Manga Bleach Volume 33 By Chris Zimmerman December 1, 2010 - 13:31 Publisher(s): Viz Media Writer(s): Tite Kubo Penciller(s): Tite Kubo ISBN: 978-1-4215-2811-3 $9.99 US There was a time, after Bleach had risen through the ranks and claimed its spot among the top brass of shonen series, that it was acclaimed for its ability to present fully developed characters in the span of a few chapters and build anticipation for the next development in its story. That was before Kubo decided to adhere to the strict formula of character meets bad guy, character fights bad guy, both power up, one wins. True, this is a tried and true formula for most shonen series, but their creators at least have the wherewithal to switch it up from time to time. As of late, it seems like Bleach has been feeding readers the same thing. Volume 33 picks up right after the battle between Ichigo and Grimmjow. Ichigo finally succeeded in besting his fiery rival but is left the worse for wear when another espada named Nnoitora arrives to intercede on Aizen’s behalf. Bigger, stronger, and faster than any opponent Ichigo has ever faced. Nnoitora is ruthless, relishing the opportunity to punish a weakened opponent and proceeds to do just that, batting Ichigo around like a fly while openly mocking him. Meanwhile, Uryu and Renji have their own upward struggle in the form of Szayelsporro, whose abilities allow him to damage the pair’s internal organs without laying a finger on them. Fortunately, all hope isn’t lost as one of Ichigo’s allies awakens to a dormant power and arrives on the scene to just in the nick of time. Despite my complaints with the redundancy of Bleach, this was for the most part a solid volume. It’s not very often that the main protagonist of a series is used as a punching bag and made to look helpless but Bleach managed to pull it off, thus building intrigue as to what could come next. The surprise entrance of Ichigo’s savior was a bit of a dues ex machine but in all fairness, it did make for a pleasant surprise, given the back story the character has with Nnoitora. One major gripe is that the last page delves right back into the formula with said character lamenting that they have to power up to defeat their opponent. Here’s to hoping Kubo can break that formula somehow. © Copyright 2002-2026 by Toon Doctor Inc. - All rights Reserved. All other texts, images, characters and trademarks are copyright their respective owners. Use of material in this document (including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication) without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.