My Taste is Better Than Yours returns to Bleach with our look at the “Arrancar” arc – the arc so long it took two episodes to fit it all in. Is this the arc that finally wins Enzo over as a Bleach stan, or is it a case of “stop the Arrancar, I want to get off”?
Podcast links:
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March 15, 2026 at 12:28 pmOnce again, thanks for taking the time to read more Bleach and share your thoughts! I also find it interesting that your take seems to be the opposite of the general zeitgeist, maybe it helps to read Bleach in batches instead of weekly? Maybe it’s aged pretty well and uniquely? Or maybe your taste is just better, haha.
Yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious (especially in hindsight) that the Arrancar arc is supposed to parallel Soul Society. I mean, the shinigami wear black and the Arrancar wear white; one side draws their swords to release their powers, the other side sheathes their swords. I suspect the “ripoff” criticism is because fans held the Soul Society arc in such a high regard, with its multiple factions and intersecting storylines, tight plotting, and underlying conspiracy, while the Arrancar arc is more linear and much longer.
I think in an interview, Kubo said that from the very first chapter, he already knew Isshin was going to be a shinigami. I liked how we saw that Isshin and Ryuuken have some history. It’s also hinted super early on when Chad is injured and Isshin calls the hospital to send some patients and says “tell your boss it’s Kurosaki”
Agree that Orihime feels more proactive (even if she was only given the illusion of choice) in this arc than Rukia did; I think it’s because Rukia just accepted her fate. I think a lot of the fandom’s hate for Orihime comes down to, sigh, shipping wars. Also, her “Kurosaki-kun!” lines in the anime became a meme that everyone hated.
Stark’s a fun character, voiced by Koyama Rikiya in the anime. Oh, and Namikawa Daisuke does a great job as Ulquiorra.
Guardian Enzo
March 15, 2026 at 1:16 pmThanks for the insight. How specifically, in your view, do my takes on Bleach differ most from the general zeitgeist? I got some sense of that from Samu, but I’m curious to hear your take.
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March 16, 2026 at 8:04 amI pretty much agree with everything Samu said: your take on Kubo as an architect and his intentional, minimalist approach towards the narrative and aesthetic.
To dig deeper, I think it really helps to read Bleach in batches. You get more time to ease into Kubo’s style, and when you read a bunch of chapters in a row, it’s much easier to see that the minimalism is intentional. It’s easier to connect the plot points and foreshadowing when you can read chapters back-to-back instead of waiting for years. (Kubo planted seeds in the early arcs that _still_ haven’t borne fruit as of the Arrancar arc.)
I also suspect some of Kubo’s foreshadowing might be _too_ subtle. Kubo’s certainly not unique in doing this, and there are plenty of times where he telegraphs that a certain plot point or character will be important later. But there are many examples where you don’t realize it was foreshadowing until after the reveal years later, and that’s only if you go back to reread. So, something that seems like it was made up along the way was actually planned from the very beginning.
There’s more reasons why the weekly serialization format could hurt the Bleach experience. If I remember correctly, the character poems are only in the volumes. Long arcs take years to get through (253 chapters = 5 years!). Most reveals are structured as end-of-chapter cliffhangers, which can make things feel like they were being made up along the way. And in the communities I frequented, people were sharing and discussing untranslated panels and spoilers, which strips all context away from plot twists.
It also doesn’t help to read a single chapter of Bleach right after reading some of its contemporaries, like One Piece, Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, etc. You “get” a lot out of a single chapter, and then you read Bleach and there are no backgrounds and it’s over in two minutes. Imagine reading (spoilers for the next subarc) “the heart” chapter right after a dense Chimera Ant chapter. (Okay, I looked it up, HxH was on hiatus when that Bleach chapter released.)
And to get meta, you’re coming at Bleach with fresh (but experienced) eyes and taking the time to reflect on Bleach and share your thoughts. This is a very different mindset than, say, a teenager flipping through Bleach, not getting the minimalism, and impatiently waiting for the next chapter. I certainly appreciate Bleach a lot more now than when I was younger.
Guardian Enzo
March 16, 2026 at 9:20 amInteresting, thanks. TBF it’s hard for me to understand how anybody could look at Bleach and say Kubo wasn’t an architect, or that his style (both visual and narrative) is minimalist. But hey, what the hell do I know?