@sgamer82:
No kidding. A friend and I had this discussion in specific reference to the female characters when we did a review video on this chapter. We went through nearly a dozen different female characters trying to think of one in particular he was trying to remember, noting that they all had significant buildup but ultimately fell flat and/or cared more about male acknowledgement. After the fact, it also occurred to us that the female members of the Royal Guard were most noted for cooking and sewing… make of that what you will.
The only one I can really think about wanting Male acknowledgement was Hinamori, and that's because she really had affection for Aizen. Her part fell flat because that aspect was never explored afterwards, which she got stabbed again and didn't get to confront Aizen. As for the Royal Guards, their things were sewing and food, but I think Food Lady's claim to fame was the soul pills which allowed Kon to exist. Once again, something that fell flat was Kon not getting time with that and the whole ethical thing that was there before. I guess Nanao could count as male acknowledgment, but she seemed more like one who had one trait then we got character thrust on her at last moment which didn't really work.
I'm one that is careful when considering using the S word to label someone or their work. I wouldn't go that far for this series, as while it's bad I never got that vibe. It has numerous problems, but that is not one of them.