It's easy to forget that all the living objects and trees within Whole Cake Island are animated by the souls of individual people. Pudding reminds us of this when she creates a clearing for the Straw Hats in the forest by using her Memo-Memo powers to return the attacking trees to their original consciousness, at least for the time being. It's a little tragic to think that this arc is basically Thriller Bark 2.0, but without the happy ending where we see the souls return to their original owners.
This is a surprisingly good-looking episode, despite how little story progress is made. This is my platonic ideal for how I'd like the anime to look on a more regular basis, where even the less animation intensive scenes look nice and polished, like the artists actually had time to draw multiple drafts before airing. This would be a perfect episode if anything happened in it, but sadly this is about half a chapter's worth of running forward. Thankfully, this seems to be the end of the Big Mom foot chase before we transition into naval combat, as the rest of the Straw Hats finally arrive to assist Chopper and Brook on the Sunny.
Chopper and Brook's side of the fight continues to be really cool, with Brook now fighting with his Soul King ghost hanging off him like a JoJo's Stand. I hope that's just how he fights from now on. It's a little frustrating to know how strong Katakuri and Perospero must be and for them to not just murder Chopper and Brook with the blink of an eye. Part of that is the anime's pacing, but Perospero's involvement in the fight includes trapping his opponents in candy and then literally putting a clock on their heads to wait for them to suffocate. I believe circumstances demand a little more efficiency on the villains' part at the moment.
Still, the villains' lazy confidence does lead to the highlight of the episode, where Perospero watches the Seducing Woods from a distance and assumes Mom has killed the Straw Hats by now, only for them to emerge intact in a sequence that has some real kick to it. We get to watch the enemy's stunned face as they realize their barrage of obstacles hasn't slowed Luffy and company down at all, and it feels great. The finale also tops the episode off with a well-animated action scene where Luffy plows his way through Perospero's giant candy attacks. It really gets your blood pumping to see the heroes putting so much effort into avoiding Big Mom, as well as trying to throw the other powerful villains off the ship so they can finally take off.
So the Straw Hats sans Sanji have at long last made it to the Sunny, meaning we can only change gears from here. Sanji, Pudding, and Chiffon are off to Cacao Island to rebuild Mom's wedding cake, so the crew's best bet is to sail between the various islands of Totto Land while the baking commences. I'd really prefer that we not still be taking things this slow, but I have a lot of affection for the execution of this episode in all other regards. That fun adventurous spirit can finally breathe, and I hope we get to spend at least a few more episodes at this level of quality as the story delves into heavier stuff up ahead.
Chris and Steve explore this season's magical girl offerings while threatening to recategorize the whole genre. It's a magical free-for-all, from Minky Momo to Acro Trip!― Chris and Steve explore this season's magical girl offerings while threatening to recategorize the whole genre. It's a magical free-for-all, from Minky Momo to Acro Trip! Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the partic...
If you enjoy a slow-burn visual novel, this is going to be right up your alley.― The Memories Off series of visual novels first debuted in 1999, and it's only now in 2024 that we're finally getting one of them in English. In fact, SINce Memories: Off the Starry Sky is the first new entry in the franchise since 2015, and while one or two characters from the earlier games pop in as bit players, this i...
We see major battles through their eyes – distant laser beams visible only from the sparks of light and titanic punches that can be felt miles away as they shake the earth – and realize what it means to be an average person in these times.― One Piece Fan Letter is precisely what its title describes in the best possible way. What a breath of fresh air this was. It's hard to encapsulate all my feeling...
The team raised US$6.68 million for the first-ever film, described as an "experiment" that will blend 2D and 3D elements and audience participation.― On April 8, a one-minute clip circulating on social media caught anime fans' attention worldwide. It's actually the pilot film of the newly-announced anime film titled KILLTUBE. The film is scheduled to be released sometime in 2026, but it's safe to s...
Like any great game with immersive sim elements, Echoes of Wisdom feels like you're getting away with something anytime you solve a problem with anything other than the most obvious solution.― How do you even review a Zelda game? They're some of the most overtly influential video games in the medium's history and are directly responsible for the art form's growth several times over. It's impossible ...
Lucas and Coop discuss the recent Junji Ito anime catastrophe: Adult Swim's Uzumaki adaptation.― Lucas and Coop discuss the recent Junji Ito anime catastrophe: Adult Swim's Uzumaki adaptation. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Uzumaki is streaming and available ...
Director Eri Osada and Producer Sho Ohtani discuss Harley Quinn's turn as an independent woman and the DC character that almost made it into the anime.― A team of Super-Villains on a rampage in another world! The Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X, is a special task force of Super-Villains forced to undertake top-secret government missions in exchange for lesser sentences. The nano-bombs imp...
We all knew Dan Da Dan was going to be a hit this season, but did you expect Orb: On the Movements of the Earth to start so strong? Discover the first user rankings of the Fall 2024 season!― 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 m...
Anime industry veteran Jerome Mazandarani takes up the Answerman mantle to answer your burning questions!― Hello! I'm Jerome, and I'm honored to be your new Answerman correspondent. I started my anime career 20 years ago with Manga Entertainment, one of the OG anime labels operating in the West. I've distributed thousands of hours of anime and even had a hand in making a couple, too. I know the bus...
Come get your fill of October releases, featuring fan-favorite yuri, horror for Halloween, and plenty of [pumpkin] spice!― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Manga Guide! You may have seen one of our seasonal Anime Preview Guides, where a team of critics writes up each new anime television premiere as it airs at the beginning of a season. Now, doing something like that for manga is tricky ...
My Sister Took My Fiancé and Now I'm Being Courted by a Beastly Prince is off to a solid start. It may not be wholly innovative, but Cordelia is a good heroine and nobody's fool, except when it comes to herself, and she's wholly cognizant of that.― Life is not easy for Cordelia. The daughter of a noble in the kingdom of Liobern, Cordelia isn't so much unremarkable as she is less outwardly beautiful ...
The voices of Ichigo and Uryu reminisce about their decades of memories among a cast that "improves together while supporting one another."― JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles with VIZ Media hosted a panel with Masakazu Morita (Ichigo Kurosaki) and Noriaki Sugiyama (Uryu Ishida) of BLEACH. In promoting the third season of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 3 - The Conflict, the two were invited for a Q&A and...