Review: Bleach Episode 365

Did the fight between Ichigo and Kugo live up to expectations? Or do we get more Bleach Dread? Find out after the jump!

Spoilers Below

So, episode 365 came and went, and I am not sure how I feel.  I was expecting so much more coming out of this fight, with the very least having Uryu shutting the hell up. You know it’s bad when Ichigo is shadowing the exact words I was thinking. Thankfully, Uryu finally shut up for five god damn minutes. The rest of the show, however, still left a lot to be desired if  you were expecting a knockdown, drag out fight.

There was a bit of fighting in the beginning, but that came to a screeching halt almost instantaneously. Kugo decided to tell Ichigo what the real deal is with the Substitute Shinigami Combat Pass, and that where the episode came to a grinding halt. If there was fighting in between the talking, that would have been fantastic. Give the audience a reason to get emotionally invested. I don’t understand where all of this came from. It’s not like this Combat Pass was ever a big deal before, and now all of a sudden, this matters.

It was like the Combat Pass has turned into a conspiracy. Did anyone really care about anything that was discussed? Oh no, Ichigo can’t access his Soul Reaper powers in the world of the living. Why is that a problem? How would he look if he was the only person who was flying around swinging a “fuck it” huge sword? I would think I lost my freaking mind. God forbid there’s some sort of safety valve when it came to Ichigo’s powers in the living world. Why was this such an issue. Everyone wanted to keep this from Ichigo, but Ichigo himself didn’t really care. It threw Kugo’s plan into the fire.

One of the redeeming values was that we saw what Kugo’s Bankai. That looked completely badass. Kugo changed almost completely, but still had that crazed look. What Episode 365 did really well was conveying how unhinged Kugo has become. I’m not sure if it’s the only redeeming value, but it enhanced the episode to some sort of respectability. I mean, it didn’t make it the best episode of the season, but it made 365 passable.

It is what it is. Bleach is coming to an end next week, and for this finale to have any sort of meaning, it needs to go out like an artillery shell. So far, this has been a bunch of air-soft guns with a smattering of 9mm handguns. I’m not sure if Bleach can make it happen. I don’t know. I just don’t know. Fans will probably enjoy Episode 365, but there isn’t much else for people who are just casual viewers. Take that for what you will.