HM arc = boring or entertaining?

[Mei]

The title is self-explanatory:

Are you pleased with the current plot and development of events?
Or do you feel dissatisfied, because of several reasons
you are invited to express in this thread.

Is there something you´d like to (slightly) change, to accelerate
or to improve (I don´t wish to read any fantasies, fairy-tales, or
far-fetched visions and inspirations or whatever;
please stay as close as possible to the actual story-line)?
If you were one of Kubo´s editors, what´d be your advices for him?

What do you expect as a possible outcome for the HM arc
(will Hime be rescued or will she stay in HM to eventually
destroy the Hougyoku with her rejecting powers?)?
Do you think that it will soon come to an end and a new arc will begin?

Please formulate a résumé like: all in all I´m rather disappointed,
it could have been better, my expectations were not fulfilled or
I like/ love it and wouldn´t wanna change a thing etc.

Important: please no character bashing, shipping-wars or personal insults! Ty

Have fun! :)

[Axie]

I am pleased with this arc. A lot of interesting battles have taken place, and Ichigo is powering up like crazy. I also love the new characters Kubo introduced. Ulquiorra, Grimmjow, Noitora, Halibel... etc I love them all.

XB

I don't expect 'Hime to be rescued yet... Maybe next arc. I think she has to do something with the Hougyoko first, then she'll be rescued.

[Mei]

That´s nice, Axie.
I also like Ulquiorra and Grimmjow a lot and wouldn´t wanna miss them! ^^

[Byakuya]

I think this arc has been terribly boring so far, the only slightly entertaining part of it was when Ichigo 'fought' Ulquiorra, and even that wasn't anything special.
Grimmjow's release was also disappointing, it doesn't seem to give him any special abilities at all. Nothing but a kawaii kitty.

I also very much doubt there's much Ichigo can do at the moment in order to save Orihime-chan, even if he somehow manages to beat Grimmjow I doubt Ulquiorra and the rest of the espada will simply let him walk out of Hueco Mundo with Inoue.

Let's not forget what happened to the rest of the rescue squad D:
Rukia = dead/dying/in Gin's custody.
Chad = dead.
Renji & Ishida = Let's face it, they were barely able to make an unreleased Szyael change his clothes, when he gets back he'll be immune to kidou and Sprenger most likely.

This arc is a failure, not just for Ichigo and his friends but for Bleach as a manga. It has absolutely nothing on the SS arc whatsoever.

[shivath]

So far I do like the characters that have been introduced but feel the story has been lacking a bit. Lack of info/updates on characters. Ie; Rukia and Chad.

[Mei]

Byakuya, you described accurately what I feel in regards to this arc.
I see it as a bad copy of the SS arc.
I´ve not been entertained well enough to actually
like what I´ve read the past months. I even dropped reading Bleach;
only when in chapter 262 an assumed Kaien appeared in the end,
I got interested again.
(And chapter 270 made me once and for all into an IchiRuki shipper! ^^)

[Nama]

I don't have that big of complaints about this arc either. Of course there are some things which I'd prefer to be different, but in the end, it doesn't really matter that much. But honestly, before this arc started, I didn't like the idea of Orihime being kidnapped→another rescue arc, meh. Now, I'd like Orihime to be rescued, but even if she stays, I'm not going to complain. :) As long as she can be with Ulquiorra, she can stay. j/k XD If she were to stay, I don't think she'll be able to reject Hougyoku's existence. . .it's very unlikely.

I have liked the fights during this arc too, they have been more or less entertaining and interesting; excluding a few of them, to say the least. Also, I love/like many of the characters shown in this arc, like Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Halibel, Noitora. . .

So yeah, I like this arc. Some minuses here and there, but otherwise pretty good and entertaining (and I love Grimmjow's release). But I admit that it hasn't been that exciting on the whole. . .I guess that showing my favorite characters makes up for it a little. Still, I wouldn't say that this arc is a great one.

There's one thing I'd like to add, though. . .As of now, Hueco Mundo arc ain't as good as the Soul Society arc. . .but if we compare them to each other regarding the lack of Grimmjow. . . XD But I believe that it can become better than what it is now.

I want some massive plot development, and I admit that I also want this arc to end soon. But my opinion on this might change, if we get something to wonder about.

So, there are things I like about this arc and things that I don't. To sum it up, what I like about this arc are the art, showing some of my favorite characters, some exciting scenes and some of the fights. Anyway, in this arc, I still have liked every single chapter so far (more or less). Not a single one of them was bad. But I do think that some of the fights/scenes were dragged out somewhat. . .

[Dragonthorn]

HM arc isn't done yet, so it's hard to compare between this and SS arc. There's still some twists and turns left for this one.

I think it is a solid arc on its own. Honestly I haven't read a chapter I didn't enjoy. What I liked about this arc is the ART. KT has added a bit more drama and flair to it. And I like his use of the panels.

[Surreal]

I'm bored out of my mind in the last 5 chapters.

The entire HM arc was boring more or less, the lack of true plot advancement, uninteresting fights (Ulq vs Ichigo was the only exception) and the only part I really liked was Rukia vs The Fish Bowl. That was the only part of this arc I find on par with the SS arc or even post SS arc, even tho the ending was um....a bit plotkai induced.

Rukia was awesome ^____^

Also, whats up with the Espada releases? Fish Bowl looked like something a chef would serve in a fancy restaurant and Grimm looks like a combination of Super Saiyan 3 combined with Evil Kitty Monster with a hint of Shadow Skill in it.

Character development for Orihime was laughable at best "Kurosaki-kun sob sob sob" in the last chapters, we have unexplained powerups, a vc injuring an espada with his shikai and other nonsense.

Oh, I almost forgot, Syzel rules, that chapter where he ate his own fraction was a shining beacon in this arc.

Edit:

Kubo has so many great characters in stock, Vaizards, Isshin, Urahara, Yoruichi, captains etc etc. and he shows us the bizzaro SS arc, only this one is boring ;(

[Axie]

Honestly I haven't read a chapter I didn't enjoy. What I liked about this arc is the ART. KT has added a bit more drama and flair to it. And I like his use of the panels.


I agree! Kubo's improving in art, and spacing in the panels to create an effect. He's really getting better. I'm actually enjoying this arc more than the SS arc.

[Agmaster]

The arc drags too much to be enjoyable. It has many moments, but putting it together (with Ichigo and co show up in HM until now) is less than satisfactory. I mean how much time could really have passed in all these chapters? With so little time, much can't even be expected with how the chapters are paced.

[Dragonthorn]

It's hard to live up to the SS arc since it was revolutionary at the time. All Ichigo had been fighting before then were just random hollows.

Presentation-wise, as I've said, this arc exceeds everything that came before it. Plot-wise... still too early to tell. I've always seen this arc as a somewhat 'intermediate arc' (for lack of a better term) since there was a much larger arc that was hinted before it - the winter war. That's what everyone was training for before this.

[Cookie-chan]

It started nice, but with the current developments in the manga, id have to say im starting to get bored (infact, i stopped downloading the current episodes, i just read the chater discussions here in BA)

I want to see more character development.. more stories behind the characters! (Atleast in SS arc, i went crazy waiting for the Shinigami's zapankuto release, the captain's bankai, plus the comic reliefs courtesy of Yachiru, Hanataru, Ganju and even Orihime..)

This arc has been too heavy, and too depresing.. I wanna see Rukia, Shinji, even Isshin, there's Ryuuken too. Even Aizen has been on hiatus for a long time now..

<Sigh> Sorry bout my ramblings..

[debbiechan]

It feels slow to me. But maybe that's because when we were being presented with SS, every character was new and every clue was fascinating. This time we have lots of loose ends, haven't seen favorite characters for a while, and people get impatient.

Kubo's drawing skill seems to have skyrocketed right around the chapter he went to Urahara's. There's something different going on. I can't put my finger on it, but it seems like Kubo is drawing with deliberation.

At least I can enjoy the artwork if the plot's too slow for me.

[vaizado]

I think it has had its ups and downs, imo. Ups like Ichigo's current fight, development of 'Hime, etc. But big downs like Chad getting pwned so easily [again] after getting a new power up, and storyline pace being a bit slow. So, for me every week I feel a bit different about this arc.

Gotta agree with people saying that Kubo's art has gotten amazing. I have a friend who dislikes BLEACH's storyline, but he reads it JUST cause of the artwork.

[Tomodachi69]

I love the art and the new characters. I love the fights. I don't love the plot. It does feel extremely slow, but later, I may read a couple of chapters back to back to get a better feel of the arc.

[Beee]

Some parts have been pretty boring, but I think this HM arc seems more like an in-between arc between the SS and the next one (someone said that before lol... don't remember who though). I don't think this arc is as bad and as boring as some think. I think many people expected something amazing and much better than the SS arc, which didn't quite happen. I'd say that the SS arc is a little overrated as well.

I kinda find odd how many people hate the GJ release because Iunno....I kinda expected this kind of form all along lol. I mean.. what else to expect?! xD he's a friggin savage animal/beast that likes to fight and kill so I think this form suits him perfectly =P

while this arc has a good number of holes and oddness, there are some really good points I've seen from it. I loved the desert bros thingy, the new characters which mostly seem quite interesting and Ichigo's evilness' evolution! But seriously I think it's a little too early to really judge of the HM arc. We've seen many mini-segments of it, and we've seen the end of none so far which might be the reason why some people are angry.. so yeah I think it's best to wait. So far, I've re-read the whole part yesterday and it's quite entertaining I think.

[Syn]

Where. Is. The. Plot.
That sentence shall resume what I think about the arc. It had some good (very good indeed) moments, but for the most part, it's boring (and the epitom of its boredom is right now).
The first 10 chapters were okay. Then, 10 chapters boring with useless fight against the Tres Cifres. Then, 10 awesome chapters that could easily compare with the SS arc. Then 10 ok to oh shit, how boring chapters. And right now it's more gimme anything but the fight and Inoue and her Kurosaki-kun, please. Anything would do, even Szayel chosing a new skirt.

