Ichigo Kurosaki & Rukia Kuchiki. This relationship first started off rocky, but it began to bloom much like a flower. The compatibility between the two only grew and before we knew it, Rukia became the damsel in distress, was saved, and now is a renowned member of Team Ichigo. Rukia is a friend, mentor, partner, & overall is loyal to Ichigo after everything they've been through. To me, this is one of the most beautiful friendships in all of Bleach because, well, it's what started off Bleach. Ichigo was just an "ordinary" teenager and his world turned when he met Rukia Kuchiki, a Shinigami sent to Karakura town to save Pluses fight off against Hollows. Who knew that after Rukia was severely wounded that Ichigo would take up that mantle of responsibility and fight against the very enemies Rukia fought. Since then, I've begun to see that without each other, their lives would've drastically been different, apart, and we wouldn't have what we'd call Tite Kubo's Bleach. Rukia is of the Kuchiki Clan & Ichigo was born with a "normal" family ~ their worlds couldn't be any more different. Ichigo learned more about himself because of his meeting with Rukia. I know fans are shipping Ichiruki and I don't blame them, their meeting is what began Bleach in the first place and it just evolved into something more. Even Orihime at a point was jealous of how close the two have gotten and could you blame her, Rukia is a beauty. When she got her haircut, she became all kinds of cute. That's not to say that she wasn't cute to begin with, but c'mon ~ Rukia got CUTER after the timeskip. Ichigo developed more as a character and honed his skills so he could protect those he cares about. It's because of this that I'd describe their affinity as dynamic. I wish all people can have this kind of friendship ~ one who bickers off and on, but they deeply care for one another as if they were family. To those who ship Ichiruki, I could see the potential and I ain't even mad. Even though I'm a Ichihime fan, I will formally acknowledge that Ichiruki is what began and probably how it'll end ~ their fated meet turned into a powerful friendship.

I hope you enjoyed today's Affinity. I'll see you at 100 next week. Stay classy ya'll.

7/20/2015

Bleach Fantasy II Round 17: Shinji Hirako vs. Emperor Mateus of Palamecia

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. Last Friday, Bleach snatched a victory away from Final Fantasy (FF still leads 10-6 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 17 ~ Shinji Hirako vs. Emperor Mateus. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam!

Storyline (Shinji)

Shinji Hirako, 110 years prior to the start of Bleach's storyline, was the 5th division Captain and his lieutenant was none other than Aizen Sousuke himself. He, alongside, Captains Rojuro Otoribashi (3rd, Love Aikawa (7th), Kensei Muguruma (9th), Lieutenant Lisa Yadomaru (8th), Mashiro Kuna (9th), Hiyori Sarugaki (12th), and Hachigen Ushoda (Kido Corps) were sent to investigate the sudden disappearances of Shinigami. It was around this time as well that Kisuke Urahara was promoted to 12th Division Captain and was to work with loudmouth, brash, & impatient Lieutenant Hiyori Sarugaki. Since the beginning, both Shinji & Hiyori bicker like siblings despite one being a Captain and the other a Lieutenant of separate divisions. As Shinji & party investigate the Shinigami disappearances, they noticed that Kensei & Mashiro were affected by a process known as Hollowification. With Hollows powers corroding their minds, the two acted aggressively and did a number on Shinji & his party. However, it wouldn't be long before Shinji himself was infected with Hollowification and it was a ploy set up by the mastermind Aize Sousuke. Even prior to unveiling his true plans, Aizen was interested in Hollowification ~ transcending a power unbeknownst to anyone. Kisuke would eventually come and save the day ~ taking Shinji & his party to the Human World to escape persecution at the hands of Central 46.

110 years later, Shinji & his party have had the opportunity to completely master their Hollowfication powers. In realizing Ichigo was a potential candidate to join the Visored (Shinigami who possess Hollow-like powers). Shinji joined Ichigo's class and befriended his classmates just to lure out Ichigo. Shinji first appeared confrontational when Ichigo was spotted looking for a supposed Hollow (Grand Fisher). Ichigo, amazed that Shinji possessed a Zanpaktou & Hollow mask, was in disbelief at first ~ someone else other than him has the same abilities. Ichigo would try and force Shinji to train him to control his Hollow powers, but Ichigo wasn't able to force Shinji. Instead, Shinji enlisted Ichigo into the Visored and informed him of his knowledge of the Hogyoku, Aizen, & Kisuke Urahara. The Visored begin training Ichigo & it wouldn't be long before they all eventually got along due to similar Hollow powers. During Ichigo's first-time have control over his Hollow powers, he fought against Grimmjow, but his mask broke in mid-battle and Ichigo was powerless up until Shinji showed up and did a number on him (not killing him, but severely wounding him). Shinji & the rest of the Visored show up WAY later to help aid in taking down Aizen Sousuke & his remaining Espada. Aizen proved too much for even the Visored that they fell one by one at Aizen's hands ~ even after 110 years, Aizen was still able to outwit, outlay, and outdo them in every turn. Sometime after Aizen's imprisonment, Shinji takes up the mantle as 5th division Captain again alongside Hinamori and are currently at war against the Wandenreich.

