In many ways, Charlotte Katakuri is the perfect opponent for Luffy. He's the embodiment of the "everything you can do I can do better" mantra. His mochi powers give him the same malleability as Luffy's rubber, but even more troublesome is his extremely adept Color of Observation that allows him see further into the future than your average Haki user. No matter how hard Luffy tries, Katakuri can dodge his every attack.
Visually, the show is still going strong. It definitely feels like the anime staff wanted to make sure to do the arc's big title fight justice, although Luffy vs. Katakuri will eventually go on for so long that I'm certain we'll see several peaks and valleys in the production values. Spiritually, this fight evokes Luffy vs. Rob Lucci, the only other big villain fight in the series to offer this much blunt physicality. It's just two dudes putting their dukes up and punching each other. (Or at least it will be as soon as it stops being so one-sided.) I was worried a few months back about how the anime might handle the comical size difference between the two fighters, but so far so good. They're currently zipping around like DBZ characters and making good use of the mirror world's three-dimensional space.
Elsewhere, the Sunny crew has gotten some distance between themselves and Big Mom, as they lick their wounds in response to Pedro's sacrifice. This is clearly where the episode is trying to buy time, getting saccharine with repeated footage of Pedro's role in the arc, but it's a good chance to see how the different Straw Hats deal with grief. Brook collapses and blames himself for being too weak, while Jimbei has to play Mr. Pragmatic and remind the others that they can't let their feelings slow them down, because they've still got a long fight ahead of them. And boy, do they! Coming up on their rear is none other than Big Mom herself, now walking on water with the aid of Perospero's candy powers. Even the ocean can't get in Big Mom's way.
We also continue to follow Sanji, Pudding, and Chiffon flying their way to Cacao Island on Pudding's magic carpet, Rabian. Pudding remains conflicted about Sanji, so she's choosing to hide in the carpet's roll, lest the two of them be seen still dressed as a bride and groom. She could fall if she's not careful, but she's willing to risk it. We also briefly see Pound (Lola and Chiffon's dad) for the first time in ages, though he's in a dinky rowboat heading in the opposite direction.
This episode is asking the audience to take a deep breath and pace themselves. It's extremely indulgent on the story's end to constantly be introducing new problems and obstacles, each one practically announcing itself as the real beginning of Whole Cake Island's climax. I really enjoyed this week's episode, since I think it succeeds in priming the viewers for a lot of classic shonen brawling, and the animation looks great in the final stretch, but as usual there's the caveat that this show is asking a lot of its audience. We're over 60 episodes into this arc and only just now beginning a Goku vs. Frieza-length fight. At the very least, this kind of episode makes me excited to see how a "One Piece Kai" might look.
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...