This is the biggest, busiest episode yet - there's tonnes to go through, so settle in, grab a drink, and let's take a spoiler-filled look at March of the Starcross! What was your favourite moment? Let me know!
Seeing Bazz-B use burner finger on Kira before he can even react and the soundtrack playing over the sternritter ‘reveal’ was definitely my favourite part
idk, i like the ost it's really good, but i don' t really like the remixes, especially "on the precipice of defeat" that song was so raw and fit so well, it literally kept me watching early on just because the vibe of the song translated what the series was about so well, I would've preferred the old tracks rarely played with major impact, not remixed..
I will say the anime only reactions to Kira as opposed to us the manga readers has been an insane contrast. They were hella shocked, while we weren’t because of knowing what happened already. With that being said it was still a stellar scene
For me Kira's "Death" was when I understood things was about to get real! Watching it I definitely did not think they did it justice but I do think it showcased how dangerous Bazz B is.
My teenage daughter, only watched the anime. Was so shocked when Kira died,; she stormed out the room, once the credits rolled. Can't wait for her to see who else falls!
I actually like that they showed Uryu reading about Quincy's record at the same time as that sixth seat was explaining the conflict. The fact that Uryu seemed angry/upset means that there might be discrepancies between the Shinigami's version and the version kept by Souken, that the shinigami aren't as righteous as they make it sound. It reinforces the idea that the both sides are just in this war.
Not really. The Quincy massacre actually played out the way it was described by the shinigami. That's not the real reason why the Vandenreich are at war with Soul Society.
Just wanna say as a manga reader, i forgot alot of things, the episode was great in my opinion, don't know what was cut, the color composition/effects and music and voice acting in the TYBW ARC is insane, but the only thing missing is top tier sword sakuga, I hope we get that in the future, episode 3 was still great though
@@KyChupLoL that's true, like I know it will eventually be there, but the waiting is a problem, I'm just so curious to see how the top tier fights are gonna look😂😂
I like the idea of the captain’s meeting where they’re told to ‘prepare for war’ and having in the same episode the invasion begin. From a temporal perspective it makes us as the viewer realise how terribly underprepared Soul Society is for what is to come. I think instead of making the focus on Yamamoto they’re making it more about Soul Society as a whole.
I feel like we wouldn't have this issue if they weren't renewed for a specific amount of episodes. I'm sure we might get more later given the ratings, but the initial 52 episode limit no doubt meant Kubo had weigh in on what scenes matter the most. edit: Imagine if we wind up hearing the truth about Soken from Yhwach himself. I feel like it'd be just like him.
@@boxiannn I was hoping like 70 Episodes especially after a 10 year wait. Fans were saying these fights scenes go fast in the Anime, yeah I’m seeing the tempo is go EXTREMELY fast, hope it doesn’t come back to bite them later on or they can slow down a little for the Elites later on (I’m just Askin…..Askin Nakk Le VaaR lol)
I have a theory that they're pushing some of the cut 'tearing of the worlds' content back to a later season, either 2 or 3, where they can have more room to breath. That way they can cover all the way up to 'the blade is me' and possibly end the season on a certain revelation about Uryu that comes in chapter 543, which would explain why they're giving Uryu more screen time now, in place of that cut content.
Great video (as always)! About Yamamoto's scene and the way the anime approaches his grief, I have a theory why the change in tone... in fact, there is a greater weight when we read that the character is losing himself in anguish and doesn't behave as usual; the fact that Yamamoto doesn't hit the ground with his cane is something that creates a strangeness for us fans, because we have a long relationship with him. In the anime, it was probably 10 years without watching him do the iconic beat and knowing what's next. I still expect attention and extra scenes that better show what the loss of Sasakibe represents to Yamamoto (we have a flashback, but could have a little more to better build the character for the audience that is starting Bleach for TYBW now). About the colors in the vollstandig, it would be interesting to have different colors! However, it makes sense that all (or most of them) are blue, as the Wandereich and Sternritters are a military force! All having the same blue color, along with the uniforms, strengthens the idea that "they are an armada who follows a conqueror " and even takes away their individuality. But yes, we could have certain transformations have different colors (like Lille Barro and Gerard), either in color or in different shades.
i mean i guess different colors is kinda cool but there has never ever been any preconception from the manga before that volstandigs have different colors. so i agree that they should all be blue because that’s just what they’ve always been, whether it was brave souls or promotional art or fan-colored pages. i feel like complaints like these from the fandom make no sense. why do so many individuals in the bleach fan community always think things should just be the way they specifically want them to be when there has been zero precedent set for it to be that way. however like you said, lille and gerard i am with, but their volstandigs are wildly different to begin with because they are a member of the royal guard so they should already be considered an exception to begin with imo.
They should've indeed kept Mayuri's dialogue with Yamamoto reminding the latter of his past failure now leading to this nightmare. Still the low light in the meeting highlights how bad things are will escalate in that regard while Yamamoto's face in shadow does convey where his mind is especially with the loss of Chojiro.
I expected as much, I thought they would have cute out material BUT we would get new material we didn't get in the manga. So I have ZERO issue with that, I am very happy to see NEW CONTENT. And you have to remember when you're making a 20 Anime episode, you need to take out what material you need for each chapter, and find the appropriate scene to end of a chapter. So far what they have cut out mostly is a bit of dialogue and side comedy for the series comic relief. There have been some scenes I would have liked to see animated, such as Choijoro eulogy by Byakuya and the scene where Sun Sun uses his Muda ability and Mila Rose recognises Orihime in 493. But I am HAPPY for new material such as the flashback of seeing Yhwach capturing Hallibel and Uryu learning more of the Wandenreich. So its a fair exchange, WE DO GET NEW STUFF!!! The ANIMATION is BEYOND SICK THE SERIES IS BASICALLY 13 20 MINUTE MOVIES.
I think the whole Chojiro theory is interesting. But I also think when he's on death's door saying they can do something to the bankai, it implies that he has one
@@Gunsmoke2220 Yamamoto didn't finish the sentence. He said "That's Sasakibe's..." Yes, hindsight tells us what he meant (along with Sasakibe's dying words and eulogy), regarding Bankai
Personally, I think how fast the plot is progressing is kinda good. We need a strong start after not having Bleach for 10 years. How quickly everything is going to shit makes you understand how dire it is. This isn't a slow defeat with Soul Society standing a chance, this is Soul Society being put on the chopping block. I understand the problem with Yamamoto's behavior, but almost all of the changes so far seem to center around him and Chojiro and the Bankai stealing. I wonder if Kubo just has a different plan for them this time around? Maybe they want a more unhinged Yamamoto, if we learn all at once that not only can the Quincy steal Bankai, but they stole Chojiro's, and Yamamoto learns this in the moment. Especially with them adding the detail of Yamamoto noticing Chojiro's Bankai going off outside the gate. Particle Effects 10/10. The way Quilge's boots streamed towards Ichigo before he moved was cool Isn't the whole thing with the swinging at Quilge thing just foreshadowing Blut Vene? I think Uryu name dropping his Mom is actually a huge thing to point to. That makes everything Uryu does from now on extremely personal, and it seems like they may not push the Uryu traitor schtick as far. I didn't feel like the Burner Finger bit lingered at all. It was kinda like "Oh, Shit, well that happened immediately." Like they didn't even have a chance. I think most of the discrepancies between the Manga and the Anime are mostly stylistic choice. The Quincy invading instantly with no announcement is honestly more horrifying. No-one noticed Juha. No-one realized what was happening. The Quincy can and will attack within the blink of an eye and Kira's division will lose 75% of its leadership in an instant to only 1 of 26 enemies.
@@joer8954 Before the trailers, when TYBW was manga-only, some characters barely had any fan-art and yet now I am seeing so many new bambi drawings. My hopes are high for Opie!
As an anime only fan The death of Kira was shocking! I audibly gasped when it happened! I do feel the pacing seems extreme fast. Love the content keep it up.
You are one of my favorite youtubers when it comes to critiquing the anime changes. You aren't just mad they cut out small portions of the story but actual scenes that characterize chars better. Love these reviews
for me it was pretty obvious that sasakibe used bankai due to yamamoto saying "was that sasakibes... ?" and then sasakibe while dying mentioning that they can do something with their bankai. Might just be me tho
Nah it ain’t just you. People overly pay attention to certain nit picky things and then forget that the thing they are complaining about has been answered already.
I agree with you on everything, especially the lack of impact in the Kira scene and it makes me wonder how they're going to handle other similar moments, like the one with Yhwach defeating Zaraki (after Byakuya's defeat, how strongly he enters only to be decommissioned off screen - all hope is lost type of vibe). Also majorly concerned about how the individual fights are going to be paced...
