Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 - The Conflict

Episode 38

We've had some flashbacks of varying levels of quality throughout Thousand-Year Blood War, but I must say, this probably isn't going to go down as one of the more memorable ones—at least for me. Maybe it's because we haven't had the time to know and love Bazz-B and Jugram the way we have many of the other characters, whose flashbacks were often long overdue. But whatever the reason, I just couldn't find it in myself to be as interested in this one as I have been in others.

In any case, I guess the “B” in Bazz-B must stand for “Bitter ex-boyfriend.” This episode feels like some really strong shipping bait for the two of them. What would their couple name be? Bazz Bugo? Jugrazz? Either way, it comes out looking like it's some niche genre of music that your local music store only keeps a few CDs/vinyls for in the back room, and they're all covered in dust since the last time someone asked them about it was in 2009. Speaking of which, it's a shame these guys weren't around in the 2000s—the shipping scene at the time, at the height of Bleach's popularity, would've had a field day with these two after an episode like this.

It's this same bitter ex-boyfriend-ism that actually gave what ostensibly looks like Bazz-B's death more weight than it would've without the flashback. I say “ostensibly” because I'm not entirely sure yet whether or not I buy that he's actually dead. Feels like there's more left for him to do, especially if Jugram ends up playing a larger role. I guess all we can do is wait and see.

Speaking of Jugram, even if it felt like Bazz-B was the star of the show this week, I've been really curious what his whole deal is. This anime's made no secret of the fact that he has his own agenda, which probably doesn't entirely align with Yhwach's despite their positions. But what, specifically, that entails—let alone where it all came from—has been left much more vague. Still, I'm not entirely sure I feel satisfied with this flashback's explanation. This episode would have one believe that Jugram doesn't want to kill Yhwach because he feels a deep loyalty to Yhwach for showing Jugram that not only was he skilled, but he had a really unique and useful power as well. There's an unspoken sense that Jugram not only wanted to be skilled, but he wanted that skill to be acknowledged. And yet in this same episode, we see Bazz-B talking about how while he didn't think Jugram had much of the brand of talent typically associated with the Quincies, he saw Jugram working harder than anyone else, and that's a big part of why he kept him around. There's no reason to believe that Bazz-B was ever condescending toward Jugram about his lack of typical Quincy skill, let alone treating him in such a way that would make Jugram want to cling to the first person willing to compliment him. But at this point, we still know so little about Jugram and Bazz-B that it's hard to say for sure whether or not there's still more to this than we've yet seen, or if it really is just questionable writing.

But getting back to Bazz-B's “death,” I know I say this every week, but I gotta say something about the visual spectacle of the whole fight between the two of them. While not as stylish or explosive as other fights, this one is still no less gorgeously animated. The fire attacks and Jugram running up the walls especially—gorgeously animated, and testament to how this anime doesn't necessarily need over-the-top bankai attacks to still wow its audience.

Anyways, it's hard to believe that next week's episode—which will be an hour long—is going to be the last of the season. I'll hold off on offering my more finalized thoughts on the season overall until then. But in the meantime, I'll say that it's really exciting to see that this season's final episode is going to be an hour long, and it has me really eager to see what we're in for next.

Rating:

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 - The Conflict is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.