Bleach Review: The Ordinary Peace

"Time to take care of these meddling kids"

The chapter begins with Ichibei claiming that Ichigo and his friends won't be able to defeat Yhwach while having a weird look in his eyes and claiming that is what peace is all about. Back in Wandenreich City Ukitake has arrived with several others to go to the Soul Palace. Kenpachi also arrives and almost leaves to find Yachiru however he is convinced to stay and go to the Soul Palace by Urahara. The chapter ends with Ichigo and his group confronting Yhwach.

Maybe Ukitake will have a decent fight soon

Wow now this was one really short chapter where not much happened again and while this could be because of Kubo's recent illness it still felt like a waste. The progress of Bleach has been slow lately and this chapter was really just a small continuation of the last one; with more Captains preparing to go to the Soul Palace. Now I really don't like that so many Captains are leaving for the Soul Palace because first off there isn't enough Sternritter up there for enough one on one fights but maybe Kubo is planning some team ups. Secondly this is really going against my predictions that Yhwach will create more Sternritter from the Soldat and that there will still be quite a few Captains still in Wandenreich City to take them on, like Kenpachi for example. I do like that Ichigo and his group are finally confronting Yhwach however I doubt this is the final fight already so Yhwach will probably survive and maybe they will also fight Uryu, Haschwalth and the Elite Sternritter.

Just slice your way through Kenpachi!

As for everything else it was interesting that Ichibei seems to be siding with Ywach now with his vague talk of peace which is what Yhwach likes to talk about all the time. This is just a theory but maybe since Yhwach has killed the Soul King maybe he will be the new one and the Zero Squad has no choice to obey him. That would be cool because we will get to see them in action again and they will have to fight the main characters and the Captains who are arriving. I also did like the moment with Kenpachi who didn't care about going to the Soul Palace at first and wanted to find Yachiru.

Overall this chapter was just really short and not very exciting.

SCORE: 3/10

Highlights: Ichibei and the Zero Squad possibly the enemy now?
                   Kenpachi wanting to go find Yachiru

Let - Downs: Too Short
                      Nothing really significant happens
                      Too many Soul Reapers going to the Soul Palace

Arrow Season Three: The Climb

The Head of the Demon vs. Arrow

(Finally up to date with the Arrow episodes in the UK!!) The episode begins at Christmas with Arrow handing over a criminal to Quentin but is soon abducted by the League and Nyssa says he has 48 hours to hand over Sara's killer or the League will kill the citizens of Starling, Maseo is also there much to Arrow's surprise. Elsewhere Laurel tells Thea about Sara's death and Ray tells Felicity how his wife was killed in the Mirakuru army rampage which is why he felt guilty kissing her, in a Flashback Oliver tells Maseo the guy he tortured says an organization is making a virus called OMGEA. Felicity then finds out that the arrows which killed Sara has Oliver's DNA on them but Oliver thinks it is a plant by Malcolm however when Arrow and Arsenal find out he was in Starling the day Sara was killed they find out Thea was as well. Meanwhile Dinah arrives in Starling for Christmas and in a Flashback Maseo and Oliver find out OMEGA has already been stolen but when they question the thief finds out he doesn't remember stealing it. Ray then tells Felicity of his plans of shrinking technology and Dinah suspects Sara is dead which Laurel confirms but promises to avenge her. Ra's is then seen training meanwhile Arrow visits Thea to get answers but his shocked by her fighting skill and upset because more evidence points to her.

"Guess I should tell them both now..........or not"

Oliver then meets with Malcolm who says he drugged Thea to kill Sara and that he wants Oliver to have a trial by combat against Ra's to save her; this is good for Malcolm because if Ra's dies he is then free from killers sent by the League but if Oliver dies then no more Arrow. In a Flashback Maseo and Oliver arrive home to discover Tatsu has been captured by China White, in the present Oliver meets with Ra's and says he killed Sara so he can have the trial by combat. Oliver then says his goodbyes to everyone including a distraught Felicity who begs him to come back, later Ray shows Felicity his ATOM exo - suit which he will use to help the city and wants Felicity's help. The episode ends when Oliver who travels to the mountains to fight Ra's while being watched by both Nyssa and Maseo. Oliver puts up a fight but is overpowered and stabbed in the chest, Ra's kicks him off the mountain seemingly to his death.

Damn!

WOW! Now I really didn't expect the series to kill off the main character but it looks like they have and from what I have read on the internet since this episode aired Oliver really is dead. First off that was such an awesome fight between Oliver and Ra's because we really could use more sword fighting in Arrow and the sword play in this final fight was perfect; the way Ra's confidently says he will take Oliver's blades then killed him with them was epic. Next Ra's is such a great character now that we have seen more than two minutes of him and it is thanks to Matt Nable who does a awesome live action performance of him and I hope he appears again soon. Finally I am now positive that the Lazarus Pits exists because of Ra's comments that it has been 67 years since he last held a trial by combat and he doesn't look 67. I have really wanted to see the Lazarus Pits in live action and I hope they use it on Oliver to bring him back (and that he goes insane from it and becomes an antagonist for a while, haven't seen episodes past this one yet because they haven't aired in the UK) however I hope Arrow does not overuse it as well; use it once on the main character to bring him back is alright and letting Ra's use it repeatedly is alright because he does in the comics. However if they use it on every dead character it removes any fear of death in the series, for example even though Sara was a great character I think she needs to stay dead for Laurel to progress, plus her death had such an impact on the other characters and story.