I think you have to look at it from the perspective of a cinematic director and not just strictly a graphic novelist. Kira isn’t really that major of a character so the director isn’t going to put that much emphasis on him getting killed. It was quick sudden and shocking and that was the intended goal to show the viewer how threatening the antagonists are. A character who’s more substantial to the central plot will obviously have more drama emphasized on them if they’re being killed off because the general audience is more conditioned to actually care about the former.
@@shameronstar7220 But he is a lieutenant, a seated officer and one would think and hope he can't be so easily decimated. I feel they didn't depict the horror of it like it was done in the manga.
Waited all day for this lol I’m interested to see what your going to say about this episode because of how well u know the manga material. I had mixed feelings about this episode like u did but I recently watched it again without thinking about what’s in the manga and the episode on it’s own is quite good.
I’ve waited years for this arc to be adapted to the anime since I never actually read The Thousand Year Blood War Arc. You are my favorite Bleach Encyclopedia. Rock on brother!
As of now, I’m not too worried about how the overall pacing will be. We’re supposedly getting 52 episodes, and we probably would get far less if they decided to continue going at the pace we got for this episode. As I mentioned in a previous comment, I heard this particular episode had production issues, so I can only hope the episodes beyond will be better since I haven’t heard anything bad about them.
The Quilge battle was generally the high point of this episode, especially the Vollständig part, since it went exactly as I imagined it would. The second best moment is when Kira got gimped by Bazz-B, but I do agree that there needed to be more punch in the most literal sense. The sound effect for that Burner Finger wasn't nearly punchy enough, even as it was a shot-for-shot remake of the original panels. In addition, I agree that the slow breakdown of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto has largely been missed, which is a slight problem.
Not gonna lie, I read through the whole manga years ago when it came out, and most of my exposure to Bleach since then has been Tommo's videos. So therefore I'm not really annoyed at the changes with some of the scenes considering I don't remember a lot of them (I straight up don't remember Kajomaru lol), I feel like they're doing a great job at adapting the material for those people who followed it back in the day and are nostalgic for the main plot points. At the end of the day, they have a limited amount of episodes alloted, so cutting out a few scenes in order to get to the important stuff is understandable. The manga was far from perfect in this arc in terms of the pacing and story beats anyways, and I'm hopeful that cutting some of the early parts will give them more time to expand on the latter fights that had to be rushed in the manga.
My problem with the anime so far is the removal of many small yet important scenes and the (unintentional) dumbing down of Ichigo. He’s had a few comments and remarks removed so far and it kind of bothers me; while they don’t add much, it’s a kind of subtle nod at Ichigo’s character developing which at the same time displays his experience and contrasts with his early character which recklessly rushed in without thinking/noting things ahead of time. Currently he’s in the best state of mind, attitude and maturity he’s been for perhaps the entire series and yet they’re removing those essential details. Take for example his small comment against Quilge when he gets shot at by the foot soldier Quincies; in the manga it seems to be said because of disbelief due to his contrasting knowledge of the fate of Quincies, meanwhile in the anime it just seems like he’s thick-headed and still isn’t sure if they are or not. Maybe this is just me but that’s how it came across at least to me personally. Also I’m not even gonna mention the page of Yamamoto looking threatening after cutting off Mayuri. I’m really disappointed that it was cut as I felt that his face on that page communicated a lot to the readers about what his state of mind is and even allowed us as an audience to see a side of Yamamoto we didn’t even see during his fight with Aizen.
It would be great if episode 4 started off before the attack and gave us Kira's perspective up until his defeat by Bazz B. We could see him at the lieutenants meeting and his eventual arrival at the gate for defence. Then you could even show some interaction and introduction to the 3rd division seated officer's before they die. I just read the chapter with the lieutenants meeting last night and I love how Kira figures out what happened to the missing souls in Rukongai.
I feel like people are completely forgetting something when it comes to pacing, when reading a manga or the first time a chapter can feel pretty long and feels like it covers a lot but when it gets animated that time feels so short because things happen at a faster pace when the characters are physically speaking fighting etc now. Chapter 494 seemed long because of what it is an invasion it introduces a lot of new characters and starts the beginning of many fights it doesn't take up that much time when animated
The thing I love most is the animation. Its so high quality movie like each episode and I hope they continue this quality for the whole series. Also I dnt see why they need to add scene when I prefer they show me what's on the Manga except when those extras scenes are need for fights that were very short or some we didn't get to see at all.
Great analysis of this episode Tommo as usual, excited for the next one, and you know Tom you're the only person here who pronouncing these sternritters name correctly lol and i love it, keep up the great work
If I remember correctly the first episode of the Soul Society arc also covered 6 chapters. Also Grand Fisher vs Ichigo, but that was very changed in the anime compared to the manga.
As they are following the colors from the manga, and in the colored version Getsuga Tensho is yellow as in the new anime, Opie's Vollstandin is light blue, the difference is in his shoes. However, Askin's Vollstandin is some sort of pink/purple, which matches the mobile game version. Gerrard also turns into yellow light in the end, although I'm not sure that was his Vollstandin. Lille also has yellow halo and wings. So maybe it was decided to change the colors only with the elite guard of Yhwach.
My thing, as a manga reader, is that: in the manga, these sections also read as breathless, fast, and intense, but what intensity and fast pacing means in manga is different than in motion in anime. I think a lot of these cuts are made both to manage the episode count--52 episodes means we gotta go pretty quick--and also to preserve the sense of intensity and pacing in the manga. A lot of those smaller scenes would have slowed the pacing way more in anime than they ever did in the manga. I think they're nailing the most important thing, that this should feel sudden, inexplicable, terrifying.
I think the world-collapse subplot might be getting held back in order to elaborate and expand upon it further later on. Likely in the form of a flashback where we will see the vice captain meeting etc.
I personally really liked the Kira scene but I am anime only (but I also watch this channel a lot 🙃) it definitely gave you that feeling like shit they are about to get wrecked. One of my biggest gripe’s with Bleach even though I love it is the lack of stakes when it comes to main and supporting characters being killed off.
I feel like it was important to keep our first real Quincy enemy with blue reishi. My memory isn't perfect either, but I feel like the official cover art only had some of the later Quincy with other colors anyway, so it may still happen, even if Quilge didn't. The same may also be true for the blood from Sklaveri. I'm not sure how official the color choices are for the colored version vs the anime. Excellent video! This has been a really helpful series since it's been so long.
I wonder if the manga image of Yama, half in shadow, was meant as a precursor to his upcoming fate? I don't think I realised that at the time and I must have re-read the manga countless times in the dark years without Bleach! I am so excited that Bleach is back, I just wish that we, as a community, didn't spend every live reaction video talking about how affected we are that some scenes are cut from the manga. There are so many beloved stories and childhood nostalgia that we don't get a chance to see modernised and brought back to life, it just feels like there is too much nitpicking and (at it's worst) gatekeeping from manga-fans. Thanks again, Tommo, for these videos. I've really appreciated the videos that brought everything back from old memories and explanation videos.
I kinda like 494 being fit into the end of this episode. It helps drive home a little more how dangerous the sterneitter are at just how fast they can do this much damage. I think kubo tries to convey this as well in the manga when they mention that hundreds of casualties have occurred in just a few minutes of action.
As you said, we are moving in the story in a neck breaking speed. At first I thought they did speed up the fight between Ichigo and Quilge a little to much, but I can see why they have cut some scenes here. I really love the extra scenes of Uryu and his father. In the manga Uryu just disappears and then he is with the Wandenreich what is very strange in my opinion. I hope they can do more with Grimmjow. I mean, he is a fan favorite character and he is early in the arc, but Kubo teased him till almost the end of the manga. I hope he can have a proper fight and a little bit more to do in the plot and not just deliver the death blows. The first invasion has begun and I'm really excited for the next episode!
I think they still could do the Quincy's different colors. I think changing Quilge's reshi to blue makes sense. He's supposed to represent the perfect Quincy and Quincys are associated with white and blue, I wasn't digging the yellow in BBS, and it was too similar to Candice
If the anime just stays at this level, it will be in my top 10-15. I like they they are trimming narrative fat.We want new exposition, longer fights, tighter narrative. If we lose a vice captain meeting or 5 to get more info on the Royal Guard, new bankais, history of the Soul King, and the connection between SK and Ywach, then I'm for it.
I honestly don't know why there was a lack of impact, like the ayon vs quilge fight I liked it but I felt like it wasn't worth much or there were zero stakes which was a bit weird for me same with kira's "death", I can't pinpoint what exactly it is coz I love the animation and especially the music itself. In terms of the overall pacing I prefer this to the arrancar arc which I felt was mostly a drag at times
I wouldnt be surprised if they used other colors for the other sternritters but having the 1st quincy we really fight be blue just feels correct to get used to the quincy powers
Coming here as an anime only fan… I love the breakdown… at some point in the future I’m going to cop the whole manga and take my time reading through it… I love this iP so much… thanks for the video!!
