Manga Review: God is Dead by Tite Kubo

Title: God is Dead
Series: BLEACH #48 
Manga-ka: Tite Kubo
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novels, Teen Ages 13+
Publisher: Viz Media, Shonen Jump Manga, Shueisha Inc.
Format: Paperback, 209 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1-4215-4301-7 
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 5/5

Purchase Here: Paperback

Tagline(s):  People are all imitations of monkeys
                    Gods are all imitations of humans
                   
 Summary: As Aizen strolls through Karakura Town, Ichigo undergoes furious training in order to master the one technique that could bring an end to the conflict. But when the battle is finally over, how will Ichigo's world have changed...?

Review:

This volumes brings the Arrancar Arc to an end. With Aizen's metamorphosis complete and his advance on Ichigo's friends and home, Ichigo will need to come back with the Final Getsuga Tensho if he hopes to defeat Aizen. There are sacrifices that are life-changing, changes in loyalty, and tearful goodbyes in this conclusion to the Arrancar Arc.

I was really surprised by Gin Ichimaru. Who would have thought he'd turn his sword against Aizen? "I'm a snake. My skin is cold. I have no heart. I slither looking for prey with the tip of my tongue. I swallow the people I care about whole. That's the kind of creature I am." In some ways Gin is like a snake, but the reason why Gin sided with Aizen revealed a very noble motive. Rangiku was at the heart of Gin's motivation to side with Aizen to eventually kill him. He became a Soul Reaper to change things so that Rangiku wouldn't have to cry anymore. I never thought that I would like Gin, but in the moment that Rangiku finds him dying and is crying over him, I couldn't help but like him. This is tearful goodbye number one.

The battle between Ichigo and Aizen was pretty awesome, though Aizen was really annoying with all his holier-than-thou talk. Ichigo's just standing there like he just wants Aizen to shut it and start fighting. Ichigo's new power is really amazing and the Final Getsuga Tensho is just... I can't even say how cool it is. He literally becomes Getsuga.

Tearful goodbye number two comes during a flashback of his battle with Zangetsu. "Do you remember what I said when this fight began? That what you wanted to protect wasn't what I wanted to protect? What I wanted to protect was you, Ichigo." If Ichigo uses the Final Getsuga Tensho, he loses his Soul Reaper powers. Seeing Zangetsu cry was a powerful moment.

This is totally unrelated to Ichigo's battle with Aizen or his farewell with Zangetsu, but am I the only one who thinks the longer hairstyle really works for Ichigo? I don't know, it seems more warrior-like.

The whole ordeal with Aizen has made a lot of the Soul Reapers realize their weaknesses. Some are training, while others try to move on.

Ichigo was asleep for about a month after the battle with Aizen and losing his powers. The third goodbye isn't tearful, but it's definitely more final. This one is between Ichigo and Rukia. "Goodbye, Rukia. Thank you." They have had to say goodbye to each other before, but like I mentioned, with Ichigo having lost his powers, he won't be able to see her anymore, and that makes this goodbye harder than the first.

Now that Ichigo's more or less normal now that he doesn't have his powers, we find out in the next volume, the beginning of The Lost Agent Arc, what he's willing to do to get them back when one of his friends is attacked and seriously wounded.

About this Manga-ka:

The son of a town council member in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima. He never took drawing seriously until he was 17; after reading Dragon Ball he knew he wanted to be a manga artist. At the age of 18 he submitted his first concept for the series Zombiepowder but it got rejected. Zombiepowder was rejected multiple times until Kubo was 22, when it finally was accepted by Shonen Jump. It did not last long; it was cancelled after four volumes in late 2000.

His next series, Bleach, about a high school student who becomes a shinigami and fights hollows, was not such a failure. Bleach began regular publication in 2001. It has been running in Weekly Shonen Jump ever since.