The fated day has finally come, as the final episode of Luffy vs. Doflamingo has arrived. “Final Blow” episodes the series have always been some of my most treasured One Piece moments. The Crocodile, Eneru and Lucci finales all come to mind as examples of the show at its best. With the Dressrosa arc being so long and Doflamingo being by far the biggest major villain in the series, personality-wise, expectations are astronomical.
After a string of episodes with bottom-of-the-barrel production values in a row these past few weeks, I was disappointed that the the finale wasn't much better. In fact, the animation quality and pacing are both suspiciously poor for such an important episode, especially since I was sure they were “saving up” just for this week. A lot of time is killed on a scene in which Doflamingo has Luffy tied up in his strings and Luffy has to use his strength to resist been puppeteer-ed. It's an incredibly long scene with a lot of dead air as we wait for Luffy to return to his Fourth Gear form.
When Luffy does finally pump air back into his body in order to perform Fourth Gear, we're treated to bold-faced repeated animation from the initial transformation episode, just with the backgrounds swapped out. This makes me wonder if Fourth Gear is going to get the Sailor Moon transformation treatment from this point forward. It's hard to blame Toei, since the animation on the transformation is very cool (and I have been updated that the sakuga animator responsible is Naotoshi Shida, the man in charge of modern One Piece's flashier animation), but it's such an obvious cut corner in an episode that could do with a few less.
Regardless, whatever moaning I want to do over this episode can easily be put aside for the final two minutes or so. It's at this point that a switch is flipped and it becomes the episode that I hoped it could have been from the beginning. Luffy unleashes his “King Kong Gun” (his regular Kong Gun punch but with a bigger fist, as you do) against Doflamingo's spiderweb of strings. It's a dramatic clash with pushing and pulling as Strong World music blares and all the side characters pushing against the birdcage shout in unison about how they believe in Luffy. Even my cynical heart was moved by this scene as the drama and emotion took center stage over the production values.
Then there's the detail of Doflamingo's sunglasses. Doffy's eyes have been such an discussed about topic among the fans, any detail that draws attention to just how mysterious his face is ends up being surprisingly exciting. There are times where we wonder whether the series has any attention on showing the villain sans-shades, but during the final blow we do see them break. It's stylized in a way where we still don't see any eyes, but just seeing them break is immensely satisfying.
It's weird to say that this episode is worth only its final two minutes but it's true. Sometimes I wonder if One Piece could pull off telling it's story in short-form episodes each week, since it clearly has no intention of moving faster than the manga. If you're a fan of the anime, you won't be missing much if you only skip around, and if you're mostly reading the manga it might be worth tuning in just for the last few minutes anyway.
T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime.― I adore classic sci-fi, especially when it involves time travel and grand adventure. T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime. Based on a 1978-1986 manga by Doraemon co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio, this ultra-shiny modern adaptation from studio BONES and director M...
Manga launched in 2009, inspired TV anime in 2014― Manga creator Mizuho Kusanagi confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday that her Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona) manga is in its final arc. Kusanagi referenced the final arc alongside the news that the manga won an award in the Long Seller Comics Division for the Rakuten Kobo e-Book Award 2024. Kusanagi — the creator of Mugen Spiral, Game X ...
Art resurfaces when he was announced as judge for Shonen Jump's Sports Manga Award― Being talented in one aspect of your life doesn't stop you from being talented in other aspects. For instance, former seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger went on to have a prolific acting career. But what about Shōhei Ohtani, the biggest name in sports today? Well, it turns out he's not just one of the great...
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...
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...
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...