Honestly, Quilge is the only one out of the Stern Ritter I see as a real Quincy, other than Ishida. Everyone else seems like a Fullbringer. All of them seem to have enhanced strength, special abilities that aren't part of the traditional Quincy setup. Plus, the Arc before this introduced.... Fullbringers. Nothing about the Stern Ritter screams Quincy, or is it just me? Compare them to Ishida, they remind me of Ginjo and his friend's.
@@edwardhim2276 I understand what they're "supposed" to be...but they're still more like Fullbringers. Each Stern Ritter has a specific power granted to them from him, the standard Quincy is completely different. Ishida doesn't have a standard blunt defense he uses, or one for offense, that seems to be from the power up. My point still is.... they're more like Fullbringers now than the traditional Quincy.
I think it would be nice to see the parts cut out of 494 be used as the beginning of the next episode, but, due to the pacing issues we're gonna face in this arc, I know we won't see that. Someday, it would be nice to see everything that's been cut in like a Directors cut of the arc.
Maybe I'll be trivial, but I'd love to hear "invasion" with the invasion in the next episode XD Of course I adored the parts involving the boss Qilge, the brand new scenes keep being fresh and necessary, and the pace for me is still good. My only concern is the grief-anger of Yamamoto, not well shown in the anime until now, hope they will fix this from Driscroll and on (they have to do it). For the rest, some chapters in the manga pass quickly, but I want to believe this "rush" is in order to save time for expansions where necessary (likely from the next one as for minor fights in this first invasion, a lot can be added) and not just to speed up for reach chapter 546 in this first core, like the opening spoils (it would be exaggerated, also because we would arrive at 1/3 of the final arc if so). The fourth episode will be decisive. And yes, up to chapter 499 (Qilge still alive and Ichigo imprisoned) or 500 (to end Hueco Mundo part already). PS: I say it again, for me the quincy against Ukitake was Nianzol, which "strangely" also appeared in the promotional poster at the end of the second trailer. Logically was Pepe controlling Jidanbo and others. No idea for Rukia, looks like she was defeated by a woman from last PV, maybe Meninas? Or Liltotto? Hoping to get to see something brand new encounters for other captains or officers as well, even just quickly.
I really wanted to love this episode but the pacing really did take away a lot of the emotional and shock moments they fell totally flat. I really wish they would have split this up in two episodes.
If things are being cut then kubo must’ve cut them for a reason. Maybe they’re were things he looked back on that he didn’t really enjoy and and wanted to change them since he has all the time to do it now and is not churning out chapter after chapter like before and being on the clock. It has been 10 years, you have all the time you want to do things differently. Honestly I like that love that they changed it to a surprise attack on the soul society instead of announcing it right before the attack. Don’t give your enemies time to think. Just my opinion. We are going to get the captains bankai stolen in the next episode. And I think those fights will be expanded and take up the whole episode.
I think you might have a weird idea of Ayon's power. From the Arrancar arc, we can assume Ayon is low Captain level, but definitely below the Espada in general, or at least that was my impression. Now it seems he's High Espada or even higher considering the damage he was able to dish out. Like in one scene Ichigo isn't able to cut Quilge's neck, and in the next Ayon has broken it so badly he has to creepily break it back into place. Admittedly, this is a weakened Ichigo compared to the one that fought Ginjo (since he's now using his Substitute Shinigami badge again) which explains why he isn't shooting Kamehamehas every time he swings his sword, but still, I feel like it's a steep dropoff from that incredibly powerful Ichigo to this middling, Ayon level Ichigo. To be clear, Ayon's feats here aren't necessarily contradictory (he was only taken out by Yama after all), but narratively I think it's a bit weird for him to be doing this much when Hallibel and presumably Grimjow couldn't.
I mean, it's worth noting that gauging Qilge's level is also a bit hard. He wipes the floor with Fraccion-level enemies, seems to be overwhelmed by something like Ayon, and against Ichigo, the later more or less have the advantage the whole time - not an overwhelming advantage, but so far he hasn't really been pushed to his limits. It's entirely possible that Hallibel or Grimmjow would have been too much for him too. Qilge's main strength seems to be his resilience, having the Quincy absorption hax - and he still has his trump card - but in pure fighting ability, it's quite possible he'd be hard-pressed against most captain-level opponents (bankai-related shenanigans notwithstanding).
@@Talyrion Qilge is basically a jail warden. He can obviously fight and he is a Schrift but i still rank him below a Segunda Etapa or a senior Captain's bankai.
My suggestion for the Uryu-Ryuken scene. Uryu watches Ichigo group leaves for Hueco Mundo, either behind them or hiding in the shadows far back. Then he turns around, and camera pans to the hospital or his house. Then maybe a monologue saying "Time for some answers" or something similar. Maybe this way they can save some time on it to add back some of the cut scenes and also leaves room for future revelations for the cough cough "kyrptonite". Animation 9/10, but storytelling 3/10, because i feel for new viewers, its too fast or weirdly paced that they wont be able to understand whats happening or the significance of whats happening. For old viewers, it would feel that some of the good parts that adds to the story positively is missing and therefore wont be as good of an experience. Personally the Persche and Dondachaka scene i feel is unnecessary.
My prediction is mostly the same except right after akkon talks about the casualties, it'll cut to Yamamoto staring at the battle and telling his 3rd to protect the barracks, then it cuts to the action. I think showing the viewer the start of the devastation first makes for a stronger impact on Yama saying those lines rather than him saying it the moment the light arrives.
My hope with the fast pacing is honestly that they shoot through the 1st Invasion very quickly, and then when it ends, it slows down. A deliberate pacing choice, to really get across how fast the Sternritter just demolish through Soul Society in the first invasion. And then a deliberate slowing down in the aftermath to let the atmosphere settle. It is however more likely that it's just gonna be a fast paced series.
Bazz-B had a great introduction the highlight of episode 3 Seeing Ayon destroyed so easily always makes me wonder how strong Quilge is suppose to be like above the average Captain for sure
The problem as manga readers, we're expecting to feel the same impact we felt when we read the manga... it's not gonna happen. We can continue to compare every single episode to the manga, expecting a 1:1 adaption or we can embrace it and enjoy we finally got Bleach after 10 years.
Animation has all elements it needs to make us feel more, like movements, music, voice and Manga is just a still image... If they can't make us feel any impact with all those things than its a fail. If that's not gonna happen.... What's the point?
As for next week's episode, one thing I'm excited about is As Nodt's voice lol. We got a little snippet from that trailer but I'm hoping the voice actor was able to sound as creepy in conversation as the actual character is.
On the comment about shock factor with kira id say they did a pretty good job. I've veen watching with a friend who's anime only, and he was super shocked they just took out a lieutenant instantly.
So I think this episode was great, beautiful animations, nice building on the arc, but I do want the pacing to start slowing down. I think the impact will hit better going forward to only cover 2 to 3 chapters an episode
now that the invasion has begun I think they will slow it down. I hope so anyway. though we may get extra uryu scenes for how he contacts the wandenreich
Despite the cut scenes, I’m really enjoying this so far. However, there’s some stuff about tybw I’ll never like(Squad Zero, Some of the hilariously OP Quincy abilities). That’s fine though. Taking the good with the bad is what being a true fan is all about.
8:00 You are pointing out one of the main problem in this series. It is a small details but if you are carefully watching every episode since the first one, you can notice a lot of similar case when there is a « missing » scene between two shot (for exemple quilge’s bow already here without any animation) For someone who love anime and cinema, it is very noticable. They are probably doing this because of the schedule, the storyboard are cutting scenes to have less shot to animate. But since everything looks so good, I don’t have other complain with the visual aspect of the series ! Last thing that I didn’t like in this episode is how they handled the tension in the storytelling, since the episode is adapting 6-7 chapters + with removed content from the manga, some scene for me simply doesn’t work (Kira’s « death » without the vice captains meeting) We didn’t see main character like rukia for ages and the first line in the anime is « oh blue reishi pillar » first invasion could be so much more intense ! Same for Quilge’s volstanding, he seems to not be really impressive, probably because we are constantly cutting away from the fight and the tension can’t build up. In an anime we had to see and feel how dangerous he his, this is really important considering he is the first sternritter in the arc (by the way ichigo disappearing from the fight during 10min is a little bit weird, a copy paste from the manga can’t work because temporal perspective is not the same when you are drawing a manga and making an anime. Small detailed, you might say but episode could be nearly perfect imo without these issue. As always thanks for the review Tommo !