Storyline (Mateus)

The backstory of Mateus’ upbringing has been debated as canon or non-canon to the official FFII story arc, but it’ll deserve honorable mention to fill the backstory portion. According to legends, the Palamecian emperors are cursed with a long line of demonic influences as a result of the world seeking revenge. Prior to ascending to the throne as the next emperor, Mateus continued that trend, making a pact with Satan himself to help him become more powerful and possess the ability to summon demonic forces from Hell into the mortal realm. In his first act ascending to the throne as the next Emperor of Palamecia, Mateus exiled his mother to the deserts as she was trying to attempt to break the long cycle of demons controlling previous emperors by restoring Mateus’ sanity.

Emperor Mateus begins his world domination by unleashing the demonic forces to attack the kingdoms of Fynn, Kashuan, and Deist, the notable kingdoms a part as a resistance to bring down the perennial power of the Palamecian Empire. Since the kingdom of Deist, was home to the Dragoons and they are dependent on the wyvern population, Mateus poisons the wyvern’s water supplies, almost putting the wyvern to extinction and leaving the Dragoons demoralized. After that event, the Wild Rose Rebellion was formed by the Kashuan Kingdom and the Fynn Kingdom, but eventually Fynn fell under Palamecia’s hands and Mateus begins his construction of the Dreadnought airship, capturing Princess Hilda and holding her up as a prize for a tournament in which Wild Rose member, Firion and his group participated in. Eventually Firion and the Wild Rose freed the Wynn Kingdom from Mateus’ hands as well as destroying the Dreadnought, leading to Mateus to summon a cyclone to destroy nearby towns. The Wild Rose rebels confronted Mateus in the heart of the cyclone and eventually kill him. However, Mateus used his death as means to enter the realm of Hell, defeating Satan for control and returning to the mortal realm in a more demonic form, and bringing the Hell capital of Pandaemonium to the mortal world’s surface. Firion and the other members confront Mateus yet again in his new form and they kill him once again, but again, Mateus wouldn’t go away as his imperial soul divided into two to represent rule over Heaven and Hell and it took Firion and his party to attack him on two fronts in both Afterlives to finally kill him off for good.

Powers/Abilities (Shinji)

Being a Visored, Shinji possesses enhanced agility, durability, & physicality than he was a Shinigami. He displays a Hollow Mask & his able to fire a Cero (notable when fighting Grimmjow). Since he is 5th division Captain, Shinji is a Captain-Class & possesses tremendous amount of reiatsu. He is an expert in swordsmanship, hand-to-hand, Shunpo, and is highly intellectual. Shinji's Zanpaktou is titled "Sakanade" (Counter Stroke) that is able to distort someone's perception of direction (an optical illusion). This means that when under Sakanade's spell, the opponent is thinking the reverse ~ right is left, left is right, up is down, and down is up.

Powers/Abilities (Mateus)

To begin with, Mateus is incredibly powerful with or without the demonic powers. Aside from his ability to summon a devastating cyclone to destroy towns, he can cast a lot of heavy lightning-elemental magic spells and can lift his own castle and turn it into a mobile fortress. As mentioned, he was strong enough to defeat Satan for control over Pandaemonium and Hell itself and by assuming control of Hell, he also controls Heaven. In his Hellish, demonic form, as Emperor of Hell, Mateus learns some even powerful spells, able to drain an opponent’s lifeforce and use it to replenish his strength, and is almost invincible against physical attacks and as mentioned, he brought Pandaemonium to the surface of the mortal realm and can use demonic forces as his pawns before the battle actually goes to him, he can also summon the demonic forces in his mortal form due to the pact with Satan. In his heavenly form, as Emperor of Heaven, Mateus is more powerful considering he can possess the ability to resurrect a whole population of souls of dead people to fight on his side and he can cast a handful of devastating light/dark magic spells.

Verdict (By Stillmattic)

And the winner is...