Can't wait to see that suit

Malcolm continues to be such a great manipulator in the way he had Thea kill Sara so he can have Oliver fight Ra's for him, it was just such an masterful plan! It makes me wonder what plans he has install next however I guess I don't like the whole drug induced Thea to kill Sara part of the plan because after all the trouble that Oliver went through in the episode 'The Magician' in proving Malcolm was innocent it turns out it was basically him anyway. I just think it might have been better if it was an original character that killed Sara in the end because Thea being the culprit just felt underwhelming. We also finally get a look at Ray ATOM suit and even if it was a hologram it sure looked awesome and Felicity's reaction was priceless lol. Unfortunately I don't think we will see it for a while but they sure are building up a lot of hype for it and maybe he will help Team Arrow out with the League.

Maseo how could you!?

As for everything else the Flashbacks where really good with the inclusion of China White in the Flashback cast now and the threat of a virus super weapon. The sword fight from China White and Tatsu was also good however I hope that OMEGA doesn't appear in the present day because that would be too similar to Mirakuru. We also saw Maseo in the present which makes me think if Tatsu is dead (which I will be fine with) and even though he is part of the League he still seemed to show concern for Oliver, maybe he is the one to bring with back. Finally we got some good emotional moments from Dinah and Laurel however most of it was cheesy such as Dinah telling her to 'make them suffer' and that she 'had a feeling' something was wrong. Also now that Dinah and Thea know that Sara is dead that is basically almost all of the main cast so this whole keeping a secret from Quentin is just getting so stupid now and its barely a secret anymore.

"Been a while since I've been on the show"

Overall it was an awesome way to end the mid season and with Oliver dead we will get more of a focus on other characters for a while.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Ra's vs. Oliver which resulting in Oliver's death!
                   Malcolm's master plan
                   Ray's ATOM suit is coming along nicely
                   Oliver's goodbyes to everyone

Let - Downs: Didn't like overall that a drugged Thea was the culprit
                      Dinah and Laurel's dialogue
                      Keeping Sara's death from Quentin now is just pointless

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Arrow Season Three: Draw Back Your Bow

The definition of crazy right here

The episode begins in a Flashback and Arrow saves Carrie during the attacks of the Mirakuru army, in the present Arrow and Quentin find the corpse of Isaac who was killed with red - spade shaped arrows. In a Flashback Maseo tells everyone he has to go on a mission for A.R.G.U.S while in the present Ray asks Felicity to go to dinner with him to help close a deal with a client meanwhile Oliver is angry that that Felicity is spending more time with Ray and that Queen Consolidated has been renamed Palmer Technologies. Arrow and Diggle then go to an address hidden in the red arrow and find a shrine dedicated to Arrow and realizes the red spade is actually a heart, he then gets a call from Cupid who is clearly infatuated with him but also taunts him with a tied up mob boss. Thea is looking for DJs at The Verdant but is hounded by an annoying one meanwhile at the Arrowcave Roy is still haunted by the cop he killed but luckily Felicity finds out the identity of Cupid who was a former SWAT officer. In a Flashback Maseo has been gone for too long so Oliver and Tatsu go out to find him, in the present Arrow and Arsenal go to the location of the mob boss at a flouriest however Cupid gets the drop on Arsenal but Arrow manages to save him and the mob boss.

"I've sure attracted a real nut job here"

Arrow then later tracks down Carrie's old psychiatrist and gets more information on her mental state while Diggle talks to Felicity about what is going on between her, Ray and Oliver however Felicity says Oliver has the problem since he gave up on her. In a Flashback Oliver and Tatsu track down some Triad but get no answers, in the present Cupid learns from a hacker that the Arrow operates at The Verdant before killing him. Oliver learns that Cupid is at The Verdant so he calls her and she demands he meets him at the place she picks elsewhere Felicity gives an impressive speech to the mine owners Ray is meeting with. Arrow manages to defeat Cupid despite being almost run over by a train and then he hands her over to the Suicide Squad in hopes she can do some good, in a Flashback Maseo turns up safe and sound. Ray then thanks Felicity for her help and kisses her but seems to hesitate and walks away while at the Arrowcave Roy and Oliver decide to visit Diggle and his family for dinner. The episode ends with Digger Harkness AKA Captain Boomerang killing a man in an alley.



"Should have know she would have had handcuffs on her"

Got another great adaptation of an Arrow villain and this time it is the love obsessed psycho Cupid! They really did quite the good job of making her out to be incredibly crazy such as her stalking Arrow in the last episode and this one to her insane shrine of Arrow in her apartment; maybe this girl watched 'Play Misty for Me' a little too many times lol. I really like her costume and her heart shaped arrows was a really nice touch (they had it in the intro sequence!). Her fight was Arrow was good to watch, I mean she really was insane the way she was going to kill herself with Arrow, however I didn't like that Arsenal was taken out so easily however he is still getting over killing a cop. I'm glad that she is still alive and is now apart of the Suicide Squad; I hope we get to see them soon and that besides Cupid they have new members, they don't have to all be past Arrow villain they should introduce new ones.

