"I'm a leaf on the wind...

This episode legit had me tearing up for a couple of minutes. Renji and Rukia's story is just so tragic. Like, epic but tragic. He loves her so so much and for so long and he's always just wanted what he thought would make her happy. And then when she needed saving, he realized he wasn't good enough to do it himself. So for love of her, he asked the guy who just beat him in battle and who he probably thinks he'll lose her to to save her life. Renji just breaks my heart. I think he'd happily stay in the background of her life thinking that she could do so much better than him but I just want him to step up and say something.

But the sad thing is I'm not sure she sees him (yet) as anything more than her best friend and brother.

Ugh, alright, back to watching. I have quite a ways to go before I get to the episodes I haven't seen yet but I doubt this show is going to resolve any of the hundreds of love triangles it's created. Is Bleach an ongoing show or did it wrap up? I don't even know.

Edit: Also, how is it that spirits can die in Rukongai? What happens when they die? Are they reborn on Earth?

Edit #2: Also, I didn't realize this the first time I had seen it but Rukia being adopted into the Kuchiki family and graduating immediately from the Academy - did she ever complete her training under private tutelage? Or did they just throw her into the squad and let her sink or swim? She must have missed out on a lot of the education that the others got.