It's not that I don't like fights. I love them when they're done right. But the current fight just extends the boredom fest. And the plot? Where is the plot? I feel that something is amiss, that Kubo is hiding something bigger on purpose (or at least I hope?) and it's driving me crazy.
As for the characters, I'm sorry, but aside Szayel, Aaro, GJ and Ulq, we barely know them. We have a few panels, with a few words at best (!) how is that character development? Far from it, really. During the SS arc, there was a lot of character development, but it seems that Kubo stopped it to merely throw some names and new design here and there. And please, Kubo, give Inoue some resolution, because it hurts to watch her like this. She was way stronger and likeable during the SS arc. >_<

[Surreal]

Where. Is. The. Plot.

Syn just renamed the arc perfectly. Fits so much better ^___^

[Serph]

Where. Is. The. Plot.


*nods in agreement*

To be honest, the only thing I enjoyed were some of the fights, Rukia and Arro, that was one of my favourites, Ichigo vs. Uliq, Renji Vs. Zael, and Ishida vs. Ch...(I forgot her name!)

And let's not forget Nell! So cute!

Other than that, I expected more or better action, and I wish they were fast paced when they're an Ichigo vs. (put espada name here) fights. It's taking a long time to decide the outcome of Ichigo vs. Grimmjow, and I'm worried about future Ichigo fights, how many chapters will it be before we see the end of this arc (Which I'm guessing might end the rescue mission in failure)?

[Shinrin]

Boring?... No

Less suprising...yes

[Jhaxe]

Honestly, I both love and hate this arc. For the protagonists, it's a major failure. At first it seemed intended t' show their development, but they were mostly defeated. Rukia had nothin' but a repeated nightmare from her past. Chad got the crap beat out of him...again...An' Ishida an' Renji worked together to defeat Szayel, only t' have him regenerate himself and then tell them he'll be back once he changes his clothes. Instead of showing character progression, it seems t' be leanin' in towards how much more powerful the enemy is.

Now, on another note, but the same topic, this arc allows us t' explore the world of the arrancar. Before this arc, we knew very little of the arrancar, espada, an' how they lived. Now, as this arc has progressed, we've learned about many individual arrancar, an' how they are extremely diverse an' unique.

This arc has done more t' introduce us t' the true enemy instead of having anything t' do with rescuin' Orihime. That seemed an' most likely was, doomed from the start, right from the point when Orihime decided she was goin' t' reject the Hogyouku. It doesn't seem like she'll want t' leave and sway from her plan. Especially over the last couple of chapters.

Lookin' at it this way, it's actually showin' the main characters' weaknesses. Rukia's old memories causin' her hesitation and possibly, her death. Chad's determination causin' his downfall by Noitora. Ishida's methods being obsolete in the mind of Szayel. Renji bein' unable to plan accordingly an' his strength finally failin' him.

An' at the end of it all: Ichigo's confidence and growth. In this arc, from what I've seen, Orihime is both the means of Ichigo's power and the means of his downfall. Lookin' back on the latest chapters, Orihime's reactions t' Ichigo's new power foreshadows him losin'. The way she looks at him in fear, an' he looks at her in sadness, I instantly came to the conclusion he was beginnin' to lose his confidence.

Ichigo got more powerful t' save Orihime, but her reactions are, at the moment, what decides whether Ichigo wins or loses. And right now, it's pointin' towards the latter.

This arc seems t' be goin' in the direction of Ichigo's flaws bein' brought t' light and causin' some serious damage t' his character.

So, basically, I don't think Orihime is goin' home. I think someone *might* die, the rescue group will barely escape alive, and Ichigo will be facin' extreme depression and begin t' question his very morals.

From my point of view, this arc is like a main character confidence basher...

However, I like the storyline, an' the revelations about the Espada an' arrancar, an' Gin's an' Aizen's talks. So, overall, I like the Arc, but the character hurt in this arc is almost overwhelmin'.

[Peachilicious]

I remember I decided to take a break from Bleach around chapter 224 or so, because I was finding it really hard reading one chapter a week. Even though there was a lot going on, it still felt like the story was moving so slowly. So thinking that it would all read better if I let the chapters pile up a bit, I stopped downloading the manga for almost a year during school.

Now I can honestly say that I'm very happy I made that decision. Backtracking a bit and re-reading from around chapter 200 or so, and then reading all the chapters I let build up (around 225-270), I was completely absorbed in the story all over again. Everything was moving smoothly and at a good pace, and the plot didn't feel like it was dragging at all. I think part of the problem may be that when reading one chapter a week, it's very easy to look at it like "ok, so what's interesting about these 19 pages", rather than how said pages tie in and add to the story as a whole. So for anyone who feels bored with the current arc, or even the pacing in general, I strongly recommend taking a break for a while and catching up later. Bleach is best read in batches, in my opinion.

Now that I'm done with my little spiel (lol ;)) I'll start being a little more on-topic. Reading much of it straight though as opposed to on a weekly basis, I'm really enjoying the HM arc. I love the new characters that have been introduced (many of my favorite characters in Bleach in general are Espadas) and I'm very excited to see them developed further. I'm also enjoying every second of Orihime's "downward" spiral and gradual breakdown. It's fascinating to me and it seems so natural, it's really made me love her character. I'm also enjoying seeing Ichigo develop further in regard to his vaizard abilities. As everyone has noticed, his demeanor has changed quite a bit in recent chapters, and I'm very excited to see where his "instincts" have in store for him next.

So all in all, I'm enjoying the HM arc quite a bit, even if I'm back to reading one chapter a week now. Perhaps in month I'll preemptively take another break so I don't have the chance to get bored...:rotflmao

[Velius]

I think the lack of plot and slow feeling this arc directly comes from the way this arc was approached: We all knew going in that this mission wasn't going to go very smooth, to make the understatement of the last 50 chapters. This arc was made out to be a 'failure' almost from the get go, pretty much from the point where the group split up.

After that nothing really mattered. Not only to us (the only thing we were really thinking was how is each good guy going to lose), but also in the way the arc had to be presented as a whole. Now, I don't know what Kubo is thinking (I don't think anyone can :D), but this very lackluster part of the story must be for a reason.

It might just be that it is simply unavoidable. It might be, like Syn hoped, that there is an actual reason for it all, a big surprises as a result. It might be that Kubo doesn't have to give it his all for this for a many number of reasons:

Lots of introductions of new characters, giving a feel of randomness to the plot (but when is anything 'random' with Kubo?) . Lots of reused plot ideas, SS parallels. Almost the same overall story as the SS arc. These things and many more may contribute to why Kubo isn't bringing his best story telling to his audience.


For me, I have enjoyed this arc, despite the lack of story. There have lots of cool moments (chapter 262 anyone?!), lots of cool fights (Yes, I'm a guy. :D Big explosions and lots of blood are sweet.) and a decent amount of character development, especially in the fighting aspect.

[Geta Boshi]

Its starting to get intresting now its peaked . Leaving te Rukia VS Espada9 fight the arc felt like it was getting dragged before . Also the pacing of this arc has been little slow but this arc is growing on me thanx to Bleach op ^^

[Sola]

A little boring but also entertaining.

[EternalDream]

I think, if the people who loved and adored SS arc keep comparing it to HM, they'll never be happy with this arc. It ISN'T SS arc, nor is it supposed to be. I've heard the "oh, it's a recycled plot line" said over and over again, but really, the only similarities I see are that new ppl are introduced, there are fights, and it's a rescue arc. Big whoopdy. 2 of those have been happening consistantly throughout Bleach. HM is an arc of its own. I didn't think SS was all that "Great" until the plotline was revealed at the end, with Aizen being the true villain and Rukia's execution and all that. That's when it was titled to being called "Great", but certainly not before.

I also read HM arc all the way through up until about 15 chapters ago, give or take a few, so it's flowed much more smoothly for me.

So do I find this arc boring? Not in the least. It may get a little tedius during the week, when I'm anxiously awaiting the next chapter, but other than that I think this arc has rocked hard so far.

And the artwork is smokin' hot. XD

[StarryInoueSky]

I agree! Kubo's improving in art, and spacing in the panels to create an effect. He's really getting better. I'm actually enjoying this arc more than the SS arc.

I second that! :D I really enjoy reading Bleach the more and more it goes on. :)

And I find this Arc to be nice and stuff. Not because of a few things, but the action and battles and stuff. :D It's interesting and I don't think it's a copy of SS arc. Here, Inoue is just a prisoner, she's not going to die, there is no 'expiration' date. Also, we have STRONGER opponents and much more 'serious' fights and issues.

@EternalDream: I have a big idea on why this arc isn't really liked by a lot of people. *shrugs* Their loss, I suppose.. or not. We each have our own views and all.

[Kristen]

I just want the arc to get to the point. That's it o.o;;

[Geta Boshi]

HM ARC lacks a side story/ sub plot . In the SS ARC it was Who killed Aizen : Gin Toshiro or even Bya . The element of suprise and suspense is missing . But before passing my judgment I will wait for the arc to end .

[Slev]

Bleach has never had great pacing, but damn does this arc feel horribly slow. I just can't seem to get excited about anything this arc has to offer anymore. Rukia vs. Aaroneiro was a nice boost, imo, but ever since then this arc has just been going downhill.

Grimmjow vs. Ichigo feels so anti-climactic that I can't get into it. I've been looking forward to this fight for a while, too. However, with the way this fight started, along with the fact that Ichigo just got his ass kicked a couple minutes ago, I just can't get excited about the fight anymore. The rest of the fights outside of Rukia vs. Aaroneiro haven't interested me. Plus, wtf is with Renji/Ishida vs. Szayel? If that fight is going to continue I will get even more mad.

Now to quote Syn.

Where. Is. The. Plot.

Yep.

Add in the problems I have with Orihime's character and you have an arc that bores me. It might be too early to pass judgment, though, as KT still has a chance to pull the arc together. I guess I'm just not very interested in what happens in this Hueco Mundo arc anymore. I'm more interested in the loose ends left back in Karakura: Ryuuken, Isshin, Tatsuki, Vaizards, etc.

[aznxenocide]

Yes. This arc is unbelievably slow.

