After a long, quiet period, the legendary author behind Bleach (and more recently, the spinoff series Burn the Witch), Tite Kubo, will be releasing a special “new episode” chapter of Bleach inside of this year’s 36th and 37th combined issue of Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. This special chapter will be a beefy 73 pages long as well.
We’re coming up on the 20th anniversary of Bleach, the popular series that, at one point in time, used to rub elbows on the covers of Shounen Jump magazine with other hegemonic names like One Piece and Naruto. Featuring the lionhearted Ichigo Kurosaki, the series starts off with our hero assuming the role of a substitute shinigami tasked with helping souls reach the afterlife.
Early on, it was akin to a supernatural ghost-busting tale with katana-wielding swordsmen and swordswomen. The elements of modern Japan contrasting with the feudal-era Soul Society was a facet that hooked me from the get-go. Like a Final Fantasy game, it went from slaying brainless ghost monsters in the first chapters to slaying a malevolent god in the final chapter, and by the time the final curtain call was published in August of 2016, readers felt it was a bittersweet ending (especially if you, like me, originally shipped Ichigo and Rukia.) The final arc is being adapted into an anime, which you can read about here.
Longtime fans of Bleach were deeply divided on the ending, of which some felt it was rushed. On message boards and forums, some speculated that Kubo had friction with his editing staff, while others suggested that ailing health from overwork was contributing to the series’ demise. Maybe it was a little bit of everything, but whatever the cause, Kubo looks like he’s dusting off his writing pens and taking the Soul Society shenanigans out for an afternoon drive one more time.
Shonen Jump magazine teased us with “Ichigo was invited to Soul Society for a certain ceremony but!?”
But what?? Is Yhwach knocking about somewhere? Is Aizen going to attempt a jailbreak? Is Mayuri Kurotsuchi pregnant? We’ll have to wait until August 10th to find out.
Source: Anime News Network
