English Dub Review: Bleach Episode 366

Bleach ended it’s forever and a half run on Adult Swim / Toonami. Now, the question is, did it go out with a bang or a whimper?

Spoilers Below

I am going to say something that may take people by surprise. I was excited to see the finale of Bleach. No, not because it meant the series was over, but I wanted to see how things ended. 22 weeks of reviewing this show, and we came to a finale that actually got me invested. And, just like how the Naruto manga is ending, I am feeling very let down by the course of events that happened during Episode 366.

For one, the entire episode felt overly rushed. It matched the pacing of the season, but I never said it was a good thing. This final season was at its best when the pacing slowed down. and they were able to actually tell a story. Have you ever heard of the phrase, ” this is stuffing ten pounds of shit into a five pound bag?” Well, welcome to the final episode of Bleach. There were three very distinct segments to this episode, and putting them all together made things feel very cramped.

The first segment was all about Ichigo making Kugo look like a complete joke. Kugo finally unleashed his Bankai, and Ichigo may as well shit all over Kugo. This meant absolutely nothing in the long run, because Ichigo didn’t even have to do much. This gif was used to show that Kugo was actually able to block a couple of attacks. Kugo even launched a powerful attack at Ichigo, and Ichigo just catches it, and dissipates it into his hand. Seriously, what was the reason to make this season, if the main villains were turned into jokes? Tsukishima was made to look like a bitch by Byakuya, and not Kugo was emasculated by Ichigo. To be honest, this was utter bullshit. This whole season was made redundant by two episodes.

Oh, and let’s not forget about Tsukishima’s sudden turn to a whining prick. All of a sudden, it was like he just watched his boyfriend get punked out. Hey, bro, I hate to say this. But Kugo was a joke from word one. Whining about him getting his balls handed to him isn’t going to change the fact that you both sucked as main villains. Riruka, of all people, stops Tsukishima’s attack on Ichigo by taking the blade to her shoulder blade. This was all fucking disappointment, and should have not happened. Tite fucking Kubo took what little was good throughout the season, and made it a joke within 22 fucking episodes. Fuck this guy.

Allow me a couple seconds to compose myself.

Alright, so the second segment was Ichigo walking back into the Soul Society, wanting a discussion with Grand High Poobah Yamamoto. Now, after all of the stuff Kugo said to Ichigo, you would think he would want to be going in with guns blazing and wanting to know why he was lied to. No, of course not. Why would someone want answers? Instead, he bitches down, and asks for a proper burial for Kugo. This is a big deal, or something, because Captain Shinji Hirako doesn’t want it to happen. Whatever, no one really cares, because it happens. Way to make such a big deal mean absolutely nothing.

The third is the ending, and final segment. Now, this was made to be such a big deal during the last Toonami fan Q&A on their Tumblr, and Toonami made it happen. I don’t know why, because it wasn’t important. Woo, we got to see a different closing segment that did nothing, and on top of that, we got an after credit scene. Apparently, Marvel produced this episode, except this scene had no relevance. Just all of Ichigo’s friends saying hi. You have got to be kidding me.

I am so over this show. I have watched a lot of disappointing anime in my time, but this single episode takes the cake. There is no reason why this should have been so rushed, but it was. The Kugo fight could have easily taken an episode, then Ichigo going into the Soul Society wanting answers could have been another. But no, we get one episode to settle everything, because Kubo couldn’t get people to keep watching his show. Fuck this guy, fuck this show, I’m glad it’s over.