Bleach Recaps: Ep. 188, Duel! Amagai vs. Ichigo

This is the second-to-last episode of this arc, meaning that we're basically at the climax right now.  Ichigo is fighting Amagai, that's this episode.  It isn't much, but its all surprisingly effectively entertaining.  I've been pretty down on "Bleach" lately because well... this season isn't very good.  But as for a climax battle, I gotta say, this was really good.  Not the best fight of the series, but definitely watchable.  In fact, upon a second viewing of this episode, I gotta say this was probably the best episode yet.  That's not a high bar to leap over, but still, its something.  A good something.

Amagai's voice actor is trying his hardest to sound menacing, and only really half succeeding.  Luckily the action continues nearly nonstop from beginning to end.  If only the animation department was feeling more up to the challenge.  The animation in this arc has been pretty sloppy and none of the fights have been especially fluid, least of all this one.  Ichigo, no surprise, is the only person who can ever stand a chance against Amagai's Soul Reaper negation powers, something we figured out last week almost immediately.  However this episode really drags out the revelation, as if its some incredible twist.  Of course "Bleach" would contrive events so that Ichigo would fight the bad guy, that's not surprising.  It would be surprising if Ichigo lost and Yamamoto actually took down his would-be assassin himself.  At least there is a lot of streams of fire and explosions.  Can't fault that.

Also, I'm pretty sure Yamamoto is asleep this entire episode:

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

So Ichigo and Amagai clash swords for a while.  Amagai would actually serve his goal of revenge a lot more by simply letting the Princess go and killing Yamamoto, his main target.  Even a crazed assassin like himself is probably dimly aware that Princess Lampshade-hat has no guilt in his father's death a million years ago.  Worse, he's now fighting Ichigo, a rather strong foe who he has no direct quarrel with.  Just let the Princess go and finish the job!  And since it turns out that Ichigo is actually the only threat thanks to his Hollow powers, its probably best to avoid fighting him.  I know I'm applying logic here, but why can't the writers do this first?  Thinking isn't hard.

I may not have mentioned this before, but Amagai's lightsaber Bakotto is really cool.  If I have, I'm sorry, but lightsabers are so cool they need redundant praise at least.  So his lightsaber = awesome.

The lone truly funny moment of this episode comes when Ichigo charges up a full power energy blast from his sword.  Oh no, Amagai is going to get blown away!  Nope.  He just steps slightly to the left and dodges it.  This an attack that usually is able to blast scars in the Earth the length of football fields, and Amagai is able to sidestep it like he's brushing past somebody in a crowded hallway.  Later Amagai takes one of those blasts to the face, and only gets angry.

Also, Amagai has no discomfort in grabbing another man's... um... sword:

 

Judging by Ichigo's expression, Amagai isn't bad at this.  Note the 

overhand grip, giving the thumb freedom to explore downward.

Then Ichigo puts on his African tribal mask and goes Visored.  Once upon a time that form only lasted thirty seconds, now it seems to last forever.  The magic of anime has no limits.  Last season he fought Grimmjow for two whole episodes without any explanation for how he could last in his super form for so long.  At least "Dragonball Z" wrote in an explanation for why its main characters get stronger all the time:  Saiyans get a boost of power every time they get injured.  Could it be that Ichigo is a Saiyan?  If so, that would be totally cool because then he could mix Super Saiyan with Bankai, a combination of power so incredible that anime fans around the world would sexually climax just at the sight of it.

I figured Yamamoto might have something to say about Ichigo's power, since Soul Reapers aren't supposed to gain Hollow powers.  But he just kinda opens his eyes a bit and then goes back to sleep, utterly lost to the world.  The tables then begin to turn, because Ichigo is able to scratch Amagai a bit.  In anime, if you scratch your foe once its basically the same effect as scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter.  If it happens, your opponent - especially if they're the Bears - are screwed.

Random shot of awesome.

Amagai, upon return from the commercial break Ichigo wonders why Amagai is evil.   The Captain answers "I sincerely doubt you'll understand" - but then tells Ichigo about it anyway.  Why are you telling him if he'll never understand?  Do you just like talking?  Well, ultimately Amagai's speech doesn't make me understand either, let alone Ichigo.  Then they start fighting again, which is good.  I'm surprised this show was able to restrain itself from ten minutes of exposition here, and am happy for it.  I like Ichigo's response to:  "boo hoo".

Surprisingly, however, Amagai manages to turn things around.  First he summons a whole ton of fire to surround Ichigo and so blast him from all directions.  Then we realize what his target is:  Ichigo's Hollow Mask.  Amagai has figured out that Ichigo's weakness is his Hollow Mask, break it and he loses his Visored form.  Even I didn't think of that!  Five points go to the Captain.  He manages to do quite a number on it:

"Insolent boy, this slave of fashion!"

Ichigo, however, manages to get in a really good hit in response.  In fact, it looks like Ichigo might actually have taken out Amagai all at once.  Amagai should have been paying attention, I think.  Thanks to a mysterious and ancient power known as "I got one more episode", he's okay.  Rukia especially seems like she pissed herself over this.  Yamamoto, however, looks a little too groggy and perhaps a little too stoned to care.  Furious over being knocked into a wall, Amagai decides to go full maverick.  "I WILL SEND YOU ALL TO HELL!!!"  So he unleashes his full Bakotto power and sets his face on fire:

So that's this episode.  All that's left is for Ichigo to kill Amagai and go home.  End of arc, next week.

Thank God.