This battle was completely one-sided from the get-go. We have the main antagonist of FF II going up against the 5th Division Captain within the Gotei 13 who managed to almost die in every battle he's been in (excluding his training with Ichigo & his little act against Grimmjow). Somehow, I found it hard to belief that Shinji would stand a chance against the like of an Emperor. First off, despite the Emperor's motives being cliche like world domination, it doesn't change the fact that he's more menacing, has an onslaught of abilities that are completely devastating, and has a more elaborate story in FF II than Shinji does in Bleach. Mateus can level towns and Shinji can distort a person's sense of direction ~ I wonder which is more fearsome to face. It's between Absolute Death or Absolute Confusion. Mateus' light half is also said to be more powerful than that of his Hell half, Holy Crap are we screwed. He has the ability to revive the dead and, according to the FF Wiki page, Mateus can defeat Satan in Battle (this is of course in the novel of FF II). Reiterating again on Full, Half, & Empty Plates ~ It's definite that the Emperor has a Full Plate. Where does Shinji fit in all of this? Well, it's impressive Shinji was able to master his Hollow powers, but he still wasn't able to defeat Aizen, almost died fighting the Wandreich, & to top it off ~ I don't really find him as compelling as others. He has a unique Zanpaktou, but once someone deduces its abilities ~ it's VERY easy to bypass. Even though Shinji is a Captain again, it doesn't chance the fact that he now is downplayed a lot since we first met him. I know Kubo drew him way before Bleach began developing more, but to me, Shinji was never a match against the Emperor. This victory goes to Mateus.

So who do you think won this matchup? Shinji Hirako from Bleach or Emperor Mateus from Final Fantasy II? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (11-6):

7/17/2015

WBCR - "Fuck it, I'm gonna kill it." (Grade: C)

So let me get this straight ~ Liltotto, Giselle, Grimmjow, and Hisagi were all defeated hella easily. Liltotto & Giselle's confrontation against Yhwach was off-screen and we just see them die. I was very curious to know if they'd live in the end and perhaps make peace with the Shinigami. Nope, they fought and died off-screen and no one bugs an eye. I've said before that I wanted to invest my time with the Sternritter girls, but to lose easily AND we don't see sh*t, c'mon Kubo, why you play us like that? If you're going to make a character defect, we, the audience, want to see their transition from villainy to perhaps turning the other cheek. We don't get that with Liltotto & Giselle. They fell and their transitioning was like the snap of the fingers ~ instant. With Grimmjow, he got poisoned and didn't feel like the enemy was worth a threat. C'mon Grimmjow, I know you want to kick @$$, but not at the cost of you getting poisoned. That is inexcusable for someone of Grimmjow's caliber to get defeated by a coward named Askin. Hisagi getting sniped and supposedly "dying" is a gamble. Did he die or just heavily wounded? We don't know yet. We then cut to Kenpachi & Mayuri facing Pernida, Kenpachi was about to attack, but noticed that one of his arms is out of commission. However, Pernida was also attacked and the chapter ends with them asking themselves ~ Who the F is Pernida? Overall, this chapter ended a lot shorter than most, too many deaths/wounds that weren't developed, and the only saving grace for the chapter was seeing Kenpachi being Kenpachi. I give this week a C.

What did you think of the chapter? Did it satisfy and deliver or just outright sucked and disappointed? Comment below and let me know. Look forward to WBCRs whenever chapter's out (if delayed, post will be up on Weekends). Until then, you stay classy as always. Bleach Fantasy II Round 16 is posted below.

Bleach Fantasy II Round 16: Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck vs. Kefka Palazzo

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. On Wednesday, Bleach snatched a victory away from Final Fantasy (FF still leads 10-5 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 16 ~ Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck vs. Kefka Palazzo. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam!

Storyline (Nel)

After ascending into power by allying with the Arrancar, Aizen Sousuke managed to gather what'll eventually be known as the Espada. Nelliel, prior to becoming acquainted with Ichigo, was considered the 3rd Espada and constantly at ends with fellow 8th Espada, Nnoitra Gilga. Her outlook on being an Espada as well as her philosophy of power & responsibility varied different from Nnoitra. Nnoitra, not wanting to look bad anymore in front of Nelliel, took it upon himself (along with some help) to devise a ploy to kill Nelliel. However, even after a successful ambush, Nelliel didn't die ~ she reverted back to her childlike form & forgotten everything prior to having a fatal blow to her skull. It was then that Nelliel, alongside her subordinates, ran off. To protect Nelliel, Nelliel's fraction promised to help Nelliel forget everything that has happened and be her older brother. Everything changed, however, upon meeting Ichigo. At first, Nelliel & her fraction saw Ichigo as another threat ~ a pest that needed to be terminated. However, looks were deceiving at first & Nelliel ended up taking a liking to Ichigo. In her accompanying with Ichigo, a familiar face shows up and is surprised by Nelliel's status ~ Nnoitra. Nnoitra, taking an interest in Ichigo's fight against Grimmjow, took it upon himself to duke it out with our main hero. In seeing Ichigo struggle & almost die, Nelliel reverts back to her Adult-Form and dukes it out with Nnoitra. However, their encounter is brief and it ends with Nelliel reverting back to her child-like form. During her brief time as an Adult, Nelliel explains that Nnoitra was the one responsible for her childlike form and that she was once an Espada. Sometime WAY later, Nelliel is shown again in her reunion with Ichigo. Nelliel explains of the Wandenreich's appearance and is currently (last we've seen) accompanying with Orihime. She just recently showed up with Grimmjow to kick some Sternritter @SS.

