User blog comment:Godisme/Foundation Stones/@comment-893506-20120321150540

Yeah, this chapter had indeed interested me. Like you said, several characters, including one that has been around for a good chunk of the series, have died in just this chapter alone. It makes me wonder how many characters are actually going to die in this arc, and how they will be killed.

I honestly didn't expect Nel to come back alone, but I did expect her to show up at some point. This was a lot sooner than I expected. I'm actually glad that Harribel is being used in this arc. I have no hatred towards her as a character (she's actually my 4th favorite Espada), but I didn't see a point for her being kept alive if Kubo didn't plan to use her in some way in the future. The Vandenreich are obviously keeping her alive for some reason, but for what remains to be seen. And of course, the natural question that follows up on this is what happened with her Fraccion?

It's too soon to say for the rest of the Vandenreich, but it's obvious that their leader is recruiting Arrancar, but he doesn't seem to want to use them for anything more than menial tasks and cannon fodder. It seems like a waste of manpower, especially with the reasoning one of the subordinates gives for having them around, but then again, they're already fairly powerful themselves, given how many Shinigami they overpowered, including a lieutenant.

Overall, this chapter was interesting. Hopefully, Nel will be able to elaborate on some things in the next chapter.