Despite the delay, this week brings the most significant events in the Bleach and Naruto's recent history, alongside our usual recaps for Hunter x Hunter and Beelzebub!

Anime

Kristina Pino

Beelzebub Episodes 49-50

Oh hey, it's a New Year, and we got a fluff Saiyuki parody episode to celebrate, a new OP and ED, and then last week's episode went right back to the plot (after more recap fluff) with a body switcheroo episode. I'll admit, it was pretty funny, but nothing was really gained these past two weeks. The only real advancements were Aoi stood up to Hilda, and they both have now come to terms with liking Oga. At least, that's how I interpreted it.

If you don't always wait until the very end to see the after segment, you'll want to see last week's for Hilda dancing to the pudding exercises! Also, this last week is probably the closest we'll ever see to an image of Oga hugging Aoi in a cute way. It's too bad it was just Beel, but I still submitted the image as my screencap for the week. Huzzah for Oga x Aoi!

[You can catch all the demon action over at Crunchyroll!]

Josh Tolentino

Bleach episodes 355 and 356

After a disappointingly-halfhearted New Year's Day episode last week, this week brings Bleach's latest training arc to a close. Ichigo finally achieves his Fullbring in the glory of color and sound, but as I've found to be the case when it comes to Bleach, adding voice to the exposition makes matters both easier to understand and more difficult to comprehend.

See, if another Fullbring-er is needed for someone to attain his Fullbring power (as Ginjou was there for Ichigo this week), one wonders: who was there for the first Fullbringer? A Hollow? And who was there for Chad? We were all watching when he first picked up the trick nearly ten years ago.

In any case, we at least won't have to suffer through Ichigo's trashy-looking incomplete Fullbring. Now we can get to see what he'll look like as a bad Kamen Rider audition-goer!

[Who will be there for you when you watch Bleach on Crunchyroll?!]

Chris Walden

Hunter x Hunter Episode 15

I must say, I kind of like that we get to see some logical reasoning as to how Gon gets his badge-pilfering technique up to scratch, and it really didn't feel like a slapped-on training montage. Gon shows more of his thinking skills when he works out that a particular breed of butterfly is attracted to the smell of blood, which he then uses to track down Hisoka, remembering the injury he had received in the previous round of the exam. It's also nice to see Leorio and Kurapika teaming up, especially seeing as Leorio really doesn't seem the combative type. Sure, I'm sure a whack round the head with a briefcase would hurt enough, but he has already made it clear he wants to be a doctor. This could also mean that this is the end of the line for the rookie killers progression through the exams, though I figured he'd ironically pass the tests, stopping him from ruining the other wannabe hunters chances. Could still happen, I guess?

The truly interesting parts of the episode definitely hide in the back-half of the episode. The first is the 'fight' with Hisoka, where he decides against killing someone who is mortally injured. This could just be Hisoka being the usual big-headed fighter he seems to be, but it's food for thought. The other is when the creepy guy with the pins in his face reveals his true form. Obviously at this point we are none the wiser as to who he is and why he did that, but I have a feeling it's to help Hisoka through the exams. Perhaps a member of the Phantom Troupe? Man, I don't read the manga so I'm only thinking out loud, but as always, I'm excited for the next episode. Especially with Hisoka targeting Leorio and Kurapika. 

Manga

Josh Tolentino

Bleach chapter 479

Now, taken at face value this latest chapter of Bleach is merely an epilogue. It doesn't start any new story threads, though it does hint at a possible tone for the coming conflict. It doesn't introduce any new characters, either.

But nay, this chapter is one of the most significant in recent memory, for it updates us as to the whereabouts of some of the other loose ends of Bleach have turned up, namely the Visored (some of them, at any rate). Shinji, Kensei and Rose are apparently back to Captaining. Bleach proved last week that it only barely has the guts needed to kill off a character, so one can only assume that the others we haven't seen are still puttering about elsewhere. Maybe they'll show up if Ichigo hangs out long enough.

Speaking of hanging out, it looks like Xcution's gone for good. Ginjou is definitely dead, seeing as Ichigo can directly reference his corpse, and the happy mugshot you see above is perfectly fit for wrapping a black ribbon around the corner of.

Such a sad fate, for Xcution to suffer. Thought to be new heroes, then just discarded once their use was done. If Bleach were more meta, I'd have assumed Aizen was the dude filling in the script.

Speaking of tone, though, Ginjou's whole shtick of casting the Soul Reapers as the "true" enemy have paid off, at least somewhat. Ichigo is now clearly more wary of Soul Society, and given early allusions to Soul Society's whole "king" business that lay underneath the entire Aizen arc, some conflict with Soul Society itself is likely on the docket moving forward.

If nothing else, that angle will allow Bleach to set up yet more dream matches between newly powered-up Ichigo and the newly powered-up Captains.

Dare I say, Bleach risks becoming interesting again.

Naruto chapter 570

Oh, now it's on. Well, technically it's been "on" since the war started, but the Big Shift has finally come to Naruto. Yes, he and the Nine-Tails have finally reached an accord.

I guess blasting the message that NARUTO IS A NICE GUY AND JUST WANTS TO GET ALONG would prove effective on someone at some point.