Action seems pretty promising for when the anime releases it...but dear god, battles/development take FOREVER.

lol@syn. I missed that caustic tact of your's. ^.^

[Annie]

It could have been better imo. We are in the main protagonist's base, we could have learn so much about Aizen and his plans, have some plot development or heck even characters development. Now after 40+ chapters we got nothing for the plot or on the development. Even the main cast doesn't seem to grow at all, expect from Rukia's fight which just sloved her nightmare. Now we are at the supposedly the fnal fight of this arc and what did we learn from the past fourty chapters? Nothing. So far this arc is boring.

[aznxenocide]

Final battle?! Really?!?! What?!?!?!

....What about all the other espada and Aizen? o.O Right? Or did I totally miss something? XD

[Llama]

I think I missed something too because I am expecting two more battles from Ichigo(later on), some other characters fight(later on), plot development, character development, and a big plot twist.

[Geta Boshi]

Yeah meh to agrees on this with Llama Mid Boss ( Noi Noi ?? ) and Final Boss
( Ulqi ?? )

[Annie]

Final battle?! Really?!?! What?!?!?!

....What about all the other espada and Aizen? o.O Right? Or did I totally miss something? XD

We are talking about this arc right? Do you think we'll see Ichigo beat the hell out of them in this arc? :rolleyes:

ps geez I said 'supposedly' and some just have to jump at me in no time.

[Slev]

I wouldn't be surprised if this was the final battle of this arc. Grimmjow has been portrayed as a bigger enemy to Ichigo than any of the other arrancar. I've always felt that this rescue would fail, so I feel that it would be best to close out the arc with Ichigo taking down the guy who he has been wanting to fight for a while. Throw in something that gives Ichigo and co. no option but to retreat to get them out of there. Of course I'm not the one making decisions, meh.

[Saint Jack]

HM ARC lacks a side story/ sub plot . In the SS ARC it was Who killed Aizen : Gin Toshiro or even Bya . The element of suprise and suspense is missing . But before passing my judgment I will wait for the arc to end .

Agree it does lack the mystery and intrigue that SS had. And yeah I think SS was more of a adventure feeling with the unbrideled confidence of youth. Though the heroes were facing impossible odds, and there were many dramatic moments, you kinda knew in the very back of your mind the heroes would be victorious. It also was more "fun" and had lots of comedy moments interspliced, and had many characters with different interesting personalities and beliefs with many switches in alliances.

Anyway, the HM arc is somewhat different. Its more like a descent, where it seems failure is a distinct possiblity. The heroes have few allies and it has the atompshere of despair. Also many characters are journeying into their own "hearts of darkness" and even if they (or have already) overcome it, the hope for return seems almost impossible. Maybe its not what everyone was hoping for but in a way I find it interesting because it is something different.

[aznxenocide]

We are talking about this arc right? Do you think we'll see Ichigo beat the hell out of them in this arc? :rolleyes:

ps geez I said 'supposedly' and some just have to jump at me in no time.

lol I seriously thought I missed an entire chapter or something. XD Sorry about that.

eh. It's also been set up for an Ichigo vs. Ulq fight...although we'll see what sort of shape he's in after he beats/loses to Grimmjaw. ehh...so what, do you think they'll just keep postponing the final showdown with Aizen? Seems sorta lame, doesn't it?

[Slev]

ehh...so what, do you think they'll just keep postponing the final showdown with Aizen? Seems sorta lame, doesn't it?

I don't think Bleach is anywhere near ending. I wouldn't expect the final showdown with Aizen anytime soon. :O

[Beee]

lol I seriously thought I missed an entire chapter or something. XD Sorry about that.

eh. It's also been set up for an Ichigo vs. Ulq fight...although we'll see what sort of shape he's in after he beats/loses to Grimmjaw. ehh...so what, do you think they'll just keep postponing the final showdown with Aizen? Seems sorta lame, doesn't it?

I don't think we'll ever see a AizenIchigo showdown in this arc... It's just not meant to be. and I'm not even sure it was set up for an Ichiorra fight either. The Grichigo fight sounded like a much more realistic option because of the 2 previous fights.

I say that we'll see the end of this fight, and then this arc will go towards the end and we'll be setting up for the third part of the "death trilogy" (the title of vol.6 being "the death trilogy overture")

part 0 : zomg I see Hollow
---
part 1 : Shinigamiland
part 2 : Arrankarland
part 3 : the winterwar
---
final part : final battle vs Aizen? (since bleach didn't flat out start with the SSarc I assume it will not end with the "trilogy" either... for the sake for symetry xD)

So yeah, I think this arc is about to end soon since Renji and Ishida are probably going to escape since pollomon is just nullifying everything, Rukia and Chad and dying and Ichigo well... is probably going to do something. I have absolutely no Idea how it'll go, but I feel like something will happen and the 5 of them will be back in SS/human world somewhere soon (like perhaps in the next 5-10 chapters) ...since Aizen is definetely not gonna die just yet. Too many plotholes left to fill out and Ichigo is just plain too weak and won't really get much stronger by himself just like that. IMO, the plot just cannot advance any further unless :
1- Ichigo, with the help of divine interventions and possibly Chuck Norris, find a way to kill GJ, the espada, Tousen, Gin and Aizen all at the same time
2- The group retreats. How? No idea, but it seems like the most likely way to me :p

[Mei]

Jhaxe:
An' at the end of it all: Ichigo's confidence and growth. In this arc, from what I've seen, Orihime is both the means of Ichigo's power and the means of his downfall. Lookin' back on the latest chapters, Orihime's reactions t' Ichigo's new power foreshadows him losin'. The way she looks at him in fear, an' he looks at her in sadness, I instantly came to the conclusion he was beginnin' to lose his confidence.

Ichigo got more powerful t' save Orihime, but her reactions are, at the moment, what decides whether Ichigo wins or loses. And right now, it's pointin' towards the latter.

This arc seems t' be goin' in the direction of Ichigo's flaws bein' brought t' light and causin' some serious damage t' his character.

I agree with your points.

Shinji told Ichigo something about that his friends
will be shocked by his hollow side and will supposedly
abandon him because of his dark, evil, bloodthirsty hollow inside him.
I think that this foreshadowed the events in the HM arc and can
be regarded as a main theme of character development.
Hime realizes that Ichigo is not simply the knight in shining
armor without any flaws, but he also has a characteristic feature
to him that is the whole opposite to his protecting traits:
killer instinct, enjoying the fight, wanting to kill.
I hope that this realization will trigger some character
development in Hime (and I´m rather optimistic about this aspect,
because it´s time for her to change in some way....).

The last chapter was also very telling: their gazes crossed paths.
Ichigo saw Hime´s deeply scarred, frightened expression.
His insecurities, fears and worries about how his friends might
react towards his hollow side came true.
It was just one small panel that showed a close up view of
Ichigo´s face that is still covered with his mask,
so it´s difficult to read his countenance. But for me it
looked like he was looking down in embarresment (?),
in disappointment, in sadness, frustration and then he
immediately left Hime and rushed towards Grimmjow.
I think he´ll lose some of his self-confidence and thus his will to fight.
The spoiler for chapter 283 said that Ichigo´s mask will break.
I think that this might have been additionally caused by Hime´s
look.
All in all I hope that this little theory might in the end point
to some character development! :)

[NightMare]

The arc is very good cause lots of thing happened such as:Rukia and Chad are ''dead'' Noitora appears Renji and Ishida team up against Apollo Ichigo fights Ulquiorra and finally the big and 3ed rematch between Grimmjow and Ichigo!!!What else you want?

[ezxx]

It's been probably the least engaging extended arc but i still like it otherwise I would have stopped reading it way back at the privion espada fights; this of course does not mean I want the arc to continue for much longer.

[Marionette]

The problem with your question is: the only people who will be answering it are people who are still reading Bleach. And of course this arc brought its own share of new fans; but that number is nothing compared to how many people dropped the series since the post SS arcs.

The problem is that arc has no plot, and proved Kubo completely wrong on the "awesome characters will naturally carry out the plot". Character development wise...it has its moments, but there have been a lot of really cheesy scenes (if I can remember them at all).

[Ulquiorra]

entertaining, in my opinion. The arc may not have any significant plot advancement, but the fights are entertaining enough to keep me interested.

[Mei]

The problem with your question is: the only people who will be answering it are people who are still reading Bleach.

My question was of course meant for those people who still read Bleach and are familiar with the plot development and events/ fights that took place.
But I assume that most people who frequent this forum are still following Bleach.
People who are no longer reading Bleach won´t be able to answer this question.
And I myself dropped reading Bleach as well, but got interested again
with chapter 262 and Rukia´s fight against Arroniero.

[Gintoki]

I'm pretty enjoying this arc, there have been far worse arcs. Ofcourse it's no SS Arc, because it was unique and it will always be unique. This arc showed us most of the Espada and maybe will show even more of them. I think this arc will conclude with the Final Battle of Ichigo vs Grimmjow, which fits very well. This is truly a good ending for an arc.

[Beee]

I think this arc will conclude with the Final Battle of Ichigo vs Grimmjow, which fits very well. This is truly a good ending for an arc.

I'm getting the same feeling too :D

Besides I don't think there's much more left to do in HM...at least for now :rolleyes:

[taicho]

there is certainly a lot of action in the Hm arc and i like it quite a lot but i miss the comedic moments of the soul society arc a bit (like ganju or hanataro) now its just serious

[Mz D]

I do like this arc, but it has suffered because I've been reading it 19 pages at a time. When re-reading it the chapters do flow a bit better.

Kubo has a bad habit of jumping between some fights, he did the same in SS. At least in HM we've stayed through most of the fights until they were concluded. I think I would have gone nuts if there was a chapter break with Rukia V'S Espada9. There have been lots of good fights in this arc and I do miss some of the humour but we've got Nell and her "brothers" for that.

[Marionette]

My question was of course meant for those people who still read Bleach and are familiar with the plot development and events/ fights that took place.
But I assume that most people who frequent this forum are still following Bleach.
People who are no longer reading Bleach won´t be able to answer this question.
And I myself dropped reading Bleach as well, but got interested again
with chapter 262 and Rukia´s fight against Arroniero.
Oh I didn't mean that it was wrong of you to ask that, I'm just saying that you wouldn't get the most accurate answer for a general survey on opinion of Bleach here, since if they are here they must enjoy it still on some degree. I’m just saying that I know for many fans that this isn’t the case.