Storyline (Kefka)

Nearly sixteen years before the official plot setting of Final Fantasy VI, Kefka was a test subject for an experiment to develop the first ever Magitek Knight. It was a risky experiment at first because nobody knew how successful it would be. What if the experiment goes wrong and something happens? That’s always a question to ask. Nonetheless, the experiment went on to be performed on Kefka and it proved somewhat to be a successful. Although he did gain great magical powers and abilities, he lost his sanity in the process. Serving as the right hand man of Gestahlian Emperor, Gestahl in the World of Balance, Kefka showed that he was more than just a mere clown and court jester for the Empire. He was a cruel, ruthless, and destructive madman; anybody who speaks against him or the empire itself, will surely fall into his ruthless and deceptive acts. Along with General Leo Christophe, Kefka became one of the spearheads of the Gestahlian military, boosting himself as one of the Empire’s most powerful figures. Kefka was also had a knack for testing things as he used a control device called the Slave Crown and placed it on Terra Branford, the game’s renowned protagonist and used her successfully to kill nearly fifty imperial soldiers.

When Kefka sent Terra to the location of Narshe to acquire a frozen esper (a mystical figure when a human comes in contact with magic), that esper awakened and destroyed the Slave Crown on Terra, freeing her from Kefka’s control. When Kefka heard this, he enacted a relentless search and pursuit to reclaim his “toy doll.” In Kefka’s first search point of Figaro Castle, the castle’s ruler, King Edgar, concealed Terra’s whereabouts, but little did Kefka know he was keeping her in hiding with members of the Returners (the rebellion group against the Gestahlian Empire). As a result, Kefka saw through Edgar’s lies and had the castle burned down, but Edgar escaped with Terra and the Returners and Kefka was livid. During the invasion of the Kingdom of Doma, we see Kefka fully display his ruthless behavior as well as the power struggle between him and General Leo for control of the Gestahlian army. Leo wanted to take down the kingdom with no casualties; Kefka wanted the whole population to die by poisoning the waters. When Leo was called in to report to Emperor Gestahl, Kefka ordered the imperial troops to dump the poison and it was successfully dumped, spelling disaster. Kefka then lead the forces back to Narsche to claim the once frozen esper, roaming the location, but his plan was successfully repealed by Terra and the Returners, but he wasn’t done yet. Busy torturing espers, hearing stories about activating the Warring Triad (three mythical statues representing magical gods) and using dead espers’ magicite to restore it, Kefka grew even more insane and ambitious. He finally kills General Leo, assuming full control of the imperial army and as him and Emperor Gestahl reached the Warring Triad on the Floating Continent, he used the Triads to kill off his former master and Kefka stood alone, gaining the power as a magic god, destroying the World of Balance, and creating a towering structure over the world filled with monsters. Though the world ended, Terra and the Returners still found a sense of hope. As they reached the tower, both tried to restore Kefka’s sanity in vain, but they eventually defeat him, restoring a world now able to thrive without magic.

Powers/Abilities (Nel)

Being a former Espada, Nelliel is proficient in all of an Espada's abilities ~ Sonido, Cero, Hierro, Hand-to-Hand combat, and, of course, has a Resurreccion. In her childlike form, she also possesses some sort of healing ability from her saliva. During her tenor as an Espada, she was highly intelligent, patient, and was able to stand toe-to-toe against Nnoitra Gilga. In her Resurreccion form titled Gamuza (Antelope Knight), she turns into a part-horse and wields a lance. Her only form of attack is titled Lanzador Verde (Jade Lance) which pretty much throwing her lance and a green energy is circulating around it to create a powerful impact. It is still unknown on what she's really capable of in her adult form, but since she's returned to the battlefield ~ she's ready to fight once more.

Powers/Abilities (Kefka)

Aside from his lovable insanity, Kefka may look weak and easily vulnerable. He can feel pain, but that pain easily gets him pissed off even more. As the game progresses however, his power increases and he grows even stronger. He knows a handful of powerful magical spells due to the fact that he is a Magitek Knight experiment. When he gains power of the espers, his already given powerful magical spells grow stronger and he learns new spells like creating illusions and disabling the powers of the espers due to his immunity as he absorbs their abilities. In controlling the Warring Triad, Kefka becomes an almighty god of magic, his clown face becomes demonic, his body becomes muscular, and he has both angelic and demonic wings. In god form, he can manipulate reality, performing things like elemental, power, and magical manipulation and absorption as well as using the Light of Judgment, a devastating celestial beam that can destroy a whole lot of towns that defy his authority. Overall, Kefka is a cold motherf***** who has no regard for any kind of life.

