Bleach Club

[Furore]

Okay, I only very recently started watching bleach, probably for the past week or so, and I've only gotten up to episode 74 out of the 136 I acquired, but I must say, I greatly enjoy the show so far. Anyway I have the 150 posts and am willing to attempt to actively participate here if you'll have me.

If I feel I could have a positive contribution I may also join the RP if accepted. Thank you.

[Andromeda]

A new member, awesome. Xeim will be around to let you know if you are able to join. I would imagine that there will be no problems.

Well its Saturday and Bleach aired, so you know what I am about to do. Well it was the flashback episode that were talking about. It focused on Renji, Izuru and Momo though Rukia had a few moments. Considering what was special around Rukia I am surprised that she was in the second class. And I am surprised that Renji was so smart that he was in the elite class. It makes me wonder how Rukia changed to get the notice of the noble family like that.

It was funny to watch the Kidou training that they were doing. It reminded me of the things we are doing now in the RP. Making mistakes and doing it correctly. It all backfiring like it did on Renji, blew up in his face. He lacked focus I guess when doing the spell. Though Izuru seemed to be a natural and I know that Momo is supposed to be very adapt at Kidou. Which it does show in her attempt.

And then they went to fight fake hollows or whatever they were. The Wiki said that they were Demi-Hollows, but I don't think they were since Demi-Hollows are those spirits that are in the process of becoming a hollow, but still a whole with a chain of fate. Either way it was pretty interesting to watch that. Another one of the Vice-Captains appears a sixth year student. Though too did not have a Zanpukto, which is really strange. You'd think by that point he'd at least have it even if he could not use his Shikai yet. I don't know, I doubt that the swords they were carrying around were Zanpukto, they were all the same.

Either way, I didn't realize that Ichimaru was Aizen's Vice-Captain. That is very interesting and links them in more ways. But either way they go to the real world to fight the fake hollows. They end up getting ambushed by a nasty large hollow. For first year students they do surprisingly well against the real deal. I guess the cut over that Vice-Captain's eye makes since given that he was injured during the fight.

And finally I get to see Ichimaru's Zanpukto in action. We only get to see it twice and it does a piercing like attack. The way he swung it around it was much more useful, because it could reach to great lengths and kill hollows from a distance. Not to mention he got three hollows in a single thrust. It makes me wonder what his Bankai does, though it also makes me wonder who was the Captain of squad 3 before Ichimaru, since he has only recently become a Captain. Because that he was a Vice-Captain when Renji was in the academy.

And the boy that Momo eats watermelons with, is that Hitsugaya, it looks like him really young. Though if it is him he is really bratty from his usual stoic self. Still it was a good episode for me. I got to see the academy more. The image that I had of it is a long different. But I was right about there being trees. ^^; Oh well, I had to do the best I could at imagining the place with only a few environmental images to go by. Either way, it was pretty nice to get so more insight into it.

So first year students get to have swords already. That mean we get swords too when we get in the first year? But they also mentioned something four different areas that needed to be trained before becoming a shinigami. I don't remember what they were, but they did not sound very familiar to me.

Next week Momo and Hitsugaya meet and more Bankai training.

[Evangel]

It goes to show you, that the only reason why the kidou spell backfired on Renji is because he didn't receit the incantation. That seems to be an important piece of learning new kidou spells. Also, it goes to show that almost all Soul Reapers know how to do up to at least 33 spells. They may know how to do it, but they might not be a master of them.

I've also did a comparison between the English dubs and Japanese dubs. I like Renji's and Rukia's english v.o. but not Kira Izuru's. He sounds too much like a surfer.

And I DO think that was Hitsugaya. What gives it away is that she calls him Lil' Shiro= Toushiro(SP?). And yes, I have to admit that he acts quite like the adolescent he looks like. It's still pretty funny though.

Renji's class gets swords because they are the advanced class. It was funny when Rukia got kicked in the butt by Renji and freaked out because he was going to the real world and she was not.

The last episode was a nice break from the Jap dubs. It was only a few days of watching them on youtube but I forgot what all the english v.o. sounds like. It was different, I'll tell you that.

[CLOUD]

Howl, it's good that you finally started watching Bleach. Xeim might not have accepted you, but i think you should alreay consider yourself a member of the Club. As for the Division, it's not my authority to pick one.

I remember that one with Rukia getting kicked....it was funny. I like it that Renji is more advanced with her, even if he is a bum when it comes to using Kidou; Rukia is better at kidou & at controlling her spirit force in general, even before they started training to be Shinigami.

I haven't watched any episodes in english; actually, the only series i watch in english is Dragonball, mostly because i hate Goku's jap voice....it's lame.

On the other hand, the Japanese vocals in Bleach mostly & in One Piece ( which i also watch like crazy) are really funny. I've even learned some works & can distinguish the language from othes like the Chinese & the Korean.

[Xeim]

First of all, Howl, welcome to the club! I'm going to implement the new ranking system now, and stick you in the “Shinigami Academy.” Check the first post in a little while for more info on the system. Basically though, we're on a point system. Depending on how informative your posts are, the post will be rated on a scale between one and five points. Once you have 20 points (and are in the top position of the academy, and you will be because there are no other new members) you will be able to choose what division to go into. This is from the epxplaination going into the first post:

A very new addition to our ranks is the “Shinigami Academy”. New Members must either answer a bleach related question or write up a response to a bleach related situation (depending on their preference) and are ranked within the academy based upon how they perform. If there are no members in the academy at the time that someone joins, they don't have to do this (unless they want to) as they'll be placed at the top regardless.

Therefore, you don't need to do anything unless you wish to...except post.

Also, we'd love to have you in the RP. If you're interested, there's various ways to join, you can just jump in and figure out what we're doing, or you can wait until we move from basic training to real classes, and then either jump into the real classes with us, or join the academy and start basic training. Andomeda is going to be staying back in basic training, and a couple other members have decided to jump in and start there, so you won't be all alone. ^^;

I hope you stay active in here, it's great to have you in! ^^

Andro: Yes, I will be rating your posts. And, I agree about only giving out very few five point posts. Those can get your ranking up very, very fast, so members should really have to work for them. And yes, we should probably work out some more little details on AIM. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks the system will be working without a hitch.

As for the watermelon eater, that's definitely little Hitsugaya. He was such an adorable little dude…hehe. She calls him “Shiro-chan” (subbed whitey-chan by some encoders) In the Japanese version, which is a bit more offensive than “lil' Shiro” as I think Jecht said the English version calls him?

And the episode that just aired on Adult Swim is one of the few I can remember fairly clearly from the soul Society Arc. Pitifully, the others also have Hitsugaya in them. >.>;; I really did like learning bits about the Academy, like how captains actually can come and visit. I think it would be interesting to have one come by in the RP and we could all go: "OOOOO....AAHH" or something of the like. ^^;

The image that I had of it is a long different. But I was right about there being trees. ^^; Oh well, I had to do the best I could at imagining the place with only a few environmental images to go by. Either way, it was pretty nice to get so more insight into it.