[Shirosaki]

i like the fights, tho they could be progressing on the story itself a little more

[Mei]

Oh I didn't mean that it was wrong of you to ask that, I'm just saying that you wouldn't get the most accurate answer for a general survey on opinion of Bleach here, since if they are here they must enjoy it still on some degree. I’m just saying that I know for many fans that this isn’t the case.

Ah, alright Marionette; now I understand you properly. ^^
And of course you´re right.
I´d like to know more about the fans you mentioned who dropped Bleach (their reasons; I´ve almost dropped Bleach completely as well).

Judging the thread so far there seem to be a lot of members who of course enjoy reading Bleach; but there are also some fans who are rather disappointed and hope that the plot (....which plot?) will soon advance and they have faith that the story-telling, character-development will improve.

[Rain]

i like this arc, almost as much as the Soul Society arc. this arc is much more serious but I think it will focus on everyone (in Ichigo's group) better and the "Villians" are cooler.

[SPLENDiD 0NE]

hmm well im pleased with most parts :rolleyes: but some parts can be real bullshitty and random :yell

[Guildenstern]

Started out pleased and interested, ramped up into "OMFG AWESOME" right around the time the Rukia vs #9 + Orihime pimpslapping Ulquiorra events occurred, then suffered a tragic backslide into "...Hmm, well." right about when Ichigo started his marathon fight session.

Hopefully it's beginning to ascend back into "OMFG AWESOME" territory soon with the apex of Grimmy/Ichigo fight.

[Sergelia]

IMO the high peak of HM arc, and its only light-in-the-darkness, was Rukia vs. Aaroniero (admittedly I adore Ulquiorra and Orihime's interactions, but sometimes I think they served just to sugar up the incredible boringness that was Bleach). We haven't had a fight so original in a long long time - I mean usually it's just Mad Reiatsu + Testosterone + Insane Powerups. I enjoyed Rukia's Kidou and Aaroniero's clever mind manipulation more than the usual I-cut-you - You-cut-me; it felt freshening.

Other than that, I thought a lot about it and I feel... we don't really know Ichigo anymore. When was the last time we got some gooood insight into his feelings and thoughts? There's that eerie feeling of him always being treated like an *object* in the HM arc, mainly because we either see him through Orihime's eyes or through fights. I feel there might be some CD (character development) coming on his part, but let me tell you - I miss the old, cool, confident Ichigo who knew what he wanted and beat the crap out of everyone, with style. So yeah, HM arc pretty much loses in that part.

In conclusion, I like some parts of HM separately; I like the Espada, I LOVED the Rukia vs. Aaro fight, Ulquiorra rocks beyond awesome. But when it's all combined, I saw that HM really wasn't all that much - its bits and pieces just... don't work. They failed to spark interest in me.

[Rain]

I'm still wishing for some huge fight between Ichigo and co. and the Espada. Ichigo and co. will probably get destroyed but it would be awesome to see a mass battle (rare for any shonen manga).

[Ikkaku]

Now, I find it hard to judge properly the arc at this point. And I'll tell you why. Most people, probably rightly are assusming the arc is going to end shortly. (Ch. 269 The end is near, hints at this just a little. However, that was three months ago now....)

But lets take one of these SS arc comparisions here. A lot of people compare this fight to Renjis, however, i feel a Byakura is also an appropiate comparison. From the moment he came to take Rukia home, people have always known that the final battle of the SS arc was going to be Byakura. This battle with Grimjow has had much the same inevitabilty about it. Not nessicarily a bad thing, but a good comparision to make.

Anyway, back to my main point here (Sorry, i tend to ramble). Say the SS arc had ended with the Byakura fight, and the murder of Aizen had turned out to be something as predictable as Gin (Because we all knew, hand on heart, he probably did it). The whole "end of hyponis" mini-arc and the tetonic shift it caused in the bleach plot would never have come to light, and Bleach would be half the series it is today. And yet, few were predicting it, and even fewer could geuss at how good it all was. And thats where i feel Bleach is at, at the moment. On the cusp of something big, Maybes.

This arc isnt over yet. Its only upon rereading the SS arc that i relise I didnt enjoy every last bit of it, In much the same way i dont enjoy all of this arc. But Im not even going to pretend to make my mind up till its properly over.

[Rain]

I don't see the whole HM arc ending anytime soon, which is good in my opinion because it leaves time for something really unpredictable/unexpected to happen.

[ruukii]

Hueco Mundo arc has its highs and lows >.< there are the times where i love it at the best: Rukia's Sodeno Shirayuki final dance, Ichigo goes power-up, Nell!!! XDDD, Rukia's past with Kaien. but sometimes the plot can be too exaggerating and boring, that i wish it ends soon ~_~ sometimes also i feel that Kubo-sensei has lost his touch >.>;;

[tehworstguy]

As Ikkaku said, a lot the problems people have with this arc probably stem from the fact that it is still in progress. People expressed similar feelings about the SS arc. I recall reading old threads about "The Arc that Wouldn't End." HM may not seem like much in comparison to SS, but a lot of the greatness of SS was only shown in retrospect.

I think the only aspect of this arc that was totally superfluous and devoid of plot advancement were the fights in tres cifres. There were bits of development squeezed between the fights that helped draw the landscape of HM, such as Doldonh's flashback, Ulq's conversations with Inoue and Noitra. I find the lack of focus on the character dynamics of the espada annoying. I guess Kubo doesn't want this arc to balloon into the size of the SS arc. They have been building slowly though, so I guess it seems like it's Kubo's intention to reveal them in full during the Winter War.

Elsewhere, though, I think the plot has been advancing consistently - at Aizen's direction (just like in the SS arc, really). As I see it, it's just been harder to measure. We don't have Ichigo defeating progressively stronger enemies and getting progressively closer to Inoue, as he did with Rukia. He isn't as closely associated with the plot as he was before. Inoue is the only clear benchmark of the plot's progress, but that's only clear upon examining her psychology. The best way to describe the plot of the current arc is not in terms of enemies defeated, but in terms of friends defeated.

[Nell]

Where. Is. The. Plot.


QFT. That's one question I'd like to know its answer so badly >__< I do expect that there will be some great twist at one point that we will all go WTH but the process sure is boring to no end. There should be a limit for "Kurosaki-kun sob sob sob" and those ceros flying in the air. Even the fights seems so lame, I mean where is the technique whatsoever? Fights between zanpakatous were way better, at least there were some interesting attacks which were worth to watching. The only thing that stops me from totally discarding this arc is the hope that it will all turn out to have some significant meaning. Otherwise, it just seems like a waste of chapters >__>

[Rain]

I feel that this arc is an improved version of the SS arc (plot wise, writing, characters and such) but because of this lacks the originality of the SS arc making it boring and inferior, in most fans eyes anyway.

[Mz D]

I'm still enjoying it, there's plenty of plot twists to keep me amuse but I think it's hard to keep perspective because it's not over yet. I can look back on the Soul Society arc and see that there was a nice build up and character's being developed. I feel the same could be said for HM and it's a mirror for a reason.

I still have the thought to wait and see before putting this arc down.

[Enth]

I think its a little unfair to judge a currently incomplete Heuco Mundo Arc with the completed Soul Society Arc for example...

So far though, I believe the Heuco Mundo Arc is superior to the Arrancar Arc...Looking back and reading through the entire HM Arc up to this point just reminds me how good it is when it all comes together...It works IMO.

High points have been "that chapter" where the Desert Bros showed up, Rukia's fight with Aaroniro, and the current battle, Ichigo VS Grimmjow.

I'm expecting this Arc to get better and better as well...

[Rain]

Some may say it's boring (not me I love this arc), but each new chapter gets around what, 300 posts in 3-4 days? I can't imagine a boring arc would get that many people talking about a single chapter.

[Llama]

If the main character is defeated by someone, then he usually beats that person later on(Except for the main villain, he isn't beaten until the very end). He was defeated by Ulquiorra. I predict a rematch near the very end of this arc.

[Mei]

I can't imagine a boring arc would get that many people
talking about a single chapter.

Mhm, well, you know: not every post is about:
"whoa, great, I can´t believe it; such a plot twist, nooo, whoa!!!!"

There´re also posts like: "--___-- or O_o" for example.

Not to forget: a lot of former Bleach addicts
dropped reading Bleach completely
or are just following the latest events
rather halfheartedly.
Other people even skip certain chapters.

[Rain]

@MeiYara- I agree with you. Also, I don't know how popular the SS arc was when those chapters were coming out, but after reading/looking over each new chapters thread "boring" is not a word that comes ro mind.

[Mei]

I regard the chapter threads with its huge post counts
as excitement over the newest chapter that in the end,
something really considerable might occur, but mhm,
I was rather bored the latest chapters,
though I posted in these chapter threads nonetheless.

But well, I think it´s getting better:
Hime snapped out of her paralysis, Ichigo got
around to injure Grimmjow heavily, but he (Grimmy)
doesn´t give up; we learn more about Arrancars and
Hime cheered for Ichigo (starting point of a bond of friendship
between the two...? Some development in the end;
at least something to begin with).
But to be honest: the fight between Grimmjow
and Ichigo wasn´t really that....exciting.
Too much "clash, boom, dundun" for my taste;
but what can I say: it´s Shounen after all.
It +is+ about fighting.
But you know: there´re so many loose ends
I´d like to know more about: other Espadas
(Stark!!! :yell Halibel!! :yell more Ulquiorra!!),
Gin, Aizen :love, WunderWeiß, the Hougyoku and:
R-u-k-i-a!!! :yell

Kubo should advance the plot already
and get to the point; it´s dragging too much.
If this is supposed to be the final fight of the arc
(regarding the number of chapters dedicated for it,
then it´s highly possible), then, please: next chapter:
conclusion, end!! Ty :p

[thatbabo]

On it's own, the HM arc is mediocre at best.

