It's time to split up and get into place as the Big Mom assassination plot commences. Sanji's heading back to his room so he doesn't raise the enemy's suspicions (though that doesn't stop the incredulous Montd'or from breathing down his neck), and the rest of the crew is off to sneak into the wedding unseen. Luffy has some kind of surprise entrance in mind that he won't even tell his friends about, and it's agreed that Pudding's attempt to shoot Sanji in place of the big kiss will be the official signal to spring into action. Meanwhile, it's Caesar's job to employ his flying ability and use Brulee to escape into the mirror world, which should then connect the Straw Hats back to their ship where they can sail off safe and sound.
Things are still moving slowly as the Straw Hats prepare to disrupt Sanji's wedding, but at long last we've got ourselves an indisputably good-looking episode. I think pacing would be less of an issue for me if the visuals looked this polished on a regular basis. There's an emphasis on detail and atmosphere that I really appreciate. We're getting up in the morning, putting on our Sunday best, and heading out into the bizarre, zany world of Big Mom's domain, and you can really put yourself into that space in a way that you couldn't in the manga. As the citizens of Totto Land buzz and various important figures start to gather for the wedding, things are feeling lively. It's not even that animation-intensive of an episode, but it has just enough little flourishes where it counts.
As for plot progression, things continue to be pretty bare. I think one of the best scenes is a cutaway to the Sun pirates where they think back to an earlier conversation they had with Jimbei. The reason Jimbei couldn't honor Big Mom's terms of separation was because her roulette wheel included numbers that referred to how many loved ones would have to suffer in order for him to leave with dignity. Jimbei couldn't abide this, so he's choosing to betray her dishonorably. His old crew understands this choice, but they fear his over-willingness to sacrifice himself for his Luffy in the fight with Big Mom, a warranted concern considering Jimbei proudly admits this to be the case. If Luffy becomes his new captain, he'd have to put his life on the line for him. "It's just a matter of doing it now or later," he says. It's a cool scene, buttering the audience up for all sorts of ways Jimbei's fate could go from here.
With the story still vaguely gesturing at imminent forward momentum, I feel like I should have enjoyed this episode less than I did, but instead I found it rejuvenating. After finding the past few episodes very stiff, this appropriately feels like waking up refreshed in the morning. It doesn't lend much new to the conversation, but it's a strong episode that leaves me feeling confident that some good stuff is on the horizon from this adaptation. By the end of this episode, the bride and groom are dressed and ready to go, and we continue the trend of leaving the audience in suspense that something might be happening soon. The show is a slow-burn these days, leaning heavily on suspense to keep the viewers engaged, and if that's the way it has to be, this is the kind of episode I'll relish.
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...