Oh wow, talk about some radical character change for some of the characters a hundred years ago. I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but I just had to blog about this chapter. Too cool!

This chapter moved along rather alarmingly fast, especially compared to the previous chapter. We have the introduction of Gin, definite confirmation that Aizen is already plotting his moves, Byakuya makes an appearance, more between Urahara and Mayuri is explained, and Shiba Kaien makes an appearance. Now Byakuya, well he’s just too cute! It really makes you wonder how he could have changed so much. He reminds me of arrogant version of Ichigo. Perhaps that’s why Ichigo infuriates him? He sees himself in Ichigo? I love his nickname for Yoruichi though. Demon cat sounds about right for her. The relationship these two seemed to have at the time is adorable and it puts a whole different slant on their confrontation at Rukia’s cell during the Soul Society arc. Perhaps Soi-Fong isn’t the only one who grieved upon hearing that she had left.

I’m glad to see I called it partially-correct though! The old looking captain that appeared in the captain’s meeting in the beginning of the arc¹ is a Kuchiki - he’s Byakuya’s grandfather! Woohoo! I’m good. A lot of people were saying he couldn’t be a Kuchiki let alone a clan head, since he didn’t wear the hair ornaments. However, he was wearing that scarf that only the Kuchiki head wears. True enough, Byakuya is recognized as the heir, although he’s still in-training and thus doesn’t wear the ornaments.

Frankly though, Aizen, Gin, and Urahara totally scared me in this chapter. Aizen’s little test of Gin is frightening, Gin’s casualness about it is so…wicked. Urahara, well, he knew damn well what the hell Mayuri was capable of and to hear that he indeed set it up so Mayuri would inherit everything should Urahara die (or be exiled as it were), frankly I see all of Mayuri’s crimes on Urahara’s head.

Not much about the vizard though, except that Hiyori is really getting freaked out about the insanity of her captain. Can you blame her? He’s making Mayuri the second in command of the research institute! Despite this though, you can expect to see the chapter uploaded to the Vizard shrine tomorrow err later today.

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1. Check out page 7 of chapter 317 he doesn’t have the hair noodles, but the dude has the scarf! Of course I was wrong about the vice-captain behind him being Byakuya though. [↩]