No worries! It's not like they really show us all of the academy. We've taken it and made it into our own for lack of info. I think we've kept pretty true to the original idea, and I also see it with lots of courtyards. And a koi pond... *cough* But, anyways, it doesn't matter if we get stuff wrong, as long as the stuff we get wrong ends up being interesting. xD

The scene with them fighting the Hollow though made me really uptight. ^^; I knew they all survived, but I still felt like I didn't know what was going to happen. I liked how Aizen and Gin stepped in, though. It really made me start to trust them. <.< I give my trust to characters too easily sometimes….leaves me going: O.O * jaw drop *

Alright, well, I'm going to get an explaination of the new system up in the first post. I encourage you all to read it and try to get a feel for it, as well as tell me what doesn't make sense so I can lay it out clearer. ^^;;

(Um, forgive the length and craziness of this post... ^^; )

(Oh, and whoever posts next gets the 666th post. *giggle*)

[Andromeda]

The Kidou backfired because he did not recite the incantation? I thought he did, I guess I will have to look the episode again. But Renji did screw it up and it blew up in his face like with Ichigo and the spirit orb thing that he did at the Shiba's. Though that was a lack of concentration and it cracked and destroyed itself. Not to mention that he toasted himself and the surrounding around. If it was not for the comedic value, he probably would have done far worse to himself and the students.

Ok, so the little guy is Hitsugaya. And yeah, Momo was calling him little Shiro during the episode. So they lived together. I guess that explains why he knows her now and they are familiar with each other. Though it is a little strange how Hitsugaya was not part of the academy when Momo was and yet he is now a Captain. He must be very strong to be able to go through the academy and become a Captain that quickly. He beat all of them to being a Captain.

Not to mention that his demeanor is completely different now. He did not even seem to like the idea of the academy or training. And now he is a Captain. He is very serious, though protective as well. And before all he did was have a hungry appetite for watermelons and acting like a child. I guess he burned off all of that child innocence or something. There was probably some reason or event that caused him to change like he has.

And well I would imagine that they want you to trust Gin and Aizen. You already think he is suspicious for the line of thought being that Gin killed Aizen. So then you see the two working together and killing hollows. And them being friendly and helpful. But it is also a way to show how far they have fallen or come since those days.

Though one thing that makes me a little uncertain and they did well to try to avoid it. The real world, they only showed the city once, but it looked modern. The area that they were in looked modern as well. And yet, it probably should be the early 1900's, maybe even earlier than that. We do not know the exact time that Renji and everyone entered the academy, but the time between then and now should be several decades. I mean it takes ten years usually for someone to gain Bankai. And I would imagine that Hitsugaya has been a captain for a while longer than that. And given Rukia's mention about being ten times Ichigo's age. They really should be a lot further back in time. Its the bothersome inconsistencies that Tite has with age and time that breaks any amount of the believability and universal physics he has created. We analyze it a lot because it is important for us to know this for the RP. But he must realize the holes he is creating by doing this.

[Xeim]

He did not even seem to like the idea of the academy or training. And now he is a Captain

Uhm, I believe Momo promised to stop calling him little shiro if he became a shinigami. I used to have their whole story in my head, but it's escaped me now. Most of it's detailed in the drama CD's, and this site is where I found a lot of info on them. Yes, it's actually a site dedicated to them as a couple, but it still has some very useful information on their early days. How I wish that I could get my hands on the drama CD's...there's a bit of info on the academy in them.

It's even got a bit about learning your zanpukto's name that'll be useful for later. ^^; Looks like we need to have a worthy cause to learn it's name.

Hmm...about the time troubles. Perhaps it's a mistake, there are mistakes in animation sometimes. Or, perhaps, he had a reason for it. But, you're right. The real world should've looked very different when Momo and co. went there. Perhaps he did it because he wanted us to recognize it as the real world? But, even then, we would've recognized it even if it was from an earlier point in time. The only reason I could think of is that the actual real world was in the feudal Japan era and it would've looked just like Soul Society, so he made it a modern world to differentiate. Weird move...but, you never know. >_> I mean, we could get into things like- they can time travel and end up in a different era then the one that was taking place when they died, but that would cause us to form the belief that the Renaissance is taking place right now in a closely related demension, and that everything takes place at the same time. It would cause people from the 20th century to die at the same time as someone in the 13th. But, that would mess up the whole idea of reincarnation that is present in bleach, so really...the time jumping idea doesn't work... ^^;

BLEACH aired last night for the japanese watchers. I caught it on Dattebayo after it had been up for only 3 minutes. >_> It made me feel like I was insane or something. But...anyways...

They've finally moved past the filler! Hoorah!

Spoiler: Looks like next epi, Ichigo's going to come out of training, and Aizen's going to go after Orihime. Such fun! >_> The Heuco Mundo arc can finally begin... Though, I must say, this week's episode wasn't half bad. We got to see a bit more of Renji, who we haven't seen in an actual fight for a while. Is it just me, oir did his bankai look bigger? It was also cute to see Rinrin, Cloud, and Nova again. We were already very familiar with their fighting style, so their weren't any surprises, but their methods were still pretty clever. I wonder why Renji never noticed the guy's weakness. >_>

Well...that's all for now I think.

[Andromeda]

Saying that you are going to call him by his real name when he become a shinigami seems like a poor reason to become one. Its hard to imagine Hitsugaya acting on such an impulsive reason. Though he was a kid. I watched that episode again and he spit watermelon seeds at Momo. It made me laugh seeing someone so serious being so childish. It was like staring at an evil twin or something, he was completely different before being a shinigami.

Though I remember someone saying that he was some destined hero or guardian. But I have not really seen that surface if that is true. That is not to mention he is not the main character and so Ichigo is relegated to the task of being the guardian and hero with all the cool things and hard painful work.

I guess it could be possible that the Soul Society exists outside the time plane that the real world exists in. But as you said it would create a lot of issues. And why the Soul Society would use the modern day all the time would not make sense. Plus if it were true than the Hollows could go in time as well existing in a similar non-existent time plane. Which would make the Soul Society job that more challenging covering the world and time.

Getting souls from the real world into the Soul Society would not be an issue. Since it would be like dying and going to heaven. Its just a place that exists outside the rules of the world. So if you left at different times it would not matter since time would all be relative there. It would be complicated.

I can see the point of Tite making a visible difference in the worlds. Though it feels more apprioriate that the Shinigami in all Feudal Japan clothes to be in a setting that is more accurate to the time period that the clothes were drawn from. But he still makes plotholes in his time line due to all the problems it creates. And that is not even speaking on time alone. He makes people grow older and then says that they don't.

