Kicking things off, this is the continuation and conclusion of the Chad (or Sado depending on how you pronounce it) versus Arrancar #107 – Gantenbainne Mosqueda. In terms of manga coverage, it takes up two chapters approximately (chapters 260 and 261).
In a nutshell, this was the Chad episode. It allowed the character to develop and gain a power boost in order to keep up with the other characters currently in the Hueco Mundo arc. There were a few nice touches added to the anime episode not seen in the manga, such as the flashback to his grandfather, which reminded viewers of Chad’s work ethic and mindset as well as the reason why his Right Arm of the Giant is a massive shield.
Clearly, the highlight of the episode was the awakening of Chad’s Left Arm of the Devil, which allowed him to take out Gantenbainne with as relative ease as Ichigo did to take out his Arrancar. The animation was well done, considering it was a minor character’s plot-driven episode, and the music fitted well and made a nice change from the standard Bleach soundtrack. It solidifies itself as the Hueco Mundo music, so to speak. The biggest complaint is that, despite making Chad look like he is on equal footing with the other characters involved in this arc, by the end of the episode he is once again reduced to jobber status. This, however, serves a purpose which will be revealed later, but for fans of Chad’s character it will annoy them to no end.
The episode was paced well and now viewers can look forward to the animated version of the two longest fights in the manga. However, at the rate Bleach is continuing at, it will catch up with the manga pretty soon, so a filler arc is likely to follow.
All in all, it contained a decent fight (Chad’s final blow is one of the coolest looking attacks in Bleach) and continued the plot while leaving things on a cliffhanger.