My favourite Suicide Squad member!

As for everything else the Flashbacks where a lot better and Tatsu wasn't so annoying and actually used her katana. However I am still not enjoying it as much as the island since the ending with Maseo still alive was so underwhelming, he just appeared at the end safe and sound and said he just couldn't phone home for hours. I also liked the cute moments with Ray and Felicity and a pairing between them probably works more than any of the others we have seen so far, even Oliver and Felicity in my opinion (I mean you did hear how much he spent on that dress and necklace for her!). Lastly who the hell was that annoying DJ character? I mean honestly what a stuck up p***k! I don't know what purpose he was supposed to serve but I hope he doesn't appear on the series again. While we are on the subject of annoying characters, I know it was only one scene, but Cupid's old psychiatrist was damn annoying! Where does she get off talk to Arrow like that?

Sorry OliverxFelicity fans I'm more for RayxFelicity

Overall get episode and the ending scene with Captain Boomerang, one of my favourite villains and Suicide Squad members, was just awesome!     

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Cupid
                   Flashbacks got a bit better
                   Ray and Felicity

Let - Downs: Flashback ending was underwhelming
                      DJ and psychiatrist

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Arrow Season Three: Guilty

"I am Wildcat"

The episode begins with Arrow and Red Arrow going to stop a drug deal however they find the dealers dead and hanged with the word GUILTY written in blood, Roy then secretly asks Felicity to check for any Mirakuru still in his system. In a Flashback Oliver and Maseo tail a guy but when they lose track of him they find out the package they where supposed to get was not on him, in the present Arrow tracks down another hanged man which is in the Wildcat Gym and runs into Ted and Laurel. At the Arrowcave Felicity tells Roy there is no Mirakuru in his system so Roy tells her of his nightmares meanwhile Ted is questioned but Laurel vouches for him to Quentin and Oliver the latter is then angry that Laurel is in training. In a Flashback since Oliver can't remember where the package is Maseo asks his wife Tatsu (Rila Fukushima) to use a concentration technique on him which works. In the present Arrow tracks down Ted's storage locker which has another body but also evidence of vigilantism, Ted shows up and he and Arrow have a short fight but after Ted admits he used to be a vigilante but quit after he beat a drug dealer to death. The two go to the site of the murder where they find Ted's old crime fighting partner Isaac who is mad Ted abandoned him and wants revenge however he escapes and Ted is arrested by police.

Does he even have a vigilante name?

At the Arrowcave Roy tells the rest his nightmares of killing Sara and Felicity admits it is possible with the evidence, Oliver then admits to Diggle and Laurel he doesn't know what to do with Roy. Laurel then gets Ted free, after he admits to her Isaac killed the drug dealer and he abandoned him soon after, however the two are then kidnapped by Isaac. Arrow goes to rescue them (Laurel had her phone on) however Red Arrow shows up later and stops Isaac and asks Arrow not to abandon him, later Arrow goes to Ted to ask him to stop training Laurel however he refuses saying it is her choice. Oliver then tells Roy they should rename him Arsenal and then uses the concentration technique on him; it is revealed Roy didn't kill Sara but was mixing his memories of the time he killed a cop while on his Mirakuru rampage, this still upsets Roy. The episode ends with Laurel asking Ted to train her not just to fight but to be a vigilante and Isaac is later killed by female archer Carrie Cutter AKA Cupid (Amy Gumenick).

FIGHT!

Another episode on a character who I wanted more background on and that was Ted Grant and I am really glad that this episode confirms that he was a vigilante because even of he has retired he could always don his mask again. I liked that this addresses that there where vigilantes in Starling even before Arrow came in to the picture and I liked the whole story between Ted and Isaac and that it mirrored what was happening between Oliver and Roy. Speaking about Roy he too had an interesting subplot and it was good he teamed up with Felicity because I don't think the two have interacted much. It also keeps the mystery of who killed Sara still going however I feel that Roy's subplot could have had more of a focus as well. Then there was Laurel and she is still getting to be a better character now with the way she stuck with Ted and I hope the two team up when they are vigilantes.

Where are the ears?

As for the rest of the episode I admit I didn't like Oliver's attitude much (the boxing glove arrow was great though) because he constantly thought the worse of Ted because he killed one drug dealer but honestly who is he to judge people about killing? It just got on my nerves and him also constantly telling Laurel to stay away from him and to stop training didn't help either. Then there is the Flashbacks and I didn't like them at all because they where just really slow with that whole concentration technique and I find Tatsu to be an annoying bitch; I know she is portraying Katana from the comics but all I see is someone whose attitude I didn't like and can barely stand to watch. I  am not enjoying these Hong Kong Flashbacks that much (except for the Tommy one) because they are just feeling like a waste of time, especially this one which that could have focused more on Roy instead of the bitch Tatsu. However I did like the end of the episode with the introduction of Cupid who I'm really looking forward to seeing and if she is like her comic counterpart she will be a complete nut case.