And well Bleach is off the weekdays now replaced by Blood+. But Bleach will return to the weekdays same time slot when the reruns of Blood+ is finished. They have only gone through half of the episodes that Bleach has, so it will not be long. I've already watched 46 episodes of Bleach at least twice and I have seen the first 15 episodes 3 times at least. And the rest I have probably watched 3 or 4 times as well. When the Soul Society Arc started I watched episode twice, and then the rerun. So yeah ^^; What about you? How many times have you watched the episodes?

New Bleach this week, but in the meantime we have something to discuss? I know we got the avatar talk and the anime comparison that was going around.

[CLOUD]

Saying that you are going to call him by his real name when he become a shinigami seems like a poor reason to become one.

Well, there are many "poor reasons" like that in the Anime. Lately i'm starting to think that they put 1/3 of the work they should have on the concept, the whole story & its mechanics. I'm comparing animes & see that the transition from an arc to the next happens almost instantly.

Everything happens like that. It wouldn't hurt to have more episodes in each arc, or even between arcs, so that, not only could they explain stuff, but the evolution of each character would be at least "plain" sort of speak. Right now, it's hard to accept that with some training Ichigo maximized his power again & that Chad got much stronger as well; no matter what their potential is.

Its hard to imagine Hitsugaya acting on such an impulsive reason. Though he was a kid. I watched that episode again and he spit watermelon seeds at Momo. It made me laugh seeing someone so serious being so childish. It was like staring at an evil twin or something, he was completely different before being a shinigami.

it's just that he's still a kid compared to the rest of the Shinigami. The fact that they made him be a Captain, justifying it with a blur "Guardian" scenario. Come to think of it, when Ichigo is out of the picture, for his own reasons each time, Hitsugaya appears & acts like the main hero, although he's unable to take care of problems all the time.

[Xeim]

Alright. My post here is just to tell you the changes in ranks. This new system is working rather well, though the amount of posts Andro and I had to count up was...very small. Most of the posts were made by the two of us. ^^;

Club posts have a one point base. RP posts have a two point base.

Andro: We forgot to count Toph's Rp post last night. ^^; I went ahead and gave it two pts though, as it was short, and really the only thing that happened was the beginning of the conversation between Mai and Haru.

I have counted up Andro's posts, though I did not have my figures "checked" by anyone. Next week, or rather, this week I do hope I can rely on CLOUD to help me count up the posts. If you're still uncomfortable, CLOUD, I can contact Rasler, or if Andro doesn't mind, he could help with the ranks again. xD

I do hope more members come back and post again. Howl hasn't posted since he asked to join, and Rasler hasn't posted at all since he returned... >_>

Anyways, here's the new standings:

1st Division

Jenova33:13
Lady Rika: 5
Slanzar de Fanel: 4
Itachi Uchiha: 4

2nd Division

Oathkeeper13: 26
Captain Fishie: 11
Yuuki: 4


3rd Division

Captain CLOUD: 27
Toph Bei Fong: 17
WaterPrince: 1


4th Division

Vice Captain Andromeda: 113
Captain abarai Renji: 50
Jecht: 25
Suzu Kitamura: 6
DarkWolf: 4


5th Division

Captain Rasler: 34
Kuradic: 5 (only RP posts)
GrimmJaw: 2
Emoloz: 0

Last RP post counted: post 69 on page 5
Last Club post counted: post 669 on page 45

Shinigami Academy

Howl Furore: 1

So really, not much change. Because of that, I took out the top three posters for now. I mean really. >_> It's always the same people. xD

[CLOUD]

I have counted up Andro's posts, though I did not have my figures "checked" by anyone. Next week, or rather, this week I do hope I can rely on CLOUD to help me count up the posts. If you're still uncomfortable, CLOUD, I can contact Rasler, or if Andro doesn't mind, he could help with the ranks again. xD

I can't say i understood trhe phrase have my figures checked, but, ok.

About counting the posts, considering that i'm not as obsolete as most people think, i could do that. More or less.

About having always the same people post, that's nothing new; I don't really know how we could overcome that right now. Besides, without all of the club's members taking part in the RP & without Bleach being aired occasionaly with new, more & more satisfactory episodes, there's even fewer things to talk about.

[Andromeda]

Yeah, Xeim you can get whenever you need me for the ranking of the posts. As long as it happens once a week there will be enough posts that it is not too hard to manage. And yeah we did forget about the RP, though it is a little disappointing that there was only one post in there in the week. I'll be getting mine in there this weekend sometime, I hope. I have several writing projects on my plate and they are all intersecting this weekend. But I'll get them all done somehow.

That aside yeah I'm going to be always posting a lot. Because if someone does not there is going to be a slow fall in activity until no one does. And there are still plenty of things that we can discuss with Bleach's amount of things that they have. Though we have discussed quite a few of those topics already.

But there is also the new episodes of Bleach on Adult Swim that I bring up that usually give us something to talk about for the week. We just do not talk much about the new episodes in Japan since they are spoilers. But if they stays in the spoiler text you can talk about them all you want.

One thing that I wanted to bring up is the curious thought that I had. Obviously they lose Captains for one reason or another, but it does make you wonder how they lose them and what becomes of them. Also what were they like and the powers that they had. Losing a captain level shinigami is expensive and difficult. We know at four shinigami that were not captains for the last several hundred years. And they are about lose three more, one of which is in the other group. I am speaking up Soi Fon, Gin Ichimaru, Toushiro Hitsugaya and Mayuri. We know how Soi and Mayuri replaced, because they are supporting characters. But we know that Hitsugaya must have only recently become a Captain, since he was not a shinigami when Momo was in the academy. And we know that Gin was a Vice-Captain at the time of Momo being in the academy. Obviously Momo ended up replacing Gin or she replaced the person that replaced Gin. Though seeing as the 13th squad Vice-Captain position is still vacant who knows how long it was empty before took the position.

But Gin had to replace the 3rd Squad Captain, so makes you wonder what happened to them. Did the captain end up running across hundreds of hollows or maybe a Menos attacked him that he could not handle. It might even be possible that a Arrancar did it. And the same goes for 10th Squad Captain, where Hitsugaya is now. Who did he take over for and what became of them. We know that 8 and 13 Squad Captains have been around for like 2000 years pretty much and we sort of figure that most of the others have been around for a few hundred years at least. The only other one that we know replaced someone is Kenpachi who killed the previous captain. Which is another possibly, that Gin killed the other captain secretly so no one knew. But I doubt that Gin would be so apparent.

[Itachi Uchiha]

This is for Andro about what has just been said concerning the captain class but it does contain some heavy spoilers.

Spoiler: To become a Captain, an applicant has to pass one of three tests although I originally thought all three had to be passed. The three tests (which are revealed during the Soul Society Arc) are as stated: 1. To take the captain proficiency test (隊首, taishu?), which requires the ability to perform the bankai. Presumably, most shinigami become captains using this method. At least three existing captains, including the Commander-General, have to witness the test. 2. To have personal recommendations from at least six captains and approval from at least three of the remaining seven. 3. To defeat a captain one-on-one with at least 200 witnesses from the captain's division. Kenpachi Zaraki is the only known captain to have achieved his rank using this method. So I presume that the first two tests would be open when a Captain has been killed (as through those situations you described) or has stepped down (an example being Ichigo's father). The third test can be taken at anytime from the looks of it seeing as when you have defeated that Captain, you auto-matically replace him as the new one. So there wouldn't be too much of a lose there except for in Zaraki case were he killed the previous captain.

