This volume picks up where Volume 4 left off, with the introduction of a Quincy, a member of yet another faction in the hidden world of spirits and Hollows. Quite frankly, I disliked this volume. The majority of it is spent on Ichigo madly racing around fighting Hollows. The reveal of Chad's and Orohime's powers was interesting, but unfortunately, Orohime's powers are cheesy. Looking forward to the next volume, when hopefully the focus will be back on actual storytelling rather than endless fight scenes. ( )

I really recommend this series. A teenage boy helps direct souls in the afterlife to soul society where they can live peacefully. Only Hollows (corrupted souls) get in the way and even harm innocent souls. Ichigo relies on friends and family to fight for what is right. ( )

A solid and exciting volume in the Bleach series, Volume 5 is pretty much wall-to-wall action.

The volume begins with Uryū revealing himself as the final Quincy, a set of humans who previously destroyed hollows before they all were ultimately destroyed. He shows off a bit by summoning spirit ribbons (never mind that Ichigo is capable of doing this himself, if properly motivated), and then challenges Ichigo to a competition to see who can kill the most hollows in a 24-hour period.

Despite the competition being about Uryū and Ichigo, the volume focuses on Chad and Orihime as they begin to develop their own special abilities. Chad's and Orihime's abilities are both fitting and exciting. Orihime's battle against Numb Chandelier is particularly freaky and exciting considering the hollow's particular abilities.

Uryū's introduction, along with the development of powers in Chad and Orihime are all nicely handled, and Uryū is quickly established as a grandiloquence speaker (his Rubicon speech is over-dramatic, but it works for him). ( )