"I'm Cupid stupid....that rhymes"

Overall glad we got an episode focused on Ted Grant and Roy.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Ted Grant focused episode
                   Roy subplot
                   Cupid introduced

Let - Downs: Oliver's attitude
                       Flashbacks
                      Tatsu

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Arrow Season Three: The Sceret Origin of Felicity Smoak

"I'm watching you"

The episode begins with a training montage with Oliver and Roy, Thea and Malcolm, Laurel and Ted and then we see Felicity doing exercises in her house until she gets a visit from Ray and soon after her mother Donna (Charlotte Ross) who Ray gives a new watch too. In a Flashback five years ago when Felicity was at M.I.T (and looking really different) she was part of a "Hackavism" group with her boyfriend Cooper Sheldon and roommate Myron where she created a super virus however she stopped Cooper from using it to hack into the Department of Education to erase university loans. Oliver is later angry because Thea is using the remains of Malcolm's estate to buy a new apartment however later the whole city is blacked out and a transmission some someone calling himself Brother Eye says he will bring the city to it's knees. In a Flashback it is revealed Cooper is arrested by the F.B.I and in the present Brother Eye says he will erase all records in Starling National Bank so Arrow and Red Arrow go down there to quell the riots which happened when Laurel sent in SWAT, to which Quentin later tells her was a stupid move.

Felicity sure was different back in those days 

Felicity later finds out that the virus Brother Eye is using is the one she made at M.I.T so Arrow tracks down Myron who swears he wasn't behind it, when Arrow returns to the Arrowcave Felicity swears it couldn't be Cooper because he hung himself while awaiting trial. When Felicity storms off to have time to herself she gets into an argument with her mother because the two have always had a rocky relationship, she later returns to the Arrowcave to run a trace but Oliver says she should make amends with Donna. While talking Felicity and Donna are kidnapped by Brother Eye who is revealed to be Cooper who fakes his suicide because the NSA recruited him in jail however now he wants Felicity's hacking skills to steal armoured trucks loaded with money. Felicity doesn't however and uses Ray's watch to send a signal to Arrow to come and rescue them which he does and Cooper is knocked out by Felicity. Felicity then thanks Oliver for the advice and Oliver then patches things up with Thea but they are watched by Malcolm. The episodes ends with Roy having a dream of throwing arrows into Sara and killing her.

Was it Roy??????????????

Here is another episode that I have been waiting for ages to see; an episode dedicated to the background of Felicity and it didn't disappoint in that regard. Really liked all the Flashbacks because we got to see what Felicity used to be like and look like, got to admit she doesn't look half bad in all that black and it really was quite the transformation. It is also no surprise why she works so well with Oliver and Diggle and that is because she used to be a bit of a vigilante as well, being apart of that hacker group and designing viruses. I really enjoyed watching the comparison between M.I.T Felicity and present day Felicity, they where almost like to different people. We also got to see another member of the Smoak Family and I really loved watching Donna and how different she is from her daughter. It was funny how she acted around the other characters and how embarrassed  Felicity is of her however we did get some touching moments from her such as when she pleaded with Brother Eye to kill her instead of Felicity and the ending. This also raised the question of Felicity's father because Donna said she got her brains from him, maybe he could be an important character in the future?

"GIVE US OUR MONEY!"

As for the rest of the episode the identity of Brother Eye was obvious and his plan to rob money bland in the end but I liked how he was an enemy for Felicity to take down with her hacking skills like with Clock King. We also got more interaction between Oliver and Thea involving Malcolm's money but I got to say I really don't know where the writers are going with Malcolm/Thea; is she going to side with him or not? give us some more hints already! Then there is Laurel and I do like her character a lot now but she does end up doing really stupid things these past few episodes like how she sent out SWAT when it was the wrong move. I know she is consumed by anger over Sara's death but she is still the one of the least likeable characters in the series, don't make us despise her even more. Finally there is the reveal Roy could have killed Sara and that is quite the twist! I am really interested to see how Team Arrow and Laurel react to this.

Felicity's mom should appear on the show more often!

Overall this was a great origin episode for everyone's favourite hacker.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: A Felicity focused episode
                   Donna Smoak
                   Roy may have killed Sara

Let - Downs: Where are they going with the Malcolm/Thea subplot?
                       Brother Eyes master plan could have been better

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

    

Arrow Season Three: The Magician

Dark Archer is always awesome!

The episode begins with Oliver telling Nyssa that Sara is dead who leaves so he then meets Thea for dinner who says she will be buying back The Verdant, later Nyssa goes to Sara's grave and tells Laurel (who was there first) that she is unworthy of the Sara's jacket that was given to her. Oliver then confronts Nyssa about Sara's mission at a League hideout and she says Sara was in Starling to confirm if Malcolm was still alive, Oliver then confirms this with the rest of Team Arrow with photos Sara took. They then find a note Sara written and find out that she asked Quentin for help so when Laurel asks him about it he says Sara asked for help in finding a man named Jansen at a Buddhist monastery however when Nyssa, Red Arrow and Arrow go investigate they find that Malcolm is Jansen but he gets away but Arrow manages to wound. Oliver says he put a tracker on Malcolm however Laurel is angry that he didn't kill him when he had the chance and in a Flashback Oliver is ordered to kill someone for A.R.G.U.S.. Nyssa sees how Laurel is and Laurel asks her to kill Malcolm if Oliver can't bring himself to do it, Arrow then gets a call from Malcolm (after the tacker failed) to meet up in a public place and when they do Malcolm swears on Thea's life he wasn't Sara's killer.

