One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga

Episode 4

Episode 4 is a terrific example of how much fun you can have with the Straw Hat Pirates even when they're just commuting.

In a plot progression sense the only real events of this week can be summed up as: they travel. The Straw Hats are on the Thousand Sunny and are traveling towards Fish-Man Island. That's it? That's it. But that's not a bad thing at all, because like any cheap signage at your local craft store will tell you - it's not about the destination, it's about the journey. And that journey is full of violent nosebleeds and dive suits made out of elastic bubbles.

The Straw Hats are just a delight. I know I say this all the time, but it has never stopped being true, so I feel I must repeat myself. One Piece is about this crew of goofballs, and watching them be silly together is all I really need to be happy. “Hehehe Luffy stretchy Robin reading Chopper baby,” I say for twenty-plus minutes, kicking my feet with glee. The very first chapter of this series involved Luffy going out to sea and punching a big weird sea monster. Guess what we have here folks: Luffy going out to sea and punching a big weird sea monster. I love this stuff, and I never won't love this stuff, so this is fun for me.

The animation is a bit less stellar this week, with far more obvious flat textures and poorly defined character models. That said, we also get one of the more hilarious and iconic moments with Franky using his nipple lights on full blast, so that helps paper over some of the disappointment in the visuals department. Still, since we're going through the trouble of a full remake the quality drops stand out a bit more.

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One Piece Log: Fish-Man Island Saga is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.