Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War – 16 – Up Is Down

It looks like Game Over for both Toushirou and Rangiku, as Bazz-B gives way to fellow Stern Ritter Cang Du, the one who stole Toushirou’s bankai and intends to execute him with it.

But leave it to Urahara Kisuke to drop in with a hastily-invented countermeasure that slightly hollowfies the stolen bankai so that they become like poison to the Quincy, like the Arrancar’s Reurrecion. R&D gets realm-wide comms online and Urahara transports the black pills to everyone who either has a bankai or had it stolen.

Like most of Urahara’s inventions, these pills work like a charm, as Toushirou’s bankai returns to him and allows him to encase Cang Du in an icy cross. Oomaeda proves a worthy lieutenant when he snatches Soi Fon from the jaws of death so she can regain her bankai and use it to blow BG9 to smithereens.

As a pissed-off Bambietta Basterbine loses the bankai she stole from “Doggy”, 5th Squad Captain Hirako Shinji engages the Quincy soldiers and uses his bankai to make them confuse enemy with ally and thus kill one another. Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Shuuhei end up in a 3-on-1 match with the Stern Ritter with the persona and style of a 19th century wrassling gentleman.

Eventually Bambi crosses paths with Shinji and immediately wishes she hadn’t. He uses his reality-twisting ability to make left right and up down, making it impossible for her to properly fight him. With Bambi all but neutralized, Shinji prepares to kill her, even if he’s typically against killin’ broads. But that’s when I knew this was yet another temporary victory for the Soul Reapers.

Yhwach has been watching everything unfold with Uryuui by his side, but not really reacting. While at first it seemed like his Stern Ritter losing the bankai they stole is a major setback for the invasion, losing the bankai only unlocks an even more powerful bankai-like stage. Bambi is released from Shinji’s ability and sprouts reddish-pink wings as huge pillars of light topped by five-pointed stars rise over the former Soul Society.

So yeah, the back-and-forth cat-and-mouse game continues apace. With Urahara’s trump card only proving effective for a few minutes, I imagine the 13 Squad captains and lieutenants are in for more defeat and despair until Ichigo can get back in the game.

Alas, the last two episodes he’s been stalled on that dark, greenish walkway.  At least at the end of this latest sequence he seems to sprout four additional irises and pupils within his eye, suggesting he may be getting closer to being ready.

Horimiya: Piece – 04 – The Kotatsu Effect

We didn’t have a kotatsu growing up, but I still related to everyone’s legs getting tangled up when Kyouko, her dad, Izumi, and Souta wake up from their kotatsu-induced naps. I also got the feeling either Kyouko was too lazy to untangle her legs, or if she didn’t want Izumi to leave. Even with her eyesore dad there, it’s such a warm and cozy situation I can understand her not wanting it to change ever. Alas, for Izumi, nature calls!

The kotatsu is the cozy constant in an episode scattered into little vignettes. I liked how the Hori family are looked upon as nothing but trouble by Kakeru’s dad, but Kakeru is still powerless to resist Kyouko’s dad inviting him in to warm up. Kyouko and Izumi wake up surprised to find Kakeru there.

Such is the power of the kotatsu: it puts you out like a light, and who knows who you’ll encounter when you arise! When Kouichi sends a long text meant for a girl to Izumi, it’s Kyouko who sees the message first, and her jealous side kicks in. Even so, Izumi is able to at least briefly cool her burning rage with a surprise kitan kiss.

While Izumi and Tooru hang out at Kakeru’s, Izumi can’t help but take a peek at an old photo album. Since Kakeru and Kyouko have known each other since they were wee, there are lots of photos of them, some in various states of undress (they were wee, after all). It occurs to Kakeru that Kyouko doesn’t mind changing or even bathing in front of him to this day.

Now I’m not sure she’d do the same with Izumi (at least in this stage of their dating). That closeness took years or familiarity to achieve with Kakeru. But it becomes clear that the Horis have always had some kind of hold on the Sengokus, as Hori almost unconsciously shifts to a more sinister demeanor when she realizes the man she bumped into is Kakeru’s dad.

Another evening, when Kyouko and Izumi come home for some kotaku time, they find not only Kakeru but his dad there, Kyouko’s dad having “abducted” both on the street. When Kyouko’s dad proudly declares Izumi is dating his daughter, Kakeru’s dad says his son has no need for a studies-distracting GF. This comes as a surprise to Kyouko and Izumi, who know very well that Kakeru is dating Remi.

Because Kyouko can’t help but mess with a Sengoku, she tries to drop a hint about Kakeru’s secret into the conversation, but it soon becomes dominated by Kyouko and Kakeru’s dads starting to bicker like high schools—because they did go to high school together, along with Kyouko’s mom. Kyouko sees it as the two remaining good friends, and perhaps she’s seeing a potential future if she and her friends remain so in the years to come.

The final kotatsu vignette is a simple affair with just Kyouko and Izumi studying together. The living room seems to have warmer, softer tones with just the two of them, and there’s something so warm and charming about how Kyouko gently feeds Izumi kitan wedges.

Feeling a little frisky, Izumi decides to take Kyouko’s hand and suck the excess juice off her finger, telling her he “cleaned” it for her. Hey, Kyouko did think it felt like she was feeding a cute animal…gotta expect the occasional love nibble!