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.
Including items from Delicious in Dungeon, New PANTY & STOCKING with GARTERBELT, Bungo Stray Dogs, Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-,【OSHI NO KO】, The Summer Hikaru Died, OVERLORD:The Sacred Kingdom and Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian.― June 18, 2025 (Tokyo, Japan): KADOKAWA Corporation announced the list of official merchandise at Anime Expo 2025 (to be held at the Los Angeles ...
Creator Takeshi Konomi marks original manga's 26th anniversary, plans sequel's end after 16 years― The Prince of Tennis manga creator Takeshi Konomi posted on Tuesday that he plans to end the serialization of The New Prince of Tennis (Shin Tennis no Ōji-sama) manga within a year. His post commemorated the 26th anniversary of the original Prince of Tennis manga, and he noted that The New Prince of Te...
Confusion works decently well to keep readers on their toes, although if you like to fully understand what's going on at any given time, this may not be the book for you.― According to the dictionary, a “censor” is, among other things, a wartime official who reads all communications to delete classified or dangerous information. That's not too far off from the way we more typically see “censor” and ...
Welcome to the Summer Anime Preview Guide! We're kicking off July with Rent A Girlfriend Season 4, Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show, Takopi's Original Sin, Private Tutor to the Duke's Daughter, and Detectives These Days Are Crazy!― Welcome to Anime News Network's Summer 2025 Anime Preview Guide sponsored by Crunchyroll! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions insta...
Leviathan is a poignant and moving war story in a time when we need tales that shine bright through the darkness.― Around this time last year, Netflix announced that it would be home to the next project from Studio Orange (Trigun Stampede, Beastars) and Qubic Pictures (Eden), Leviathan—an anime adaptation of the alternate history World War I novel trilogy written by Scott Westerfeld and illustrated ...
Series inspired vertical comic adaptation June 2023― The official X (formerly Twitter) account for Hobby Japan's HJ Bunko imprint announced on Tuesday that Kazuki Amamiya's Haibara's Teenage New Game+ (Haibara-kun no Tsuyokute Seishun New Game) light novel series has an anime adaptation in the works. J-Novel Club publishes the series in English and describes the story: We all have embarrassing memor...
The spring season seemed quiet if it weren't for the enormous mecha in the room. Check our the ANN reviewer team's picks for the best anime of spring!― The spring season seemed quiet if it weren't for the enormous mecha in the room. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuux dominated conversations week-to-week as Evangelion and Shin Godzilla director Hideaki Anno penned scripts alongside Utena's Yōji Enokido fo...
Label to adapt Tenma Asahi's Saioshi no Gikei Mederu Tame, Nagaikishimasu! isekai story― Publishing and anime production company Imagica Infos announced on Sunday it has joined with Dai Nippon Printing (DNP), Cybird, and Blue Rights to form the boys love label Balloon. The label's first project is a "light anime" adaptation of Tenma Asahi's Saioshi no Gikei Mederu Tame, Nagaikishimasu! (In Order to ...
Crunchyroll to stream series worldwide excluding Asia― Toho Animation announced on Monday the television anime of Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court's My Hero Academia: Vigilantes (Vigilante: Boku no Hero Academia Illegals) manga will get a second season in 2026. The company made the announcement following the airing of the final episode of season 1. Crunchyroll will stream the series worldwide out...
If you are or have ever been a connoisseur of the clang-clang, rest assured that Kuku gets it, and has provided a book that delivers.― The surface-level selling points of a story can often be all it needs. The premise of Hayate Kuku's BLACK BLOOD certainly lends itself to the potential of denser themes: the nature of the human soul, the validity of suppressed and manipulated emotions that make peopl...
Horror, self-aware isekai, and of course, romance - it's all here in our June K-Comics roundup. Come find your next read!― June is traditionally the month of blushing brides, but that's not the case in the webtoon sphere – for some reason, there's a plethora of divorce comics premiering! Aiming for the Alimony, The Dukedom's Men Interfere with the Divorce, Leave Your Divorce to a Professional Lawyer...
It's week 5 of 6 in our Dr. STONE Battle Craft Giveaway! We're still giving away $2000 of awesome Dr. STONE merchandise to people who enter!― Dr. STONE Needs you! We are calling on all Dr. STONE fans to mobilize and support the official Dr. STONE Battlecraft X account (@dsbc_staff_en). 18 people who heed this call to arms will be rewarded with their choice of one US$100 prize package from the list b...
We sat down with prolific voice actor Kana Hanazawa to discuss what draws her to investigative science fiction stories, how she crafted her role, and the appeal of Your Forma.―
Kana Hanazawa is no stranger to playing tough women in science fiction series. She previously starred as Akane Tsunemori in Psycho-Pass, a role not dissimilar to her current work as Echika, the protagonist of Your Forma. We ...
1st season aired in July 2023― The official website for the television anime of Tenichi and Suzunosuke's The Most Heretical Last Boss Queen: From Villainess to Savior (Higeki no Genkyō to naru Saikyō Gedō Last Boss Joō wa Min no tame ni Tsukushimasu.) light novel series announced on Monday that the anime will have a second season. Suzunosuke drew the below illustration to celebrate the announcement....
This story about an improbably cheerful witch under a deadly curse is hampered by dull early episodes and a cliffhanger which may not be resolved, but it's still enjoyable and worthwhile.― In Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service, the plucky title witch no sooner turned thirteen than she left home to make a living in a faraway town. Kiki, though, had it easy compared to Meg Raspberry, the heroine...
1st season ended in 24th episode on Sunday― Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed on Sunday that the television anime of Kōsuke Unagi's I Left My A-Rank Party to Help My Former Students Reach the Dungeon Depths! (A-Rank Party o Ridatsu Shita Ore wa, Moto Oshiego-tachi to Meikyū Shinbu o Mezasu.) light novel series is getting a second season. The first season aired its 24th and final episode on Sunday. The...
This is the sort of series I fully expect to see evolve over its ten-volume run. It’s as much about learning comfort levels and respect as it is about learning who it is you are or want to be.― Note: I will be using he/him pronouns in this review, since as of this volume, that's what Makoto uses. Gender can be a performance. Because of socially mandated gender norms, that's true even if you identify...
Aimer performs "Taiyō ga Noboranai Sekai," LiSA performs "Zankoku no Yoru ni Kagayake"― The Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Mugen Train anime film aired again on Fuji TV in Japan on Saturday, and it ended with the full trailer for the first film in the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle trilogy. The trailer announces that both Aimer and LiSA are contributing theme songs for t...