Rukia is a bit tsundere girl as well... Anyway, while this was a jolly good episode, I was left with a feeling not terribly much happened. The hollow hierarchy was a valuable lesson, but that's almost it. While I don't judge motivational speeches as harshly as Masa, I think it was a bit cheap scene altogether. It was too short and easy to be really believable in the sense that it could have given Ichigo back his resolve, and on the other hand Ichigo should have been able to beat the basic hollow grunt with bare hands, eyes shut and half asleep.

Indeed, I think if I really try to create meaning for that scene and how Ichigo suddenly regained much of his lost vigor, I must just deem he simply needed Rukia to be there and tell him what to do and to get over it. Perhaps that was sweet, after all. Nothing makes me happier than Ichigo-Rukia interaction.