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(More customer reviews)Now that they've gotten into the Soul Society and the Seireitei, Ichigo and Co. have ANOTHER problem: rescuing Rukia and escaping with their body parts intact.
Unfortunately, it's not going to be that easy. "Bleach: The Rescue" kicks everything about this brilliant anime up a notch -- lots of blood, sword-fights, a fiery climax at the execution grounds, and some amazing character development. But the best part is that the treacherous conspiracy merely hinted at in prior episodes, which sparks a minor civil war within the Seireitei.
Yoruichi starts the badly-wounded Ichigo on a special new training regimen -- to rescue Rukia, he must achieve achieve bankai (the ultimate release of a zanpakuto) in three days. In the meantime, Uryu has encountered the most horrendous of Soul Reapers, who is responsible for the death of a loved one, and Captain Hitsugaya is confronted by an old friend who tries to kill him -- accusing him of murdering Captain Aizen.
But the chaos really starts when Rukia's execution day rolls around: mass murder is revealed, captains turn against one another, and Renji fights a devastating battle against the implacable Byakuya. Ichigo appears on the execution hill with devastating new power -- intent on rescuing Rukia and defeating her brother once and for all. But when he seems to be losing, a horrific new change comes over him.
And in the meantime, the conspiracy that's ripping apart the Soul Reapers is revealed -- the identify of the Big Bad and his sidekicks, the reason he wants Rukia dead, and how many people he'll coldly destroy to get what he wants.
"Bleach: The Rescue" is a turning point for the entire series -- everything before it has built to this point, and everything in the future will spring from it. For an action anime, it is also quite heavy on the plot as it sets up the Big Bad: faked murders, real murders, conspiracies, hypnotic tricks, betrayals, a clever triple-cross perpetrated by Gin Ichimaru, and Urahara's hidden motive in helping Rukia.
There's also lots of brilliantly explosive action using ice dragons, black fire, razor-sharp cherry blossoms, exploding Soul Reapers, a giant bone-snake, and a firebird the size of a submarine. The action only serves to underscore the tension that is building throughout the entire season, until it explodes on Sokyoku Hill. It's also got solid dialogue, some quiet moments for Ichigo's pals (hanging out in prison) and some flashbacks to Renji, Rukia, Kira and Momo's days at the Academy.
Fortunately, all this dark stuff is speckled with funny moments like Ichigo's relaxation in a healing spring ("I AM GOING TO DROWN YOU!"), and an entire episode in which the characters unwind and recover after the events of "the rescue."
Our Hero really shows his stuff in this season -- Ichigo puts his life on the line to reach an incredible level of spiritual power, and rescue Rukia no matter what happens. Too bad he turns out to have a freaky dark side (and Johnny Yong Bosch has a brilliant demon cackle). And Uryu inadvertently gets to the bottom of his grandfather's death, and goes to devastating lengths to get revenge for what happened to him.
But most of the characters get to shine in this, although Chad and Orihime are somewhat neglected: the Yoruichi-obsessed Soi Fon, the kindly Ukitake and his best buddy Kyoraku, the happily hyperaggressive Zaraki, boy-genius Hitsugaya, and the fusty and arrogant Head Captain Yamamoto (among many others). We also learn how far Renji will go for Rukia, as well as the true reason why Byakuya has been so cold and seemingly cruel.
"Bleach: The Rescue" is a brilliant arc of action-packed, tightly-wound anime, with a shocking twist at the core of the story. Definitely a must-see -- especially for everything that comes later.
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The day of Rukia's execution draws ever closer, and to save her, Ichigo and his loyal comrades must navigate the madness of a Soul Society on the brink of collapse. Ichigo and Renji face the most difficult training of their Soul Reaper careers as they struggle to achieve bankai, without which they have no hope against the most powerful captain of the Seireitei--Byakuya Kuchiki. While all the players converge at the site of Rukia's imminent execution, in the background, a group of Soul Reapers slowly uncover an unimaginable betrayal at the hands of one of their own--a betrayal that will shake the Soul Society to its very core.
Click here for more information about Bleach Uncut Season 3 Box Set: The Rescue (2009)
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