Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen - Soukoku-tan Episode 9 Discussion

BANKAI
KATEN KYOKOTSU KARAMATSU SHINJU.
So good to finally see it animated.

Tbh, I though this week episode would be BABY, HOLD YOUR HAND part 2, guess Pierrot is trying to make like every fight is happening at the same time... not sure if I liked that since I REALLY wanted to see the flashback episodes asap.
But from now on, I can confirm every episode from cour 3 will be absolute bangers - and I'm talking in terms of writing. Let's pray that we're alive next week to appreciate peak.

The Eastern v Western aesthetic between the Shinigami and Quincies is accentuated here. From a power design perspective, this is perhaps my favorite fight in the entire series. Really love how both Katen Kyokotsu and The X-Axis are inspired by a rich tapestry of high culture that's unique to Bleach especially as a shounen, and this is perhaps one of the most impressive displays of symbolism in Kubo's work - he is a sophisticated artist and writer. Both designs are beautiful, but Kyoraku's Bankai feels sinister while Lille's Vollstandig menacing.

Shunsui's Bankai is based on a theatrical four-act play of a romantic tragedy that thematically represents him perfectly, meanwhile Lille's Vollstandig is very heavy on the Christian imagery as "God's Messenger" Gabriel which is particularly fitting since he's one of the most powerful and loyal soldiers who answers to Yhwach. His Vollstandig "Jilliel" translates to "Judgement of God" and one of his abilities consists of him blowing a trumpet to unleash a massive AoE blast in reference to Gabriel blowing Torricelli's trumpet to announce Judgement Day. The highly conceptual nature and ethereal vibe of this battle is an effective way of representing the existential stakes of the endgame and just how powerful these characters are.

Looking forward to the climax of Mayuri and Nemu's character arcs in the next episode. The REAL "Baby, Hold Your Hand".

Their fight isn’t over yet…

@-Kino- Yeah, the power designs are what I like most about this fight too; not just because they're incredibly creative but because they add a deceptive amount of depth to the fight and characterization. One can say this for most Bleach fights, but it especially rings true here. Lille gaining intangility and teleportation in Vollstandig is a nice expansion of his Schrift's spatial ability, and I love its Seraphim-based design.

It's too bad the symbolism and thematics of this fight will get overshadowed because most anime fans (like this guy: @yellowheartren) aren't cultured enough to expose themselves to high art to pick up on all the inspired elements from Kubo here and just consoom within the anime/manga/LN ouroboros of slop. Shounenheads will also dumb the entire thing down to "WAOW SHUNSUI WENT BANKAI!" or dismiss it because "where's muh SAKOOGA and FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY?!"

@TheBladeIsMe lol this is so embarrassing for you. We get it, Shunsui's bankai is a reference to kabuki theatre. Noticing that doesn't make you "cultured and exposed to high art" lmaooooo

It's a surface level cultural reference.

So embarrassing.

@Arpee9 >ESL reading comprehension

Edit: I just realized: You're that meathead who kept telling me I was overanalyzing the material for detecting common literary techniques used by artists/writers even after you knowing that it was a recurring pattern in the work. Thinking about a piece of media beyond what you're explicitly told on page/screen is basic media literacy. Obviously you lack this, which is why you orbit this forum trying to uphold the talking point of consuming the series with your brain off like yourself.