I'd just like to add some information on Hitsugaya. His nickname Shiro-chan which Momo called him does literally translate to Whitey or Snowy in english. Most likely brought upon by his white hair. Also it was funny to find out that he used to call Momo 'bed-wetter Momo'. What I am interested in between Hitsugaya and Momo though is how they first met. I presume they made a family like most souls do seeing as they could have benefited from one anothers help. Oh and just as a last thing from looking over the post on him, it was Gin that referred to him as a Heavenly Guardian.

Still I haven't watched Bleach in sometime so I'm going to have to finish the Bounto Arc soon to catch up with the other japanese episodes. I doubt I'd be able to watch the english Adult Swim ones seeing as I've never seen them air them over here as well as the late time that adult swim takes over, over here.

[Xeim]

Well, she calls him shiro chan because his name actually. Toushiro. His name probably comes from his character design, so she is indirectly calling him that because of his hair.

Well, this is completely crazy, but I think (regarding captains)

Spoiler: Ichigo's father was captain of division 10. My justification for this is that Ichigo's mom looked a little bit like Matsumoto. I'm not saying that Ichigo's dad liked Matsumoto, just that the resemblence might have originally drawn him to her. Sort of a nostalgic feeling. Though, that's absolutely crazy. The lack of clues drives me to such things.

I really would like to see how the gotai's progressed through the years though. It would be amazing to have Yamamoto have a flashback epi where you watch captains disappearing and being replaced. You'd have familiar faces from the begining, but the further you go in time, the more you'd have. I know I'd enjoy it, even if it was just like...a captains meeting without much dialouge.

But yeah, I'd also like to know how Hitsu and Momo met. But, those are the kinds of details Tite decided to hold from us. I just hope he has some sort of master plan that willl reveal a bunch of stuff to us later xD Small, insignificant hope, but ah well.

The Japanese Bleach finally left filler!!

Spoiler: Some of the espada have finally come to Karakura Town! Ichi's going to face off with Grimmjow, and the other shinigami are going to fight a few others, including Yammy and Wonderwice. THe others have escaped my memories. Though, one of the most exciting things that happened, is that it appears that in the next episode, we get to see Urahara fight! We've seen bits here and there, but my hope is that we'll actually get to see him let loose. Kisuke's just so cool! haha.

I'm really intersted in Benihime though. She seems like a really different kind of zanpukto. The variety of them is amazing. They really can be ANYTHING. It's interesting to try and see the smiliarites between them and their users too. They're reflections of their soul. They are what the are because of who they come from.

Like with Hitsugaya. He's cool and reserved, causing his personality to scream "ice." And, sure enough, his zanpukto is the strongest ice based zanpukto in Soul Society. t is weird though, we've seen he was not always that way. Are perhaps zanpuktos reflections of the deepest regions of your heart? Do they bring out what you really are even if you cover it up? >_> People can change, so it's quite strange that they should reflect the shinigami's personality. The zanpukto obviously isn't going to change. >_>

Spoiler: It'll be quite fun if we get to see Benihme one a larger scale than we have before.

[Evangel]

Well, I'm up to episode 124 in Bleach.

Spoiler: I got to see Isshin in his Shinigami form and I must say, he is very powerful. Being Ichigo's father, it's no wonder that Ichi's reiatsu keeps increasing.

I also saw Grimmjow too. He is definately my #1 fave baddy of all time. Powerful, cool looking, insane, perfection. If he is just one of the Espada, I wonder how strong the first one is? Learning more about the Vasto Lorde. What do they really look like besides just the siloette that was shown.

On the topic of the Gotei, it would be cool to see who was Captain-Commander before Yamamoto. We know that he is the strongest of all the Captains. Who were Captains before the present ones would be interesting. Like, who was squad 11's Captain? Who was it that Zaraki beat?

Also, I would like to know more about what Central Room 46? really is and who the people were that make it up. There was absolutely nothing known before Aizen's defection.

[Andromeda]

Actually Itachi you went in completely the opposite direction from what I was talking about. I was speaking on what happened to now gone captain, such as why they are no longer captains. I already know how one becomes a captain so I was not thinking about that. It is as Xeim said, it would be interesting if Yamamoto flashed back the years of the Seireitei showing all of the captains. Or heck, they could just have a book that has pictures of all of the captains. Sort of like a history of the Gotai.

On Zanpuktos, they are probably based on your core personality, rather than something more surface. Because as you said people change, but Zanpukto are not going to do that. I would make more since that they would be a reflection of the true self and not the side that everyone thinks that they see. Which can be an insight into the individuals. Though what do you make of a Zanpukto like Izuru who's doubles the weight of what it touches. The closer interpretation I could have would be that he internally places stress and weights on him, he seems pretty stressed out and thin a lot of time anyway. So an outward reflection of that internal conflict would make sense.

But Rukia is an ice elemental as well, but inside she is actually really kind and soft. She often portrays a stoic individuals, but she breaks easily at times and cries. She is very emotional unlike Hitsugaya, but she has a strong ordered world around her that is held in discipline. Though ice could be seen as a beauty as well in the manner of Rukia.

And what does that mean for Renji, Zabimaru is a bamboon and snake mix with each having their own voice and mouth. So they actually speak individually, though there does not seem to have a confliction between each other. But would that imply that Renji has two voices in his head. The one telling him what he really should do, like help Rukia and the other telling him this is good for her. Renji was a conflicted man with everything that happened to her and now is trying to make that up by becoming stronger and defeating Byakuya.

[Xeim]

Well, i like the idea of a book. It'd be quite handy, especially if it had pictures and everything. Personally, if I were Tite, I'd completely develop the insignificant details of Soul Society. The academy...the history of the gotei...and then compile it into a book for fans. I mean, most of the stuff wouldn't contribute to the story, but it'd be nice to be able to delve really deep into the world bleach takes place. Like..here's a good question...is Yamamoto the first captain-commander? >_>

I think in Rukia's case, the ice refers to beauty. Her zanpukto is conisdered the most beautiful ice element zanpukto. Hitsu's is the most powerful, and so the "power" of the ice would "equal" his personality being extremely cold. The fact that Rukia's is based on elegance can lend to the reflection coming from her inner beauty. Like you said, she's kind and emotional on the inside.

I think you've pretty much got Renji's figured out. >_> He seems to have a lot of inner conflict. He seems like he makes decisions well on the outside, but it's probably just a cover up.

Hmm...Kira's. Yeah, I think it has to do with the mental load he's forced to deal with. Or, perhaps, he's the kind of person who likes to force things onto others? We don't really know a lot about him. He's only been in it a couple times, and it hasn't been enough to give us a feel for his personality.

