We finally step outside the Poneglyph room and get some fresh air as we inch closer and closer to the end of the Zou arc. The backdrop may have changed, but the piles upon piles of exposition have not stopped being rolled out.
It's in this episode that Luffy makes his next plan of action explicitly clear: Retrieve Sanji from Big Mom's clutches before returning to his newly formed alliance to fight Kaido in the samurai country of Wano. His allies agree to this term, feeling good about the support that somebody as strong as Sanji could provide in the upcoming battle. So that settles it, the next arc destination is Whole Cake Island.
I'm not kidding when I say that this is an exposition heavy episode, as there's very little to talk about beyond the lore nuggets that the characters keep dropping. It's a continuation of what we had been seeing in the past few episodes, and my comment last week about the repetition still rings true. Thankfully, however, it all happens while the characters are walking outside on their way to get the plot started back up, so there is at least a tiny bit of forward momentum. The new information this week centers around Cat Viper and Dogstorm's history, back when they were Oden's retainers and followed him on his adventures, both on Whitebeard's pirate ship as well as Roger's. Dogstorm is also able to quell Nami's concerns about getting off track from the log pose, saying that the Straw Hats' journey to Raftel via the Poneglyphs has already taken them the step beyond. I'm still not really sure if this information makes sense to me. There's a lot of talk about whether the final island at the end of the log pose is indeed Raftel or not, and things only got more confusing as a result of the given information.
Visually, I was incredibly close to saying that this was a beautiful looking episode with it's nice landscape shots of Zou, but then I saw Nami. This is one of those episodes where the women's figures are exaggerated to an uncharacteristic degree, even by this show's standards. I get that Oda draw his women with skinny waists and big boobs, but I can't recall a time where his drawings ever looked as obnoxious as they are here. It's clearly a deliberate style choice that comes with certain artists or directors, and it just looks like garbage. Fanservice as tone deaf and ugly as this makes the show as a whole worse, and it's far and above one of the most unfortunate things about the modern One Piece anime.
The action should pick up next week as Jack re-enters the frame, but the story's got us so focused on Whole Cake Island right now that he feels more like an inconvenience. This isn't a bad episode, but it's a little too draining at this point in the story to dedicate this much time to info dumps, especially since the best information was given to us several episodes ago.
If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.”― If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.” Shiki and Fuyuki's interactions are a mixture of playful (and sometimes sexual) teasing and heartfelt feelings as the two come to value each other. They have real chemistry—and that drives the anime stra...
Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it.― Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed...
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 ...
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...