Largely enjoyed the episode, but do wish they opened episode 4 with Kira's death instead of ending episode 3 with it. Both because having the scene play out at the start and having Haschwalth's line be the lead in to the opening song would have been an amazing open, but also so episode 3 could have had those extra few moments to maybe include a few smaller details like Yhwach's lines upon entering Soul Society. Okay and also Kira is my favourite of the Vice Captains and it would b nice to see him in one more episode before he disappears for the next 50+.
25:54 i agree with that, this reminded me so much of attack on titan when they first found and read the book, but what uryu was reading must be completely different, so that was kind of a troll move 😂
Too me my biggest issue was how they handled the captains meeting. I think how he was portrayed in the anime, but mainly it having music in the background made the scene feel like a normal captains meeting. The minor anime issues I think will be fixed for Blu-ray.
Great video as always, Tommo. I noticed you skipped on rating the episode this time around. Are you thinking of leaving them for a seperate video in the future maybe?
It is flying. But I still like it. Like you mention they are cutting a lot, but adding stuff as well. Maybe they will put some of that stuff later. Again, like I said before, I love the battles but I also love the parts that are just talking as well. I think hey are going fast now to get people really into it, but I hope they slow down and add more content later. I really did like this episode a lot, even with the stuff they cut. I can't wait for ep 4 and I do think they will slow down at some point.
I believe there will be whole episode dedicated to Yamamoto and Chojiro. That's why they are saving up all those flashbacks. I have been enjoying the anime a lot, its been a while since i last time read the manga so i don't even remember everything. And i haven't been even missing them. I think that this anime is Kubo's new chance to retell this story to us so things have been changed and moved a round. To tell the truth, about Vizards. Specific to that Hiyori and Lisa scene, i had no fucking idea what was that about back then. I thought it was so random and out of place. Even i have read the manga many times. Idk.
I think the battle with Quilge was a little rushed tbh.. Its sort of the only "proper" Ichigo-fight in this arc, so the y could have given it a little bit more space. They treat it like the original anime ended a month ago, but its been like 10 years Also would have liked to see more of Ayon, it didn't seem as viceral and brutal as it does in the manga, because they kind of rushed through it. Also missed that comment from Apache "We are not your enemies this time, stay out of our way" And ofc the start of the first invasion... I think they could have spent like 1-and a half or maybe 2 episodes on what was covered in this one episode Btw I think the Strenritter having differently coloured Vollständig would have been awesome. But in that case I still think Quilge's should have been light blue, since he is this arch-typical quincy and stuff
i think the reason why they ended the episode with that is for the shocking moment. The episode was really great to me and the ending was amazing. the reaction of anime only to that was really great too. they were shocked an important character is killed off like that gives the hype to what to expect in the battle that the quincies are really a huge huge threat
Before I was iffy on Fullbring Zangetsu's shikai design, but in this episode the way it's shown handled and swung felt very satisfying and now I like as much as the original. I still miss the cloth though.
Another good review. I always thought Yamamoto did hit his cane on the ground, in the panel I read from the shonen jump app it has the words klonk next to the cane. But that seems to only be in the black and white from what I see.
I feel like because of the hype and resurgence of bleach as a whole, IMO I feel like they are catering info wise to the new people and giving fan service to those older fans with visual design, music, and nostalgia factor. The censorship may have been an artistic choice as reishi is being showed as bright blue for quincies and as he is absorbing reishi just to keep it consistent they choose to keep it the same color although it is technically morbid what is actually happening
What I’m still hopeful for is that they’re shuffling some of the reveals/info around, like the tearing between worlds, etc. I imagine they wanted to get things going quickly to pull the anime audience in quicker into the chaos of the arc, then start revealing bits progressively through the arc. We’ll jus t have to wait and see if they do this or skip it entirely.
I feel like a lot of fans are letting their enjoyment of the manga get in the way of enjoying the anime. I’m the manga, things happen quickly. It’s basically the fastest things have gone from 0-100 in any bleach arcs starting point. TV is a different medium. They’re working with just 52 episodes (remember that they’re adding anime original scenes and they also have to flesh out a lot of the scenes that happen towards the end of the manga), and they’re doing a great job conveying that really fast pace, the seriousness and efficiency of the quincies. We had to wait week after week for those chapters. It’s different from waiting week after week for an anime. They’re obviously gonna have to cut frivolous stuff out and rearrange certain scenes in ways that make sense. It works. It’s funny to see the reaction from anime onlys and manga readers because anime onlys are reacting almost the same way we did when we read these chapters for the first time. The anime adaption is fine so far. The pacing really isn’t a problem
I disagree... Pace is important specially for tv. Too much to digest in just a few minutes... And people being on the hype train bleach is back that they are sanctifing it and it's keeping them from taking a step back and see the flaws in it. I love bleach and I'll continue to enjoy so, but it could be better but i believe they are doing the best they can with the budget they got and withing this 52 episodes limit.
4:30 not only are we thinking that, it should be the default mindset for every single Bleach fan who has read the manga and was upset with all the loose ends and lack of plot for certain characters. Trust the process !
From what I’ve seen, this is the only episode in this season that will have adapted 6 chapters so if anybody had issues with the pacing then there’s that. Seems like they just wanted to move past those scenes and get to the good stuff starting episode 4. We’re in for something special starting next week, can’t wait. So far I love this adaptation and I have complete faith in Kubo and the team!
I will say this. What I personally think is the issue is that the anime is supposedly just 4 cour but I think it needs a good but odd number like 60-65 episodes or more. So I feel like they’re skipping through all of the background because even though these are humanizing moments, there are even more significant issues that need to be addressed later in the arc , and that’s gonna require potentially a lot of time to develop or explain in a way that can cover some of the gaps in the source material.
Understandable on the way Kira was taken out I wish it was handled a bit better, cause some scenes tend to be a hit or miss for me this episode. And that running scene with Ishida was a bit cringe XD I didn't think it suited his character, but it's fine still new content is interesting to see. I just hope later on the animation can exceed to the quality of the Gotei 13 Invading Army Arc or Fullbringer arc.
This is the biggest, busiest episode yet - there's tonnes to go through, so settle in, grab a drink, and let's take a spoiler-filled look at March of the Starcross! What was your favourite moment? Let me know!
My fave moment was definitely the end with Bazz B’s entrance and Jugram saying the sternritters are going to purge the shinigami
Seeing Bazz-B use burner finger on Kira before he can even react and the soundtrack playing over the sternritter ‘reveal’ was definitely my favourite part
if they wanna hide Sasakibe having bankai, why do they have him point out, to old man Yama, that they are bankai thiefs?
Yeah best part was definitely Bazz showing up on immediate bullshit lol
I would love to see you make a appearance on Tekking101 Bankast
Can't believe Tommo said "breakneck speed" and didn't display the picture of Quirge with his broken neck at that moment. Wasted chance lol
Not a lot of people are talking about it but I really loved hearing the new will of the heart ost that played. Instant nostalgia man
Idk maybe cause most people like the original version
idk, i like the ost it's really good, but i don' t really like the remixes, especially "on the precipice of defeat" that song was so raw and fit so well, it literally kept me watching early on just because the vibe of the song translated what the series was about so well, I would've preferred the old tracks rarely played with major impact, not remixed..
They put some 808s on it for the culture
@@Myhaay i think they remixed it with western guitars to match the quincies
I will say the anime only reactions to Kira as opposed to us the manga readers has been an insane contrast. They were hella shocked, while we weren’t because of knowing what happened already. With that being said it was still a stellar scene
For me Kira's "Death" was when I understood things was about to get real! Watching it I definitely did not think they did it justice but I do think it showcased how dangerous Bazz B is.
@@lesterburkes5962 yeah but like i said us Manga readers wanted more of that but the anime’s only were LOVING it
The upcoming chapter has Rose comment on Kira’s death.
It wouldn’t be a bad place to have a small remember Izuru flashback
My teenage daughter, only watched the anime. Was so shocked when Kira died,; she stormed out the room, once the credits rolled. Can't wait for her to see who else falls!
This made me unreasonably happy
I sure he'll be fine, 😉
@yellowflash214 she'll*
@@SpiritStoneWarrior94-yx3gs He is talking about Kira there and not the other guy's daughter lol
I actually like that they showed Uryu reading about Quincy's record at the same time as that sixth seat was explaining the conflict. The fact that Uryu seemed angry/upset means that there might be discrepancies between the Shinigami's version and the version kept by Souken, that the shinigami aren't as righteous as they make it sound. It reinforces the idea that the both sides are just in this war.
It was so well done. In a lot of other anime that try to have more than one thing happening at once they just confuse me. 💀
Not really. The Quincy massacre actually played out the way it was described by the shinigami. That's not the real reason why the Vandenreich are at war with Soul Society.
@@JoaoPedroPT696 True.
