Bleach Volume 28 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Although he never asked for it, Ichigo “Strawberry” Kurosaki was born with the ability to see ghosts.  Because of this ability, Ichigo met a young woman named Rukia Kuchiki.  Rukia changed his life forever when she introduced him to the world of the Soul Reapers.  Now, Ichigo is also Reaper, cleansing malevolent lost souls, called Hollows, and protecting the innocent.

Bleach, Vol. 28 (entitled Baron’s Lecture Full-Course) continues with Uryû Ishida, Chad Yasutora, and Ichigo’s mission into Hueco Mundo, the other-dimensional headquarters of the Arrancars.  The trio is there to rescue Ichigo’s friend, Orihime Inoue, from the clutches of the renegade Soul Reaper, Sôsuke Aizen.  Rukia and another Soul Reaper, Renji Abarai, join them, turning the rescue party into a quintet.

Meanwhile Ichigo and friends have attracted a party of Arrancar rejects, one of whom, a young girl, is smitten with Ichigo.  Still, before they can get to Aizen, the would-be heroes must pass Tres Cifras, the land of disgraced Arrancars.  These Arrancars see destroying Ichigo and his comrades as way to redeem themselves.

THE LOWDOWN:  Vol. 28 depicts the calm before the storm in this current storyline.  Still, there is never a wasted moment from Tite Kubo in Bleach.  Even a period that is without the big fights that are the signature of Bleach is a time to reveal more character details or stage more intrigue and conspiracy.  I praise it every volume, but the truth remains that this is one of the best comics of this decade.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  No shonen reader can be without the incredible Bleach.

A