How about Matsumoto's? Heinako, or ash cat. Her zanpukto basically turns into ash and attacks her opponent. >_> It's a sneaky attack if applyed correctly, and can be really handy in the hands of the right person. But, whith Matsumoto's quirky personality, she doesn't seem fit to wield it. Perhaps its the traditional case of a pretty girl dumbing herself down, and on the inside she's actually really smart and quick-witted? We've seen a bit of her in battle, and she really does seem like a completely different person when fighting.

[Andromeda]

Isn't Yamamoto the first shinigami? He trained Ukitake and that other captain. He is supposed to be like 2000 years old or something and the one that started it all, right? So wouldn't that make him the Captain Commander for life or something. ^^; I guess there could be shinigami before him, but they apparently did nothing with their power of significance other than maybe slay hollows.

Though it does make you wonder back then hollows probably always existed since you do not have to try to become a hollow, it just happens. But you have to try to become a shinigami, or at least more so than to be a hollow. I'd imagine that there are those few unique cases that souls became shinigami on their own without help, but they are few probably. Most become hollows. Which means that hollows have probably existed for far longer than shinigamis. Those menos hollows probably are ones that have been around for a long time, at least a few of them probably.

Though the Arrancar who knows about them. They may or may not have learned to be shinigami before the Seireitei was created. But I don't know much about their creation aside from the fact that they exist. Though what is with the Vizards looking so casual. They are going around in jogging suits or something until the shinigami and espada who seem to have a standard for attire. Oh well, I haven't seen those episodes so maybe that is explained. I certainly imagine Ichigo had some smart remarks about them.

But yeah I was going to continue down the list of shinigami we know and personalities to match them. As you said Matsumoto does seem to be ill regular in that it turns to ash. The fact that it is called Ash Cat might be a clue to Matsumoto. But from what I have seen she seemed fairly serious unless around Hitsugaya who she seemed to hang herself over him at times. But that could just be the couple scenes I've seen the two in the same frame together. Normally Hitsugaya and Matsumoto are not together working together they are doing something completely different. And Hitsugaya is always off doing something, he seems to have his nose in everyone's business, but for good reason with Aizen and all.

But that really does not explain Matsumoto and her Zanpukto. Being sneaky like you said does not really go with Matsumoto's personality. Though it make you wander, I have not really seen what she is like in all her glory. So she might have different personalities that I am not aware of that would suit her towards the stealth type of attack that she uses. She seems more up front about things so it is a contradiction.

Who is next on the list then? Time to go into some gray areas like Gin Ichimaru and his Zanpukto. All we know about it is that it grows longer. Which is difficult to place a personality on aside from the fact that it pierce through everything. Which could be the same to say as Gin creepy grin and look can pierce through someone. He has a way of making people think ill of him or whatever just be a few words and a look.

A more obvious one is Aizen, who is manipulative and ruthless just like his Zanpukto which cast illusions on everyone. He makes everyone believe one thing while he lives out the lie until. It is pretty well suited to him. Though it does make you wonder if he is partly a product of his Zanpukto. He maxed himself out as a shinigami and used the Zanpukto to make everyone believe something while he carried out his conspiracy. Something that he would not have been able to do as easily, though given his strength. You have to wonder if he really needs his Zanpukto.

[Xeim]

Gomen! I'm very late in posting this. I could waste time typing up my excuse, but it wil not change the fact that I am late in posting this.

Before moving onto the discussion at hand, I'll will post the rankings. I think this week I'll bold the people who have gained points.

1st Division

Jenova33:13
Itachi Uchiha: 6
Lady Rika: 5
Slanzar de Fanel: 4

2nd Division

Oathkeeper13: 26
Captain Fishie: 11
Yuuki: 4


3rd Division

Captain CLOUD: 28
Toph Bei Fong: 19
WaterPrince: 1


4th Division

Vice Captain Andromeda: 125
Captain abarai Renji: 50
Jecht: 27
Suzu Kitamura: 6
DarkWolf: 4


5th Division

Captain Rasler: 34
Kuradic: 5 (only RP posts)
GrimmJaw: 2
Emoloz: 0

Shinigami Academy

Howl Furore: 1

Last RP post counted: post 72 on page 5
Last Club post counted: post 678 on page 45

As you can see, Itachi's moved up in the rankings of the first division! First change we've had in ages.

Posts were counted up with CLOUD.

Well, with that aside, I'll move onto the discussion.

Yamamoto may be the first shinigami, but that would just make it seem like shinigami haven't been around very long. I mean, sure a million or so years is a huge amount of time- but life has existed for much longer. It makes you want to think that he's maybe the second or third. All we know is that he founded the current shinigami academy- but that doesn't mean that it's the first school.

I really can't remember if they gave a time when arrancar first began emerging. Obviously it wasn't just with the movement of Aizen- Soul Society already had adequate information on them. An interesting theory would be that the arrancar emerged before the shinigami. It would be a natural transition, in a sense, and perhaps a few of them came to their senses and taught regular souls the secret of gaining the zanpukto. After all, the only thing that makes a shinigami a shinigami is their zanpukto.

As for the vaizard, they pretty much just wear anything. You're right that most of them wear jogging clothing, but Shinji wears nice clothes, and…I think her name is Liza (?) wears a school uniform. They are a strange bunch, though.

And, Matsumoto generally has a pretty happy-go-lucky personality. She's also rather lazy- like a cat- but she's also got a very good sense of duty. In battle she's very serious and focused. But, it still doesn't make her seem like a stealthy type.

Gin…yes, his zanpukto is rather hard to analyze. It extends as far as he wishes it, and pierces through things. Perhaps it has to do with his smile, but that's a physical trait. It doesn't really contribute to his personality- just his image. On the inside, Gin's…well, frankly, a lot like Aizen. I actually believe him to be more devious than Aizen is. There's just something about him that gives you that feeling. You'd think that'd HE'D be the one with a zanpukto like Ash Cat, and yet he has a very straightforward one. Perhaps his zanpukto serves as a balance to his personality? Like, he's so twisted and untrustworthy that his zanpukto becomes straight and predictable.

Hmm. Who's next? Ukitake and Kyouraku we haven't seen much of. All we know is that they have twin zanpukto. That their zanpukto are the only dual blades in Soul Society. The funny thing about that is that it would give the two people a strong bond- and yet they are not alike at all. Kyouraku is a laid back drunk and Ukitake is sickly, but very dutiful.

Then there's Soi Fon's. It 's probably one of the more deadly zanpukto. Small and simple, it reflects Soi Fon's personality in that it has no desire to put on a fancy show. It just wants to get the job done. Soi Fon also seems to have a “biting” personality. She seems rather cruel- and her zanpukto can kill you if it touches you in the same place twice.