Just wanna say as a manga reader, i forgot alot of things, the episode was great in my opinion, don't know what was cut, the color composition/effects and music and voice acting in the TYBW ARC is insane, but the only thing missing is top tier sword sakuga, I hope we get that in the future, episode 3 was still great though
Yeah, ever since the trailer where they showcased Byakuya vs As Nodt, I've been rubbing my hands like Birdman waiting for that fluid sword play.
@@KyChupLoL that's true, like I know it will eventually be there, but the waiting is a problem, I'm just so curious to see how the top tier fights are gonna look😂😂
Well like you said you don’t know what was cut… not be rude but with that saying your review is almost worthless bother
@@KyChupLoL Bet they're saving their budget for Unohana vs Zaraki. Hopefully we see some insanely fluid swordplay choreography there.
@@boxiannn I hope for a really good story. Because great sword play comes as a obvious when it comes to bleach.
I like the idea of the captain’s meeting where they’re told to ‘prepare for war’ and having in the same episode the invasion begin. From a temporal perspective it makes us as the viewer realise how terribly underprepared Soul Society is for what is to come. I think instead of making the focus on Yamamoto they’re making it more about Soul Society as a whole.
I feel like we wouldn't have this issue if they weren't renewed for a specific amount of episodes. I'm sure we might get more later given the ratings, but the initial 52 episode limit no doubt meant Kubo had weigh in on what scenes matter the most.
edit: Imagine if we wind up hearing the truth about Soken from Yhwach himself. I feel like it'd be just like him.
I honestly wish they didn't limit themselves to 52.
@@boxiannn I was hoping like 70 Episodes especially after a 10 year wait. Fans were saying these fights scenes go fast in the Anime, yeah I’m seeing the tempo is go EXTREMELY fast, hope it doesn’t come back to bite them later on or they can slow down a little for the Elites later on (I’m just Askin…..Askin Nakk Le VaaR lol)
@@Blad3sofWaR 5 cours would be ideal
75 to 80 episodes would seem like a better idea. Limiting themselves just causes stuff to be cut and rushed
Just remember Fullmetal alchemist Brotherhood got 60 episodes, Death note 37, and Golden Wind had 39. Not all Series have to be 52 episodes.
I have a theory that they're pushing some of the cut 'tearing of the worlds' content back to a later season, either 2 or 3, where they can have more room to breath. That way they can cover all the way up to 'the blade is me' and possibly end the season on a certain revelation about Uryu that comes in chapter 543, which would explain why they're giving Uryu more screen time now, in place of that cut content.
yeah most likely they will reveal the new blades in last episode with Uryu's betrayal being the season cliffhangar
i hope so
@@crosis2 I really hope that's the season cliffhanger
Great video (as always)!
About Yamamoto's scene and the way the anime approaches his grief, I have a theory why the change in tone... in fact, there is a greater weight when we read that the character is losing himself in anguish and doesn't behave as usual; the fact that Yamamoto doesn't hit the ground with his cane is something that creates a strangeness for us fans, because we have a long relationship with him. In the anime, it was probably 10 years without watching him do the iconic beat and knowing what's next. I still expect attention and extra scenes that better show what the loss of Sasakibe represents to Yamamoto (we have a flashback, but could have a little more to better build the character for the audience that is starting Bleach for TYBW now).
About the colors in the vollstandig, it would be interesting to have different colors! However, it makes sense that all (or most of them) are blue, as the Wandereich and Sternritters are a military force! All having the same blue color, along with the uniforms, strengthens the idea that "they are an armada who follows a conqueror " and even takes away their individuality. But yes, we could have certain transformations have different colors (like Lille Barro and Gerard), either in color or in different shades.
i mean i guess different colors is kinda cool but there has never ever been any preconception from the manga before that volstandigs have different colors. so i agree that they should all be blue because that’s just what they’ve always been, whether it was brave souls or promotional art or fan-colored pages. i feel like complaints like these from the fandom make no sense. why do so many individuals in the bleach fan community always think things should just be the way they specifically want them to be when there has been zero precedent set for it to be that way. however like you said, lille and gerard i am with, but their volstandigs are wildly different to begin with because they are a member of the royal guard so they should already be considered an exception to begin with imo.
They should've indeed kept Mayuri's dialogue with Yamamoto reminding the latter of his past failure now leading to this nightmare. Still the low light in the meeting highlights how bad things are will escalate in that regard while Yamamoto's face in shadow does convey where his mind is especially with the loss of Chojiro.
They still have mayuris speech in the anime its just shuffled around
They did keep that
I swear y'all don't actually watch the episodes lmao
@@MrStingBlade dude be quiet
@@shido_rimru_ no?
I expected as much, I thought they would have cute out material BUT we would get new material we didn't get in the manga. So I have ZERO issue with that, I am very happy to see NEW CONTENT.
And you have to remember when you're making a 20 Anime episode, you need to take out what material you need for each chapter, and find the appropriate scene to end of a chapter. So far what they have cut out mostly is a bit of dialogue and side comedy for the series comic relief. There have been some scenes I would have liked to see animated, such as Choijoro eulogy by Byakuya and the scene where Sun Sun uses his Muda ability and Mila Rose recognises Orihime in 493. But I am HAPPY for new material such as the flashback of seeing Yhwach capturing Hallibel and Uryu learning more of the Wandenreich.
So its a fair exchange, WE DO GET NEW STUFF!!! The ANIMATION is BEYOND SICK THE SERIES IS BASICALLY 13 20 MINUTE MOVIES.
I think the whole Chojiro theory is interesting. But I also think when he's on death's door saying they can do something to the bankai, it implies that he has one
Plus Yama says "that looks like sasakibe's bankai"
So that theory is so stupid
@@Gunsmoke2220 Yamamoto didn't finish the sentence. He said "That's Sasakibe's..."
Yes, hindsight tells us what he meant (along with Sasakibe's dying words and eulogy), regarding Bankai
Personally, I think how fast the plot is progressing is kinda good. We need a strong start after not having Bleach for 10 years.
How quickly everything is going to shit makes you understand how dire it is. This isn't a slow defeat with Soul Society standing a chance, this is Soul Society being put on the chopping block.
I understand the problem with Yamamoto's behavior, but almost all of the changes so far seem to center around him and Chojiro and the Bankai stealing. I wonder if Kubo just has a different plan for them this time around? Maybe they want a more unhinged Yamamoto, if we learn all at once that not only can the Quincy steal Bankai, but they stole Chojiro's, and Yamamoto learns this in the moment. Especially with them adding the detail of Yamamoto noticing Chojiro's Bankai going off outside the gate.
Particle Effects 10/10. The way Quilge's boots streamed towards Ichigo before he moved was cool
Isn't the whole thing with the swinging at Quilge thing just foreshadowing Blut Vene?
I think Uryu name dropping his Mom is actually a huge thing to point to. That makes everything Uryu does from now on extremely personal, and it seems like they may not push the Uryu traitor schtick as far.
I didn't feel like the Burner Finger bit lingered at all. It was kinda like "Oh, Shit, well that happened immediately." Like they didn't even have a chance.
I think most of the discrepancies between the Manga and the Anime are mostly stylistic choice.
The Quincy invading instantly with no announcement is honestly more horrifying. No-one noticed Juha. No-one realized what was happening. The Quincy can and will attack within the blink of an eye and Kira's division will lose 75% of its leadership in an instant to only 1 of 26 enemies.
I agree with all of this!
I can see Quilge Opie becoming a fan favourite after this.
He’s sort of a fan favorite already lol
@@TheDarknessWithin11 first time hearing that lol
He was very rarely mentioned despite him being one of the more capable Quincy, I feel like the anime will change that.
He has one of the better moments in the arc for sure
@@joer8954 Before the trailers, when TYBW was manga-only, some characters barely had any fan-art and yet now I am seeing so many new bambi drawings. My hopes are high for Opie!
As an anime only fan The death of Kira was shocking! I audibly gasped when it happened! I do feel the pacing seems extreme fast. Love the content keep it up.
You are one of my favorite youtubers when it comes to critiquing the anime changes. You aren't just mad they cut out small portions of the story but actual scenes that characterize chars better. Love these reviews
for me it was pretty obvious that sasakibe used bankai due to yamamoto saying "was that sasakibes... ?" and then sasakibe while dying mentioning that they can do something with their bankai.
Might just be me tho
Nah it ain’t just you. People overly pay attention to certain nit picky things and then forget that the thing they are complaining about has been answered already.
I agree with you on everything, especially the lack of impact in the Kira scene and it makes me wonder how they're going to handle other similar moments, like the one with Yhwach defeating Zaraki (after Byakuya's defeat, how strongly he enters only to be decommissioned off screen - all hope is lost type of vibe). Also majorly concerned about how the individual fights are going to be paced...
