One Piece episode 1038 does a solid job working with very little. In terms of how much the plot moves forward, there is not much to speak on. Luffy is still drowning essentially, and most of the episode is about events happening all around Onigashima.
But one big happening is Nami zapping Ulti. Not only does the attack look terrific with vibrant electricity and lighting effects, but it has a huge impact on the tone of the battle. Bao Huang's reaction to Ulti's defeat is utter fear and the shockwaves it sends through the Beast Pirates marks a major morale shift. Despite the samurai being outnumbered, we get to see the momentum shift into their favor in a big way here. Any time Nami gets a chance to shine and do a big attack is a time for celebration, but particularly so in this instance.
It also opens the door for Tama to have her own moment in the spotlight, helping rally the raiders and stand firm in the face of the terrible foes that have plagued her island since before she was born. The bits we got of the reaction shots of all the various Straw Hats was a delight too, even if little movement happened we got to see them all take a second and shine doing cool poses and getting lavish animation. It's a great sequence to be sure.
The final moments really steal the show. Yamatao versus Kaido was always going to be a big fight but the Toei team is flexing major muscle in these last few minutes, with outrageous cinematography and a moody color palette.
Some of Shonen Jump's biggest manga hits are approaching their end. Does the magazine have new heavy-hitters lined up to take up the mantle?― Some of Shonen Jump's biggest manga hits are approaching their end. Does the magazine have new heavy-hitters lined up to take up the mantle? Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Netwo...
Seki voiced Shutaro Kiba in Mōryō no Hako, Zhang Fei in Sōten Kōro― Talent agency En-kikaku announced on Tuesday that voice actor Takaaki Seki died on April 15 due to esophageal cancer. He had been undergoing medical treatment. He was 54. There was a funeral held for close relatives. Seki was born in Osaka, Japan on November 5, 1969. He entered the En Theater Institute in 1995 and joined Engeki Shūd...
James and Lynzee reflect on the end of Solo Leveling and whether its worldbuilding is worth its edgy turn. PLUS: The big monsters of Kaiju No. 8, & court intrigue in Yatagarasu!― Will You Watch Solo Leveling Season 2? James and Lynzee reflect on the end of Solo Leveling and whether its worldbuilding is worth its edgy turn. PLUS: The big monsters of Kaiju No 8, court intrigue in Yatagarasu, and a li...
Some books are good. Some books read like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but you can't stop reading and enjoying them. Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is one of those.― Some books are good. Some books are not and read sort of like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but even though you recognize that they aren't objectively filled with literary merit, you can't stop rea...
Hayashi and Tōchi play mentee/mentor in heart-warming golf anime series.― Golf anime Tonbo! is one of the new anime premiering in the Spring 2024 season. At Anime Japan 2024, we sat down with lead voice actors Rika Hayashi and Hiroki Tōchi to talk about their characters, their experiences with golf, and the positives of country life in Japan. In her first voice acting role as a main character, Hayas...
What are non-Japanese anime fans' top choices?― Fans have been debating the greatest anime songs as long as anime has been around. Japanese TV regularly raises the topic for domestic fans, but every so often, Japan also presents the international perspective. On April 21, TV Asahi hosted a nearly three-hour special ranking favorite anime songs by non-Japanese and non-domestic anime fans. In a March ...
The third season of Sound Euphonium reignites the fandom controversy over Reina and Kumiko's relationship. Chris and Steve delve into it and why 'queerbaiting' is such a loaded term.― The third season of Sound Euphonium reignites the fandom controversy over Reina and Kumiko's relationship. Chris and Steve delve into it and why 'queerbaiting' is such a loaded term. Disclaimer: The views and opinions...
You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. Wonderful Precure! could move too slowly for some viewers. But these episodes are full of unmitigated joy.― You can't accuse the Pretty Cure franchise of resting on its laurels. While there are distinct similarities between all iterations of the long-running Magical Girl franchise, recent years have done their best to maintain the...
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 ...
