4/5 Of fish and foxy flowers
  by E. A Solinas (MD USA)
The fights all over Karakura continue to rage between the Bounts and Ichigo's little gang, and even the addition of some seasoned Soul Reaper lieutenants doesn't guarantee success. "Bleach Volume 21" is basically a solid slab of continuous combat against the Bounts' superpowered dolls, although the third episode on here feels like it was rushed through production while most of the staff (and one voice actor) was sick.

Ichigo's hopeless fight against Koga and Dalk is interrupted by Kira's sudden intervention, and his zanpakuto turns out to be perfectly suited to defeating the solid steel doll. And Yoshi's fight with Rukia and Orihime is interrupted when the crazed Mabashi decides that HE wants to fight them -- and his doll burrows into Rukia's body and turns her into a killing machine. Despite the intervention of Shuhei Hisagi, Orihime is faced with a horrible decision: kill Rukia to save her and her friends, or find some other way of freeing her from Mabashi.

Meanwhile, Chad, Ururu and Noba are joined by Rangiku Matsumoto, just in time to fight the aged Bount Sawatari, whose doll Baura turns out to be a vast fish that can swim through solid objects. Energy blasts, special powers and even living beings all get transported into a dimension inside Baura -- meaning that Rangiku and Chad have little chance of beating Sawatari, especially when Noba is injured in the fight. And in the Soul Society, a new problem has cropped up...

About 90% of "Bleach Volume 21" is devoted to action sequences -- giant wooden fish, exploding silos, flying flower-foxes, eruptions of kido energy and the occasional blast from tiny angry ninja fairy Tsubaki. Everybody is fighting the Bount and getting beaten up because of it, and at times it becomes a pretty bleak story, with little humor or levity to lighten the situation.

Fortunately the writers take some brief time outs where the good guys regroup, strategize, and seek medical help for their wounded. And the action slows down at the end of the fourth episode, taking us to the Soul Society where an invisible intruder stirs up a little more mystery for the Soul Reapers (particularly an irritable Ikkaku). And it seems like we might be about to learn why the Bounts want Uryu so much.

The third episode is a bit of a headscratcher, though -- it sounds like someone other than Jamieson Price is voicing Chad, and doing a horrible imitation. And the animation is very wobbly; an otherwise cool fight scene at the climax is marred by Chad and Sawatari suddenly developing huge, lipless, teeth-filled mouths and lots of facial lines.

It's rather nice to see some of the familiar Soul Reaper characters such as Rangiku, Shuhei and Kira, who show that they're quite powerful and sometimes clever. And there are brief appearances near the end by Byakuya, Zaraki and the ever-feisty Ikkaku. In the world of the living, there's a rather touching scene that reinforces the friendship between Rukia and Orihime, as well as Orihime's determination to help her friend... even if it is a bit too much like Healing With The Power of Luv.

And cute little Noba (who has some truly awe-inspiring abs) gets a crush on Rangiku. It doesn't get cuter than that.

The twenty-first volume of "Bleach" is crammed with intricate and deadly fighting, but the ending hints at some further plot twists yet to come. Except for the awkward third episode, this is a sure-fire winner.