Enzo continues his exploration into the Big 3, this time Bleach’s Soul Society arc, largely considered as one of the best of the series, and one of Samu’s defining experience as an animanga fan. We further discuss Kubo’s style as a writer, his influences, and the standout characters from the arc that properly put Bleach on the map.

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction - continuing our Bleach/Rurouni Kenshin read-throughs

1:50 Spoiler discussion warning

2:39 Soul Society arc as one of battle shonen’s best?

4:04 Samu’s personal experience and fondness with the Soul Society arc

5:18 The lack of backgrounds and concise writing style - is Kubo an architect or a gardener?

12:50 Ichigo’s role in the Soul Society arc

14:52 The interconnected thread between all the characters in Soul Society

20:50 Renj’s character arc in Soul Society, guilt about Rukia and vendetta against Byakuya

23:17 Byakuya’s focus and character shift near the end - setting up for the future

26:15 Enzo’s standouts: Shunsui, Hanataro and Ganju

31:40 Samu’s favourite character in anime and manga

35:22 Rukia and the ‘damsel in distress’ trope, how it’s handled here

39:19 Zanpakuto as a power system - a visual representation of character development

43:24 Was Kubo influenced by Watsuki and the Kyoto arc?

51:27 Villain reveal: Aizen, Gin, and Tosen’s betrayal

58:05 Enzo’s Recommendation: One Punch Man by ONE and Yusuke Murata

1:02:28 Samu’s Recommendation: Kekkaishi by Yellow Tanabe

1:03:44 Overview and final scores