Bleach, Vol. 4: v. 4 [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Tite Kubo, Bleach: Quincy Archer Hates You (ViZ, 2001)

I spent the first hundred ninety-eight pages of the fourth volume of Bleach wondering who on Earth Quincy Archer was, then found out I'd been taken for quite a ride. I'm not sure if it's a spoiler to say why, so I'll omit it for the moment. (I'm sure I'll get 'round to it in my review for Book 5, so be on the lookout.) In any case, the title character doesn't make anything more than peripheral appearances until the last chapter, so it's not worth worrying about the title when you dive into this.

The meditative atmosphere of the third book recedes into the background, and we get back to heavy action. The big sensation on Japanese TV these days is Don Kanonji, an exorcist who travels to various haunted locations and gets rid of ghosts. This week, he's headed for Karakura-- in fact, an abandoned hospital near Ichigo's neighborhood. Ichigo and Rukia quickly find out that the hospital is, in fact, haunted, and that Kanonji's meddling may end up making things worse.

Quincy Archer Hates You gives us the welcome return of Chad, though he's a spectator for much of the book, and introduces a subplot regarding Rukia's pager (how she and Ichigo find out about hollows that need destroyed) being on the fritz, but this book concentrates more than the others in the series to date on its main story, which is action- and humor-packed enough for Bleach fans one and all. Good stuff. *** 

The whole story is about the Quincy history and the last remaining quincy who hates the main character and goes on a showdown with him trying to defeat as many Hollows as they can. But it also has stories of Orihime and Chad and how they get their power, but only part of the story.

After the bleak, rainy misery that suffuses most of the third volume of Tite Kubo's "Bleach," the fourth volume "Quincy Archer Hates You" is a deliberately lighthearted affair -- crazy spiritualists, frog-Hollows, and stuffed-animal drag. But Kubo turns the intensity back on in the last few pages, even as he introduces a mysterious new character.

After Ichigo and Rukia demonstrate their eccentric cleaning methods, Kon decides to go in search of someone who will "cherish" him as he thinks he deserves. He stalks Orihime, tries to charm some of Ichigo's female classmates, and is finally rescued by Yuzu. Turns out being cherished is overrated.

Then the hit ghost-hunting show "Spontaneous Trips" comes to Karakura, much to Ichigo's disgust. But while he and Rukia are watching from the live audience, they witness flamboyant host Don Kanonji turning a basic ghost into a Hollow. Now Ichigo must somehow destroy the Hollow in an abandoned hospital, without endangering the audience -- and while dealing with the kooky Kanonji.

That broadcast causes some problems for Ichigo -- as well as his good grades -- but he's more preoccupied with the false alarms. Every time Rukia gets a Hollow alert, it turns out to be a dud. And unbeknownst to Ichigo, a mysterious bespectacled young man is watching him from a distance...

"Bleach Volume 4: Quincy Archer Hates You" has a somewhat deceptive title -- the character in question doesn't appear until the last chapter, and we don't find out anything about him until the last few pages. Pretty obviously the real info is coming in the chapters to come.

Instead, Kubo provides readers with a calm spot between supernatural storms, and has some fun with lighthearted stories about Kon in frilly dresses and bonnets ("Did he get into some weird scene while he was gone?") and a slightly mad ghost-hunter who drives Ichigo even madder. Our lanky hero's expression of mingled nausea and disgust is hilarious.

That, and we get Keigo causing massive trouble when he learns that Ichigo isn't as dumb as he thought ("While we were out having fun like idiots, you were locked in your room learning! YOU WEIRDO! NERD!"). There are a few serious moments -- such as Don Kanonji realizing where the "mean spirit" came from -- but the overall mood is lighthearted.

And without much of a serious storyline, it's a chance for the characters to lighten up and goof around -- Rukia in particular enjoys the live shoot a little too much, and allows herself to be bribed with rice dumplings. And we find out that not only is Ichigo way smarter than most of the people around him, but he really, really hates "Ghost Hunter"-style shows. Oh, and a few of his pals are suddenly able to hear Hollows -- which is pretty portentous.

"Bleach Volume 4: Quincy Archer Hates You" doesn't have much to do with the Quincy archer, but it's a nice diversion before the next bloody, action-packed adventure.