If you compare it to the whole of Bleach, it's bottom of the barrel.

[Sergelia]

On it's own, the HM arc is mediocre at best.

If you compare it to the whole of Bleach, it's bottom of the barrel.


Quoted for truth.


I don't know... The SS arc developed so many new characters and made them so great; the fights were cool (remember the excitement everyone felt about each new bankai? Remember the tension? Remember how Hinamori went psycho? So do you see any of it now?)

But, I have to give Kubo something - Ch. 284 might be a good step forward. I applaud at the thought of the plot actually deepening... yay. <3

And other than my RWS pumping like crazy, I want Chad back as well. His new powers were so cool. I want to see more of them - and for once I want him to stop being the goddamn punching bag for new villains to test their strength on. He deserves it! I want him and Ichigo to protect each other's back like they promised to. T__T Let's face it, recent chapters haven't done much plot-development wise. They developed Orihime (a tiny bit), Grimmjow (once again, 284 is LOVE) and Nell (her having faith in Ichigo is so adorable). But... somehow, it all seems lacking.

Still I have faith - 284 made me regain it. *nod*

[*QTB_247*]

On it's own, the HM arc is mediocre at best.

If you compare it to the whole of Bleach, it's bottom of the barrel.

I couldn't agree with you more. This arc bores the hell out of me. The only exciting part was the rukia/kaien fight, imo. And i can't forget the Orihime slap. I don't really like her, but in that moment , I loved her. And that was it for me.

But any way, another down side to this arc is the fact that chad and rukia suddenly dissapered form exientence. I WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM NOW. ARE THEY FREAKIN ALIVE OF FREKIN DEAD. :mad::mad::mad::mad:

That is all i have to say for now.

[AnimeGirlPan]

I think this arc is entertaining when theres action involved

[ForteAnly]

This arc is good I like it. Sure it does have it's slow times from some chapters but nonetheless good though. The winter war is going to beat all of these arcs hands down.

[Starwing]

I don't think Bleach was ever meant to be read one chapter a week. Because Kubo doesn't plan his story week by week. He doesn't say, 'oh, this week I'll do this and I'll make sure to put something interesting in.' He's planning for the whole story and of course it takes a while for all the boring parts of a story to come together so the whole becomes more than the sum of parts.

The one thing I felt distinctly lacking in HM is a goal. In SS, we always KNEW what the goal was --> to rescue Rukia. And because we were so focused on that goal, Kubo was able to slip the subplot below us and catch us by surprise when Aizen 'died,' then came back all big and bad. Ichigo reminded us almost every single chapter; he was there to save Rukia. Even Uryuu and Orihime talked about Rukia occasionally, not to mention Renji. Their determination was evident in every interaction.

But when I read HM, I keep wondering, 'what's the point?' I'm also uncertain as to the priorities of this arc. Even at the beginning, there were reservations, with Renji saying that they need to come back alive. It seems like the determination of the rescuers died the moment Rukia's fight ended. The goal shifted - get everyone out of there safely. Then Chad fell and... sigh... Now the story doesn't feel driven because they characters are not driven. Most of them, by this point, feels like they are fighting for their lives. Why were they there again? To save Orihime? To fight? To die? The goals are so unclear here.

No doubt Kubo will be able to do a lot with what he has so far and come up with a great plot twist. However, right at this moment, I'm not terribly driven to read because I don't see the point of this arc. Like Syn says. Plot?

[eave]

Well, it started off interesting, it got interesting especially up to Nell..but now i just want to know what the heck is going on with Rukia and Chad -_- plus well ive been anticipating ahead of myself for the story behind Isshin..kinda wat im looking forward to :D so basically ive been indifferent towards the whole HM cuz i prefer SS arc atm >_<

[Renegade Raine]

I love the Hueco Mundo arc. Hell, I might not have gotten into Bleach as much as I am now if it weren't for the arrancars appearing. Of course, I started reading (and caught up to) Bleach around the time of Luppi and the others invading Karakura Town, so that might influence my view a little.

Really, I'm just happy seeing ANYTHING with Arrancars and/or Orihime. Although I'll admit that a couple of fights are dragging on far longer than they need to. :\

[Beee]

But you know: there´re so many loose ends
I´d like to know more about: other Espadas
(Stark!!! :yell Halibel!! :yell more Ulquiorra!!),
Gin, Aizen :love, WunderWeiß, the Hougyoku and:
R-u-k-i-a!!! :yell

Kubo should advance the plot already
and get to the point; it´s dragging too much.
If this is supposed to be the final fight of the arc
(regarding the number of chapters dedicated for it,
then it´s highly possible), then, please: next chapter:
conclusion, end!! Ty :p

Well we probably won't know about the loose ends before a good while.. heck chances are that they will still be there by the end of the arc =O

and as for it dragging... I admit, when you look at the chapters week after week it does feel a little draggy but if you read the chapters all at once you'll probably feel different.. at least it felt very different in my case.

Ending it next chapter would be too much of a rush now with Nell's uber transformation. Much more is still left to tell in this arc now methinks.. such as "Nellitora" 's story and of course, ze fights. To be honest there weren't that many interesting (by that I mostly mean "entertainment-wise") ones aside from the Grimmichigo part III/IV (whichever is the latest)

I don't think Bleach was ever meant to be read one chapter a week. Because Kubo doesn't plan his story week by week. He doesn't say, 'oh, this week I'll do this and I'll make sure to put something interesting in.' He's planning for the whole story and of course it takes a while for all the boring parts of a story to come together so the whole becomes more than the sum of parts.

The one thing I felt distinctly lacking in HM is a goal. In SS, we always KNEW what the goal was --> to rescue Rukia. And because we were so focused on that goal, Kubo was able to slip the subplot below us and catch us by surprise when Aizen 'died,' then came back all big and bad. Ichigo reminded us almost every single chapter; he was there to save Rukia. Even Uryuu and Orihime talked about Rukia occasionally, not to mention Renji. Their determination was evident in every interaction.

I agree with you completely when you say that Bleach is not meant to be read week by week.. Heck I probably would'nt have read it in the first place if it wasn't of the fact that there were scanlations up until vol. 20 or so (well, the equivalent)

but I dunno about the "goal" thing... to each his/her own, but I find the fact that it's been repeated and reminded again and again that we must saver her was kinda cheesy.. I mean, do we REALLY need to be reminded of that every single time? Besides, Ichigo wanted to save Rukia. Orihime and Chad mostly joined in because they wanted to fight alongside Ichigo, and Ishida mostly wanted to face the shinigamis in his grandfather's name who died because of SS' incompetence (though it is revealed later on to be corruption instead). Of course, THEY DID want to save Rukia, but I think it wasn't their primary goal. And Renji, well.. it's true he had determination, but he gave up on her and it took him a beating by Ichi to get his determination back.

I think the SS arc mostly shined by the spectacular battles which I think is a little lacking (so far) in the HM arc.

[Jasse]

but I dunno about the "goal" thing... to each his/her own, but I find the fact that it's been repeated and reminded again and again that we must saver her was kinda cheesy.. I mean, do we REALLY need to be reminded of that every single time? Besides, Ichigo wanted to save Rukia. Orihime and Chad mostly joined in because they wanted to fight alongside Ichigo, and Ishida mostly wanted to face the shinigamis in his grandfather's name who died because of SS' incompetence (though it is revealed later on to be corruption instead). Of course, THEY DID want to save Rukia, but I think it wasn't their primary goal. And Renji, well.. it's true he had determination, but he gave up on her and it took him a beating by Ichi to get his determination back.

I agree, Understandably, Ichigo's the only one who has a single motive, the rest came for several motives-one up shinigamis -Ishida, Orihime and Chad mainly came to support Ichigo and further to save Rukia.

[Frostman]

I'm enjoying it.

I think the people who are giving it bad comments are just getting impatient. Its so exciting that its frustrating that its not moving quicker.

[phantomfork]

It's my favorite part of bleach at the moment. At least until the Winter War. :D

Right now all the playes are being introduced and the stage is being set for the battle to come. Right now we're just getting to know the arrancar a little better and seeing smatterings of character developement for our heroes here and there.

lol, I'm pretty biased though since I really didn't care much about the SS arch at all. It was kinda prosaic, actually. The whole time I was watching it i was like, wait aren't they supposed to be fighting hallows, not each other? Who's taking care of the humans!!! However afterwards with the Aizen plot twists, the Vizard and other character developments, the SS arch had become a set up for bigger things to come.

I think the SS arc mostly shined by the spectacular battles which I think is a little lacking (so far) in the HM arc.


I know this isn't always true for everyone but shonen battles tend to look more exciting when animated. (at least that's how it is for me) In other words, i don't think it's kubo's fault that the battle's aren't as exciting as they should be. It's hard to make that stuff look super awesome in flat unmoving frames. (and get it done once a week no less) It's arguable that other manga artists can do it, like say eyeshield 21 but I think it has a relatively large staff working on it and I'm not entirely sure that it comes out every week like bleach does. Arguably other manga artists can do it better like Hellsing and Trigun but they've also had deadlines once a month rather than once a week, so I think in general it's hard to keep that pace up.

Really, I'm just happy seeing ANYTHING with Arrancars and/or Orihime.

Ditto XD

[Urazz]

I'm personally enjoying this arc. I'm finding many similarities to the SS arc but that is just superficial at most which I find amusing really.

[Syn]

It sucks badly.
And yes, Bleach *is* intended to be read weekly; during the SS arc, we had no problems and there was NO complain at all. There was the fake plot going on (Aizen faked death, but how could we know? We all assumed he was truly dead), Ichigo's drive, Renji tagging along, backstories, the why was Rukia sentenced to death while her crime didn't usually ended up like this (and certainly not on the Sokyouku), the Ishida's backstory with Mayuri, the interconnections between the characters that made it damn interesting.