I think you have to look at it from the perspective of a cinematic director and not just strictly a graphic novelist. Kira isn’t really that major of a character so the director isn’t going to put that much emphasis on him getting killed. It was quick sudden and shocking and that was the intended goal to show the viewer how threatening the antagonists are. A character who’s more substantial to the central plot will obviously have more drama emphasized on them if they’re being killed off because the general audience is more conditioned to actually care about the former.
@@shameronstar7220 But he is a lieutenant, a seated officer and one would think and hope he can't be so easily decimated. I feel they didn't depict the horror of it like it was done in the manga.
@@YazooNoDorei That’s fair. It’s really more of a stylistic choice then anything
“Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, ichigo?”
Yamamoto said calmly
Ichigo: N-no sir.
Yamamoto: Did you ask one of the Captains to do it for you!?
Waited all day for this lol I’m interested to see what your going to say about this episode because of how well u know the manga material. I had mixed feelings about this episode like u did but I recently watched it again without thinking about what’s in the manga and the episode on it’s own is quite good.
I’ve waited years for this arc to be adapted to the anime since I never actually read The Thousand Year Blood War Arc. You are my favorite Bleach Encyclopedia. Rock on brother!
As of now, I’m not too worried about how the overall pacing will be. We’re supposedly getting 52 episodes, and we probably would get far less if they decided to continue going at the pace we got for this episode. As I mentioned in a previous comment, I heard this particular episode had production issues, so I can only hope the episodes beyond will be better since I haven’t heard anything bad about them.
Unless that means we're getting THAT Much extra content.
We need to know how much episodes they had issues to be already be prepared..
Ichigo fighting Quilge: “This is only the FIRST BOSS!?!?”
yes
The Quilge battle was generally the high point of this episode, especially the Vollständig part, since it went exactly as I imagined it would. The second best moment is when Kira got gimped by Bazz-B, but I do agree that there needed to be more punch in the most literal sense. The sound effect for that Burner Finger wasn't nearly punchy enough, even as it was a shot-for-shot remake of the original panels.
In addition, I agree that the slow breakdown of Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto has largely been missed, which is a slight problem.
Not gonna lie, I read through the whole manga years ago when it came out, and most of my exposure to Bleach since then has been Tommo's videos. So therefore I'm not really annoyed at the changes with some of the scenes considering I don't remember a lot of them (I straight up don't remember Kajomaru lol), I feel like they're doing a great job at adapting the material for those people who followed it back in the day and are nostalgic for the main plot points.
At the end of the day, they have a limited amount of episodes alloted, so cutting out a few scenes in order to get to the important stuff is understandable. The manga was far from perfect in this arc in terms of the pacing and story beats anyways, and I'm hopeful that cutting some of the early parts will give them more time to expand on the latter fights that had to be rushed in the manga.
My problem with the anime so far is the removal of many small yet important scenes and the (unintentional) dumbing down of Ichigo. He’s had a few comments and remarks removed so far and it kind of bothers me; while they don’t add much, it’s a kind of subtle nod at Ichigo’s character developing which at the same time displays his experience and contrasts with his early character which recklessly rushed in without thinking/noting things ahead of time. Currently he’s in the best state of mind, attitude and maturity he’s been for perhaps the entire series and yet they’re removing those essential details.
Take for example his small comment against Quilge when he gets shot at by the foot soldier Quincies; in the manga it seems to be said because of disbelief due to his contrasting knowledge of the fate of Quincies, meanwhile in the anime it just seems like he’s thick-headed and still isn’t sure if they are or not. Maybe this is just me but that’s how it came across at least to me personally. Also I’m not even gonna mention the page of Yamamoto looking threatening after cutting off Mayuri. I’m really disappointed that it was cut as I felt that his face on that page communicated a lot to the readers about what his state of mind is and even allowed us as an audience to see a side of Yamamoto we didn’t even see during his fight with Aizen.
It would be great if episode 4 started off before the attack and gave us Kira's perspective up until his defeat by Bazz B. We could see him at the lieutenants meeting and his eventual arrival at the gate for defence. Then you could even show some interaction and introduction to the 3rd division seated officer's before they die. I just read the chapter with the lieutenants meeting last night and I love how Kira figures out what happened to the missing souls in Rukongai.
I feel like people are completely forgetting something when it comes to pacing, when reading a manga or the first time a chapter can feel pretty long and feels like it covers a lot but when it gets animated that time feels so short because things happen at a faster pace when the characters are physically speaking fighting etc now. Chapter 494 seemed long because of what it is an invasion it introduces a lot of new characters and starts the beginning of many fights it doesn't take up that much time when animated
The thing I love most is the animation. Its so high quality movie like each episode and I hope they continue this quality for the whole series. Also I dnt see why they need to add scene when I prefer they show me what's on the Manga except when those extras scenes are need for fights that were very short or some we didn't get to see at all.
Great analysis of this episode Tommo as usual, excited for the next one, and you know Tom you're the only person here who pronouncing these sternritters name correctly lol and i love it, keep up the great work
If I remember correctly the first episode of the Soul Society arc also covered 6 chapters. Also Grand Fisher vs Ichigo, but that was very changed in the anime compared to the manga.
As they are following the colors from the manga, and in the colored version Getsuga Tensho is yellow as in the new anime, Opie's Vollstandin is light blue, the difference is in his shoes. However, Askin's Vollstandin is some sort of pink/purple, which matches the mobile game version. Gerrard also turns into yellow light in the end, although I'm not sure that was his Vollstandin. Lille also has yellow halo and wings. So maybe it was decided to change the colors only with the elite guard of Yhwach.
Even though I know what happened in Bleach, i tend to watch this episode reviews to validate in what i know. Nice video as always.
The Dino Crisis-esque OST as it shows the Sternritter was such a cool touch.
Nobody Mentioning Everybody Favorite Sarcastic Sternritter Askin might be making his appearance next episode. Oh boy Anime Only, you ain’t ready.
My thing, as a manga reader, is that: in the manga, these sections also read as breathless, fast, and intense, but what intensity and fast pacing means in manga is different than in motion in anime. I think a lot of these cuts are made both to manage the episode count--52 episodes means we gotta go pretty quick--and also to preserve the sense of intensity and pacing in the manga. A lot of those smaller scenes would have slowed the pacing way more in anime than they ever did in the manga. I think they're nailing the most important thing, that this should feel sudden, inexplicable, terrifying.
I love the Shading/shade covering his eyes he looks cool af.
Sasakibe absolutely mentioned Bankai was he was dying on ep01, as the scene changed to Ichigo using his
I think the world-collapse subplot might be getting held back in order to elaborate and expand upon it further later on. Likely in the form of a flashback where we will see the vice captain meeting etc.
I personally really liked the Kira scene but I am anime only (but I also watch this channel a lot 🙃) it definitely gave you that feeling like shit they are about to get wrecked. One of my biggest gripe’s with Bleach even though I love it is the lack of stakes when it comes to main and supporting characters being killed off.
I feel like it was important to keep our first real Quincy enemy with blue reishi.
My memory isn't perfect either, but I feel like the official cover art only had some of the later Quincy with other colors anyway, so it may still happen, even if Quilge didn't. The same may also be true for the blood from Sklaveri. I'm not sure how official the color choices are for the colored version vs the anime.
Excellent video! This has been a really helpful series since it's been so long.
I wonder if the manga image of Yama, half in shadow, was meant as a precursor to his upcoming fate? I don't think I realised that at the time and I must have re-read the manga countless times in the dark years without Bleach!
I am so excited that Bleach is back, I just wish that we, as a community, didn't spend every live reaction video talking about how affected we are that some scenes are cut from the manga. There are so many beloved stories and childhood nostalgia that we don't get a chance to see modernised and brought back to life, it just feels like there is too much nitpicking and (at it's worst) gatekeeping from manga-fans.
Thanks again, Tommo, for these videos. I've really appreciated the videos that brought everything back from old memories and explanation videos.
I kinda like 494 being fit into the end of this episode. It helps drive home a little more how dangerous the sterneitter are at just how fast they can do this much damage. I think kubo tries to convey this as well in the manga when they mention that hundreds of casualties have occurred in just a few minutes of action.
As you said, we are moving in the story in a neck breaking speed. At first I thought they did speed up the fight between Ichigo and Quilge a little to much, but I can see why they have cut some scenes here.
I really love the extra scenes of Uryu and his father. In the manga Uryu just disappears and then he is with the Wandenreich what is very strange in my opinion.
I hope they can do more with Grimmjow. I mean, he is a fan favorite character and he is early in the arc, but Kubo teased him till almost the end of the manga. I hope he can have a proper fight and a little bit more to do in the plot and not just deliver the death blows.