"Maybe we shouldn't have brought Nyssa along"

Oliver then tells Thea Malcolm is alive and she lies by being surprised and when he returns to the Arrowcave Oliver says he believes Malcolm and Nyssa angrily storms out and kidnaps Thea. Arrow then goes to the location and rescues Thea and the Dark Archer arrives soon after and a three way fight ensures that ends in Nyssa being pinned to a wall. Malcolm then says to Oliver to kill him or not to which Oliver doesn't and says to Nyssa that Malcolm is under his protection in Starling, Nyssa responds by saying he has made an enemy of the League before leaving. In a Flashback it is revealed Waller was backing Fyers and when Oliver confronts her about this she said it was to kill China White. Felicity then returns from Central City and Thea is shown to be in contact with Malcolm. The episode ends with Nyssa returning to Nanda Parbat to inform her father, Ra's al Ghul (Matt Nable) what has happened, Ra's responds by saying Malcolm will be dealt with and so will Oliver for making war with the League.

Ra's al Ghul!!

We finally get the appearance of Ra's al Ghul one of DC's and Batman's iconic villains of all time! Really liked the ending scene because firstly Matt Nable was a great choice for the part, his accent really sounds great for Ra's and he really looked the part in his robes. Also he was seen getting out of a pool and I wonder if that was the Lazarus Pit? I hope it was because I really want it to exist in Arrow. As for Nyssa though I do like her and she is a great fighter I didn't like her much in this episode with her constant conflict with Oliver and her obsession with Sara (from season two til now) is just getting annoying to watch now. As for Laurel she has been a great character so far (she is even hitting the gym now) but she was annoying in this one too with her constant interfering with Oliver such as asking Nyssa behind Team Arrow's back to kill Malcolm, I mean she isn't Black Canary yet so I don't know why she thinks she is so important to the workings of Team Arrow. What was good about the Flashbacks was Oliver now resigning himself to be Waller's killer and the fact Waller hired Fyers to kill China White all along, I want to know more about that.

Doesn't anyone recognize Malcolm?

Malcolm was great as ever in this and I really liked the talk he had with Oliver in the crowded plaza; it was just the way these two arch enemies confronted each other that made for a real intense scene. Of course a highlight of this episode was the great action such as at the Buddhist monastery but the three way fight between Arrow, Dark Archer and Nyssa was just so awesome and I wished it was longer. However something I just had to mention was Roy doing that silly back flip when confronted by Nyssa, surely they could have thought of a better way for him to lose than that? Lastly I liked the dynamic between Thea and Oliver because they did promise now more secrets but they keep the biggest secrets from each other; I wonder why Oliver still won't tell her and I wonder what Thea's plans with Malcolm are?

"Been off the island for a while now, maybe I should get a haircut"

Overall this was good episode that could have had a lot more fights between Arrow, Dark Archer and Nyssa.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: The three way fight
                   Malcolm still steals every scene he is in
                   Ra's al Ghul

Let - Downs: Flashbacks
                      Couldn't stand Laurel or Nyssa
                      Roy's backflip
                        

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Bleach Review: DIRTY

"Just have to wait for everyone else"

The chapter begins with Yhwach stabbing the Soul King through the chest with his sword (as seen in the previous chapter) meanwhile in Wandenreich City Renji and Rukia arrive at a building. They are greeted by Shinji, Omaeda and Sui - Feng who have survived their battles with the Sternritter and Shinji says they have all been summoned to this building. Inside is Urahara, Byakuya and Yushiro and Urahara runs down gives the report on the status of the rest of the Captains and Vice Captains. He then reveals his plan to have those who are gathered here infiltrate the Soul Palace while at the Soul Palace Ichibe says Yhwach cannot be defeated as Ichigo and his group move on.

Been a while since I have done a Bleach review and that is because I was too busy with other stuff to get round to them and then it went on a 4 week hiatus. I know I have skipped the reviews for the rest of Yhwach vs. Ichibe but in short I really did like the fight but Ichibe coming back to life really did annoy me because it again shows that Kubo is unwilling to kill off his characters (like Byakuya who should have been killed by As Nodt). It makes me worried that he will find some why to bring Toshiro back which will annoy me because he fights better as a zombie but this same no killing problem existed in Naruto as well which is my biggest complaint about that series even though it too is great.

Come on Kubo, give us more detail to how he escaped Bazz - B!

As for this chapter there really isn't too much to say about it because it basically is just a summary of the status of the Captains and Vice Captains. I did however like that Sui - Feng seems to have had a change in attitude now which is good because she is my least favourite Captain because sometimes I just couldn't stand her e.g. at first refusing to fight Barragan in Fake Karakura because Hachigen was associated with Urahara. I also liked her reaction when she talked to Yushiro because I never expected her to have a blushing facial expression like that. We also get to see Iba and Komamura again (with a cool shot of them taking on Soldat), that those who took on Giselle's zombies are still alive, Mayuri is still gathering data along with Nemu, zombie Rose and zombie Kensei and that the status of Toshiro and Rangiku are unknown. I hope this means that Toshiro and Rangiku are not coming back to life because they aren't my favourite Soul Reapers (just got kind of sick of them in the previous arcs) and I would rather Rose and Kensei come back to life because I really like the Visards (even though Kubo doesn't seem to care much for them). Also the reveal that Urahara is planning to take the Captains to the Soul Palace isn't that shocking but I wonder with Ichigo's group already there would there be enough enemies to go round?

