Ichigo’s leaking spirit energy might have been the first domino to fall, but being injured by a hollow, (some people multiple times) then drowned in multiple hollows’ spiritual pressure definitely knocked over the rest before Ichigo could cause a cascade effect.

I remember reading the first couple of chapters a long time ago and came back now after thinking about how an Ichigo trained in the Academy would shape up. I think you handled the premise fairly well, and I liked how you set up Ichigo's training, how you built up his skillset and relationships within Soul Society, how he managed to obtain Zangetsu and even how his experiences shaped his later interactions with his friends. It all made sense and never felt unbelievable.

Urahara was particularly interesting in how even though he's a good guy, he'd probably be the last guy you'd want to go up against, and merely hinting at him becoming an antagonist made him seem a lot more sinister. It was also cool how he helped out Ichigo's friends, to the point where they could've realistically opposed Ichigo (ideologically, at least) without ruining their characters.

The biggest drawback to this story, however, is that too much time was devoted to the training, which messed with the pacing of the later plot reveals and almost throttled whatever stakes were in play. In fact, even though there were multiple big moments scattered throughout, it didn't seem like there was any driving conflict in the story, but at the same time, it wasn't purely slice-of-life either due to the intrigue with Aizen's plotting towards the end and Urahara's scheming.

I thought the overall characterization, worldbuilding, narration and character development were all neatly handled, but with the right plot, you'd have something incredible. As it stands, it's still good and a fun handling of Ichigo's more sedate intro to Soul Society.

That said, Second Semester looks promising, so I hope you're able to get back into that and make the most of that story.

Hm...you know I should have mentioned earlier but this bit is interesting, we are seeing his more Quincy-like talents show. His ability to gather and manipulate spiritual particles is after all the very foundation of their abilities.

Honestly I love IchiRuki. When it comes to Kubo showing their relationship its far more solid and detailed than anything else. Looking back at the series Ichigo paid Rukia far more attention than the others, noticing small details here and there... and while he did go to recuse Orihime I'd like to think that it really wasn't as impactful as his rescue of Rukia. As far as a proper canon pairing would go, IchiRuki is probably the most likely.

Of course we see that IchiHime is where he decided to go with it, but honestly Orihime's character was... so flat... that I really had a hard time caring about her. Other than the trepidation of allowing her to remain in Aizen's hands during the Rescue Orihime arc, mostly due to her Shun Shun Rikka abilities, I just couldn't wrap my head around this final pairing. Orihime was someone to protect, not someone to marry. I mean, unless she suddenly matured somewhere along the line and removed her head from the clouds, I just really couldn't see her being a good wife material for Ichigo. It was more like "She's the best of what is available". Hell, Tatsuki was more Ichigo's speed, as both a friend, but I feel like her lack of special abilities and screen time relegated her to the role of "friend" despite her having much better chemistry.

Alas, as it sits with Bleach, I am much more a fan of the unconventional pairings. Ichigo x Yoruichi is possibly my most favorite pairing. While it wouldn't be something that would manifest during the main story, I could see everyone's favorite cat falling for a late twenties/early thirties Ichigo. Their chemistry is good, and more importantly she's strong enough to take care of herself while being able to help Ichigo defend the family. They would probably be off and on again until Ichigo died and could take his place in SS more permenantly...

So while Kubo kept Yoruichi's and Kisuke's relationship fairly ambiguous, you showing off a more intimate relationship just hurts me... mainly because if anything we've seen from Uruhara it shows that he isn't the type of person to even engage in a serious relationship because that would require actual trust. Uruhara doesn't trust anyone, even Tessai and Yoruichi, his closest friends, and he's always scheming and planning. That isn't conducive to a relationship. Which is why the pair were probably one time lovers at most.

Of course I can see this in your story as well, being upgraded to more friends with benefits with varying degrees of frequency- if listening to Yoruichi it is because Uruhara hasn't bothered soundproofing their rooms- so there is that.

Still hurts my heart because IchiNeko is my crack as far as Bleach pairings go.

I could settle for IchiFon too... if anything because Soi-Fon would use some love in her life... that and she'd need someone as strong or stronger than herself.

So with all that being said I'll be curious as to see how, if at all, Ichigo's and Yoruichi's relationship develops from here on out. The SS arc with the rescue of Rukia really put the two of them into close proximity, to where Yoruichi could see Ichigo's true self, and how they start out as Teacher and Student but develop into a solid friendship.

Of course all of this is probably already written with the First and Second Semesters, so I look forward to reading further!

will thick cunts on here get in your thick head onumi crush be jesus she s one ugly big tiited whore god i detest the ugly bitch and the little dyke taski jesus two wastes of spunk i have ever seen tal3281

Ichgo was a bit of a jerk in canon but here he's entirely at fault for the hollow incident. I mean, what he was doing here was basically threatening to hand a jew to Nazis, of course Uryu broke the bait.

whats this cruelty to ichigow ah they were once human themselves god the father god the son and the holy spirit the soul is the same person as he was a live

Interesting idea, nice intro.

[Sorry for double review, i misclicked]
It is the zanpakutou that are specially engineered to purify souls. How exactly the zero guy managed it is spotty but that point was pretty clear.

While I very much enjoy your story I believe you overthought the quincy issue terribly. Things being destroyed when they are broken is very much the natural order; it

"slipped past his guard and hit his other ribcage" not trying to be a dick but iv'e seen a few mistakes like that in this story and its only chapter four so you might want to get a beta reader

very good

Genuinely one of the best Bleach fanfics I've ever read. Thank you again for writing and sharing!

I usually don't comment on a work until I finish (ultimately because I fuss I'm selfish with my time) but I had to comment on this one at least once before the end. Your writing is amazing. I was struck by it and literally just paused to appreciate it during Chad's introspection. Your character development and each character's voice is just beautiful.

Thank you so much for writing and sharing this masterpiece. It genuinely deserves all the praise it can possibly receive.

Why does it said June and not July?