Verdict

And the winner is...

Kefka's plate, from the get-go, was pretty fleshed out and upon reading his origins, it's apparent that Kefka went through experimentation and is was a successful...but at a cost of his sanity. A madman one per say, Kefka is the antagonist of FF VI and as such, is ruthless and cruel. Looks may be deceiving, but Kefka isn't to be trifled with. However, it was destined that he'd eventually lose because, after all, evil never triumpth against the forces of justice (sounds cliche I know, but it works!) With Nelliel, it was apparent that she lost a lot because of Nnoitra's hatred for her. However, even after losing her memories when reverted back to adult form, there was room to build up her character upon her fated meeting with Ichigo. When she finally reverted back to her adult-form, she still possesses power that is still able to stand toe-to-toe against Nnoitra. Whether or not he's the 8th or 5th Espada, Nelliel was more patient in her attacks. That's why I gave this victory to Nelliel ~ her story could've ended happily, but after Nnoitra's ambush on her ~ her life took a detour. NOW, after meeting Ichigo & finding a purpose to fight ~ Nelliel has much more to offer. Her life now is open to interpretation. We still don't know yet the full extent of her powers & how far she's willing to go to find the Wandenreich ~ but with Bleach still ongoing, we'll definitely (hopefully) see more of Nelliel. She's now able to stay in her Adult-form and I want to see what'll happen to her with her confrontation with the Wandenreich & how she'll be with the other remaining Arrancar. Will she stay in Hueco Mundo & continue to fight alongside Tier Harribel, their empress or will she try to stay in the Human World as maybe a peacekeeper for the Human World, The Soul Society, & Hueco Mundo. Half-plate, Nelliel has much more servings to deliver.

So who do you think won this matchup? Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck from Bleach or Kefka Palazzo from Final Fantasy VI? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (10-6):

7/16/2015

Watchlist #41 - Garden of Words (Makoto Shinkai Film)

Recently, I've gotten myself to invest more time into not only watching more Anime series, but also Anime movies. I now have dove into the worlds of both Hayao Miyazaki & Makoto Shinkai, two fascinating directors whose work is unmatched & unparalleled. The storytelling, animation & just the spontaneous creativity going into these films leaves my jaw dropped ~ I've never before seen Anime films so beautiful, serene, gripping, & emotional that, to me, American Animated Films don't really explore as much. Don't get me wrong, I love Pixar & Disney films, but with Studio Ghibli & Makoto Shinkai ~ it seems as if I'm more invested into these movies than that of Pixar/Disney. Is it a matter of preference or simply taste? Who knows. I love both American & Japanese Animated films, but I feel as if Japanese Animated films have more heart than that of American animated films. Again, not bashing on American Animated films, but there are many notable differences in the direction of how Animated movies go. Take for example Makoto Shinkai's 45 minute movie released in 2013 titled: The Garden of Words. When I watched this movie for the first time, I was stunned, amazed, fascinated, and in awe of the animation. According to what I've read, the director using techniques such as rotoscoping, hand-drawing, & CG. Incorporating all those elements into a 45 minute film, the reactions could be mixed. IT dragged me in the second I laid my eyes on it and it is a piece of artwork. The one thing I got to give it credit it to is its realism ~ the raindrops especially and the shoemaking are considered metaphors for the general theme of the movie: loneliness. The story, in a cliff-note version, introduces us to a man who starts unexpectedly becoming acquainted with an older women. Each time it rained, the two met, chat, & formed an unexpected bond that couldn't be explained easily at first, but you could say that the notion "you find friends in every place" seems to fit that perfectly. Now, people may argue of its length, but to me ~ I think it ended pretty touchingly. Sure, it isn't Miyazaki OMG WHOA material, but my goodness ~ the animation in the film is just so compelling to look at that it's impossible to look away. The story of two strangers meeting & becoming friends has been done before, but for an Animated film to accomplish it AND drive me to almost cry at the end ~ that's an impressive feat I must say. To me, I love Garden of Words. Sure it's short, but I found a lot of enjoyment and replayability just from the realistic storytelling & the beautiful animation. Makoto Shinkai's films cannot be missed!

I hope you enjoyed this week's Watch-list post. Look forward to Watch-list posts on Thursdays. If you're a fan of Anime, I highly recommend checking out Hayao Miyazaki & Makoto Shinkai's works, they must not be missed. They are all MUST-SEEs. Stay classy as always! BF II Round 16 + WBCR will be up tomorrow.