As for what I didn't like I just hate it when Kubo uses the first few pages to repeat the ending of the previous chapter; we already know Yhwach stabbed the Soul King yet he did it again! Also I don't get why Ichibei says at the end that the humans can't win against Yhwach because didn't he previously say that Ichigo was their only hope?

Overall not much really happened in this chapter because it is probably just used as a summary of what has been going on after Bleach went on it's 4 week break.

SCORE: 6/10

Highlights: Sui - Feng was good in this chapter
                   Knowing what the other Captain and Vice Captains status are

Let - Downs: Kubo wasting pages at the beginning
                      Ichibe being inconsistent

PREDICTIONS

Now what I really hope happens in future chapters is that Yhwach uses his power to create more Sternritter out of the Soldat who are still in Wandenreich city because that means we will get some fights out of those who are left there and those in the Soul Palace. That means Soul Reapers like Komamura, Iba, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Hisagi can have more fights along with Mayuri and his zombie reapers and arrancars. This would also be a good opportunity for Grimmjow and the Fullbringers to finally make an appearance.

Arrow Season Three: Corto Maltese

"My young apprentice"

The episode begins with Arrow chasing down a lead on Sara's death however it was a dead end but back at the Arrowcave Felicity tracks down Thea's location to Corto Maltese. Oliver and Roy decide to go and later Diggle when A.R.G.U.S has a missing agent named Mark Shaw there they want him to find. Meanwhile Laurel meets with Ted Grant (J.R. Ramirez) owner of the Wildcat Gym about a crime involving one of his gym members, Ted denies this and then offers Laurel to come train because he notices her pent up anger. Oliver shows up at the house Thea is staying but leaves when she is not there however Malcolm was aiming an arrow at him in the distance, in a Flashback Malcolm begins to train Thea by pouring boiling water on his hand to show how to deal with pain. Oliver then finds Thea but she refuses to go back with him (even Roy tries talking to her later) while in Starling City Felcitiy is given a brand new office from Ray and asks her for all the files from the Applied Sciences Division. Oliver and Roy then decide to help Diggle with Shaw but they are lead into a trap by them however they manage to fight their way through it and Diggle completes his mission.

There is no better trainer than Wildcat

In Starling Laurel attends an AA meeting with Quentin and listens to the story of a woman beaten by her husband while in Corto Maltese Thea has a Flashback to where she failed the boiling water test so Malcolm came to the conclusion he is going easy on her and decided to hit her. Laurel then goes to beat up the wife beater however she is severely beaten up instead and while in the hospital Quentin says she was stupid for doing that and that Sara handles stuff like that (still not knowing she is dead). Oliver then talks to Thea once more, this time saying how both of their parent scarified themselves for them, which causes her to ask Malcolm if she can go home which he lets her. With everyone back in Starling Laurel approaches Oliver asking him to train her to be a vigilante however when he refuses she ask Ted, meanwhile at Queen Consolidated Felicity asks Ray for time off so she can visit a friend who woke up from a coma (Barry Allen) and Ray is seen going over certain blueprints. The episodes ends with Oliver and Roy discussing Thea but are interrupted by Nyssa Al Ghul who is looking for Sara.

"I think I'll stick with my gun thanks"

Looks like even Team Arrow likes to do some work outside of Starling City for once which is good because it is a welcome change for a different location. Thea was the main focus of this episode and I have to say she does have a nice haircut lol. Unfortunately one of the biggest problems this episode was the lack of the Thea/Malcolm relationship; a lot more screen time should have been given over to them, their Flashbacks and their training (all we got was the boiling water test!). However she did have some nice scenes with Roy and Oliver, especially the one where Oliver talks about their parents which was really well done. The other big problem with this episode was Diggle on his A.R.G.U.S mission and even though I like Diggle focused episodes I just don't like A.R.G.U.S that much except for their Suicide Squad. Maybe that is because I hate both Lyla and Waller so compared to the Thea/Malcolm subplot I honestly didn't care for Diggle's mission at all.

I wonder is Thea will be a Dark Archer soon?

As for everything else Laurel is still continuing to be an interesting character; her attempt at stopping a wife beater might have been a bit silly but it is a good character arc of her noticing the evils in the city and unlike Sara not being able to do anything about them. However looks like she might be able soon with the introduction of Ted Grant AKA Wildcat; a great hero in the comics who has trained many heroes such as Black Canary, Superman and Batman to name a few. It also looks like Ray really might be ATOM some time soon too with the look at those weapon blueprints he has been looking at so I am excited for more of that. All in all I think I more enjoyed the moments in Starling than I did in Corto Maltese if I'm honest. Finally looks like the League is coming back next episode now that Nyssa is back in town!

