Monday, January 7, 2013

Manga Review: The Six Fullbringers by Tite Kubo

Title: The Six Fullbringers
Series: BLEACH #50 
Manga-ka: Tite Kubo
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Graphic Novels, Teen Ages 13+
Publisher: Viz Media, Shonen Jump Manga, Shueisha Inc.
Format: Paperback, 192 Pages
ISBN-13: 9781421543031
Release Date: November 6, 2012
Source: Borrowed from Wentworth Library
Rating: 3.5/5

Purchase Here: Paperback

Tagline(s):
Time always approaches from behind
                   Growling and flowing past our eyes
                   Stand your ground
                   No matter how much time shows its fangs
                                                                 In order to wash you away to a beautiful past
                                                                 Do not look forward
                                                                 Your hopes creep up behind you
                                                                 Only existing in dark turbid waters
             
Summary: After a long battle, Ichigo loses his Soul Reaper powers and is now living a quiet and peaceful life. But when a mysterious man named Kugo Ginjo approaches him, Ichigo might have a chance to regain hi powers. But what are Ginjo's true motives...?

Review: 

Ichigo begins training to master Fullbring and quickly makes progress in the first stages. But while Ichigo is with the members of Xcution, Orihime is attacked by Tsukishima. And while all of this is happening Urahara and Isshin are secretly planning something.

When Ginjo explains Xcution's mission to Ichigo, he mentions an interesting fact about Hollows. Why do they have holes in their chests? They lose their hearts from the pain of not being saved by a Soul Reaper, and that lost heart becomes their mask. Each member of Xcution has their parents attacked by Hollows before they were born. They want to remove their Hollow-like powers from themselves. And to do that, they need a Soul Reaper. That's where Ichigo comes in. It's really pretty interesting when you think about Ichigo, Chad, and Orihime and how they got their powers. Sure, Ichigo already had latent Soul Reaper powers because of his dad, but I'm thinking the Hollow power he got when his mother was attacked.

"Ichigo. You may think you're hiding it. But honestly, I couldn't stand watching you since you lost your powers. You wanna fight, don't you? It hurts you that you can't protect those around you, right? You don't have to hide it. Ichigo. That's what makes you who you are."

I think Chad's words are what finally made Ichigo accept Ginjo's help in regaining his powers. This is nothing new with Ichigo. It literally hurts him when he can't protect those he loves. He doesn't want power to be able to fight for fighting's sake, he wants power to be able to fight to protect.

Riruka's first reaction to seeing Ichigo is hilarious. She's got a HUGE crush on him!

Ichigo begins his Fullbring training inside Riruka's Dollhouse. While being chased by a giant talking stuffed pig, he tries to figure out how to use Fullbring. Eventually he realizes that he needs to use his Deputy Badge, but he also needs to know how to manifest his Fullbring. Now the first stage of Ichigo's Fullbring is pretty cool--it looks like Zangetsu's guard. "Things have changed, you're no longer helpless. A glimmer of hope and you're a completely different person. Experience or instinct. Which is it? Ichigo..." Hope is Ichigo's greatest strength, while despair is his greatest weakness.

Uryu was the first of Ichigo's friends to be attacked and this time it's Orihime. Tsukishima cuts her with his Fullbring, Book of the End. It has a strange power, though. It doesn't seem to really cut someone, but plant false memories. Orihime thinks of Tsukishima as a friends after this and doesn't know why. This leads Ichigo back to Ginjo to learn more about Tsukishima. He was once the leader of Xcution, but he changed his mind and disappeared. He's attacking Ichigo's friends to get his attention and to keep him away from Ginjo and the others. All things said, it's safe to say that Tsukishima is dangerous.

Ichigo begins stage two of mastering Fullbring by fighting Jackie and her Dirty Boots. I can't wait to see how Ichigo's Fullbring evolves. Every time Ichigo gains a new power is always very awesome.

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.




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