Last week, the show left off with the promise of a “rain-ruption.” We learn that Zunesha, the giant elephant that this country sits atop, does its elephant thing and sprays itself with water several times a day. Since Zunesha is huge, this simple act looks like a volcano erupting to the people below, as water violently floods the area without prejudice.
Right off the bat, one of the most grabbing scenes of the episode is actually a filler sequence where Luffy gets washed away from his new Mink friends, and Carrot has to quickly jump through the trees to save him. The animation is super cool, and this time it's unmistakably the work of Naotoshi Shida (the Fourth Gear transformation sequence guy, among other scenes). I couldn't name any other sakuga artists from this show, but I'm going to point him out any chance I get, darn it!
The episode ultimately ends up feeling shockingly varied compared to most installments of the show. There's the aforementioned rescue scene, exposition scenes, comedy scenes, and all that's before the very end when Luffy and company finally reunite with (most of) their remaining crew. It turns out that the Mink tribe are not the human-hating group we were led to believe, and in fact are extraordinarily affectionate across the board. There are Minks of all kinds of animal species, and as far as they're concerned, humans are just monkey Minks with less fur.
The concept of race relations has been very prevalent in One Piece, especially since the time skip. The Minks' carefree attitude toward humans and their expectations of racism has just a twinge of judgement to it, similar to the response that Den from Fishman Island had to the same question. Since Minks and Fishmen/Merfolk are generally born with a random “species”, the need to divide between groups isn't as ingrained in their culture. In the One Piece world, racism is a uniquely human creation.
As it stands, the affection that the Minks give to the crew seems suspiciously furry-friendly. We've already seen Wanda and Carrot licking and nibbling Luffy, and we soon learn that Nami and Chopper have more than embraced all the “garchuu~”ing that their new friends have given them. This show wants you to think about these humans and animals banging, basically. Still, it's done with such a harmless sense of fun that I'm happy to go along with it.
The episode ends with most of the Straw Hat crew reuniting. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Robin, and Franky were together through most of Dressrosa, and now Nami and Chopper are back with them as well. Their reunion is heartwarming and full of happy thoughts, but once Luffy asks about Sanji, things take a mysteriously dark turn. Clearly something has happened to him, and we'll have to wait and find out.
I'm loving all of these Zou episodes so far, and this one is probably my favorite. Overall, the production just looks so polished, and the variety of content is incredibly satisfying. This is a perfect example of an episode that pads the story out and injects filler in a way that feels both creative and natural. I had to double-check the manga to see how much content was new because it all felt equally “real,” even if some of it is just killing time. I'm loving Zou, loving the new characters we're meeting, and I can't wait to see the mysteries continue to unfold.
Jean-Karlo attempts to condense two big video game showcases into a coherent column, from the revamped Silent Hill 2 to the grazing pastures of Story of Seasons.― Welcome back, folks. This is related to a big story for this week, but this past weekend, I listened to Utada Hikaru's re-recording of "Simple And Clean". It's very emotional. Utada Hikaru is a good twenty-plus years older than when she or...
In the Eisner-nominated work, Maki Fujiwara chronicles her daily life with her husband, lionized mangaka Yoshiharu Tsuge. Though deceptively simple at first glance, a foundation of abuse is slowly revealed.― At first blush, Maki Fujiwara's My Picture Diary does what it says on the tin. It tells the story of her daily life as a housewife and mother, spending time with her daily activities, noting the...
Now streaming on Netflix, Tomotaka Shibayama's first feature animation mixes the magical with reality to share a simple but important message.―
Director Tomotaka Shibayama's latest film, My Oni Girl, is an action-adventure drama with elements of a buddy comedy and a relatable coming-of-age story. The film, produced by Studio Colorido, was released in theaters in Japan and on Netflix on May 24, foll...
Game that inspired multiple anime launched in August 2017― The X/Twitter account for the Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story PC and smartphone game announced on Friday that the game will end service on the PC version on July 1 at 3:00 p.m. JST and for iOS and Android on July 31 at 3:00 p.m. JST. The staff are working to release an "archive app" of the game to allow players to access c...
Series starring Miku Martineau, Ayo Solanke, more starts production in Toronto― The Hollywood Reporter entertainment news site reported on Thursday that showrunner Simon Barry (Warrior Nun creator) and Boat Rocker Media are producing a live-action series for Netflix titled BET that "is based in part" on writer Homura Kawamoto and artist Tōru Naomura's Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler manga. The show h...
Kaiju No. 8 takes the top spot this week while Tonari no Yōkai-san pushes to #3 in the cmulative! Check out our weekly user rankings!― 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 in...
Mospeada is a work very much of its time, riffing on ideas and tropes that were all the rage when it was made, and doesn't do anything exceptional with them.― It can be easy for even longtime fans to forget that alongside Macross, there were two other 80's sci-fi anime that got Frankenstein-ed into what we'd eventually call Robotech. While this isn't the first time one of those series has made it to...
Main staff, cast reunite for new film― Warner Bros. Japan revealed on Thursday that it is producing a sequel film to its Batman Ninja CG anime film titled Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League. Junpei Mizusaki, the producer of the opening animation sequences for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders and Kamikaze Douga CEO/founder, is returning from Batman Ninja to direct...
Hana Hishikawa, Misuzu Yamada star in J.C. Staff anime with designs drafted by Penguindrum's Lily Hoshino― The official website for the television anime of Yuzuki Akasaka's Mahō Tsukai ni Narenakatta Onna no Ko no Hanashi (The Story of the Girl Who Couldn't Become a Wizard) novel unveiled the first full promotional video and visual for the anime on Thursday. The video reveals the anime's cast as wel...
Following the upcoming retro programming block Toonami Rewind, Chris and Lucas look back fondly on the afternoons spent watching Naruto and Sailor Moon.― Following the upcoming retro programming block Toonami Rewind, Chris and Lucas look back fondly on the afternoons spent watching Naruto and Sailor Moon. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the v...
Yeah, yeah, Kaiju No. 8 has all the great action scenes, but Yatagarasu is chewing up the scenery as the royal ladies absolutely lose their minds!?― Why Aren't You Watching This Anime Yet? Yeah, yeah, Kaiju No. 8 has all the great action scenes, but Yatagarasu is chewing up the scenery as the royal ladies absolutely lose their minds!? The ANN After Show streams live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitte...
Here we have a from-the-ground-up remake, but does this beloved classic still hold up in a modern sense, or is that praise just nostalgia talking?― It's nice when Nintendo surprises us with a remaster or re-release of one of their more difficult-to-obtain games. The original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the Nintendo GameCube is a classic for many. However, since the game was never re-rele...
Miles Atherton crunched Netflix's latest numbers for some surprising anime discoveries, from the popularity of My Happy Marriage to the One Piece juggernaut.― Since the advent of streaming, it's been notoriously difficult to gauge how popular a specific anime is with international audiences, both for publishers looking to make informed decisions for a market that generates most of its revenue outsi...
With seven full routes and one mini-route with a character from the previous game, if you enjoyed Cupid Paradise, Sweet & Spicy Darling is worth playing.― The first order of business is this: if you haven't played the original Cupid Parasite otome game, there isn't much point in picking up Sweet & Spicy Darling. There is one new route for this sequel, but even that relies on you knowing the backgrou...
With the release of Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction, Nick and Steve take a look at it and some other manga that were thought to be "unadaptable"—and see if that was truly the case.― With the release of Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, Nick and Steve take a look at it and some other manga that were thought to be "unadaptable"—and see if that was truly the case. Disclaimer: The views and...