One Piece (2026-)

Episodes 1158-1159

Episode 1158 is a great action-adventure episode. I know I've harped on this many times over the years, and you're all probably getting weary of it. It needs to be said: this is the classic silly pirate adventure story that I fell in love with all those years ago. Goofball antics of a silly cartoon crew in a whimsical land of oversized critters and strange environments. Here are the bug-riders and the giant cats and the castles made of toy blocks and all the things that make One Piece itself. I love the big plot and all the drama and what have you, and I know it's coming again soon, but what a refreshing return to form it is to see the Straw Hats run around and have fun. For the moment (and I'm current on the manga, so I know it's only for the moment), this could be basically any random island adventure the crew has been on post-timeskip, with a few crew members subtracted off course. This fairy tale silliness and timeless adventure quality warms my heart.

Episode 1159 kicks things into animation overdrive. Iscat, fleeing from the “Sun God” continues, and sparks several absolutely jaw-dropping cuts of animation. It's hard to even know where to begin! Zoro and Sanji are tearing apart the net to escape, and in keeping with the classic feel of this arc thus far. Despite how incredible the animation looks, at its core its still the two bickering goofuses protecting their captain and crew from outrageous threats. I will never grow tired of it.

There's also the gigantic pair of spectacular spectacles in the form of the bomb blast and the storm strike. Usopp shoots a missile that manifests in a mushroom of model-mauling mayhem as Megabloks are moved mightily by the megaton. Nami's storm-call with Zeus is so, so good, the Toei team finding that great balance of jaw-dropping fury along with the careful build-up of tension before Nami calls down the thunder. Even aside from the animation, Usopp flipping out while Nami has a calm smile is a classic comedy beat.

Lastly, there's Luffy's shattering of the mirror and wall beyond. I've been reading and reviewing this series for many years now, and I've seen a lot of big punches in my day. I can't definitively say whether this is one of the all-timers, but on a scale of 1 to big punch: this is a beeg pawnch. Looks amazing, Luffy smirking at the camera as he does the impossible. That's the good stuff. The kind of thing that gets the whole crowd to stomp their feet and cheer.

One Piece is so good.

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