When reactions are based solely on the weekly release of the anime, it's easy to forget to emphasize how masterful One Piece is at juggling and threading its immense number of subplots. Since the reveal of Pudding's dastardly nature, a lot has already changed. Luffy is out of prison, Pedro's finishing up his fight, Nami and Jimbei are off to reunite with the rest of the crew, and so on. I like how we get to enjoy the distinct feeling that most of the arc's conflicts are wrapping up, but just as things are settling down, Brook also gets captured. No matter how clean the path is to Luffy and Sanji's reconciliation, there's always going to be at least one more problem to take care of. One Straw Hat steps out of prison, and another just falls right in.
Brook's situation aside, this episode is probably the most positive development our heroes have gotten in a while. Just when things are starting to get hairy in Pedro's fight with Count Niwatori, the jaguar uses his trademark move (excessive amounts of dynamite) as a distraction to make his getaway, allowing Chopper and Carrot to pull him into the safe haven they've created in Brulee's mirror world. So that's three members of Team Straw Hat together, and then later they catch Nami and Jimbei running through the halls, bringing the gang up to five. Making the mirror world the meeting point for our main characters does a lot to pay off the endless padding we've spent on Carrot and Chopper's shenanigans up until now. Also, the sparkly shojo fanart that Carrot draws so that the sentient mirrors can locate their friends just makes me fall for her even harder. What a good bun.
The most mixed aspect of this episode is the amount of time spent on Luffy's dash through the Whole Cake Chateau looking for Sanji. It's probably the most well-animated portion of the episode, as Luffy picks fights with every enemy pirate that steps into his path, but it faces all the same padding challenges that we've come to sigh at. There's a lot that I like in this episode, but the story flow is very stiff as a result of drawn-out action that would have worked best zipping right past you.
In the theme of absolving the Straw Hats of conflict, Luffy finds himself in Reiju's hospital room, having just missed Sanji. Reiju catches Luffy up, confirming that Sanji knows about Pudding's lies and comforting anybody in the audience who might have been worried that this misconception would get in the way of the crew finally coming together. The efficiency at which the show addresses every little thing that could keep Luffy and Sanji from making up would almost seem robotic if it weren't so charming. The only reason the story is delaying their reunion at this point is mostly a matter of poetry, as Luffy takes this chance to break out of the chateau and make a beeline for the spot where he and Sanji fought—the place where he promised he'd be waiting. Meanwhile, Sanji is struggling to decide what he wants to do. He has his freedom, but it's starting to become clear that he might have a problem leaving his family to die.
After an arc of ups and downs, it feels good to see the moving pieces start falling into place and for the real story to reveal itself. It's important that once Luffy and Sanji meet, there aren't any baggage or excuses for them not to be completely honest with each other, in direct contrast to what was going on in their fight where Sanji had to lie in order to appease his family. We're moving into the next big turning point of the Whole Cake Island arc, where clarity becomes one of the story's biggest strengths, and seeing things tidy up this elegantly goes a long way toward setting up that strong sense of focus.
Series previously inspired 52-episode anime in 1993― This year's 24th issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine revealed on Wednesday that Gosho Aoyama's Yaiba manga will be getting a new anime adaptation. Aoyama is supervising. The series follows the titular Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai boy inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, the real-life swordsman who pioneered the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū sty...
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...