Bleach vol. 31, My Last One…

When I brought in this volume to read at work earlier this week, I told one of my friends that unless it was really good it was going to be the last one I buy.  He said “okay” but thought that my decision was a little strange after noting that I had spent in the neighborhood of $300 on the series so far.  After pointing out that it was probably closer to $200, I told him that it was better to do it now than to continue to watch the series become an increasingly pointless endeavor with this current storyline.  There’s also the fact that by stopping now, I’m saving myself about $140 as the series is currently up to vol. 45 in Japan with no end in sight.

To be honest, I would’ve made vol. 30 my last one as it had a nice volume-length story focusing on Rukia and one of the Arrancars who appeared to her in the guise of her former commander in the Soul Society.  As it turns out, he was originally the Hollow that killed her commander and was reborn through Aizen’s machinations.  Not only was it a physically brutal fight, the personal connection Rukia had to this character gave it an intensity and meaning that a lot of the Arrancar fights have been missing throughout this arc.  Had they all been as gripping as this one, I’d have pre-ordered all the upcoming volumes months ago.

Then you get to the fights in this volume and they’re just sad in their predictability.  You get Ichigo changing into his Hollow-fied form to try and take out Ulquiorra as fast as possible and failing miserably because we haven’t reached the point in the story where he’s supposed to beat the #4 Arrancar.  Then the scene shifts to pick up on Renji’s fight with Szayelaporro (who graces this volume’s cover) which is quickly joined by Uryu.  After the usual “I’m so badass” posturing from both sides, Uryu unleashes his special move to take out that ridiculously named Arrancar with Renji’s help.  I was half hoping that this would be the end of him, but of course it wasn’t as he ate his followers to return to full strength after the attack and vowed to return to finish the fight after he changed into something that hadn’t been burnt to a crisp.  Things wrap up with Grimmjow  taking Ulquiorra out of action so that the newly jailbroken Orihime can heal Ichigo and the two of them can have a proper fight.

One thought kept echoing in my mind as I read through all of this:  “I don’t care.”  This arc has been a pale retread of the “Soul Society” arc with Orihime in Rukia’s role and a far, far less interesting group of opponents here.  In addition to occupying key roles in the world and mythology of “Bleach,” the various captains of the Soul Society were also entertaining characters themselves and their presence is missed here.  The Arrancars have failed to make much of an impression on me at all beyond “I dislike them and I wish Ichigo and company would kick their asses.”  Rather than being characters in their own right, they just come across as insanely powerful plot devices whose only reason for being is to provide the main characters with someone to fight.  Yes, I know that this is a Shonen Jump manga and the fighting is its main attraction, but this series has shown that you can have fights that move the story forward and develop the characters at the same time.  Hell, they did in the last volume!

Fights like that, however, have become the exception rather than the rule these days and I’m tired of it.  I’d be more inclined to keep following the series if I thought that mangaka Tite Kubo had a plan for the series; however, after hearing that he’ll keep making the series as long as fans keep buying it at his Comic-Con appearance two years ago I don’t think that’s the case.  I’m also betting that this arc isn’t going to end with Aizen’s defeat, but with the revelation that the struggles of Ichigo and his friends have only played into his master plan JUST LIKE THE END OF THE LAST ARC!  So rather than subject myself to further disappointment, I’m calling it quits here while I can still think fondly of the series and entertain the possibility of picking up the series again at a later date.  Granted, that’s not going to happen for a while so be sure to ask me how that’s going two or three years from now.