Clip shows! Get your clips shows here! Two for one special! Half price!
Boy, the Reverie arc sure is getting slammed by the filler gods. I was wary of something like this happening since we're bringing together a plethora of characters who haven't been seen in ages and some catch-up is appropriate, but there's definitely an upper limit to what they can get away with. There are scraps of canon material between these two episodes, so they can't be skipped entirely, but there's hardly a meal's worth to talk about. To be completely fair to the anime, this is far from the worst this series has ever gotten. Remember when they paused the action in the middle of Enies Lobby to do five straight weeks of clip shows?
The conceit is that we're spending time with the upper echelons of the Navy as they recount the entirety of the Impel Down/Marineford saga. The stars of this episode are Fleet Admiral Sakazuki (formerly "Akainu"), former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Admiral Kizaru. Since Kizaru was voiced by the late Unshō Ishizuka, this is our first time hearing him being performed by Ryōtarō Okiayu, who serves as a remarkably close voice match, if considerably softer-spoken. The specific story arc being recapped is a weird choice, since it informs very little of what's actually going to happen at the Reverie outside of being Navy-centric. I'm getting itchy because I know there are going to be more openings for clip shows in the future, and if they're already reaching this far off the bat, then I worry about the kind of reputation this arc is going to suffer.
The more interesting Navy material this week comes from Admiral Fujitora, who's arriving in Mariejois despite Sakazuki ordering him to keep hunting Luffy and Law. He's meeting with the mysterious Ryokugyu ("Green Bull"), who remains in the shadows, and their conversation is a landslide of intrigue. Fujitora mentions having visited Vegapunk recently, which is a big deal, and Ryukogyu is said to be in the middle of a three-year fast. He claims he's just been too lazy to eat, but whether that's to be taken literally or he's just being glib is unknown. Regardless, even in the One Piece world of tough manly men, you can't survive without food for three years without some kind of supernatural catch—or can you?! Ryukogyu staying in the shadows means the series is still being coy about his appearance, but we can assume he follows the pattern of the Navy admirals being based on famous old-school Japanese actors. His silhouette has long flowing hair, so I imagine his true design is locked down to some degree.
Elsewhere, the monarchs of the world are starting to arrive at the Reverie, and they're a gaggle of goofy national stereotypes: "King Taco" is Danny Trejo in a sombrero, "King Ham Burger" is Abraham Lincoln, etc. Fishman Island's Ryugu Kingdom is also arriving and being chaperoned by Luffy's grandfather Garp, which is a character team-up I never knew I wanted.
I worry that the Reverie is going to be a tough arc to review, because even when it isn't just a bunch of clip shows, it's all exposition and setup with nary an idea of how it's all going to tie together and pay off. The plot thickens and thickens, but what it all means and where everything is going remains as elusive to current manga readers as it will be to people watching the anime now. Ryukogyu is a good example of a character whose introduction suggests we're going to see a lot more of him soon, but "soon" in One Piece terms could still mean years from now, so the audience is left to simply shrug and be patient.
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...