[Andromeda]

Well that is not completely true, I advanced through the ranks. Though albeit at an accelerated rate that I was in the third seat in a month, but still. ^^; But you are right that it has been a while since someone has moved in ranking. But that is usually because the people with a lot posts are active and spread through the squads while the inactive ones just do not post and do not compete with those active ones.

But you do make a point about Gin and it being more straight forward. Having as his opposite does make sense, but it does serve to break the mold of personalities suited towards the style of the Zanpukto. Though do we need know what sort of abilities that Ukitake and Kyouraku have with their Zanpukto? Ukitake is a singe blade that transforms into two while Kyouraku has two to begin with. About the only similarity is that they were trained by Yamamoto and were one of the first shinigami in the academy I think. So they have been around for a long time.

Maybe it goes with having a duel personality of sorts. Kyouraku is lazy and silly most time, but he has a serious and honorable side to him as well. He also seems to be protective a little of his Vice-Captain not wanting her to fight. So he has two sides to him and maybe matching that with his swords. And Ukitake is supposedly one of the strong shinigami, but he is sick so much that he is diminished most times. So that duality again where he is very strong and very weak in different moments. That about the only parallel I can find with having two swords.

I heard that Soi Fon Zanpukto might have been Yoruichi's at one point. Which is a strange thing indeed if that is the case. I guess it was hinted at some point, but if that is true then it would mean that the Zanpukto would be more suited for Yoruichi instead. But being part of the stealth squad and a Ninja of sorts, it makes since the type of Zanpukto that it is. The ability to kill someone in two strikes if in the same spot would be good for quick kills and assassinations. Though shinigami are supposed to be fighting Hollows, so assassinations seem a little pointless. But either, good against a hollow I would imagine. Even get Aizen with that, if you were so lucky.

Then there is Tousen who's really seems to be suited to his disability. His bankai removes all senses from the person. Which places him at an advantage. I do not really understand his shikai too much as it seems to have different things that it can do depending on what he wants out of it. But it definitely seems suited for him.

Mayuri's Zanpukto is about as strange and creepy as him, so that in itself is enough to be comparable. Plus it has poison and paralyzes, but leaves the feeling in the limbs. It is very surgerical in its strike since it only disables the limbs. Which for Mayuri and all of his experiments makes a lot of sense. Though the whole stabbing himself and liquidifying his body its a little strange, but definitely a trait that is like him.

Though what about Yamamoto and his Zanpukto. All we know is that it is the most powerful fire elemental, which does not seem to be much like him. He does not seem to fight a lot and fire would seem more aggressive than he actually is. But there could more about him that I do not know that makes it more suited towards the type of person that he is.

[Rasler]

Sorry for my extended absence from this club. Life's been rough.

It's a shame that only two zanpakuto are effective in the least against Aizen: Mayuri's and Tousen's. Makes Aizen too much of an invincible enemy, like Naraku from Inuyasha. (The series ENDS and they still haven't killed Naraku...)

I've been waiting quite a while for new translated episodes. New episodes keep coming in later and later. But I have no proper right to complain, after all, I watch them for free online. At least we're officially out of filler again.

There's some info in the latest episode that pertains to the current conversation. There are no proper spoilers, seeing as how the information is revealed in a comic relief situation. We are shown Hitsugaya, Rangiku, Yumichika, and Ikkaku communing with their zanpakuto. Yumichika and Rangiku have some difficulty communing, because their zanpakuto share similar negative character traits. Rangiku's Heineko is "selfish, moody, a good-for-nothing, and an idiot!" Yumichika's Fujikujaku is "haughty, stuck up, and worst of all he think's he's the most beautiful thing in the world!" Yumichika's annoyance is so great the he attempts to deface it against a rock.
Hitsugaya threatens to send them back to Soul Society if they don't shut up.

At any rate, at least Yumichika's zanpakuto's gender is confirmed as male.

It's interesting to note how both squad 11 and 10 have a "straight-man" to counteract the more offbeat characters. Hitsugaya balances out Rangiku, while Ikkaku does the same for Yumichika.


Time for another over-analysis of things:
For a long time, the nature of gigais has bothered me. Characters from Soul Society have no physical body. As such, to physically exist, they need an artificial body called a gigai. It is assumed that characters from Soul Society retain the appearance they had before they died. The gigai takes on the appearance of the soul (Think "residual self-image" from The Matrix). But Ichigo technically doesn't have a gigai. Since he is still alive, he uses his original body. If his body were to be altered by an injury, age, whathaveyou, would his soul reaper appearance have the same changes?

Ichigo being a constant exception to many of Bleach's established conventions is a constant source of new questions.

[Andromeda]

You sure that Ikkaku is the straight man? He is definitely more so than Yumichika, but Ikkaku does have his moments of being completely ridiculous. There is the lucky dance that he does and the jab about professionalism on the battlefield. He actually laughs quite a bit and while I haven't seen the episode, don't Ikkaku and Iba duel over sake while Kenpachi is fighting Tousen and the other captain.

On the subject of straight man and things, I watch the next round of shinigami golden cup this weekend. They compiled a fourth volume of them which covered during the Arrancar arc mainly. Though it was funny the bit with Kon and Hanataro taking over his Gigai. Not to mention the explanation of his Zanpukto and how utterly useless its Shikai form is after the initial release. And Kon is still going around with the Quincy cross on his head that he can't see.

There was a random comment by Renji and Byakuya in there about duties when the Vice-Captain is absent. Renji brought up Rukia being gone and if Byakuya attends Rukia's Woman's club meetings in her place. For which Byakuya gave a mysterious grin almost. I know that he was in one of the women's meetings before which was awesome watching him shut up Yaruchru with food. That and him cutting his hair with Senbon Zakura, which I could totally see him doing.

Much of the rest of the clips were Gin talking about the Arrancar. And they made it a point to say that Grimjaw is always being interrupted before he can release his Zanpukto. Aside from that Gin was actually being assuming while he was talking about the Arrancar. And it looks like he is wearing the Espada's uniform now which looks like a Shinigami's uniform invert almost with the collar up. Doing the whole George Lucas good guys in black and evil guys in white deal.

And while mentioning the Gigai and Ichigo I would say that damage inflicted on either the physical or spiritual body are seen on the other. When Ichigo fights Renji in the real world he wakes in bandages and feels all of the pain that he suffered from the fight. So it is clear that the spiritual injuries carry over. And injures that are sustained on the physical body while he is out of it are felt once he returns to the body. I'm not sure how it works too much, but Ichigo has a wound from where Byakuya stabbed him which I do not think was healed until the spring during the Bankai training since it was no longer visible on him. That still carried a scar for him for a while since I was trying to figure out for a while where he had gotten it from. That scarred carried over from the fight through is physical body and then back to this spiritual body. I would imagine that any injuries that the physical body takes will be transferred to the spiritual body when he separates with his body.

Age is something completely different since his physical body will age, but his shinigami/spiritual body will not age. So how that works for him I have no idea. Then again, maybe being separated from his body and being a shinigami now alters his physical body. It is really hard to know since we are never going to see Ichigo age, except for maybe at the end of the show whenever that happens. And even then we may not.

