One of the most perplexing things about filler to me is the weird unspoken rule that the story has to be banal and unexciting. We're three-fourths of our way through the Silver Mine arc, and it's almost impressive how unremarkable it's been. It's completely inoffensive and far from the worst thing Toei has written for anime-only content, but surely there must be a few hungry writers in the bowels of the studio that might be interested in contributing something with a teeny tiny bit of fire in it?
Luffy and Bartolomeo's adventures in the mines continue, as they may have found their way towards an exit. At this point in the story, Desire has come around to the possibility that her leader Bill may not be the kind person he claims to be. After the group's fight with Avelon, she is determined to see this event through and learn the truth, just in time for the next wave of Bill's henchmen to block them off in an attempt to reap Luffy's 500 million bounty.
Our heroes have already found daylight, and the only obstacle in their way is a line of baddies threatening them with some flamethrowers. We don't have much reason to think Luffy couldn't wipe this crowd out single-handedly, but it serves as the perfect opportunity for some of his friends on the outside to intervene. From Bartolomeo's ship, Law is able to use his Devil Fruit to swap Kin'emon into the battle and show off his trademark flame-cutting technique. Once Luffy and company are free and into the open air, Zoro appears to finish off the remaining foes until Bill has to make his big flashy arrival.
The episode ends with a verbal confrontation between Bill and Desire, and I would feel proud of myself for predicting the twist in last week's review if it wasn't so obvious. Yes, it is revealed that Bill was responsible for the mysterious attack that wiped out Desire and her crew once upon a time. Desire is shocked to learn this, and the feeling of betrayal is a strong feeling to leave us on before the arc is resolved next week.
Again, there's nothing especially bad about the Silver Mine arc thus far, but there certainly isn't much good either. Desire and Bill have decent enough designs, if a bit plain compared to the world around them. There's the bare minimum effort put into having a dramatic arc with Desire's character, but I'd be hard-pressed to award brownie points for that. A long time ago, the G-8 arc gave us some really fantastic One Piece filler, and now everything else can't help but be compared to it.
Based on the novel by former Nogizaka46 member Kazumi Takayama, trapezium asks its audience to follow one girl who will use anything, and anyone, to achieve her dream.― Trapezium is a strange movie, to say the least. On the surface, it's a rather simple movie that explores youth, their dreams, and the lengths they'll go to achieve those dreams. It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in the veneer of the...
ZeroReq011 remembers what made Spice and Wolf a story for the ages, from its fully realized world and economics to Holo and Lawrence's romantic chemistry.― Back when Funimation was still its own company and not owned by Sony, long before its in-house streaming service was terminated in favor of Crunchyroll's streaming platform, it owned a TV channel. Legal streaming had yet to dominate the Western a...
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...