One Piece
Episode 1152

by Grant Jones,

How would you rate episode 1152 of
One Piece (TV 1999) ?
Community score: 4.5

op1152.png
© Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation

Episode 1152 of One Piece is a triumph of visual fluidity, emotional resonance, and narrative payoff.

This week was poetry in motion. A whole host of elements came together this week to weave a grand tale. This episode was twenty minutes of terrific television but also twenty years of steady storytelling. It's not often you get to see seeds planted so many years prior bear fruit in such a splendid way. This is Bonney's story and Vegapunk's story and Robin's story and so, so much more. The confluence of events all brought together here makes for a compelling narrative, while the team at Toei has once again outdone themselves in bringing it to life for us to see. It was, in the words of one great cyborg philosopher, super.

Bonney's transformation takes center stage this week. Obviously, she has already become Nika/Joy Girl before, and that means it's not a surprise that she does so this time. However, the way this scene is shot and paced, it might as well be her first transformation, because it is quite momentous. The way Bonney so explicitly ties her transformation to her time-warping abilities and also the memories of her parents is really special. In a way, it echoes Nico Robin's iconic “I want to live!” moment in Enies Lobby. This is a lion's roar of affirmation, a pure expression of will to survive and thrive despite all odds.

Interestingly, Bonney's transformation has the extra nuance of being adapted to her time manipulation powers. Her ability to become another Nika is based on her ability to perceive a future where she is most free, which I find to be a really interesting twist. Sure, the ability to manipulate time as a superpower has been around for ages, as well as the notion of time-travelling to improve oneself. But usually, time travel is a blanket effect, or the time-travel-to-improve-yourself bit is a one-way ticket. It's a neat idea that Bonney can localize her time travel and tap into her most powerful self on command, so to speak. It may be “Billy Batson becomes Captain Marvel by shouting 'Shazam!' but with more steps, but I think those extra steps give it a unique flair.

And of course, this weaves in the long-running threads as well. Vegapunks experiments, the tragic Buster Call at Ohara, the World Government's ongoing manipulation of information and people, all lovingly rendered by the animation team at Toei. It's powerful stuff watching Luffy punch away Saturn's claws so Bonney can deliver one big mega-punch right to his gut as the Giants, Robo, Atlas, and all the rest give it their all to help the Straw Hats escape. Wonderful stuff.

Rating:

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Anime News Network, its employees, owners, or sponsors.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of Anime News Network, its employees, owners, or sponsors.
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