You're right, Ishida's stabbing by Ichibeast really *didn't* get the attention it deserved...and it surprised me that Kubo would gloss over that hugely important detail. But I have a feeling he didn't want to get too much into it for a particular reason, and maybe he's going to revisit the issue again later (hopefully by then, Orihime will have learned that it's wrong to call for Ichigo's help when he's dead D:).
I agree that things could have been handled differently with the preceeding chapter, but I have confidence that Kubo isn't going to leave things hanging. He'll tie things up eventually -- it just might not be right away. (And this is further why I think Ulquiorra is coming back, because Kubo's got all the time in the world apparently to tie these plots together. :/)
I wouldn't say Orihime is "mentally weak". She's physically weak when she's unsure of herself, yes. And she has depended on her friends far too much until now. Ichigo turning into a mindless beast in order to help her was proof of that, and we even got a moment of clarity when Orihime herself realized it: "Why did I want him to help me?" I was pleased that she was finally able to step out of herself for a moment and analyze that, even if it was ill-timed.
But she's not weak. We've seen her show her backbone in other situations, earlier in the series, and then more recently with Ulquiorra. She needs to be with people who encourage those actions of hers, to stand up for herself and believe in her own judgment, more.
The whole "are you scared?" thing has relevence, because of Ulquiorra's earlier conversation wtih her in the tower. It's not dumb dialogue, in my opinion -- it's proof that he really does care what she thinks of him, and her response -- "No, I'm not scared (of you)." -- says that she never really saw him as a truly evil enemy, even when he was blowing a hole in Ichigo's chest. She seems to have known that his actions against her friends -- and particularly against Ichigo -- weren't out of malice, but because he was truly curious about the heart, and convinced that it made people weak.
Ulquiorra "gave up", telling IchiBeast to kill him, when he thought that he really *was* right -- that without a heart, Ichigo was stronger than he was with one. But what made Ulquiorra change his mind and leap to action, severing IchiBeast's horn and effectively bringing Ichigo back to normal? Right before that, we see Orihime screaming for Kurosaki to stop -- and maybe that was when Ulquiorra realized his mistake in wanting to prove the heart made someone weak.
I personally loved the scene. *shrug* To each his own.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-04-30 08:06 pm (UTC)I agree that things could have been handled differently with the preceeding chapter, but I have confidence that Kubo isn't going to leave things hanging. He'll tie things up eventually -- it just might not be right away. (And this is further why I think Ulquiorra is coming back, because Kubo's got all the time in the world apparently to tie these plots together. :/)
I wouldn't say Orihime is "mentally weak". She's physically weak when she's unsure of herself, yes. And she has depended on her friends far too much until now. Ichigo turning into a mindless beast in order to help her was proof of that, and we even got a moment of clarity when Orihime herself realized it: "Why did I want him to help me?" I was pleased that she was finally able to step out of herself for a moment and analyze that, even if it was ill-timed.
But she's not weak. We've seen her show her backbone in other situations, earlier in the series, and then more recently with Ulquiorra. She needs to be with people who encourage those actions of hers, to stand up for herself and believe in her own judgment, more.
The whole "are you scared?" thing has relevence, because of Ulquiorra's earlier conversation wtih her in the tower. It's not dumb dialogue, in my opinion -- it's proof that he really does care what she thinks of him, and her response -- "No, I'm not scared (of you)." -- says that she never really saw him as a truly evil enemy, even when he was blowing a hole in Ichigo's chest. She seems to have known that his actions against her friends -- and particularly against Ichigo -- weren't out of malice, but because he was truly curious about the heart, and convinced that it made people weak.
Ulquiorra "gave up", telling IchiBeast to kill him, when he thought that he really *was* right -- that without a heart, Ichigo was stronger than he was with one. But what made Ulquiorra change his mind and leap to action, severing IchiBeast's horn and effectively bringing Ichigo back to normal? Right before that, we see Orihime screaming for Kurosaki to stop -- and maybe that was when Ulquiorra realized his mistake in wanting to prove the heart made someone weak.
I personally loved the scene. *shrug* To each his own.