7/15/2015

Bleach Fantasy II Round 15: Coyote Starrk vs. Cloud Strife

Welcome back to another installment of Bleach Fantasy II where MechG & I once again collaborate on pitting the world of Bleach & the various installments of the Final Fantasy franchise. On Wednesday, FF snatched another victory against Bleach (FF still leads 10-4 against Bleach), but many things can happen. Like MechG said, Bleach Fantasy II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays. My daily schedule of Affinity, Watch-list, WBCR, & Throwback posts will be the same as always (if delayed, posts will be on weekends). Without further ado, let's get started on Bleach Fantasy II Round 15 ~ Coyote Starrk vs. Cloud Strife. Take into account that Storyline and Powers/Abilities are the deciding factors. MechG & I will switch-off ever 3 rounds in giving the verdict. Let's jam!

Storyline (Starrk)

Before Coyote Starrk was introduced as the 1st Espada under Aizen's army, he was alone out in Hueco Mundo ~ bringing death to just about any Hollow that comes near him. Starrk tried to coexist with the other hollows, but it only caused them to lose their souls and die. That is why Starrk's aspect of Death is Loneliness ~ he simply can't be around people without them dying. Starrk wanted to become weak ~ believing he can be closer to hollows if he were on the same level as him. This way, Starrk wouldn't be able to bring death to hollows without a fight and he can coexist with them. In his attempts to escape Loneliness, Starrk split his soul into two ~ Lilynette Gingerbuck. Despite not being remotely similar to another, they suspected that their original appearances correlates to nothing ~ just accepting that one is split entity of another without any comparisons other than just having each other's company. Starrk's willingness to become weak stems from his fear of being alone and resorting to splitting his soul into two just managed to give him some company and a person whom he can talk to (despite it being a part of him). If he, however, couldn't become weak ~ he wanted someone just as strong as him (On why, I don't know. This may stem from the idea that he wants someone to be strong so their on par with Starrk's existence). It wouldn't be long before Starrk and his other-half, Lilynette, roamed Hueco Mundo together in attempts to ease their Loneliness and make friends or find someone strong enough to tolerate them. Upon this, they discover Aizen's presence and he was neither fearful or weak when confronting them. Aizen, calm and collected, approached them warmly and with a helping hand ~ wanting to ease Starrk (and Lilynette's) Loneliness. Aizen was impressed of the mountain of hollows that died before Starrk, but insisted that he (and Lilynette) join his ranks. Finally, Starrk (and Lilynette) have a place to call home with other Espada who can tolerate them. It's a dream come true...

Starrk is first seen upon the birth of a new Arrancar (meant specifically to thwart Captain Yamamoto's Zanpaktou), Wonderwiss. However, Starrk was really introduced when Aizen assembled the Espada in forewarning them of the invading Ryoka (Ichigo, Uryu, & Chad). Upon entering to take his seat, Starrk told everyone to shut up because he's tried and lazy (which is his personality). After hearing of the 9th Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, was killed by Rukia Kuchiki, we get a glimpse of both Starrk and his split soul persona ~ Lilynette Gingerbuck. Despite being female, she's playful and often likes teasing Starrk, but questions whether Starrk will do anything about Aaroniero's death. Starrk's comment, short and sweet, in response to Aaroniero's death ~ I don't know. Starrk doesn't appear until way later in the Hueco Mundo Arc where he is forced to retrieve Orihime on Aizen's orders. And finally the Fake Karakura Town is where Starrk plays a pivotal role as he, alongside Baraggan & Harribel, are the only Espada left (excluding Ulquiorra's fight in Las Noches & Grimmjow, Nel, & Gantenbainne's whereabouts). Coyote Starrk reveals he's the 1st Espada to-then Captain of the 8th Division (now current 1st Division Captain), Shunsui Kyoraku. After a series of witnessing Kyoraku's attacks, and trying to outplay him in his game, he releases his Resurrecion (with Lilynette pretty much as his release) & Wonderweiss intervenes, leaving Kyoraku flustered with Ukitake's heart punctured. Seeing this as an opportunity to free all the Espada who are in trouble with fighting the Shinigami, Starrk takes his shot at Kyoraku and shoots him point back from behind. While Kyoraku was "disposed of," the Visored show up as back-up for Ichigo in hopes to turn the tide of the battle in the favor. Rose & Love, former 3rd & 7th division Captains turned Visored challenged Starrk, but the battle abruptly came to an end when Kyoraku was revealed to actually be alive and managed to cut down Starrk using one of Kyoraku's Zanpaktou abilities ~ The Colorful Demon (Irooni). Starrk (with Lilynette) fell victim to Kyoraku's blade as he dies ~ knowing that he wasn't alone for the first time.

