Kita ze Inbou! - キタぜ陰謀!

[ BLEACH #168]

Woo~! Bleach has hit widescreen format! I really think that this should have been done at the start of the Hueco Mundo arc but at least it’s finally been done. This episode marks the beginning of the new Amagai Shuusuke arc. Amagai is the new 3rd Division Captain and is a pretty likable guy. His presence is much different than the others and I don’t think it’s just because he’s the new guy. There’s something about him that I can’t quite put my finger on but I suppose it’ll become clearer as the arc progresses. His zanpakutou was pretty unique though in the beginning I thought he had two. I’m guessing that other sword is a secondary weapon or something. Or perhaps it’ll turn out to be more than that? Well, whatever the ability of his zanpakutou is, it must be pretty damn strong to wipe out a Cleaner (which is apparently really strong from what we’ve seen of it so far).

The other new guy, Kifune, seems pretty cool as well. I had initially thought he’d be the uptight kind but he turned out to be pretty kind. I’ll be looking forward to the background stories of both Amagai and Kifune as the arc moves on.

The new OP is really good and matches the sequence perfectly, unlike After Dark. I think I’m going to be listening to this song quite a lot in the future. The ED was nice as well but not as impressive as the OP song. Still though, both songs are a refreshing touch to the series now that a new arc is underway and a new screen format is being used. Next episode please.