The first invasion has begun and I'm really excited for the next episode!
I think they still could do the Quincy's different colors. I think changing Quilge's reshi to blue makes sense. He's supposed to represent the perfect Quincy and Quincys are associated with white and blue, I wasn't digging the yellow in BBS, and it was too similar to Candice
i definitely found it busy, the pacing was fast and there was so much going on one blink next thing kira is blown apart
Tommo Let me point out something that everyone may be missing. Yhwach isn't accaully at soul society but it could be Lloyd the twin sternritter.
Lloyd is not defeating kenpachi foh
@@br5073 he literally did
@@Mugetsu2021 no he didn’t dumbass. Kenpachi literally kills Him. You and all 4 people who liked your comment are fucking dumb.
If the anime just stays at this level, it will be in my top 10-15. I like they they are trimming narrative fat.We want new exposition, longer fights, tighter narrative. If we lose a vice captain meeting or 5 to get more info on the Royal Guard, new bankais, history of the Soul King, and the connection between SK and Ywach, then I'm for it.
I honestly don't know why there was a lack of impact, like the ayon vs quilge fight I liked it but I felt like it wasn't worth much or there were zero stakes which was a bit weird for me same with kira's "death", I can't pinpoint what exactly it is coz I love the animation and especially the music itself.
In terms of the overall pacing I prefer this to the arrancar arc which I felt was mostly a drag at times
I wouldnt be surprised if they used other colors for the other sternritters but having the 1st quincy we really fight be blue just feels correct to get used to the quincy powers
Coming here as an anime only fan… I love the breakdown… at some point in the future I’m going to cop the whole manga and take my time reading through it… I love this iP so much… thanks for the video!!
Honestly, Quilge is the only one out of the Stern Ritter I see as a real Quincy, other than Ishida.
Everyone else seems like a Fullbringer. All of them seem to have enhanced strength, special abilities that aren't part of the traditional Quincy setup.
Plus, the Arc before this introduced.... Fullbringers. Nothing about the Stern Ritter screams Quincy, or is it just me? Compare them to Ishida, they remind me of Ginjo and his friend's.
sternritters are supposed to be angels with other worldly abilities supplied by their God ywach.
@@edwardhim2276 I understand what they're "supposed" to be...but they're still more like Fullbringers. Each Stern Ritter has a specific power granted to them from him, the standard Quincy is completely different. Ishida doesn't have a standard blunt defense he uses, or one for offense, that seems to be from the power up. My point still is.... they're more like Fullbringers now than the traditional Quincy.
I think it would be nice to see the parts cut out of 494 be used as the beginning of the next episode, but, due to the pacing issues we're gonna face in this arc, I know we won't see that. Someday, it would be nice to see everything that's been cut in like a Directors cut of the arc.
Maybe I'll be trivial, but I'd love to hear "invasion" with the invasion in the next episode XD Of course I adored the parts involving the boss Qilge, the brand new scenes keep being fresh and necessary, and the pace for me is still good. My only concern is the grief-anger of Yamamoto, not well shown in the anime until now, hope they will fix this from Driscroll and on (they have to do it). For the rest, some chapters in the manga pass quickly, but I want to believe this "rush" is in order to save time for expansions where necessary (likely from the next one as for minor fights in this first invasion, a lot can be added) and not just to speed up for reach chapter 546 in this first core, like the opening spoils (it would be exaggerated, also because we would arrive at 1/3 of the final arc if so). The fourth episode will be decisive. And yes, up to chapter 499 (Qilge still alive and Ichigo imprisoned) or 500 (to end Hueco Mundo part already).
PS: I say it again, for me the quincy against Ukitake was Nianzol, which "strangely" also appeared in the promotional poster at the end of the second trailer. Logically was Pepe controlling Jidanbo and others. No idea for Rukia, looks like she was defeated by a woman from last PV, maybe Meninas? Or Liltotto? Hoping to get to see something brand new encounters for other captains or officers as well, even just quickly.
if they play invasion I'm gonna lose my shiii
I really wanted to love this episode but the pacing really did take away a lot of the emotional and shock moments they fell totally flat. I really wish they would have split this up in two episodes.
If things are being cut then kubo must’ve cut them for a reason.
Maybe they’re were things he looked back on that he didn’t really enjoy and and wanted to change them since he has all the time to do it now and is not churning out chapter after chapter like before and being on the clock.
It has been 10 years, you have all the time you want to do things differently.
Honestly I like that love that they changed it to a surprise attack on the soul society instead of announcing it right before the attack.
Don’t give your enemies time to think. Just my opinion.
We are going to get the captains bankai stolen in the next episode. And I think those fights will be expanded and take up the whole episode.
I think you might have a weird idea of Ayon's power. From the Arrancar arc, we can assume Ayon is low Captain level, but definitely below the Espada in general, or at least that was my impression. Now it seems he's High Espada or even higher considering the damage he was able to dish out. Like in one scene Ichigo isn't able to cut Quilge's neck, and in the next Ayon has broken it so badly he has to creepily break it back into place. Admittedly, this is a weakened Ichigo compared to the one that fought Ginjo (since he's now using his Substitute Shinigami badge again) which explains why he isn't shooting Kamehamehas every time he swings his sword, but still, I feel like it's a steep dropoff from that incredibly powerful Ichigo to this middling, Ayon level Ichigo.
To be clear, Ayon's feats here aren't necessarily contradictory (he was only taken out by Yama after all), but narratively I think it's a bit weird for him to be doing this much when Hallibel and presumably Grimjow couldn't.
I mean, it's worth noting that gauging Qilge's level is also a bit hard. He wipes the floor with Fraccion-level enemies, seems to be overwhelmed by something like Ayon, and against Ichigo, the later more or less have the advantage the whole time - not an overwhelming advantage, but so far he hasn't really been pushed to his limits. It's entirely possible that Hallibel or Grimmjow would have been too much for him too.
Qilge's main strength seems to be his resilience, having the Quincy absorption hax - and he still has his trump card - but in pure fighting ability, it's quite possible he'd be hard-pressed against most captain-level opponents (bankai-related shenanigans notwithstanding).
@@Talyrion Qilge is basically a jail warden. He can obviously fight and he is a Schrift but i still rank him below a Segunda Etapa or a senior Captain's bankai.
My suggestion for the Uryu-Ryuken scene. Uryu watches Ichigo group leaves for Hueco Mundo, either behind them or hiding in the shadows far back. Then he turns around, and camera pans to the hospital or his house. Then maybe a monologue saying "Time for some answers" or something similar. Maybe this way they can save some time on it to add back some of the cut scenes and also leaves room for future revelations for the cough cough "kyrptonite".
Animation 9/10, but storytelling 3/10, because i feel for new viewers, its too fast or weirdly paced that they wont be able to understand whats happening or the significance of whats happening. For old viewers, it would feel that some of the good parts that adds to the story positively is missing and therefore wont be as good of an experience. Personally the Persche and Dondachaka scene i feel is unnecessary.
The problem with bleach is that bleach is amazing and I think we need to talk about how amazing that is
I think they’re making this part fast paced so they could (hopefully) expound on the shorter battles we saw (like Urahara and Askin).
My prediction is mostly the same except right after akkon talks about the casualties, it'll cut to Yamamoto staring at the battle and telling his 3rd to protect the barracks, then it cuts to the action. I think showing the viewer the start of the devastation first makes for a stronger impact on Yama saying those lines rather than him saying it the moment the light arrives.
My hope with the fast pacing is honestly that they shoot through the 1st Invasion very quickly, and then when it ends, it slows down. A deliberate pacing choice, to really get across how fast the Sternritter just demolish through Soul Society in the first invasion. And then a deliberate slowing down in the aftermath to let the atmosphere settle. It is however more likely that it's just gonna be a fast paced series.
Bazz-B had a great introduction the highlight of episode 3
Seeing Ayon destroyed so easily always makes me wonder how strong Quilge is suppose to be like above the average Captain for sure
The problem as manga readers, we're expecting to feel the same impact we felt when we read the manga... it's not gonna happen. We can continue to compare every single episode to the manga, expecting a 1:1 adaption or we can embrace it and enjoy we finally got Bleach after 10 years.
Animation has all elements it needs to make us feel more, like movements, music, voice and Manga is just a still image... If they can't make us feel any impact with all those things than its a fail. If that's not gonna happen.... What's the point?
As for next week's episode, one thing I'm excited about is As Nodt's voice lol. We got a little snippet from that trailer but I'm hoping the voice actor was able to sound as creepy in conversation as the actual character is.
i love how for this fight you can hear on the precipice of defeat like if it’s the first episode of bleach :)
35:06 i bet the animators didnt even know that, youve got amazing attention to detail tho xD
Great content! Where is the grade of the episode? I really think that agregate to the video
On the comment about shock factor with kira id say they did a pretty good job. I've veen watching with a friend who's anime only, and he was super shocked they just took out a lieutenant instantly.