Storyline (Cloud)

Born in Nibelheim, Cloud’s father died when he was still young, leaving his mother to raise him until he grew up. He was Tifa’s next door neighbor, but the two were complete polar opposites; Cloud was more antisocial, putting all exclusivity onto himself because to him there was a pecking order with him and the other children and in Cloud’s view, he was on top of everyone else while Tifa went out and made friends, hence why they were not really close. Regardless, Cloud actually fell in love with her, but still hated the friends she made. One day, Tifa was making her way to Mt. Nibel, believing she could see her dead mother again, but when the bridge collapse, Cloud attempted to spring into action to save her from harm’s way, though he was unsuccessful to play hero, leading Tifa’s father to forbid Cloud from seeing her after she sustained injuries. As a teenager, Cloud wanted to join the ranks of SOLDIER for two reasons: 1. To be like Sephiroth (who was still a war hero at that time) 2. To win Tifa’s heart. The two met at the local water tower one last time with Cloud making a promise to save Tifa whenever she’s in trouble. However, in Crisis Core, he only turned out to be a lowly infantryman for Shinra and in his return to Nibelheim, he would hide from her to avoid embarrassment. While in Modeoheim, he meets 1st class SOLDIER, Zack Fair and the two became like brothers from another mother because they had common interests. Cloud eventually sees his world turned upside down when he sees Sephiroth burn down Nibelheim, being taken away by Hojo and being injected with Mako, and seeing Zack get shot to death by an ambush as they made their way to Midgar.

In FF7, after a sequence of unfortunate events, Cloud becomes manifested with a different personality, taking up Zack’s memories/persona and shutting out his own. While in Midgar, Tifa eventually recognizes him and takes him in along with AVALANCHE lead by Barret. After a successful raid in the Sector 1 reactor, Cloud’s reclamation of his memories were put to the test early on as Tifa told him about the promise he made to her. That convinces Cloud not to leave AVALANCHE and wander off. In another mission to attack the Sector 5 reactor, Cloud falls down into the Sector 5 church, meeting Aeris and like what she asked Zack, she asked Cloud to be her bodyguard in exchange for one date, in which Cloud reluctantly agrees to do. The two discover Tifa entering a dating service to infiltrate Don Corneo’s mansion in order to question him about Shinra’s plans. In order for Cloud to fit in, Aeris cross dresses him as a girl. After interrogating Corneo, the three would be too late as Shinra weakens the pillars holding the Sector 7 plate and Shinra kills three AVALANCHE members and in the process, kidnapping Aeris. Cloud, Tifa, and Barret embark on infiltrating Shinra HQ to rescue Aeris. They meet Red XIII inside Hojo’s lab see remains of Jenova, and rescue Aeris, but they were imprisoned by Hojo. While sleeping in the prison area, Sephiroth stealthily sneaks in and kills every Shinra soldier including president Shinra himself, freeing Cloud and his party. Cloud battles the new president, Rufus on top of the HQ and manages to escape Midgar with the rest of the party. While in Kalm, Cloud was recalling the Nibelheim Incident, but he was putting himself in Zack’s shoes, convincing Tifa even more that his memory’s screwed up. For the majority, Cloud and company have been tracing Sephy’s whereabouts, hiding from Shinra, and meeting Tseng and the Turks along the way. While venturing in the Temple of the Ancients to retrieve the Black Materia, Cloud, due to the Jenova cells injected in him during Hojo’s experiment came under the control of Sephiroth in an attempt to kill Aeris. He finds Aeris underground in the Forgotten Capital, but Cloud doesn’t kill her, but Sephiroth does as he impales Aeris from behind after she activated Holy to prevent the Meteor attack on the Planet. After Aeris’ death, two pivotal moments came when Cloud makes his way to North Crater: when Hojo tells him about his Jenova Reunion Theory and how he was a test subject and when he fell into the Lifestream. Falling into the Lifestream the 1st time caused Cloud to overdose from Mako poisoning, leaving him paralyzed. The 2nd time Cloud fell, Tifa fell with him and enters his subconscious mind to restore memories of his true self. Tifa is successful and Cloud’s true memories are brought back. Cloud and the party managed to bring Shinra down during the Raid on Midgar and stopped Hojo to give Sephiroth a boost of energy through the Sister Ray Mako Cannon and they make their way down to the Planet’s core. They defeat Sephiroth and his true forms physically and Cloud delivered the final blow against him mentally while Holy pushes the Meteor back, saving the Planet from total destruction. I won’t emphasize Cloud’s role in Advent Children too much, but let’s just say Cloud undergoes depression while trying to prevent the Geostigma plague. He battles Sephiroth and his child manifestations: Loz, Kadaj, and Yazoo once more and defeats him again. While seeing visions of Zack and Aeris in the Sector 7 church, he finds that he is not alone anymore and the ending of AC pretty much asks what’s next for Cloud? Cloud plays a small role in Dirge of Cerberus helping Vincent and the World Regenesis Organization in the battle against Omega.

