One Piece is in a position that demands high expectations right now. After the incredible episode finale last week, the promise to transition off of Zou and towards Big Mom, as well as the remaining surprises left to wrap the Zou arc up and bid it ado for now, I've got high hopes that the show will keep delivering on that something special that One Piece has always had.
This episode is tapping into the same feeling as the big party episode that we got a few weeks ago, basking in the general pleasantness of the One Piece world. Dogstorm and Cat Viper agree to get along at Momonosuke's request, and Zunesha sprays some water into the sky, creating a beautiful, sparkly rainbow to commemorate the occasion. The episode also uses a few classic tracks from the series' ever growing OST, reminding me how much I miss the constant presence of the old music. The new stuff is good, (especially that 'Bond Between the Samurai and the Minks' theme used at the end of last episode), but I'm hellbent on seeing the show continue to tap into those old feelings again.
Plot-wise we get a few bombs dropped regarding our samurai friends. The biggest by far being that Kin'nemon and Momonosuke are not actually father and son. Kin'nemon was simply guarding Momonosuke, who it turns out is actually the son of a deceased samurai lord named Oden. The idea here is that Momonosuke is a far bigger deal than we were led to believe previously, and that the story of our samurai allies (which started in Punk Hazard, over 150 episodes ago) is only just beginning, promising to tie us directly into a forthcoming Wano Country arc with its own history and connections to Kaido of the Four Emperors. Dogstorm and Cat Viper also think of Momonosuke as their leader, just to hammer home how much power he's supposed to have as an heir.
I have a tough time with this father/son twist because it, more than a lot of surprises in this series, feels like it was partially pulled out of thin air. I can't go back to those Punk Hazard episodes and believe that Oda already had this twist in mind, and it feels a little contrived as an attempt to unfold the importance of these samurai characters. That said, it did succeed in all other respects, as the samurai now feel like a much bigger deal, and I'm super invested in learning the story about Oden, his relationship to Wano as a country, and his eventual demise.
Aside from the billion berry bounty man, Jack, being revealed to be alive and on his way back to Zou, so much of this arc has been wrapped up. All of the characters that we're hanging out with are getting along, and we get to enjoy Zou as a great fantasy one last time before the story gets ready to reveal the thing we're truly here for (speaking as a person who's familiar with the manga). This sense of peace is earned and entirely welcome, though maybe not the most efficient thing for story progression since we already had a peace and fun episode a few weeks ago. It's a calm before a storm, however, and that's definitely something I can get behind.
SINoALICE's Pokelabo, Magia Record's f4samurai develop game― The website for a new Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magica) app game announced that the game will launch on smartphones this year under the title Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Magia Exedra. Franchise artist Ume Aoki drew an illustration to commemorate the announcement. Pokelabo (Assault Lily: Last Bullet, SINoALICE) and f4samur...
Ryōta Suzuki, Saki Miyashita, Ayami Tsukui, Ami Koshimizu star― The staff for the anime of Kaoru Shinozaki's Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells (Hazure Waku no "Jōtai Ijō Skill" de Saikyō ni Natta Ore ga Subete o Jūrin Suru made) light novel series revealed on Sunday the cast and the July premiere for the upcoming series in a new promotional video,...
Part District 9 meets O Maidens in Your Savage Season, part grimdark deconstruction of Doraemon.― Many anime films are adapted from manga and Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction is no exception. Usually, a film will cover a single arc of the greater plot—giving the story on screen a solid beginning, middle, and end. However, this is not the case with the first Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destructi...
People might think of this game as a celebration of the energy and experimentation of RPGs past, a tribute to a time when archetypes and genre conventions hadn't yet calcified and anything was fair game. And for once, they'd be right.― There's a point that Lady Perielle returns to often when people ask her why Nowa, a young warrior from a small village, is the leader of the resistance front against ...
Jacki, Lynzee, and James are clearing out their new anime backlog to determine the must-watch shows of the season!― What Anime Should You Watch Part 2 (Spring 2024) Jacki, Lynzee, and James are clearing out their new anime backlog to determine the must-watch shows of the season! The ANN After Show streams live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter Spaces on Tuesdays at 6pm PT/9pm ET. You can listen to ...
However, for all the good to be found in the season, there is a notable flaw: its pacing.― On most levels, Classroom of the Elite Season 3 falls into the category of being "more of the same." After all, the usual story pattern remains intact: Some new threat comes for Ayanakoji's class, and he pulls strings from behind the scenes, eventually coming out on top. That said, this season does its best to...
Jean-Karlo looks at some of the most promising titles from Nintendo's latest showcases, explains why a big player heading over to Nintendo is worth watching, and more!― Welcome back, folks! Does anybody know what to do when a snack you like isn't in production anymore? I used to look forward to Russel Stover's pectin jellybeans every Spring, but apparently, those aren't in production anymore. I've e...
We're taking Fantasy Football to the soccer field to build the perfect team of egoists.― Unlike other sports anime, Bluelock's central theme doesn't revolve around teamwork and self-sacrifice. This, nevertheless, is to be expected considering the series' plot. For instance, when Jinpachi Ego introduces himself to the 300 personally curated prospects meant to participate in his battle royal-esque ex...
The manga creator shares the horror films that influenced his series set in rural Japan, where humans are on the menu.―
Is Masaaki Ninomiya's horror manga Gannibal folk horror? It certainly fits a lot of the subgenre's definition. Set in a strange, isolated mountain village, it touches on how ritual can influence insular communities and how that looks to outsiders – and even more importantly, how o...