well it's been quite a while since i watched a Bleach episode. Had to remind myself at times that this wasn't a filler. That "reverse" fellow, Hirako or whatever, seems interesting, but i really wasn't too impressed yet, especially his "join us" speech.
i'm more glad to see Grand Fisher is back and see what they do with that storyline.
i thought the coolest things in this episode were Tatsuki seeing the Shinigami stuff (maybe she'll join the corps yet!) and how Ishida still managed to hold his own in that fight. His dad's entry was a little out of the blue, but looks like they'll go into that next episode.
and Hitsugaya and Matsumoto's being in the OP and ED so much better be for actual plot relevance and not simply fan service...
edit to below- well duh, she has titties like elbows, no accident that she's always dressed like that. But i was wondering more about why those 2 were picked to be in the OP. Cold logic indicates that's cuz they'll play a bigger role in the upcoming plot than other SS characters.... but knowing the whore-mongering that is television, it could also be cuz they're popular characters and won't be more important at all. The first kind of fan service is fine, but the second pisses me off