Bleach 98: "Confrontation! Zaraki Kenpachi vs. Ichinose Maki!

New Bleach: Bleach 98, complete with new op&ed! I love 'Baby It's You'!=D This ep, not much to say...

Kariya, as we know, has begun his attack on Seireitei. Ichinose Maki has stayed behind to ward off the stragglers. His Nijigasumi is kidou-based and utilises light to attack his enemies. Hitsugaya and Renji almost came to blows when the light particles influenced each to think the other was Ichinose charging at them. *phew* close call~ They were saved when Zaraki Kenpachi, the 11th squad captain, blasted off the reiatsu-powered light with his own larger-than-life reiatsu. Amazing man! Ichinose silently apologises to Kariya as, instead of annihilating Ichigo and the rest, he chose to let them escape in favour of fighting Ken-chan and taking his revenge on the despicable man who killed his own taichou. This despicable man who had no goals, who had no sense of justice, who fought to fight.

They battle it out, each pitting his strong reiatsu against the other. Before the end, Ichinose asks why he chose to fight him. Just for the fun of it? Ken-chan subtly makes it known that it is for Ichinose. As they were, each fighting the other, Ichinose choosing to remain...was it not for his own goals, by his own will, finally? Serving Kariya and fighting alongside the Bounto, it is just Kariya's goals that he is carrying out when, all this time, Ichinose has really been getting stronger to fight Ken-chan. So Ken-chan is fulfulling his wish=) When he reaches clarity and finally decides to come at Kenpachi full-force, Kenpachi proves the stronger man, killing Ichinose in one fell swoop. Yachiru looks on and pays her respects to Ichinose (kyaaa~ check out her adorable pink zanpakutou hilt!) before leaving aboard Ken-chan's shoulder.

The golden for the ep was just 4th squad officials having an audience with Hanatarou. He offers his employment papers with a konbini in the real world. The punch line was when the vice pleaded with the taichou to talk to Hanatarou and she asked Hanatarou to please get her some make-up ^_^