"I'm used to darkness not all this light an heat!"

Overall this is the weakest episode of season three so far because it's main storyline with Diggle's mission wasn't that good.

SCORE: 6/10

Highlights: A little insight to Thea's training with Malcolm
                   Laurel starting to become Black Canary and the introduction of Wildcat
                   Ray may also be ATOM soon

Let - Downs: Not enough background on Thea and Malcolm
                      Didn't care for the A.R.G.U.S mission

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/        

Arrow Season Three: Sara

Such a badass!!!!

The episode begins with Team Arrow discovering Sara is dead and Laurel wanting to help track down her killer however Oliver refuses to let her, in a Flashback Oliver is ordered to kill Tommy who has arrived in Hong Kong because of his attempted email last episode. Arrow investigates the murder scene and then gets information from Quentin that another archer is in town while in the Arrowcave Roy and Felicity deals with Sara's death and Roy tells her about the night Thea left. Ray has successfully became CEO of Queen Consolidated and offers Felicity a job meanwhile after going over possible archer suspects (Oliver actually knows ten in the world) Arrow goes to a crime scene and saves one of the victims, Diggle then confirms the archer is Simon Lacroix AKA Komodo (Matt Ward). Arrow and Komodo fight with their bows and on bikes but Komodo gets the upper hand and escapes. Laurel then attempts to find out more by harshly questioning Kelso (the man Arrow saved) and learns that it all involved the construction of a new pipeline however Kelso is soon killed by Komodo, In a Flashback Oliver and Maseo kidnap Tommy.

"No one trashes my bike!"

Later Laurel struggles of telling Quentin what happened when she meets him and Roy tells Oliver about the reason Thea left Starling. Ray then holds a charity event at Queen Consolidated where Komodo attacks because his next target is there however Arrow and Red Arrow arrive to fight him and pin him to the wall. Laurel then arrives to shot Komodo however he says he was at Bludhaven at the time of the murder which Oliver then later confirms. Laurel then decides not to tell Quentin the truth (believing the news would kill him) and she and Team Arrow bury Sara secretly. Laurel thinks it is unfair no one will ever know what Sara did and that her killer is still free however Diggle tells her he will name his daughter Sara and Oliver says they will keep looking. In a Flashback Oliver poses as the kidnapper and convinces Tommy he is still dead by saying he hacked Oliver's emails to get money but Tommy is then saved by Maseo who poses as a cop. Oliver then says he wants Thea back in the wake of losing Sara and Felicity accepts the job for Ray. The episode ends in the country of Corto Maltese where it is revealed Thea is training to fight by Malcolm.

This moment was done so well

A great follow up to the ending of last episode and quite the emotional one as well but that is expected with the death of a major character. Everyone had their own way of dealing it and it was all acted really well from the characters like Oliver, Felicity and Laurel in particular. I liked the argument that Felicity and Oliver had over his lack of emotion and then Oliver's realization that he "doesn't want to die down here". The scene in the cemetery was so well done with Laurel tearing up again and saying how the heroic things Sara has done will never be known. She also had a great moment with her father when deciding whether or not to tell him what happened (though I think her decision to tell him will be bad in the long run), however I hated it when she pulled the trigger on Komodo despite the gun being empty because it annoyed me how easily she did it and how she ignored Oliver that Komodo is not the one. Speaking of Komodo he was an badass new villain and such an awesome archer! That bike fight he had with Arrow was epic because the stunt work was just great; I like that we have another new archer and I hope he appears in more episodes and we learn more about him.

Always great to see Tommy

As for everything else Ray continues to be the strongest addition to season three so far and he is such a damn nice guy! You can't help but like the scenes he is in and he has a lot of light hearted humour that compliments Felicity's humour in the scenes they are in. As for the Flashbacks they where a lot better this time because we got a chance to see good old Tommy again and the plan of kidnapped him was so smart that I really enjoyed watching it. It showed how much Oliver has come from being just a playboy in his old life and it showed how much Tommy really cared for his best friend; going all the way to Hong Kong just on a little tip. Lastly I didn't like the reveal of Thea at the end because even though it is good to see Malcolm I didn't like that Thea is that good of a fighter in that short of time, it was just too fast. Even if I did like it I think it is way too soon for her to be in the season again, I think it might have been more effective if they left her out for a while; let to audience get used to her being gone then surprise us with her return. It was just like the return of Sara last episode; if you are just bringing them back straight away then what was the point of them leaving at the end of last season?

"I will save this city!"

Overall a great episode with an awesome knew villain and a great send off for Sara.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Komodo and the awesome fight scenes with Arrow
                   Ray Palmer continues to be great
                   Tommy and the Flashbacks
                   A great emotional episode

Let - Downs: Thea being that good of a fighter and bringing her back too soon.

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/        

Arrow Season Three: The Calm

"I am the new Vertigo!!"