Powers/Abilities (Starrk)

Coyote Starrk, being the 1st Espada under Aizen's tutelage, possesses immense spiritual power and thus is forbidden in releasing his Zanpaktou within Las Noches because he could potentially do more harm than good in doing so. Despite his laidback and lazy demeanor, Starrk is a master swordsman as he was able to counter Kyoraku's twin blades, an expert in Sonido (being able to teleport within a few seconds in retrieving Orihime while avoiding both Ichigo & Kenpachi). Like any other Arrancar, he can fire Cero, but unlike everybody else, he can fire a Cero without using a "fighting pose" on any part of his body. He is also keen in battle ~ quickly observing the mannerisms, actions, strengths/weaknesses, and abilities of his opponent. His true power, however, lies in releasing his Resurreccion ~ Los Lobos (Wolf Pack in Japanese alongside Lilynette as his release). In his resurreccion, Starrk's strength and precision in firing Cero is intensified. Starrks signature weapon (with Lilynette talking humorously) is twin pistols that can fire multiple Ceros ~ being able to fire 1,000 at once. When using Cero Metralleta (Infinite Ammunition Hollow Flash), he can fire a barrage of Cero that appear fused together as a single blast, but the fearsome power of this attack lies in his ability to change the direction of where the Cero go. Another thing that makes Starrk a formidable foe is his enhanced Hierro (Steel Skin), being able to withstand Love's Shikai and come out unscathed. Aside from his twin pistols, Starrk can summon spiritual energy swords (much like Kuwabara in YYH) from his bandoleers which he used to combat Kyoraku's Zanpaktou, but a fearsome and eerie ability of Starrk's is summoning wolves that acts as bombs when come in contact with anything or anyone. One wolf was able to destroy a good portion of Fake Karakura Town and look at what more it could do when inflicting damage on a living being ~ Astronomical I tell ya. In other words ~ Don't mess with the Wolf or you'll get the fangs (Pun intended, lol).

Powers/Abilities (Cloud)

The iconic FF male protagonist out of all the FF male protagonists (arguable), no denying that Cloud is one of the GOAT (greatest of all time). Cloud wields the timeless massive Buster Sword as his weapon, first it was used by Angeal, then Angeal passed the sword down to Zack, and finally Zack passed the sword down to Cloud. In terms of abilities, Cloud has excellent balanced stats in Strength and Magic, but his Speed stat is weak. As the main protagonist, Cloud’s Limit Breaks deal the most damage to an opponent. His Limit Break order is as follows: 1) Braver, jumping downward slash and Cross Slash, performing three slashes, 2) Blade Beam, strikes down on the ground, unleashing a wave of energy and Climhazzard, stabbing an enemy and slashing upwards in the air 3) Meteorain, unleashing six meteors on and Finishing Touch, unleashing a tornado, 4) Omnislash, slicing the opponent 14 times and dealing the 15th blow absorbing a great wave of energy and dealing one big slash downward (defeated Sephiroth with this limit). In Advent Children, Cloud wields the Fusion Swords, six separate swords that he can use separately and can assemble into one (when the Fusion Swords combine, they resemble the likeness of that of the Buster Sword that Cloud wielded in FF7). When Cloud performs the Limit Break, Omnislash Version 5 with the Fusion Swords, they disassemble and surround the target, Cloud takes one of the swords and slices the opponent with, and repeats the process four times. In the finish to the limit, Cloud flies above, takes that main blade and strikes the target, causing a shockwave.

Verdict (By MechG)
And the winner is...

Consider this verdict a rehash over the last time Starrk was matched up against Squall in the first Bleach Fantasy post. The only minor difference is that Cloud has much more detail in both the storyline and powers/abilities aspects of his character. I will admit this, both characters have sh*tty upbringings, they bring death to their respective supporting characters, and they have the luxury of bad@$$ery with a lone wolf attitude. But thinking in an empty plate vs. full plate, I gotta go with the empty plate here because Starrk’s upbringing alone spells a lot of loneliness, not being adapted to companionship. Whereas Cloud, he already made a friend beforehand in Zack and only went lone wolf due to his ailing condition from Mako poisoning and witnessing Zack being shot in front of his own eyes. Once Tifa helps Cloud restore his memories and his own personality back, he starts to get some closeness from other FF7 characters. From the start, Starrk was forever alone until he found Aizen or Aizen found him and took him under his wing. In terms of powers/abilities, Cloud may have the more bad@$$ abilities because of the trademark Buster Sword, but Starrk is basically the most powerful of all Espadas and not to mention as I said in the Ichigo verdict, Cloud excels in strength, but when it comes to speed and agility, he is most vulnerable. In addition Starrk possesses a great balance of both specializing in short range and long range weapons. The 1st Espada takes the cake here.

So who do you think won this matchup? Coyote Starrk from Bleach or Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII? Comment below and let us know. Reiterating again, Bleach Fantasy Round II posts will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays w/MechG & I interchanging every 3rd matchups on giving the verdict. Bleach Fantasy Round II standings (10-5):

Throughout the years