When we left off last week, Robin had succeeded in using her powers to nab Hakuba, who was speeding towards her with an intent to kill, right out of the air. It was a pretty cool moment (albeit, missing the swiftness of the manga), especially with Robin's confident smirk as she casually halted a character known for his superhuman speed. It turns out that Cavedish's Hakuba state really is a full-blown personality of it's own, and is able to talk and taunt as Cavendish fights to retain control of his body.
I half-expected Hakuba to be given his own voice actor, as I'm getting much more of a supernatural vibe from him than psychological one, but for now that mystery remains unclear. The exchange that Cavendish and Hakuba has, as they dip in and out of each other's control, raises a lot of questions about what their whole situation is. Bartolomeo made a comment last week about how Cavendish's face changed, so characters within the world can interpret that difference as well. It's also been made pretty clear that Hakuba is somehow faster than Cavendish is able to be on his own, as Cavendish has to take advantage of that fact in order to get himself and Robin out of a pinch later in the episode.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HYDE antics aside, this is Bartolomeo's episode. While Cavendish and Robin are up top on the plateau trying to figure out how to deal with Hakuba, Bartolomeo is on the ground using his Barrier-Barrier Fruit to hold off Gladius, the last of Doflamingo's officers to be dealt with in this group. This is where the endless match-ups of fighters gets a little too exhausting for me. Gladius is definitely one of the more boring officers, and while I love Bartolomeo and find him to be a super entertaining character with a great design, it starts to bug me that everything ultimately amounts to his Luffy fanboy-ism.
Bartolomeo's cool because, despite being such a weirdo who's rough around the edges, he is genuinely strong as demonstrated back in the Colosseum. When it was revealed that he was a die hard fan of Luffy's and that was his entire motivation for being in Dressrosa, that was just icing on the cake. Now that he's being given a proper one-on-one fight of his own, I'm a little sad that the big finishing blow still remains all about Luffy (he uses an attack called “Barrier-Barrier Pistol,” a very deliberate homage to Luffy's “Gum-Gum Pistol”). I get that his fanboy nature is what really lights a fire in a lot of audience members, but the fact that that's all he's about now is a little disappointing.
Anyway, this ends up being a pretty slow episode, too. Things got shifted around from the order that they played in the manga, and the result is that some episodes get to be nice and packed while others have to do the usual padding. Lots of air in the scenes, lots of characters repeating themselves, etc.
The final note that the episode ends on is that Robin has now succeeded in entering the Diamante fight on top of the flower field. She swoops in just in the knick of time to save Rebecca from Diamante's slice as Kyros tries to get the upper hand. Everything surrounding the Diamante fight is a minefield in discussions since it raises a lot of questions about One Piece and sexism. Future episodes will be a better time to really dig in and ask those questions but, for now, giving Robin some agency in the fight feels like a good save.
Like I said, this is a better conversation for another time, when Rebecca and Kyros' character arcs play out a little further. I know this topic is not black and white, and no single story decisions are going to break or amend the issue. At the very least, for the time being, the Diamante fight gets to feel a little less like it's about women being protected by men.
I can't recommend the series, nor think that any hypothetical viewer would enjoy it, but it is the kind of trash TV that's rewarding to dissect.― Have you ever wondered what Baki would be like if it had a conservative bent instead of queer undertones? Well, look no further because the answer is Kengan Ashura! While Kengan is trying to convey the same spectacle and white-knuckle action of the long-ru...
Film also available to rent, purchase digitally on several major outlets in N. America― The official X/Twitter account for TOHO's Godzilla franchise announced on Saturday that Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One film is streaming worldwide on Netflix. The film is available worldwide, but is currently not available in Japan. Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, the black-and-white version of the film, w...
One Piece: Heroines novel also licensed― Viz Media revealed its new licenses and new print releases planned for spring 2025 on Friday. Kazuyoshi Seto's Minecraft: The Manga: Announcement: Add this book to your enchantment room! Join Nico on his chance to escape the blocky confines of his home and prove how strong he's become when zombies attack! Minecraft: The Manga, by Kazuyoshi Seto, releases Spri...
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...
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...
Miyano, Nukumi play original characters for August 2 film― The official website for My Hero Academia the Movie: You're Next (My Hero Academia: You're Next), the fourth anime film in the My Hero Academia franchise, announced on Friday that the film has cast Mamoru Miyano and Meru Nukumi as original characters. Mamori Miyano as Giulio Gandini, a butler who serves the Scervino family Meru Nukumi as Ann...
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...
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...