Right now, there's no plot, it's fight after fight (the only interesting one was Rukia's because it has so much involvement from her, unlike the Ichigo/GJ fight -I expected so much more from this one, and yet I was bored to death with it).
The characters do things and we don't know why, the only insights that we have are from Inoue's POV and they SUCK.
Kubo introduced so many characters in the past 100 chapters; the Vaizards, but also the Arrancars, and the result is that we know jack about them (hell, we don't even know the names of some of the Espada!), so it's kind of hard to be interested in what happens to them. The SS arc, in comparison, was pulled out wonderfully, as we got to know the characters before they acted (very well fleshed out, no wonder why people still like the shinigami so much, even though we never see them).

Also, I thought there were villains (Aizen, Gin, Tousen, ANYONE?). Where are they? I'm pretty sure they're watching but we don't even have an insight about what they think or do right now, even though there are so many fights right under their nose.

I still have hopes to see some plot somewhere, and that's mainly why I follow Bleach, because there are a lot of questions that I want to be answered, but damn, Kubo is sure making it painful. I noticed a lot of people who, like me, followed the SS arc weekly just stopped. And truthfully, it's not like I can blame them.

[Eilowyn]

I'm so bored.

I miss cute little "scthpeetch impedimenth" Nell.

I miss Rukia. It was nice to see her fight Aaronero, mostly because that was intense physically as well as psychologically.

I miss quirky, funny, bubble-headed Orihime. Her thing for Ichigo isn't healthy.

I miss Chad. He didn't say much, but at least he was always there.

I miss Matsumoto, Kenpachi, Yachiru, Ukitake, and all the other shinigami. Yeah, I like Grimmjaw and Ulquiorra (emo has never been this much fun), but the other Arrancar haven't left much of an impression on me.

Like Syn said sometime back, HM is missing a sub-plot; some kind of big mystery that keeps us going. Now, everything is redundant.

Hime's rescued. Get the hell out of there (fine, you can bring big boobage Nell and her brothers), give us some Isshin/Ryuuken backstory, and get on with the Winter War.

[Sidonzo]

Hmmm...I thought I replied to this, but I just looked and didn't see me! XD When I started reading the manga I started where the anime had left off at that point (episode 118) and read to chapter 269 which was the last one at the time. Reading it straight through like that, I didn't think it was boring at all...in fact I liked it better than any other arc to that point cept maybe the very beginning story (which is tied). Yet now that I am reading it week by week, it does seem slow and boring in places...not the whole thing though. It reads a lot better when it isn't taken in these tiny bits though.

As for comparing it to the SS arc...I haven't read the SS arc in the manga yet. I'm slowly (very ;) )reading my way through the manga up to where I started it. I started watching Bleach in March of this year and I watched a few episodes a day til I was through, so I got through it fairly quickly (the anime is better paced than the manga over all, though they tend to skip bits from the beginning of the story). And I have to say that while I enjoyed parts of the SS arc very much, I thought overall it was very slow paced and quite boring at points. I haven't read the SS arc in the manga yet and maybe it is better paced, but I doubt it. Personally I don't think the SS arc is the best part of Bleach (though some parts of it certainly rank up there) and I like the HM arc more, but then I always have like the darker side of things and I am enjoying visitng Aizen and his hollows in their domain. I also like the arranacar better than the soul reapers...I hope we find out more about them. Reading it week by week is really slow going though.

~Sid

[ichigo-flame]

I think HM arc is pretty good but i still think the soul society arc is still the best as it had the emotional connection between Ichigo and Rukia and his desire to save her which just made it amazing. Also the growth in Ichigo's power was a good part of it to as i thought at first there is no way he can take a captain and then eventually he beats Byakuya which was awesome!

[SiSL]

Definitely not pleased with HM arc.

However, I'm also happy for main story moves towards more chaotical phases along with arc.

Then again, I don't generally like Bleach going as: "Ichigo vs. Mr. X" "Fight", "You win", Next Opponent , 1on1 computer games mode such as Street Fighter.

[Beee]

I know this isn't always true for everyone but shonen battles tend to look more exciting when animated. (at least that's how it is for me) In other words, i don't think it's kubo's fault that the battle's aren't as exciting as they should be. It's hard to make that stuff look super awesome in flat unmoving frames. (and get it done once a week no less) It's arguable that other manga artists can do it, like say eyeshield 21 but I think it has a relatively large staff working on it and I'm not entirely sure that it comes out every week like bleach does. Arguably other manga artists can do it better like Hellsing and Trigun but they've also had deadlines once a month rather than once a week, so I think in general it's hard to keep that pace up.

I was comparing HM fights with SS fights and not Animated vs Manga... but I think most people like fights better animated. (and people prefer anime vs their manga counterpart generally.. at least when i look at the thread concerning that...)

Personnaly I like the fights in manga better because I find it more intense graphically and sometimes mangaka even add sketchy/brush effect that makes it look more raw which fits battles better IMO. Usually in anime, fights just doesn't feel the same... The Anime version of the ByakuyaIchigo was good, but It didn't get to me nearly as the manga version did.

I'm a minority though...xD

[Kurouno]

Personally, I'm sort of divided on my feelings toward this arc. When it first started, I was all for it and excited, even though the decision to go in was undeniably stupid. But then again, invading Soul Society wasn't much better.

At first, things seemed to develop. There seemed to be a point to being there. We get to see how the other characters have developed during the current events (to an extent, as Ishida and Renji's potential hasn't really been seen) and in some cases, they've even developed (Chad's arms and Ichigo's mask, for some inexplicable reason), so it isn't entirely without purpose. Even if they were to fail in retrieving Orihime (not likely, but possible), we have those facts to look at.

Now, my opinion changed sharply after the defeat of Aaroniro. Well, I take that back, my opinion changed after Ishida managed to injure Szayel-Aporro. After that point, we've seen Ichigo slowly climb his way through at least two entire fights, and even though the battle against Szayel is still going on at this moment, we only get vague glimpses into it into the two pages a chapter dealing with them in comical ways. In other words, the fight hasn't advanced one bit. Many people cry out "Who cares about No. 8 when No. 5 is in the mix?" Well, if that were the case, no one would have really cared about battles with Gillians while Ichigo was fighting No. 6 the first time. >_>

Its been essentially two volumes (maybe 20-something chapters) since Ishida and Renji's fight has progressed anywhere, aside from Szayel's release, which seemed to be introduced as more of a "By the way," than an important event. That's what most of the fight has been: an aside.

But all in all, I suppose that's my only real complaint. Yes, I hate the pacing, but the arc itself isn't that terrible, I suppose. It has its entertaining moments and probably won't seem as bad when read as a Volume, but it seems a lot harder to read and stay interested in.

[Hurley]

its ok i think. its going well but naruto i think is going better for once.... wtf that shouldnt happen. bleach is normaly 10X better than naruto (however naruto is comming to an end so its gotta be good) where as bleach is sitll ripe imo. anyway i still like it so far. and Nel has just made it alot more interesting.

[Rain]

A big complaint is the pacing, and fight right after fight.

I wonder that if Ichigo didn't fight Grimmjow right after ulquiorra and the fight lasted for *insert insanly huge number here* chapters how different some of us would feel about this arc. those chapters did happen so it probably won't help to speculate but still:nuts:lmao

[Beee]

A big complaint is the pacing, and fight right after fight.

I wonder that if Ichigo didn't fight Grimmjow right after ulquiorra and the fight lasted for *insert insanly huge number here* chapters how different some of us would feel about this arc. those chapters did happen so it probably won't help to speculate but still:nuts:lmao

well the fight after fight thing happened in SS too (I think it happened even more actually). Besides, the GrimIchigo fight didn't last THAT long... the latest Ichigo/Byakuya fight lasted much longer IMO. (and the Kenpachi one lasted longer too methinks, but it's broken into two parts so it doesn't sound that long)

[Syn]

You need to reread because actually, the Ichi/Byakuya fight was not only more interesting, but also shorter (by one or two chapters; the Grim/Ichi fight is actually the longest in Bleach). Also, there were actually pauses between the fights, Ichigo never fought 2 serious opponents consecutively during the SS arc.
The only thing that made the Ichi/Byakuya fight longer is actually the month of wait right after Christmas for ch162 (the coloured one) without any Bleach chapter. And it was made of awesomeness when we actually got it.

[Kurouno]

A big complaint is the pacing, and fight right after fight.

I wonder that if Ichigo didn't fight Grimmjow right after ulquiorra and the fight lasted for *insert insanly huge number here* chapters how different some of us would feel about this arc. those chapters did happen so it probably won't help to speculate but still:nuts:lmao

I agree that Grimmjow's fight was pushing it a bit, but I think what was the straw that broke the camel's back was the fight VS Noitora immediately after that, and the fact that it takes pretty much overrides anything else going on.

If the fights were spaced out a bit, I think there would probably be less complaining. Ichigo wasn't out of comission all that long before he was healed and immediately thrown into battle with Grimmjow. If a fight was inserted between Ulquiorra and Grimmjow (and actually finished) it probably wouldn't be that big of a deal, methinks. Hell, even if there was more of a break before the VS Noitora thing, people would be more at ease and there would be less pacing arguments. Maybe.

Well, not those wondering about Rukia and Chad (myself included), but those fans get shafted regardless.

[Beee]

You need to reread because actually, the Ichi/Byakuya fight was not only more interesting, but also shorter (by one or two chapters; the Grim/Ichi fight is actually the longest in Bleach). Also, there were actually pauses between the fights, Ichigo never fought 2 serious opponents consecutively during the SS arc.
The only thing that made the Ichi/Byakuya fight longer is actually the month of wait right after Christmas for ch162 (the coloured one) without any Bleach chapter. And it was made of awesomeness when we actually got it.

I verified and the ichigobyakuya fight lasted 8 chapters (160-167) and the grimichigo fight lasted about the same amount (279-286) ...so yeah, my bad I was kinda wrong but both fights lasted about the same amount of chapter. (so in a way we're actually both wrong xD)

The fact that IchiKuya was the more interesting fight doesn't matter that much (I'm not debating that fact at all and I totally agree), I just mentionned the length. And I did not see the IchiKuya fight until well after it was released and scanlated (so I saw it all in one shot), but I'd say it could also be because the number of chapters between the beginning and the end are much greater in the IchiKuya fight. (It started in 153 but i didn't count it because we only saw like three pages of the fight in that chapter)

Actually the fact that the GrimIchigo fight was less interesting could've made it sound longer since a good number of people found it uninteresting and draggy.

