There's something about seagulls that feels so distinctly One Piece to me. It's kind of an obvious detail, considering the setting and all, but it didn't dawn on me until now just how much they tie the atmosphere of the series together. I guess we've been under Doflamingo's birdcage for so long that just the sight and sound of such banal animals feels so freeing. There's a whole world out there! Let's go explore it! Again!
We're still in the calm before the huge post-arc info dump comes, and all the characters who need out are packing up and heading home. The revolutionaries who have been hanging around are leaving (aside from Sabo), and all the henchmen of Doflamingo's crew are being rounded up in handcuffs by the Navy. We get a little rundown of all the named officers of Doflamingo's crew as well, as we see them beaten and unconscious, being hauled off on stretchers. They're small moments, but they give us just a bit more insight into the trouble the marines have to go through in order to clean a mess like this up. Normally, stuff like this is simply never addressed, so seeing them go through the effort of hoisting Doflamingo's body out of a crater by way of a harness and crane was interesting. Also, Baby 5 is conveniently not being arrested, since she's hanging out with the good guys now. I really love her interactions with Sai as he becomes more and more accustomed to their impromptu betrothal. Seeing him let her scoot closer to him was super cute.
The most important scene in the episode is also one that highlights the fascinating political landscape of the One Piece world. After Riku is embraced by the country as the returning king, Admiral Fujitora and his men make an extreme gesture by bowing to him in unison. Fujitora knows full well that making such a humbling apology on behalf of the Navy and World Government is taboo, but it's an important statement to make nonetheless.
The Navy admirals will always be the beacon of moral ambiguity in this series, since they all represent such dramatically different viewpoints, but all with the sincere intention of making the world a better place. Fujitora strikes an interesting balance by being older in age, but also being a newbie to the Navy in general. He doesn't have the social status that the admirals before him have, but he's not slow to using his new authority in a way that makes use of his aged wisdom. He sees the change that the World Government needs, and he isn't afraid to go for it right off the bat. This hearkens back to when he decided not to intervene in Luffy and Doflamingo's fight. He knew the Government couldn't afford to take any more credit than it deserved.
Like I said, we're still in the calm of Doflamingo's aftermath, so this isn't an especially eventful episode, but it's certainly got a lot more to chew on than last week's. Since we're not drowning in cutbacks to earlier scenes, I feel like this episode is a strong example of how One Piece can be slow and drawn out, but still remain engaging enough the whole way through. Breather episodes are not inherently a bad thing.
Anime will star Hiroshi Kamiya, Kotaro Nishiyama, Kotaro Nishiyama― Distribution company Remow announced on Tuesday that Yura Urushibara's Tougen Anki: Dark Demon of Paradise manga will get a television anime in 2025. The company revealed the trailer, key visual, and main cast for the anime. The anime's cast includes:
Kazuki Ura as Shiki Ichinose, the protagonist who inherits the blood of an Oni. Sh...
Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations, from the Yuri on Ice movie to the second half of Stars Align.― Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations from the second half of Stars Align to the 2007 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood movie. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views...
Welcome to the rankings for the Spring 2024 season! The perfect place to check out which hidden gems might have flown under your radar.― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind that these rankings are based on how people rated ...
The final Spring 2024 Manga Guide update includes not-yet-released series from this month, including Sword Art Online Re:Aincrad,Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology, A Sign of Affection and more.― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Manga Guide! You may have seen one of our seasonal Anime Preview Guides, where a team of critics writes up each new anime television premiere as it a...
Producer Masakazu Kubo shares the animation team's dedication to realism, including bringing in a pro golfer to produce the anime's sound effects.― 64-year-old Masakazu Kubo has been planning and producing anime for decades. He's had a major hand in everything from Pokémon and Detective Conan to Teasing Master Takagi-san and Dorohedoro. Recently, he sat down with us to talk about Tonbo!, his attemp...
Kaijin Fugeki manga launches on May 29― Manga creator Oh! great announced on Tuesday that he will launch a new manga titled Kaijin Fugeki in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine on May 29. A Twitter account for the manga also debuted on the same day. Oh! great launched a manga adaptation of NisiOisin's Bakemonogatari novels (pictured at right) in Weekly Shonen Magazine in March 2018, and ended it in Ma...