"We can't see Dressrosa anymore," Robin says to Law as they stare out at the open sea. Holy moly, did you ever think we'd see the day? I joke a lot, just because it's novel how long we've spent on a single island, but that doesn't change the huge sigh of relief that line brings me. Of course, the episode cuts back to Dressrosa almost immediately as we get some reconstruction shenanigans, but we've gotta wean ourselves off first.
This episode covers a lot of the cool stuff we tend to look forward to in these post-arc episodes. It was just a few weeks ago that we saw Kaido and many of the super rookies of the New World, and now we've returned to that well with the revelation that some of the old CP-9 members (the villains of the Water 7 saga) have been promoted to roles in CP-0. This is crazy-pants if you've read the manga cover stories, where it seemed like Rob Lucci and friends had separated from the World Government, but apparently not. They're back just in time for their Film Gold cameos too.
We also see Doflamingo chained in his cell, as he's being transported to Impel Down or wherever they intend to hold him up. Miserably, the marines seem to have given him a pair of replacement sunglasses, meaning we still don't get to see his eyes. I was sure that would have happened by this point. Regardless, he gives a huge dramatic villain speech about how his defeat is only going to turn the world to mayhem. It's a big diatribe about the many world powers: the Four Emperors, the Seven Warlords, the rookies, the World Government and the Revolutionary Army.
It's one thing for this speech to be cool, but it does an even better job at defining the bigger picture that's been developing since pretty much day one. One Piece has always been about the enormous rat race between the strongest and most interesting people in the world vying for that “one last empty seat.” The political web that makes up the pirate world has always been crucial to the appeal of this series, as everything is connected with room for change and growth around every corner. “Who's going to side with who? Who's going to betray who?” In the days of alliances and Emperors, this is a more important question than ever.
Lastly, the episode gives us an update on the Straw Hats's wanted posters. Everybody's bounty went up by at least 50 million berries (except for Chōpper's nonsensical “pet” bounty, which doubled to a whopping dollar in our real word currency), as well as a new picture for everybody, representing their New World status. Luffy and Law have gone all the way up to 500 million each, and “God Usopp's” bounty skyrocketed from 30 million to 200 million, thanks to the following he gained on Dressrosa. Sanji's new 177 million also mysteriously lists “Only Alive” on his poster, hinting at a new development to be explored in the next arc.
I've always loved the bounties in One Piece. Maybe I'm just basic like that, but I always thought it was a neat equivalent to Dragon Ball Z's power levels. Not only does the number give us a ballpark of a character's strength, but it represents their reputation within the world, which is a huge part of the pirate life. I guess I'm still attached to the days of Jaya, when the story played with the idea of reputation in an incredibly satisfying way. I love the idea of regular folk within the One Piece world just opening their newspapers and exchanging gossip about all this stuff.
Next week looks to be the beginning of a new filler arc (we haven't gotten any in a while), so even if it's bad, it'll hopefully still be fun to talk about. It looks like the bulk of the usual post-arc info dump is over, so we've got this Silver-Mine arc and then finally the Straw Hats' reunion on Zou to look forward to.
Artist also worked as animator, character designer for anime for Ashi Production, Kaname Production― The official Twitter account for artist Mutsumi Inomata announced on Monday that Inomata died on March 10. Her family held a private funeral. The announcement added that Inomata's death was "sudden," and she still had the draft for a new illustration that she had only started drawing before she died....
Titles include: Macross Plus, Macross 7, Macross F, Macross Delta, more― The official Macross website announced on Monday that the "Star" brand of Disney+ will stream numerous anime from the Macross franchise in 2024. Macross F character designer Risa Ebata illustrated the visual below to commemorate the news. The confirmed titles include multiple editions of Macross Plus, Macross 7, Macross F, and ...
Soon to be an anime series, The Blue Wolves of Mibu is a safe bet for fans of the Shinsengumi historical subgenre.― The Shinsengumi is pretty inescapable in Japanese fiction, and I fully admit that most of my reading about them in the manga and visual novel sphere has been on the shōjo side – the Hakuouki franchise and the incomparable Kaze Hikaru, in particular. But there's undoubtedly more than ju...
Director Daisuke Hiramaki, assistant director Ciao Nekotomi, and producer Shimpei Yamashita discuss the series' extra-long premiere, its depiction of the idol industry, and what fans can look forward to in season two.― The 【Oshi No Ko】 anime series was a breakout hit last year. The series smashed records at streaming service HIDIVE to become its "#1 series launch in the streamer's history." The ani...
The conclusion of the "Fertility Arc" drags in places, but it's bittersweet and remarkably fulfilling, and that makes up for many of its deficiencies.― Spoiler Warning: This review will contain spoilers for volumes sixteen and seventeen of the light novel series. Freya is tired of waiting. She's decided that if she can't have Bell through fair means (or at least "fair" in her mind), she'll resort to...
One of "the most unorthodox and innovative" anime is out on Blu-ray in this subtitled-only release. We'd like more extras, but you can't say no to Bocchi.― Unless you're a brand-new anime fan, you probably have heard of Bocchi the Rock!. If you are a new fan, welcome! When it came onto the scene in the fall of 2023, it was an easy crowd-pleaser with the way it combined cute girl hobby anime aestheti...
Jean-Karlo invites us to take a look at Akira Toriyama's influence and legacy in the gaming industry. There are also good/bad news for Puyo Puyo and The Super Mario Bros.― Welcome back, folks! I didn't get a chance to plug it last week, but my column on monster-collecting games came out last week! The timing on that column was... something. That weekend turned out to be the 25th anniversary of the D...
Join Anime News Network's Lynzee Loveridge and Richard Eisenbeis, and Trash Taste Pod's Gigguk as they watch over fifty anime trailers from the Spring 2024 anime season!― The Trailer Watch Party is growing up with a live stream from Trash Taste Pod's After Dark studio. Join Anime News Network executive editor Lynzee Loveridge, ANN Japan correspondent Richard Eisenbeis, and Trash Taste Pod's Gigguk a...
Despite hitting a lot of very familiar beats, there's something about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special that's incredibly readable.― Despite hitting a lot of very familiar beats, there's something about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special that's incredibly readable. Yes, our hero Desir Herrman is the typical overpowered protagonist seen in so many isekai and time loop stories, and yes, he's faci...
"I'll spit on you for $5!" Lucas DeRuyter spoke to pro adult content creators about con attendees LARPing as sex workers, and how a more consensual experience is better for everyone.― Note: The images in this article are likely NSFW. Cosplay model, panel host, and sex worker Ronnie/Bunni Black described the anime community as having "cognitive dissonance" towards adult content. As sex workers in th...