On to something that I forgot about the last time, this Saturday's episode. Which finally came with the stupid futurama marathon last week. So it picks back up where we left off before the flashback. Momo escapes from her cell, Kira is already gone with Gin and Renji is long gone. From the point of view of Momo it is a very interesting episode because you get to see more about what Aizen is doing. That letter is finally explained fully and you know what is going on in some part, or at least you think you do. The Sukoku or whatever that thing is called is the target since it holds the power of a million Zanpukto. Though even given all of that, the idea to kill Rukia still seems pretty shallow. The reason that Aizen gave while sound enough is not really a reason as it would be no different if they killed any other shinigami. All it would mean is that they are taking advantage of the fact that she is going to be executed anyway and going to use it to increase the power. But Hitsugaya does not have the pull to make that sort of thing happen. Even if he wanted it for himself so it really is a poorly designed lie.

Either way it is enough to get Momo all confused and fighting Hitsugaya. Which as anyone knows is not going to end will for Momo. Hitsugaya is a captain, the only way that she was going to hurt him was if he let her do it. Hitsugaya is too fast for her and too strong, she would not be able to do much to him. Which was clearly shown by the back hand that he gave her. She was too distraught anyway to fight clearly, she was not a real challenge in any means. It was just a way to break her even more than she already was.

On other fronts we get to see Matsumoto sleeping and being lazy in the captain's office. She was dreaming of Gin and her's first meeting. And you finally get to see some interaction between the two Hitsugaya and Matsumoto, who until now have not been seen in the same frame together. So that was very nice. And while Hitsugaya was still serious was nice to see him acting a little funny even if he was straight about it. The ending credits for squad 10 showed Matsumoto sleeping as well making me wonder if she does a lot. She seems serious at times, but lazy others. And then Hitsugaya runs off with plans hearing that 3 Vice-Captains escaped.

Then the fun stuff was with Ichigo ending day one of his Bankai training. Seeing as I don't know the end result of the reasons that he is going through this type of training by Zangetsu Yoruichi is making a big deal out his using the sword for so long. So he is making progress, though according Zangetsu he needs to find the right sword that was made for fighting. But seeing what is happening now it almost seems like none of the swords will be the right one and Ichigo is just going to make it himself after a while through the trial that he is going through. Which seems to be more likely.

Either way they stop their training and Ichigo gets to rest in a healing hot spring. Which seems to heal all of his injuries, even the past ones. Then Yoruichi plays around with him again. She teases him in undressing and then changes to cat form just to screw with him more. And then during some explanation she changes back screwing with him even further. It is all very amusing to watch. And she comments on that they were both Shinigami in the past Urahara and herself. Which was obvious, at least Urahara was.

Either way Hitsugaya and Ichimaru power up and stand off ready to fight next week. I am so looking forward to the fight that is coming. Two experienced captains dueling it out is going to be very awesome to watch. Plus it is Hitsugaya and Gin, so that is going to be a real pleasure to watch.

On the subject of Matsumoto's Zanpukto and that scene you are talking about. It makes me want to see it, sounds like it was a funny moment. Though cats are known to be independent and everything, so that sort of attitude almost makes sense.

[Rasler]

Ichigo is a fairly simple character. His personality has few nuances and his actions are fairly predictable. Ichigo has a specialty by the fact that he only has one technique - Getsuga Tenshou. That's not to say that there aren't variations of Getsuga Tenshou or other moves that he can perform, but for the most part, Ichigo is extremely limited in his skill set.

In fact, only two of his moves "belong" to him. The first is Getsuga Tenshou, Zangetsu's primary technique taught to Ichigo by Urahara. The second move was invented during the fight against Byakuya. It takes advantage of the enhanced speed during bankai. He runs in a circle around the opponent while constantly changing direction. Between bursts of speed, he slows down long enough for his opponent's eyes to see him. He then has another burst of speed and allows his opponent to see him again, all in an amount of time short enough that the previous image of him hasn't disappeared yet. This causes confusion and disorientation in the opponent, as well as allowing Ichigo to quickly create/find and exploit an opening.

Most of Ichigo's moves were actually invented by Ichigo's Hollow.

• Black Getsuga Tenshou - More powerful, is far better when used by the Hollow. Stolen by Ichigo
• Hollow transformation - Originally a method for keeping his host alive, is now dominated and can be controlled by Ichigo for 11 seconds.
• Flanking Double Black Getsuga Tenshou - Shoots one black Getsuga Tenshou, while opponent is dodging/blocking, appear behind and do another or cause the initial one to hit. Stolen by Ichigo
• Spinning/throwing Zangetsu fighting style - Used only by Ichigo's Inner Hollow
• Point-blank black Getsuga Tenshou - when opponent blocks and while swords are resisting each other, use black Getsuga Tenshou. Stolen By Ichigo

Ichigo has only invented one move. He's stolen all his other new moves from his Hollow.


Also of interest, in the current opening (for the Arrancar arc), we are shown Ichigo's hollow mask shattering, and Ichigo reaching for it. Is this hinting at a reliance on the hollow? Is it a mutually beneficial yet mutually parasitic relationship?

-edit- Oh, Andromeda, if you want to watch the zanpakuto scene, it's episode 138, it's the first scene after the commercials slot. Stop when Ikkaku notices the fast-moving clouds and you won't ruin anything.

[Xeim]

It's great to have you back Rasler! ^^

And I really have nothing reasonable to offer on the subject of Ichigo's aging body. Perhaps the fact he's considered a shinigami stops the metabolism of his physical body? We see him eat, but that could merely be to replenish spirit power. It does leak out of him . xD Really, the only thing I can think of that would keep his body from aging is a theory of immortality. With immortality, your mind and soul obviously ages, but your body stays the same. There's a few theories of immortality all based upon a different situation, and perhaps Ichigo's body uses one. A strange one, like one pertaining to metabolism. I think that one was in Tales of Symphonia. A couple of the characters halted their metabolism and turned themselves into holy beings (while still being alive) to live forever. Well, shinigami aren't necessarily holy, but the basic concept could exist. Perhaps. Maybe. xD

Then again, I really don't think Tite thought about this, as he probably only intends to have the show span two or three years. The flaw is that people age a lot in one year at Ichi's age. I've seen a couple shows go overboard in a one year time skip to make sure they cover their butts, but it looks like BLEACH isn't even going to try. >_>

On the subject of zanpukto: I had totally forgotten about that scene. ^^;; Funny thing about that, is it was my favorite scene in the episode. I was all “Oh! We're going to get info on zanpukto! Yosh!” I totally paid attention so I could post the info up here...but haha. My memory got the best of me. ^^;;; Anyway, the scene shows that the avatar of the zanpukto have similar personalities to the user. It also seems that the user doesn't even realize this at times. That said, if the user and the zanpukto act the same, that alone nearly proves that the skills used with the zanpukto would be the reflective of the user. (the zanpukto wouldn't morph into something that wouldn't make sense to itself. O_o)