The episode begins with Team Arrow stopping a truck hijacking and then saying how calm Starling has been lately, in a Flashback Oliver tries to send an email but is stopped by A.R.G.U.S agent Maseo Yamashiro (Karl Yune). Later Laurel and Oliver watch Quentin, now a Captain, delivering a speech on how the SCPD now recognize Arrow as a hero, this is also watched on TV by Werner Zytle (Peter Stormare) using his new Veritgo drug (that now causes fear hallucinations) to kill someone and takes up the mantle of Vertigo. Felicity is then seen at her new job in a computer store and being asked out by Oliver while at night Arrow tracks down a criminal but so is Quentin; Arrow thanks him for what he has said but tells him to take it easy because of his heart condition. In a Flashback Oliver is reprimanded by Waller for trying to escape while in the present Vertigo has tracked down Oliver (he placed a tracker on him earlier but does not know who he is) and fires a rocket launcher at the restaurant. Felicity is injured in the blast and Oliver blames himself so he goes after Vertigo alone however Vertigo puts up quite the fight and injects Arrow with the drug however he is saved by the arrival of Quentin.

Red Arrow!

Things continue not to go well as Oliver tells Diggle not to be in the field anymore because of his soon to be born child (this angers Diggle) and Quentin is in the hospital for over doing it while saving Arrow. Oliver then tries to get back Queen Consolidated but is out shone by billionaire and genius inventor Ray Palmer (Brandon Routh) who wows the board with his plans for the company and the city (wanting to rename it Star City), Oliver takes this as the final sign that he still can't be Oliver Queen. Team Arrow later finds out Vertigo wants to blow up a stadium to eliminate a rival so Red Arrow goes to deactivate the bomb while Arrow takes on Vertigo. Arrow still has trouble but is helped with the arrival of Black Canary, however Vertigo says that even if they stop him the mantle of Vertigo will continue. Team Arrow then gathers for the birth of Diggle's daughter where Oliver and Diggle apologizes to each other and Oliver kisses Felcitiy but says he cannot be together with her. In a Flashback Maseo says to Oliver that Waller has threatened to kill his family if Oliver does not cooperate with her and in the present Oliver gets a call from Barry Allen who has woken up from his coma. The episode ends with Sara and Laurel catching up on a rooftop however when Laurel leaves Sara is killed by someone she seems to recognize and her body falls down in front of Laurel.

"I have such great timing"

This season really started off on a more positive note than the beginning of season two; in season two the Glades had recently been destroyed, Oliver still moaned for Tommy and the police and elitists seemed to be corrupt or uncaring. However this beginning showed hope which I really, really liked because crime is down, the police support Arrow (led by Quentin) and Team Arrow has never been stronger. I really liked that Roy is now Red Arrow (I am calling him that until he is renamed Arsenal) who was a great side kick for Arrow and just as epic on the streets, he even had a badass costume that I even like better than Arrow's (I like red better than green). We also got the start of a relationship between Oliver and Felicity, I liked that they touched on that because it was hinted at throughout season two however despite Oliver giving a reason why he can't be with her I think they gave up on it to fast and the reason wasn't that strong. It reminded me of when Sara gave up on her and Oliver in season two which I didn't like; I know Oliver is afraid of Felicity getting hurt again but she has been part of Team Arrow for years, I think she knows the risks by now.

Nice uniform Lance

The new peace can't last however with the arrival of a new Vertigo and someone who has taken up the name. I was a big fan of the old Count Vertigo but this new one made a strong debut thanks to Peter Stormare who has his own interesting take on the role. Firstly is his new Vertigo drug which induces fear and even though it reminded me a lot of Scarecrow the hallucinations where cool then there is the fact this Vertigo is a really good fighter against Arrow and his awesome with this throwing darts. His is pretty merciless with the actions he took this episode so I really hope he becomes a more recurring villain. Then there is Roy Palmer and I liked him straight away, the guy is just so charismatic and enthusiastic like when he met with Felicity in the computer store. Unlike Sebastian Blood I could just tell he is going to be a good guy with how he acts and I just really liked his portrayal and personality, though of course he will probably be a thorn in Oliver's side for taking over the company. Plus I knew when I heard his name that he is the hero ATOM so it makes me wonder if Starling will get a new hero soon, maybe a rival of Team Arrow?

You can't help but like Ray Palmer

I admit when I saw Sara back I was glad but a bit annoyed because what would have been the point of her leaving in the season two finale? Then of course she died! This took me completely by surprise because I never thought they would kill off her character this early in the whole series even though I knew it might have been necessary for Laurel to become Black Canary. I am slightly annoyed because Sara was an awesome female vigilante and they could have gotten more out of her character but on the other hand her death was handled really well and it was pretty damn brutal. This will definitely lead the way for Laurel to be Black Canary and maybe the League might get involved again however the writers are going to have to be damn convincing of turning Laurel into Black Canary with how much of a weak character she was in season two. As for everything else I liked the argument between Diggle and Oliver and maybe with a child Diggle may even be more involved in the story and have something more to fight for. The Flashbacks where kind of interesting but that is it really because there was barely anything else to say about them and Quentin continues to be a great character because of his support for Arrow.

Goodbye Sara

Overall this was a strong opening for the season and has opened the door for many subplots.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Good job of showing a calm in Starling City
                   Team Arrow and Roy as Red Arrow
                   New Vertigo and Ray Palmer
                   Death of Black Canary done well

Let - Downs: There wasn't much to say about the Flashbacks
                       Again the romantic subplots are weak

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/