A few hundred episodes ago, there was the Paramount War between the Whitebeard pirates and the Navy. Whitebeard, then one of the Four Emperors, was killed, kicking off the uprising of the traitorous Blackbeard as the new force to be reckoned with. Since the two year time skip where Luffy took a break from piracy to grow stronger, a lot happened in the political landscape of the pirate world. We knew Blackbeard had taken over as the new Emperor, but what happened to the rest of Whitebeard's crew has been a hanging question for a while.
Last week left us with the cliffhanger that Cat Viper was interested in seeking the help of Marco, Whitebeard's 1st Division Commander, in the fight against Kaido. He then elaborates that in the two years of Luffy's absence, Marco and the remainders of Whitebeard's crew did indeed fight with Blackbeard and lost during something called the "Grudge War", thus explaining why Whitebeard's crew seems to have slunk away into obscurity. However, Marco should still be out there somewhere, and if we're lucky, he's still willing to fight alongside some old friends. Thinking about the alliance and the ways that this new, bigger family can grow is a lot of fun, and knowing that Marco and his crew are strong candidates to join the ranks is pretty exciting.
Once again, this episode's main purpose is to hammer out more of the specifics about Luffy and the alliance's immediate plans. While Luffy runs off to Whole Cake Island to save Sanji, the rest of the group has other things to do in preparation for the upcoming fight against Kaido. Cat Viper's going to take this time to get in contact with Marco, while the samurai and much of Luffy's crew will hide out on Wano while they wait for the whole group to return. Nami, Chopper, and Brook - the Straw Hats who did not stick around for the Dressrosa arc - all announce that they'd like to assist Luffy on his trip to Whole Cake Island in the story's attempt to balance the spotlight within its main cast. We're in an era where the crew is almost never whole at this point, thanks to one story dilemma or another, so I'm counting on the eventual reunion of the entire nine person crew on Wano to be especially sweet.
These last few episodes haven't been fantastic looking, and I imagine that they're victim to resources being focused on more dramatic, action-packed episodes like we see in the preview for next week. This last batch of exposition-heavy episodes don't demand a ton of visual polish, but between the awkward pacing and thin production, you do start to feel the weaknesses of this anime adaptation. Next week's episode looks awesome, but I wish they could have condensed the last four or so episodes down just a bit.
The Zou arc nears its climax as Jack returns, using the mighty power of Kaido's fleet of ships to attack the elephant (which is the size of a country), with every intention of taking it down and killing everybody living up top. Story-wise, Jack never managed to assert himself to me as more than one of Kaido's henchmen, despite his massive strength and bounty, so I wouldn't expect a big battle to get drawn out over the next few months. That would be an instant sap of momentum after all the set-up we just got. I remember at this point when reading the manga, I was theorizing the possible death of the elephant, either by its wounds or by old age, and at the very least that's something I still suspect might happen at some point in the series, if not in this arc.
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...
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...