Whether or not you enjoy the chaos of Wano week to week really depends on how much you enjoy the characters who are in the spotlight in each given scene. Given the sheer breadth of the cast, locations, and motivations coalescing in this grand battle, it can be a real crapshoot as to who you'll see on the center stage and whether you'll enjoy it. This week was a good one for myself at least, as it (mostly) highlighted characters I am deeply invested in.
The Big Mom and Marco fight was a bit mixed for me. No offense to the pineapple phoenix lovers out there, but he doesn't do much for me as a character, despite generally being the center of attention whenever he's on-screen. Big Mom is great though, so I'm a big fan of her knocking him around and generally being indestructible. Perospero is similarly kind of meh for me outside of his ridiculous design, but Carrot and Wando going sicko mode (sulong variant) is great. The x-slash across the face was gorgeous, and the Pedro flashback was great for highlighting that even the “minor” grudges at play are a big deal for the cast.
Nami and Usopp also get a brief moment to wrap up their scene with Page One and Ulti. I love Usopp and Nami of course—their goofy sibling antics and Usopp's cartoonish sneaking are terrific—though I find myself waffling on Page One and Ulti. On the one hand, they have really distinctive designs and turn into dinosaurs which is rad. On the other hand, the sibling rivalry and “Ulti whines a lot” shtick wore out its welcome with me fast. Hearing Ulti yell PAY PAY feels like we're just killing time at this point.
Surprising no one, the real treat for me was Yamato and Franky. Yamato has got to be one of the most memorable recent additions to the One Piece cast to my mind, and any Franky time is a good time. Yamato going all fanboy about Franky appearing and then one-shotting a giant on the way out was big Dudes Rock energy. And of course, every action was animated to the nines and punctuated with stellar emotional stakes with the Oden flashbacks. Momo has been mostly miss rater than hit for me, but seeing him managing to shed his fear over his father's death and learn to be inspired by it instead—all via Yamato and Luffy being shining examples to him—has been great character growth.
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...
Production committee, MAPPA cite 'various circumstances'― The official website for Yuri!!! on Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence (Yuri!!! on Ice Gekijō-ban: Ice Adolescence), the anime film in the Yuri!!! on Ice franchise, confirmed on Friday that production on the film has been canceled. The film's production committee and the anime studio MAPPA explained that the committee and staff decided on this ca...
Kiita Komagine and Taisuke Niihara show how they perfected the right angle for their on-screen kiss.― The cast members of the new BL drama At 25:00, in Akasaka showed off what they do at 25 o'clock (1:00 am) at night. And it's nothing like what happens in the drama. While somewhat underrepresented in the anime industry, boys' love (BL) has a strong presence in the manga and TV drama world. With at l...
Lucas gets his first taste of the TWIA's seasonal isekai sampler. Is there any spice this season, or is it all the same comfort food?― Lucas gets his first taste of the TWIA's seasonal isekai sampler. Is there any spice this season, or is it all the same comfort food? Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler War...
Underwood voiced characters in You're Under Arrest, Crusher Joe, Kite― Voice actor Dave Underwood (David Kent Underwood II) died on April 6. He was 57. His family will hold a wake for him on April 20. They have also set up at GoFundMe account for burial expenses. Underwood was born on December 28, 1966. He attended broadcasting school at Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts in Southfield, MI, and h...
The late premieres are coming in, including GRIMM VARIATIONS. Also: Touken Ranbu Kai Kyoden, YATAGARASU, Kaiju No. 8, Black Butler: Public School Arc, The Misfit of Demon King Academy II, KONOSUBA Season 3, Viral Hit, Mysterious Disappearances, Mushoku Tensei, Sound! Euphonium, Mission: Yozakura Family, Go! Go! Loser Ranger!, and more!― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Anime Preview Guid...
Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, singer T.M. Revolution, and LUNA SEA's Sugizo appeared for the spectacular send-off.― The Gundam Factory Yokohama held its “Grand Finale ~To the Next Stage~” event on March 31. And to be honest, grand is an understatement. It was epic. Since December 2020, Gundam fans from around the world have visited the Yamashita Pier area in Yokohama to see the 18-meter-tall RX-7...
In the modern streaming landscape, almost every anime series is simulcast for fans. Almost. Chris and Steve discuss what happens when a highly-anticipated series gets passed over.― In the modern streaming landscape, almost every anime series is simulcast for fans. Almost. Chris and Steve discuss what happens when a highly-anticipated series gets passed over. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expre...
Ragna Crimson volume 11 effectively ends the first major arc of the manga and encapsulates all of the strengths and struggles of what has come thus far.― Ragna Crimson Volume 11 effectively ends the first major arc of the manga and encapsulates the strengths and struggles of what has come thus far. The volume is essentially broken into three pieces: the battle, a flashback with Ultimatia and Wolteka...