Now that we're slowly wading our way through the real story of Whole Cake Island, the usual concern over how far Toei's production values can carry things rears its head. This is an episode full of ideas that's undercut by sloppy and inconsistent art. Characters will randomly morph into much shinier, more sinewy versions of themselves, and there's the common risk of the female characters' loud, over-sexualized designs drowning out a scene's intended tone. We're entering the phase of the story where it's going to be The Pudding Show for a while, but we can only count on the show's more deft hand to work its magic on her some of the time.
After learning what a hot mess the Vinsmoke family is, it turns out that the Charlottes may be even worse. The Straw Hats' old friend Lola was under the impression that things are square between her and her mother, but that's not how Big Mom sees it at all, swearing that she'll pull Lola's whereabouts out of Nami so that she can track her down and kill her. Lola, the wandering marriage-proposal-spewing pirate, was dishing out the rejection once upon a time, which unfortunately led Mom's most important political marriage into ruins. Lola isn't an active participant in this arc, but it appears as though her time back home left quite the scar.
Thus we return to Pudding, who's implied to be a victim of her mother in a similar way. We flash back to baby Pudding saying goodbye to her big sister Lola, the only member of the family to ever take fate into her own hands and leave. Whether Pudding ultimately feels more sorry for herself or Sanji in this marriage is left vague, since the myriad of upcoming twists are going to leave you with different answers as to her true nature.
Tying everything together this week is the back half of Big Mom and Luffy's phone argument, where all of Big Mom's worst qualities get tested. Her past failure to become King of the Pirates and the way she aggressively dominates her children are the qualities that make her feel like a weak soul, especially with the ever-tenacious Luffy on the other end of the conversation. We have no doubt who would actually win in a fight (Mom), but Luffy's straight shooter attitude continues to make him a great foil for any villain. Big Mom's precious wedding is tomorrow, and now her feathers are ruffled, making her all the more pathetic and threatening.
Big Mom is at her most entertaining when she's angry, since she looks like she's just seconds away from sinking the whole island out of frustration. The last scene of the episode is great as she tries to cheer herself up with the usual Disney musical sing along, but the constant bad news turns the instrumentation sinister and she has to take a seat to simmer down. This episode's execution is at odds with itself, dancing the line between exhilaration and embarrassment. It looks so ugly at times, but I admire its spirit when I'm not distracted by Pudding's badly drawn barbie doll cleavage.
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...