So, why doesn't that always make sense? Like with Gin. The only explanation we could come up with was that he was so twisted that his zanpukto became his “voice of reason.” Yet, that would mean someone's who kind to the extreme of the 4th Div. Captain would have a zanpukto that would aggressive and harmful. Yet, her zanpukto also reflects her personality. >_> Unless, when you separate your zanpukto from yourself you know what part of yourself you insert to the zanpukto. Most shinigami would probably then insert a little bit of every part of themselves, but perhaps Gin merely got rid of his conscience? >_>

And Rasler, about Ichigo's hollow. I think there's trying to slowly get us used to the idea that Ichigo NEEDS his hollow to beat the arrancar. His raw power is great, but his ability to hone his skills into an effective battle plan is amazingly lacking. He's far from captain level. And, they've shown that even a captain like Hitsugaya can barely beat these guys. So, Ichigo needs to have some random god-modding power to get through it. >_> Hence the hollow. Heh. So yeah, he's going to have to rely on it.

Also, it's Friday today. Tomorrow we count up the posts. Rasler, if you've read through the new method and understand it, tell me if you'd like to help with the post rating. If you don't understand it and still want to help out also let me know. xD I'll find you on Aim or something. If you don't want to help with the post rating that's fine. ^^ Either way, I think we'll go back to Andromeda for the post counting this week. I'll try to log into AIM later when I'm coherent enough to talk. >_> Right now I'm in a zombie-like mode, so I'd probably be….kind of scary. xD It might even be better to count them tomorrow in case there are more posts later on today.

[Hollow~]

Hey there..i was wonderin if i can join o_o... I know i dont have enough posts but..i love bleach >.<. Ive read the manga till the latest one and im also on the latest episode. Please?

[Victoria]

....No.

The post thing is a rule. Come back when you have enough posts. If we let you slide, everyone else will want to slide too. >_>;

So.. yeah. I think Xeim would say that too.

[Xeim]

Hollow, I'm sorry to say it, but Toph's right. The amount of newer members who entered into this club and then immediately vanished from TFF ruined it for those members who actually join to stick around. Of course, the post count requirement can't keep members from dying within the cub, but it reduces the number.

If you're still around TFF and still interested in the club when you have the required post count, feel free to re-apply. I really can't bend the rules. Like Toph said, if I bent the rules for one person everyone would want me to.

Well, I finally watched this week's bleach. I can't believe it took me this long, but lol. Least I finally watched it. ^^;; I can't wait to see the next episode, but there was no preview...that kind of creeped me out. I know it's not the finale, Wiki has the next episode set as airing next wednesday. >_> Maybe dattebayo just cut it out this week. xD

[Rasler]

I've read through the new system of post-points. Here's my understanding of it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Each post in this club, excluding spam, is worth a point.
A user's number of points determines the seat a member holds in the division.
Captain and lieutenant ranked officers are offered positions by the captain-commander, and must accept offer.
Captain and lieutenant ranked officers positions are based on devotion and contribution to the club, and their rank is not affected by number of points.
Points are tallied by two captains, so that no captain can rank his or her own subordinates, thus preventing bias.

I am not sure about whether the point tally began when the new method was put into enforcement or if the point tally is from the beginning of the club.

[Xeim]

Alright, very close. Each post, excluding spam, is worth a minimum of one point. You can get from one to five depending on how informative your post is. Fives are very hard to obtain.

Captains are offered positions by me, yes, but they can turn down the offer if they wish to. Vice-captains are picked by point count. The number of points needed to become a vice-captain is somewhere around 60.

But the rest is more or less correct. Though, with the small number of people posting, we're just making it so you can't count up your own posts. The rest you do tally, but then you converse with the other person counting things up (in your case that'd be me) to make sure your figures seem believeable. An ideal situation would have you counting up all posts except the ones in your division, but we're not at that idea point right now. xD

If you feel comfortable with the system you can go ahead and take a crack at it. If not, we'll just go back to andro. I do need to get the posts counted up today though.

[Andromeda]

Well I'll cover last nights episode first off. I'll say that I was a little disappointed with the episode. I was really excited for a nice long fight between Gin and Hitsugaya that would span much of the episode and I ended up with a five minute duel. It was definitely amazing to watch, but it left me wanting more out of them than what was just done. But I guess Bleach is not known for having long fights. Most fights are usually over in half an episode or a little more. And usually with a lot of filler into between the fights.

But oh well, the fight between was definitely enjoyable to watch. Plus it is nice to see Hitsugaya's abilities in action. And Gin mentions that thing about Hitsugaya holding a sword that only appears every few centuries. I guess that was in reference to what someone said here about Hitsugaya being a guardian. But I got to see his Shikai in action as well slinging the Water/Ice dragon around and quickly disabling Izuru, who still hung around. He did get warned and Hitsugaya's Shikai has an area effect to it.

And then Matsumoto shows up with her sword nearly breaking from the force of Gin's Shikai. So we do not get to see her do anything other than protect Momo. Though her arms were all bandaged up afterwards which seems a little strange. All she did was block the attack it should not have injured both arms that much. It did not make a lot sense and they did not bother explaining it that much either.

And much of the rest of the episode was killed with Rukia's execution getting moved up. Everyone was reacting to that. And Yoruichi doesn't know if Ichigo can complete his training in the three days. Though it was nice to see more of Urahara as a shinigami. And nice to hear that he used it to gain his Bankai is such a manner as well.

And Ichigo gets back to his training once more with Renji appearing. Renji apparently was already on his way to achieving Bankai. Which makes a lot of sense given that he has been around for a while as a Shinigami. So he has the whole physical manifestation of this Zanpukto already. I don't know what else he has to do, but I am guessing that we will not be able to see much of what it is that he does for his training. Which is very disappointing since I wanted some more insight for when we get to that point in our character's training for Bankai.

Oh well, it ends with Ichigo exploding with Spiritual energy and determination that he is going to achieve Bankai. And then Rukia dwelling on Kaien Shiba's death which we get to see next week. It should be an interesting episode to watch that is for sure. The Ichigo look a like will finally make his appearance.

On the subject of Ichigo, I would say that he does end up relying on his hollow. It has saved his life several times from what I have seen already. And what I know about it in the Arrancar it definitely gives him a power boost that is required. But I would imagine that it is pretty natural that if you are going up against a Arrancar that you would need to be Vizard to stand a chance. That is naturally not always the case, as the Captains are strong enough, but they have been training and honing their skills for a hundred years or more. So they are going to be far superior in their Shinigami powers alone than Ichigo. If Ichigo had a hundred years to devote to improving himself he would probably be the strongest shinigami there is, but he is working off inexperience and all of his previous battles. He has taken shortcuts to reach each new plateau. There has been no long training and understanding what he really is. If he remotely understood his spiritual energy he would be a lot better as well.