User blog:Xilinoc/Ch. 566 (not out yet, but dis gon b gud)

So, as noted in the title, chapter 566 is not out yet; some people mentioned being misled by the title of my last blog, so hopefully this will prevent that from happening again.

Since I'm going to need to get a decent night's sleep for tomorrow, I won't be able to stay up late and do chapter stuff for the 5th freaking time in a row. So, once again, this is going up early so you guys have a place to talk about the chapter. However, I'll at least leave something of substance for the period that I'm gone.

Given how the last chapter was exceedingly info-heavy in regards to Yhwach, I don't think we'll be going back to him in this chapter, but I do think another fight will start. I do think there's some validity to this chapter being about Rukia facing off against a Sternritter (my money's on Bazz-B so she can kick his ass with Kidō and Sun can be happy [actually she'd probably be happiest if Yoruichi came in and physically kicked Bazz-B's ass across the Seireitei and back]), but I think I know what we all hope and expect to happen:

KENPACHI GON B TROLLING



...and now for the actual review after a few days of the internet not being a thing!

Song to listen to while reading this chapter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I-nlxD3jUQ

First off, that bit with NaNaNa and Renji in the beginning was actually pretty funny. Renji legitimately sleeping through the night while an enemy watches him sleep the entire time is pretty golden for him. Just the kinda thing he'd do. Also, as noted in the comments section, NaNaNa's statement of "I've never watched someone for this long" does seem to hint at his power being "The Understanding" or something. Would be pretty interesting, at least to me. However, there's one thing about this early bit that makes this chapter even more interesting: the fact that a day has passed, and Rukia acknowledges that they aren't going to finish this in one day. Remember the entirety of the Hueco Mundo and Fake Karakura Town arcs took place in one day, so it's interesting to know that there's gonna be some sort of progression, and that the enemy actually needs to have tactics used against it. Camping out in abandoned buildings is kinda funny, though. Oh, and Isane using Kaidō to heal Rose and Kensei was a nice touch, since she's the 4th division lieutenant yet has never really displayed the whole healing aspect she's supposed to have. Kinda like with Nanao and regular Kidō. Good show, Kubo.

And then we get to the second, somewhat unexpected half of the chapter: Rukia vs. Äs Nödt. As much as I wanted Kenpachi to come back, I think this will prove interesting. Firstly, Äs seems really hung up on having lost Senbonzakura Kageyoshi; that bit alone creeped me out. But then we got Rukia releasing her Zanpakutō without saying its release command, and before I go any further, I just want to make something clear: releasing one's Zanpakutō without saying the release command is not indicative of having achieved Bankai. Instead, releasing one's Zanpakutō without saying the release command or the name is indicative of achieving Bankai, as showcased in Renji vs. Byakuya. Just want to make that clear. Anyway, it's cool to see Rukia manipulating ice in a general manner, in this case making a shield, without having to use one of the 5 techniques Sode no Shirayuki has because it shows some growth on her part in terms of how well she can use her Zanpakutō's power. And then we get a chapter end with Rukia noting Äs him/herself fears his/her fear not working on his/her opponent. Interesting, and more so that Rukia could withstand said fear when it made Byakuya scream like a little girl, admittedly after a little while.

Anyway, good chapter overall. We got some exposition for NaNaNa, an indication of how serious this war is, and a fight that likely won't include Bankai and will instead have a character exploiting their Shikai to the fullest. I like it.