So I think this episode was great, beautiful animations, nice building on the arc, but I do want the pacing to start slowing down. I think the impact will hit better going forward to only cover 2 to 3 chapters an episode
now that the invasion has begun I think they will slow it down. I hope so anyway. though we may get extra uryu scenes for how he contacts the wandenreich
Thank you for a detailed review 👏👏👏
It was fun 👍👍👍
Ooooh, if they are trying to hide Sasikebe's Bankai, then we will probably get the Yama scenes that really showed his hatred. I might be wrong though
Despite the cut scenes, I’m really enjoying this so far.
However, there’s some stuff about tybw I’ll never like(Squad Zero, Some of the hilariously OP Quincy abilities). That’s fine though. Taking the good with the bad is what being a true fan is all about.
me to
8:00 You are pointing out one of the main problem in this series. It is a small details but if you are carefully watching every episode since the first one, you can notice a lot of similar case when there is a « missing » scene between two shot (for exemple quilge’s bow already here without any animation) For someone who love anime and cinema, it is very noticable.
They are probably doing this because of the schedule, the storyboard are cutting scenes to have less shot to animate. But since everything looks so good, I don’t have other complain with the visual aspect of the series !
Last thing that I didn’t like in this episode is how they handled the tension in the storytelling, since the episode is adapting 6-7 chapters + with removed content from the manga, some scene for me simply doesn’t work (Kira’s « death » without the vice captains meeting) We didn’t see main character like rukia for ages and the first line in the anime is « oh blue reishi pillar » first invasion could be so much more intense ! Same for Quilge’s volstanding, he seems to not be really impressive, probably because we are constantly cutting away from the fight and the tension can’t build up. In an anime we had to see and feel how dangerous he his, this is really important considering he is the first sternritter in the arc (by the way ichigo disappearing from the fight during 10min is a little bit weird, a copy paste from the manga can’t work because temporal perspective is not the same when you are drawing a manga and making an anime. Small detailed, you might say but episode could be nearly perfect imo without these issue.
As always thanks for the review Tommo !
"they are moving at a break-neck speed"... clever lol
Largely enjoyed the episode, but do wish they opened episode 4 with Kira's death instead of ending episode 3 with it. Both because having the scene play out at the start and having Haschwalth's line be the lead in to the opening song would have been an amazing open, but also so episode 3 could have had those extra few moments to maybe include a few smaller details like Yhwach's lines upon entering Soul Society. Okay and also Kira is my favourite of the Vice Captains and it would b nice to see him in one more episode before he disappears for the next 50+.
25:54 i agree with that, this reminded me so much of attack on titan when they first found and read the book, but what uryu was reading must be completely different, so that was kind of a troll move 😂
Too me my biggest issue was how they handled the captains meeting. I think how he was portrayed in the anime, but mainly it having music in the background made the scene feel like a normal captains meeting. The minor anime issues I think will be fixed for Blu-ray.
Episodes 4-30 are just going to be insanely dense with amazing fights, i cannot wait
Great video as always, Tommo. I noticed you skipped on rating the episode this time around. Are you thinking of leaving them for a seperate video in the future maybe?
It is flying. But I still like it. Like you mention they are cutting a lot, but adding stuff as well. Maybe they will put some of that stuff later. Again, like I said before, I love the battles but I also love the parts that are just talking as well. I think hey are going fast now to get people really into it, but I hope they slow down and add more content later. I really did like this episode a lot, even with the stuff they cut. I can't wait for ep 4 and I do think they will slow down at some point.
I believe there will be whole episode dedicated to Yamamoto and Chojiro. That's why they are saving up all those flashbacks. I have been enjoying the anime a lot, its been a while since i last time read the manga so i don't even remember everything. And i haven't been even missing them. I think that this anime is Kubo's new chance to retell this story to us so things have been changed and moved a round.
To tell the truth, about Vizards. Specific to that Hiyori and Lisa scene, i had no fucking idea what was that about back then. I thought it was so random and out of place. Even i have read the manga many times. Idk.
I think the battle with Quilge was a little rushed tbh.. Its sort of the only "proper" Ichigo-fight in this arc, so the y could have given it a little bit more space. They treat it like the original anime ended a month ago, but its been like 10 years
Also would have liked to see more of Ayon, it didn't seem as viceral and brutal as it does in the manga, because they kind of rushed through it. Also missed that comment from Apache "We are not your enemies this time, stay out of our way"
And ofc the start of the first invasion... I think they could have spent like 1-and a half or maybe 2 episodes on what was covered in this one episode
Btw I think the Strenritter having differently coloured Vollständig would have been awesome. But in that case I still think Quilge's should have been light blue, since he is this arch-typical quincy and stuff
I'm so glad TYBW is finally being released as anime. Nothing better I could ever ask for.
i think the reason why they ended the episode with that is for the shocking moment. The episode was really great to me and the ending was amazing. the reaction of anime only to that was really great too. they were shocked an important character is killed off like that gives the hype to what to expect in the battle that the quincies are really a huge huge threat
Before I was iffy on Fullbring Zangetsu's shikai design, but in this episode the way it's shown handled and swung felt very satisfying and now I like as much as the original. I still miss the cloth though.
Another good review. I always thought Yamamoto did hit his cane on the ground, in the panel I read from the shonen jump app it has the words klonk next to the cane. But that seems to only be in the black and white from what I see.
I feel like because of the hype and resurgence of bleach as a whole, IMO I feel like they are catering info wise to the new people and giving fan service to those older fans with visual design, music, and nostalgia factor.
The censorship may have been an artistic choice as reishi is being showed as bright blue for quincies and as he is absorbing reishi just to keep it consistent they choose to keep it the same color although it is technically morbid what is actually happening
What I’m still hopeful for is that they’re shuffling some of the reveals/info around, like the tearing between worlds, etc. I imagine they wanted to get things going quickly to pull the anime audience in quicker into the chaos of the arc, then start revealing bits progressively through the arc. We’ll jus t have to wait and see if they do this or skip it entirely.
Shadow of a wing could also be a reference to him having temporarily Hollow powers to regain his Bankai.
I feel like a lot of fans are letting their enjoyment of the manga get in the way of enjoying the anime. I’m the manga, things happen quickly. It’s basically the fastest things have gone from 0-100 in any bleach arcs starting point. TV is a different medium. They’re working with just 52 episodes (remember that they’re adding anime original scenes and they also have to flesh out a lot of the scenes that happen towards the end of the manga), and they’re doing a great job conveying that really fast pace, the seriousness and efficiency of the quincies. We had to wait week after week for those chapters. It’s different from waiting week after week for an anime. They’re obviously gonna have to cut frivolous stuff out and rearrange certain scenes in ways that make sense. It works. It’s funny to see the reaction from anime onlys and manga readers because anime onlys are reacting almost the same way we did when we read these chapters for the first time. The anime adaption is fine so far. The pacing really isn’t a problem
I disagree... Pace is important specially for tv. Too much to digest in just a few minutes...
And people being on the hype train bleach is back that they are sanctifing it and it's keeping them from taking a step back and see the flaws in it. I love bleach and I'll continue to enjoy so, but it could be better but i believe they are doing the best they can with the budget they got and withing this 52 episodes limit.
4:30 not only are we thinking that, it should be the default mindset for every single Bleach fan who has read the manga and was upset with all the loose ends and lack of plot for certain characters. Trust the process !
I like almost everything about the episode but i still think they need more fight animations with choreography.
From what I’ve seen, this is the only episode in this season that will have adapted 6 chapters so if anybody had issues with the pacing then there’s that. Seems like they just wanted to move past those scenes and get to the good stuff starting episode 4. We’re in for something special starting next week, can’t wait. So far I love this adaptation and I have complete faith in Kubo and the team!
I will say this. What I personally think is the issue is that the anime is supposedly just 4 cour but I think it needs a good but odd number like 60-65 episodes or more. So I feel like they’re skipping through all of the background because even though these are humanizing moments, there are even more significant issues that need to be addressed later in the arc , and that’s gonna require potentially a lot of time to develop or explain in a way that can cover some of the gaps in the source material.
I wonder what letter would Ryuken get if he was a Sternritter.
I totally agree with the pacing. It’s way too fast. Flesh out these fights more to make them feel more intense.
Understandable on the way Kira was taken out I wish it was handled a bit better, cause some scenes tend to be a hit or miss for me this episode. And that running scene with Ishida was a bit cringe XD I didn't think it suited his character, but it's fine still new content is interesting to see. I just hope later on the animation can exceed to the quality of the Gotei 13 Invading Army Arc or Fullbringer arc.