Book Review: Bleach, Vol 66 by Tite Kubo

Bleach, Vol 66     

Author: Tite Kubo

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: March 1, 2016

Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Manga/Supernatural/192 pages

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

 

Everyone is appalled when Captain Hitsugaya is presented as one of Gigi’s zombies! Through observation, Kurotsuchi surmises that Hitsugaya was turned into a zombie before he was dead. Does that mean there is hope they can reclaim him? Kurotsuchi is excited at the idea of all the drugs he can test on Hitsugaya… for the sake of the Seireitei, of course.

Stern Ritter L – L for Love – Pepe seems to have Byakuya and Hisagi fighting one another. What’s up with that? They’re too smart to fall for that, right? Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi is having a very interesting conversation with Gigi, in which he explains how he anticipated her moves and countered with his own. In other words, he has turned her zombies into his zombies.

Back at Reiokyu,  Yhwach is seemingly impervious to attacks, surrounded by an impenetrable force. He presents to them Stern Ritter W, for the Wind, a strange looking little guy with two tongues. And in other news, just as Ichigo et al are about to take their departure in Kurotsuchi/Uruhara’s device, Ganju arrives and demands to go with them! (Long time no see, Ganju!)

Yhwach has more warriors up his sleeve, so to speak. Stern Ritter M (the Miracle) and Stern Ritter C (the Compulsory). He thinks this is the end of Squad Zero. But nothing is over until the fat lady sings…

Even if they defeat Yhwach… I mean when they defeat him… can life go back to the way it was in the Soul Society, or have they been irrevocably scarred by events? Hitsugaya a zombie? Say it isn’t so! But it is. And now we can only hope Kurotsuchi’s tactics and amazing brain will help bring the Captain back to himself.  Hopefully in the next volume we’ll see the arrival of Ichigo and the others. I can’t help but be reminded of the last time we saw this happen, when Ichigo, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu were catapulted into the Seireitei in order to save Rukia. Let’s hope they are equally successful this time!

Another great volume, on tenterhooks waiting for the next one!