Manga readers know Lille Barro looking through his rifle Uryuu was a big hint of what is to come, just like Jugram watching over in the last episode. But even without the manga knowledge, I'm sure many noticed how these two people were watching if Uryuu would handle his job. Because of this, the rest of the Shinigami got to escape...for now.
Liltotto mentioning Bazz-B wanting to settle things between him and Jugram kind of promised an upcoming flashback. Not sure if they'll have time to cover it in this course as we're already so far in it. After all, just this recent fight took a good chunk of the episode. Not that I mind...wait, that's a lie. I DO MIND! And that's because Pernida Parnkgjas was disgusting and Mayuri's altered Bankai was disgusting. Who needs horror when they can watch Bleach anime? Who needs to watch anything disgusting when they have Bleach anime? Maybe to some, it wasn't like that, but personally, to me it was.
Despite that, I think Mayuri vs. Pernida was...interesting. Even though Mayuri slicing off Pernida who kept growing his hand/arm back wasn't that pleasant to watch. Not to mention Ashisogi Jizo's modified form and it basically gives birth to a new one. Despite that, it was interesting how Mayuri held his long monologues, mused aloud, and asked questions when just moments ago he had been mocking Kenpachi about it.
Personally, the first half where Kenpachi and Mayuri exchanged sassy retorts between each other was best. It showed Kenpachi could very well keep up with Mayuri and vice versa, even though Mayuri tried to best Kenpachi with his science talk. Which clearly was too much for Pernida... but admirably, Pernida was evolving throughout the whole battle.
Which makes me wonder...why Pernida was so different from Mimihagi? Pernida had his eye on the inside of his hand while Mimihagi had his eye on the back of the hand. Mimihagi had only one pupil while Pernida had two (which clearly confused both Kenpachi and Mayuri at first as they seemed to think Pernida was a humanoid being). Pernida had chains in his fingernails which he broke when he revealed himself, making it look like Pernida had been restrained by someone or something or he, himself (or should I call Pernida it? Them? I'll settle for now to 'he' because Soul King was male and since it seemed like Pernida had managed to gain an ego, even chastising Mayuri about that subject, I'll grant [like Mayuri, lol] him a pronoun) had restrained himself. While Mimihagi seemed like some actual minor kami. Though, in a way both Mimihagi and Pernida seemed to be restrained. Mimihagi was restrained by being a shapeless thing who had to settle into another living people, while Pernida was more easily breakable. Interesting how those two seemed to be similar in that aspect, yet in different manners. Not talking about the duality of the other one being on the side of the Shinigami and the other on the side of the Quincies. It seemed like they were each other's opposites through and through.
This begs the question just where Mayuri got that book that told about Soul King's hands? Like, I feel like the subject of Soul King (before the Thousand-Year Blood War arc) was a very hush-hush topic, but it seems some actual facts (in the form of books were circulating around that "normal" Shinigami could investigate. Or maybe got into the wrong library (as in that flashback it seemed to be a room full of books) that kind of played its part why did he end up in Nest of Maggots? I could very well see a Shinigami getting jail time if they would snoop around about Soul King when it wouldn't be any of their business! Mayuri being a curious cookie could explain that.
Not writing about the fact, why it felt like Mayuri was underestimating Pernida? (Those who have read the manga know what I mean.) There were moments when it seemed like Mayuri had lost a bit of his edge (again, this seems to be a reoccurring event if we think about Urahara and Aizen), he even admitted it when he fixed his own arm. Which reminds me, why Pernida and Mimihagi were called Soul King's hands? They were clearly arms. Also, Pernida's CGI at times was fine, and at times not at all. If it was on purpose like that (for a disgusting/fear factory) it then succeeded in that, but if not, then no. And I'm pretty sure the elbow's anatomy was most of the time with Pernida wrong. It looked just...wrong and not in a good way.
But back to Mayuri. It felt like he was a bit out of tune, which made Nemu's concern toward him justified. Not talking about Nemu's hints/worries over the fact Mayuri might have changed.
It was interesting to watch Nemu interact with Ikkaku and Yumichika as it felt like parallels. They all were worried about their own captains and seemed to be very in tune about that -surprisingly!
Also, good thing Ikkaku and Yumichika were positioned in there, just so they could drag Kenpachi away before Mayuri's battle with Pernida got more heated! Hopefully, Kenpachi will be fixed just so he won't be left out of the upcoming action.
Wait, I just realized I didn't see Hanataro anywhere in this episode. In the last episode, he was still with Mayuri, Kenpach,i and the company, but now he had disappeared. I suppose he got left behind? Or, if he was in the episode, I missed him, but I suppose we'll see him again at some point.
The ending speech and card...I couldn't recognize who was talking in it (unless it was Kyoraku? I'm not honestly sure) or the symbolism of pine needles...but the next episode's title gave me big Kyoraku vibes, hence, I associated that ending 'poem' to him (If anyone remembers Kyoraku's shikai ability Kageoni). But I could be fully wrong. |