And during the SS arc, he consecutively fought Ikkaku, Renji, and Kenpachi, which are worthy foes if you consider Ichigo's level at the time.

[Perfect_Blue563]

This arc is okay.. Even if it is centered around my favorite character. I like the Arrancar arc the best.

[Syn]

Nope Beee, as I said, there were pauses, Ichigo talked with Hanatarou and Ganjuu between those fights (which helped a lot), and we had the plot ongoing AND his thoughts. Here, we don't have anything worth, no real plot, and it's really boom a fight ends, another one begins! Jeez, stop the fights already and give me something else to chew! XD
And the quality of the fight does affect on how it is perceived by the readers; if anything, no one felt that the Ichi/Byakuya fight was too long when it was ongoing. We were eager to see the next chapters, while with the GJ/Ichi fight, it was more: 'well, when does it ends?' XD

[Rain]

Syn- you're right about that. After what 3 chapters of the IchiGJ fight we were all saying when will this end:lmao

I know that this arc has been bad for quite a while (for some fans), but i seriously think that the Ulquiorra-GJ-Nnoitra fights were the turning point. After those fights a lot of fans started asking "wheres the plot", felt the chapters were just boring and unoriginal and just wanted this arc to end.

[Natsu]

Yeah, the pace is kinda slow, but it's not something I would call boring.

About the no plot thingy, IMO all the fights have a purpose. HM is not friendly nor it has a subplot (yet) like SS had. SS had to deal with the ryokas, the weird orders from the 41 council, the murder of aizen and so on.
HM is made to me more brutal, it is made to be more chaotic (aka non stop fighting).
Right now, Grimmy is defeated.. that means one less espada, same goes for bubble-head and soon Szayel. The plot is there, just look at Ichigo and you will see (more than 11 seconds with the vizard mask, the "deja chocolate aqui" chapters and I can keep going).

Of course, there are some things I'd like to change, but I'm pretty happy with all what Kubo is giving us (or maybe that's just me eh).

It's not finished, like others have said already, so it's hard to make a comparison. We are heading towards the climax, and I'm sure Kubo will have something great waiting for us.

[Beee]

we had the plot ongoing AND his thoughts.

On the other hand, Ichigo's thoughts are very predictable and not so entertaining. I mean, it's basically "I'll get stronger, beat my opponents up and then save my friends!!" all the time. Do we really need him to tell us about how he wants to do the same thing in the HM when we're about 100% sure he's thinking that? =O

Personnaly I don't hate the plot so I can't really comment the rest of your post. And yes, you're right, there were pauses between the SS fights (but IMO, the Noitora/Ichigo fight is hardly anything else than a very boring pause xD)


Right now, Grimmy is defeated.. that means one less espada, same goes for bubble-head and soon Szayel. The plot is there, just look at Ichigo and you will see (more than 11 seconds with the vizard mask, the "deja chocolate aqui" chapters and I can keep going).

Bubble-head = Arroniero?

[Natsu]

Bubble-head = Arroniero?

Yes XD For some reason I can't remember his name :confused:

[eave]

@Beee

Bubble Head.. alot easier to say and remember...i like it ..yep:D

[the_cobbinator]

Compared to Soul Society arc, this is rather bad. The quality can easily be compared to filler arc.

I can't explain, but story doesn't get to me. I am constantly getting major feeling of deja vu, because all there is to it is the saving of another Bleach girl that seems to be in the hands of the main bad guy. We've seen saving damsels in distress

Next, absence of Gotei 13 characters. Those are the ones that made Bleach what it is. I mean Espadas are okay and all, but I personally have no interest in them. They are Aizen's pawns and that's about it.

There is plenty of cliffhangers and "unexpected" plot twists but they are nowhere near the surprises in Soul Society arc. I would really like for Kubo to take it to NEXT level and not repeat his past tricks (also Nell transformation = Yourichi transformation,).

Next, power levels. Ichigo gets power ups from thin air.
One more proof that it's ALL about angsty resolves that give you strength, but lately it's pushing it over the edge.
He couldn't beat unreleased Grimmjow with one hand chopped off and next battle they have (and mind you, he had NO training after that, he just defeated some god forsaken pivaron and got raped by Ulquiorra) he owns him because Orihime shouts "don't die Kurosaki!"
For the love of GOD.

Too predictable at points and too repetitive. I don't look forward to manga as much as I did before.

Disappointing, especially because Kubo said he had this arc planned for quite some time.

Don't get me wrong I still think it's an interesting and descent arc, but compared to SS, it's trash.

[Llama]

I've actually enjoyed this arc so far. People keep saying "Where is the plot in this arc?" Well I believe there really isn't supposed to be a big plot in this arc. To me it's just a fight arc. And as long as the fights are entertaining enough to keep me interested (Which they are) then I'll keep reading it. Though maybe there will be plot development after the fights end. And it's been hinted at that these battles could be coming to a close. But who knows, instead of plot development the arc might end and then plot development comes after. Though the the biggest beef seems to be the parallels between this arc and the SS arc. Honestly I don't care because while similar, HM is still different and surprising in it's own way.

[Nocturne]

I thought where Orihime is the plot follows. She's there because Aizen wants to use her power after all. I'm enjoying this arc immensely because I love the Arrancar and have been dying to know more about them. I also like that the arc is centered around Orihime as well. Actually I love both the SS arc and HM arc equally because they're two great acts in what I believe will be a three act story of Bleach. Much like Star Wars I guess or Lord of the Rings. I see Bleach as a whole story and don't prefer one arc over the other because they're all part of one great story.

[Sergelia]

Actually, after thinking about it, it's not that there isn't a plot. It's just that it's hard to enjoy, and hard to care a dime for.

Sure, I like some things about Hueco Mundo, but... it just doesn't get to me, somehow. It lacks rhythm, complexity (at least so far), and overall feels pretty watered-down. I might just be frustrated, being a Rukia and Ulquiorra fangirl (both of whom have been absent for quite some time already), but I think I've grown rather passive on that matter. Which says a few things in itself...

Either way, let's hope that there turns out to be some sort of big scheme behind all of this. So far, it's not that I don't see the point - it's just that it seems too mild and uninteresting for me to believe it's all there is.

[Urazz]

I think the biggest thing that lowers everyone's rating of the HM arc is the constant fights at the moment. I think everyone would've preferred to have more of a break between the Ichigo/Grimmjow fight and Noitorra attacking Ichigo and fighting Nell. Preferrably more on resolving the Renji and Ishida fight and then the break from fighting.

[Nocturne]

Wouldn't that fall under the idea that this arc the non-stop fights differentiate it from the previous one because there is no down time? It's only been what, 24 hours or so and yet all of them have gone through fight after fight. Where in the previous arc the heroes had days and had havens to hide. Here there is no safe haven, there is no hiding place because everywhere they are, Aizen is watching.

[JLM]

At first I wasnt really interested in the HM arc. It seemed sorta hopeless for the heros (no real chance) when they entered. Although I liked the entrance of Nel and the stuff with Kaien caught my attention. But recently its been more entertaining as background on Grimjaw came out and Ichigo started to handle his mask better. Nels tranformation leads to possible story interest with Orhime. Ive been rather happy with art, especially the scene where Nel was crying over Ichigo. Kubo has been very good with faces and emotions.
Overall I feel this part of the arc has been dealing with the heroes issues.

[phantomfork]

I was comparing HM fights with SS fights and not Animated vs Manga... but I think most people like fights better animated. (and people prefer anime vs their manga counterpart generally.. at least when i look at the thread concerning that...)

Personnaly I like the fights in manga better because I find it more intense graphically and sometimes mangaka even add sketchy/brush effect that makes it look more raw which fits battles better IMO. Usually in anime, fights just doesn't feel the same... The Anime version of the ByakuyaIchigo was good, but It didn't get to me nearly as the manga version did.

I'm a minority though...xD

I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you meant. :embarrassed:
As far as comparing the fights from the two arcs in the manga, I feel they're equally exciting and er, very Kubo-esque stylistically.

That's true; sometimes the hand drawn details really give fights something which really can't be conveyed properly in anime. There is something special about the line work of each individual artist which can't be entirely duplicated. I guess with anime series, especially long ones like those in shonen jump, studios can't really afford to spend a ton of time and money keeping every little detail from the original intact. And even if they did, it might not look as good once animated. So it's a pretty subjective thing to begin with, but also, the quality and pacing of the fight depends upon the way in which the mangaka/animators choose to convey a scene.

Wouldn't that fall under the idea that this arc the non-stop fights differentiate it from the previous one because there is no down time? It's only been what, 24 hours or so and yet all of them have gone through fight after fight. Where in the previous arc the heroes had days and had havens to hide. Here there is no safe haven, there is no hiding place because everywhere they are, Aizen is watching.

Exactly. There's a lot more pressure on the heroes this time around. With no where to run or hide, and no laws aside from Aizen's orders to control their actions, the arrancar are basically free to eliminate anyone they want, anyway they want. It's like having a several dozen Kenpachi's running around after you! :nuts There's bound to be consecutive fights. This is far different from the highly regimented Soul Society.

[HarryPotter]

There have been some good moments but overall its boring. Since about the Grimmjow Ichigo fight IMO. I dont blame the fights its the lack of them achieving anything that makes them boring.

[Kolbertt]

HM has taken at least a year of bleach, and personally, the only thing I regret about this arc was the fact that the Szayel Aporro fight was dragged on for so long, but even that served a purpose in the end. To create parallels

Despite sometimes being predictable, this arc had some very nice twists --ArroKaien, Nel -- and we learned a few things about arrancars and espadas, some info in the privaron fights, a lot more in the last few chapters.
Personally, I like the way HM has developed, though at times it seemed slow, it ended up being quite a nice and entertaining arc.

[TheRedPriest]

I happen to love this arc myself. That being said, there are some definate issues with it. Number one, as has been mentioned, is the pacing. I think when it's all said and done, this will be GREAT to read in the collected volumes in one sitting. But in week to week? It's very slow. Also, while I love fights and like to see the Espada developed, you can have too much of a good thing. Mind you, I think going in this arc looked to be one big battle. Again, something I think will work much better in collected form.

Also, lets not forget that Aizen seemed to anticipate team Ichigo comming. Whatever he had planned, will probably be revealed just as it was in SS, at the very end. Until then, Aizen is likely just watching and giggling.

Though I do hope for the next arc, Kubo fixes the pacing.

[Malificus]

I think the SS arc would have frustrated me if I had to read it on a weekly basis, so I learned to appreciate waiting a week for resolutions, plots twists, and general story advancement. I'm really beginning to love this arc as it picks up. I do miss the scheming that we had in SS oppose to HM, but I think HM has introduced some villians that I'd actually like biting the bullet. The SS villians (at the time) are a lot more appealing alive than dead.

[stark espada]

I find this to be the greatest of the arc's those far one you got nel and then this is also seems to be the arc were a few charecter might actually be killed off I mean what could be better then that.

[Urazz]

I think the SS arc would have frustrated me if I had to read it on a weekly basis, so I learned to appreciate waiting a week for resolutions, plots twists, and general story advancement. I'm really beginning to love this arc as it picks up. I do miss the scheming that we had in SS oppose to HM, but I think HM has introduced some villians that I'd actually like biting the bullet. The SS villians (at the time) are a lot more appealing alive than dead.
Agreed. The HM arc isn't bad to read as a whole if you read it to the current point now. The only thing I can complain about is the Renji/Ishida fight that has been going on way too long.

I also like that this arc has some villains that we wouldn't mind dying. I never got that with the SS arc.

[Mr.Azn]

it was good at first but now its starting to bore me

[rei_ai]

I'm still seeing the end of it (-_-)

I already lose count of Bleach characters coz' they seem to appear everywhere, just like in SS. Kubo is such a hardworking man...

For now, I can say that the good part of it is showing the readers the real villians, their power and what could be expected in the future fights. As for the heroes, it's good to see that they're developing (atleast for me) in power and in character.

Fight scenes might be boring for some (sometimes even for me), but it's shounen, it's supposed to be like that.

[Mr.Azn]

this arc is pretty interesting except for the fight of ishida and renji vs. that one 8th espada dude...
i thought i didn't post in this thread before... oh well i didn't double post

[kuchiruki]

the scene where rukia is fighting will be the most interesting thing for me^^

[cool_inuyasha_g]

I like it. I think it'll be better when it comes out in anime form, fighting always looks better when its moving and has colour. The fighting great, its just one fight to another. The Kaien part was a huge surprise, Ulquiorra, Grantz and Nnoitra's number were surprising too (Grantz needs a promotion.) Nell was adorable and she was cool while fighting, now with the Zaraki in the picture about to fight Nnotira its just great.

[Mystic Serenade]

The whole thing makes me lol

[HaNa]

The slow pace is what makes this arc boring..and now we have some sexual innuendos and amplification of violence recently which makes you think it became a different bleach..but I believe the interesting things will happen in the end of this arc.

[Vizard_King]

This arc has more twists and turns than a Roller Coaster. It's so violent and awsome.

[speedphantom]

I don't mind the fact that its rescuing someone all over again and that you have to fight your way to get to the person but still........><

Its so dull and boring with the same characters, fight an arrancar, next, next, its taken far too long and all they've done is fight a few people. Nothing has developed! In the SS arc, at least there were different things going on.

[Mae]

I personally found this arc interesting and exciting at first, but as the story has progressed (or has NOT progressed) it is the PACE that is the downfall of an otherwise action packed and thrilling arc. The new villans have been great! But the continuous heavy atmosphere just makes Bleach feel not-Bleach, but I'm getting used to the change and am in part grateful for it as it keep the story and its characters evolving and changing. Better "changing" then static I say! :)

[Tomodachi69]

The slow pace is what makes this arc boring..and now we have some sexual innuendos and amplification of violence recently which makes you think it became a different bleach..but I believe the interesting things will happen in the end of this arc.

QFT.
But they're what I like about the last few chapters. Still totally slow, though.

At least now, we're getting SOME action and branching off from JUST Ichigo and a little IshiRenji. I have a feeling the pace will pick up soon. But eh.

[Spartan27]

Well up until the last chapter, I would say that this arc was extremely lagging, and quite simply not fun. Now I see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but this does not make up for months of Orihime doing nothing but saying Kurosaki-kun, and a bunch of fights which seemed to go nowhere, with nothing new or interesting about them, save for Rukia's fight after which we didn't see her for for something like 5 months. There are only so many times I can see Ichigo rush his opponent only to be knocked down pathetically or see Szayel act smug and talk about his analysis.

[Mei]

The last chapter showed that Kubo might realize what he´s doing (or not doing => advancing the plot, accelerating the pace), all of a sudden he takes up loose ends (Rukia´s situation, Chad´s condition), introduces new characters into the story line (the black Espada, these skull ppl), lets Zaraki come to rescue Ichigo, sexually harasses Inoue (carries her character illustration too far, first: submissive, shy, angsty, motionless, stunned; now: victim of molestation, fanboy service, does Kubo really intend to trash her character....? Why does he resort to sth like that? It´s enough already, isn´t it? +sigh+).

Did Kubo realize that he lost it in previous chapters, that he´s disappointing his fans? Is that why he all of a sudden presents us such a chapter to prove that he can do better...? Why only now...?
It´s not enough, it doesn´t satisfy me, he first has to prove that he can and will do better in the next chapters, otherwise my interest in Bleach will further diminish (and by now, I´m unimpressed, not interested, bored, it´s just.....there, but trivial).

[Vizard_King]

The skull people are the execution squad. they have been around for awhile now. Personally I'm still waiting for Uryu to shot those fingers out of Orihime's mouth. I mean, that's a rather extreme way of shutting someone up. \

*Glares down at Uryu* C'mon get up! You only had your guts crushed, you wuss.

[kuchiruki]

the manga becomes better and better!!! now that byakuya is back to save rukia everything is fine 4 me! :yay

[Primera Espada]

lol, I agree.

this week's chapter REALLY picks up the pace.

[tari101190]

wow, bleach has just got amazin now.

this chapter is awsome.

zaraki was too great to explain...

huenco mundo arc overall has been the best anyway.
its the best arc so far and calling it just entertaining is an understatement!

[tetsusyga]

I think it's been kind of boring, but things are looking up now. :D

[-sama]

It was ok but now it's become 1,000 times better given the newest developments. Not sure if it can surpass Soul Society arc but it's shaping up to be the second best arc of the series so far.

[Eilowyn]

Up until recently, this arc was a let down. Except for the appearance of Nel (with lisp or with boobs - either way she's cute) and Rukia's fight, it could be described as "everyone was pwned by Espada, Grimmjow was a kitty, and Orihime said 'Kurosaki-kun!'" Finally, in recent chapters, we get some plot - Nel was an Espada! Ishida's stomach is in jeopardy! and, lo and behold - reinforcements! It felt like a feel-good sports movie - the losing, without-a-hope team gets a halftime boost from the big dogs. All we need is Denzel Washington, a make-cute training montage, and inspirational speech. Kubo is obviously realizing he's been annoying fans - so he jumpstarts everything with a bang.

Never thought I'd be so happy to see Mayuri.

[Vizard_King]

Yes the manga has gotten better! Mayori is actually being cool! ((And I like your Avi, Primera Espada))
Evil Scientist VS. Eviler Scientist.
Mayori has this in the bag,man

[Ileenka]

I don't know what was Kubo thinking when he designed Pesche to wear a loin cloth and tiny breast jacket.

[Vizard_King]

Nobody knows what Kubo is thinking...EVER

[Urazz]

I don't know what was Kubo thinking when he designed Pesche to wear a loin cloth and tiny breast jacket.
I'm wondering what drugs is he taking. Is it standard stuff or is he mixing things up and making homemade stuff.

[Spartan27]

I would think homemade since many have said that his style is simular yet different from many other Mangakas, takes a standard plotline and makes it his own, just like how he takes a base drug than alters it to his own desires.

[Shadowed_Angel]

started off good but getting really boring now its been dragging on for so long.

[Jeanaras]

Yeps it s boring because the characters arent moving in their story: yep we got some powerup from them but in over all the plot is moving at the same pace as looking ants in the garden.

Simply too slow: I really hope that the captains would kill the rest of the Espada, take Ichigo and Co in the real world and wait for the next war.

[Sexta]

Unfortunately I find it boring also. It reminds me too much of the SS Arc. I would like something besides a rescue mission please. And something that doesn't involve one of Ichigo's friends being needed by the villains. It's already been done twice now and three times in the anime. :notrust

[Schneider]

In my opinion I find the current arc HM quite boring, which is shocking since i believe there's relatively more action in the HM arc than the SS arc. I just think that the fights in HM lack cause and emotions. I don't wanna compare it to the SS arc, but I'm gonna have to for the point of comparison and getting the point across. I feel that SS was so much more entertaining because every fight was fought with conviction. Each person in the fights had something to prove whereas HM arc is more of a search and rescue mission. I guess I'm mourning the loss of character development and background.

Though i have to admist some of the espada are pretty awesome. Maybe if the arc focused more on the espada. How they came to be etc. etc. the only espada that we have a slight history on is Grimmjow.

[Cookie-chan]

Its boring.. but i think its getting better.

(Though the Espada releases failed to impress me that much.. unlike the Captain's Zapakuto revealations during the SS arc)

[moonflowers]

It doesn't seem boring to me so much as unfocused. The initial motivation for the arc was already all over the place - "rescuing Orihime! blocking the King's Key's creation! preventing potential vaporization of Karakura!" In the middle it became "surviving individual Espada fights!" with no mention of the King's Key and sparse allusions to rescuing Orihime. And now, it's just gotten more unfocused by adding the Gotei 13 to the mix - "rescuing the rescuers! starting a potential war!" with no references whatsoever to Orihime or the King's Key.

So boring no, but unfocused, unresolved, and feeling a bit like things were pulled from thin air and then forgotten, yes.