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One Piece
Episodes 922-924

by Grant Jones,

How would you rate episode 922 of
One Piece (TV 1999) ?
Community score: 4.6

Episode 922
We open on Zoro and Yasui in the rain on their way for a bit of gambling. Zoro is on a winning streak and pays back some of his debt to Yasui for food and passage, plus extra. Then we cut away to Nami and Kinemon discussing how Zoro got lost. Kinemon notes how he has been gathering weapons and we get a brief interlude of Carrot and Wanda stealing yet more supplies.

Next is Franky gushing over Oiran to the legendary carpenter Minamoto who helped build the mansion. Franky sheepishly asks for the blueprints, but it turns out he pawned them ten years ago. This sets Franky on a chase around town trying to hunt down the blueprints (including thinking a camel had them for a brief moment). Franky, clearly exhausted, runs through the market to see Kanjuro selling doodle fish. After a brief conversation he reports in to Kinemon and Dogstorm the difficulties of finding the blueprints.

Back at the gambling scene that started the episode, Zoro runs into trouble when the gangster running the gambling house starts cheating. They are rolling the dice in a cup then slamming it down on the straw, while someone beneath the straw pokes upwards with a pin to tilt the dice one way or another. Zoro decides to go all in and starts a fight, wrecking the entire building and downing a number of goons using the Dragon Quake. Zoro and Yasui take what they were owed and leave to wander the wasteland.

Yasui points out the capital and we transition there for a scene with Orochi. The Shogun is handling an arms deal, confident that he has the power because of his current alliance with Kaido. As the Oiran arrives just outside the gates, we have a brief scene with Momonosuke training. The young lord tells Tama that he has a little sister who – due to his travelling in time while she remained behind – would be about 26 now.

This was a really great setup episode as far as I was concerned. The gambling scene with Zoro and Yasui felt extended from the manga, as if memory serves it was a short recollection via word bubble and not much else. That was a really great choice to expand that scene and really dig into the chanbara vibes of the Wano arc. There's also some terrific imagery with the twin cat statues looming ominously in the background, and the low angle shot of looking up past Zoro through the hole in the roof just before the rain comes down. Not to mention Kazuya Nakai's peerless voice work, he really is The Coolest Dude voicing The Coolest Dude.

The sequence with Shogun Orochi was also deeply unnerving. His maniacal laughter, transformations, the eerie dark palette with the purple glow on his eyes – he's truly a menacing character in a way that feels very different from other One Piece villains. Not to mention his enormous head gives the animation team plenty of real estate to just make the most horrifying expressions.

Rating:


How would you rate episode 923 of
One Piece (TV 1999) ?
Community score: 4.4

Episode 923
Yasui and Zoro finally arrive in Ebisu. It's run down, disheveled, and the people are clearly in dire straits. However they simply laugh away any concern or hardship, to the point of rolling on the ground in tears. They even laugh at the possibility of starvation. Meanwhile, at the capital the Shogun is putting on a lavish display and a royal feast. Plate after plate is brought out, and he not only refuses to eat much of the prepared food but has it thrown out for good measure. Entertainers come out in gorgeous clothing, and the Shogun encourages endless debauchery.

We cut back to Ebisu where villagers' teeth are falling out due to malnourishment. They get a kick out of Zoro's three swords, and then tell him of the ninja who goes around by night robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. They then offer him clean water and chant while he drinks. Back at the castle, Robin has caught the Shogun's eye, but when Oiran arrives he is gaga for her.

We get a cavalcade of smaller side stories here. Luffy and Caribou at the park discussing an escape that ends in a glaring match with Kid. We end up in the streets of Wano once again with Law warning Sanji of Page One's approach. It turns out he and X Drake are after the Straw Hat's cook, and has been tearing up shops to find him. Nami and Shinobu continue their stealthing – with an assist from Brook's ghost powers – and Robin slips away from the party. Brook discovers Poneglyphs hidden on the grounds, just before cutting away again to Kaido.

It turns out the Big Mom pirates have begun their assault on Wano. Much to the chagrin of Kaido's entourage, Big Mom's ship is being pulled by carp that can guide her vessel through the tumultuous waters. The Big Mom pirates also make short work of the defensive turrets at the perimeter, and we get an ominous closeup on her face to close out the episode. A ton of stuff is happening in Wano but this is a great example of how it doesn't feel like too much. I struggled to remember all the moving parts back in Dressrosa, but here it feels pretty clear where everyone is and what they are up to.

A lot of that is helped by the striking visuals in each locale of the arc. Emo dinosaur men terrorizing city streets, candy-covered battleships fighting through churning seas, garish pastel architecture in heavenly raiment – each of the locations feels distinct enough that it's not hard to remember where we are at and who is involved.

Ebisu is really the twist of the knife in Wano. From the textual struggles the people are having with food and shelter, to the great direction and voice work, you really get a glimpse at how twisted all this is. I think my favorite shot was early on when the villagers were laughing and the camera tilts up, the clouds fade in as a transition, then we are in the capital seeing the Shogun's partying. Additionally, the voice work of the villagers is very well done, as it feels believably haunting without being silly – particularly when everyone is gathered around Zoro chanting “delicious water!” Chilling.

Rating:


How would you rate episode 924 of
One Piece (TV 1999) ?
Community score: 4.6

Episode 924

Everything is in full swing – from the assault of the Big Mom pirates to the Shogun's party. Back at the labor camp things are slightly calmer for Luffy who is resting in his cell, just before Raizo appears. Raizo reports that Tama is okay and that makes Luffy beam.

Queen mulls over how to stop the Big Mom pirates while King decides to anamorph into a punk rock pterodactyl and handle it himself. The fiery birdosaurus heads over to Big Mom's ship, and after exchanging a few words and blows decides to just kick them off the waterfall – with Big Mom herself falling into a whirlpool.

Back in town we have extended sequences of Page One attacking various soba shops on the prowl for Sanji. Law and Sanji are fleeing and run into Usopp and Franky. Law is insistent that this is the right course of action, but eventually the sights and sounds of Page One's rampage are too much for him to bear. He turns to go face Page One in single combat. Sanji and Page One exchange a bit of banter, then Sanji lets loose with one of his signature kicky kicks – the Diable Jambe Concasser Crush! Page One is certain that this is the famed Sangoro and reports back that he's found him. As the episode draws to a close Sanji makes peace with himself and draws out a jet black canister with an eager grin.

I really enjoyed this episode. There's a great deal of physicality in it – from King's kick of Big Mom's vessel to the way Big Mom stumbles about on the side of a carp for a few moments trying to steady herself. Obviously though, the big draw here is the Concasser Crush. Sanji always gets gorgeous attacks and this one does not disappoint. The rumbling screen, the sense of heft and weight to the impact, it's quite stunning. Heck I even liked the little sparkle emoji they threw in for good measure.

As far as Easter eggs go, I'm a sucker for film references. Having Page One not only do the “T-Rex stop shakes the glass of water” bit but also the moment where the camera is zoomed in on his eye as he is peering in through the tear in the roof – these were obvious homages to Jurassic Park, which are always welcome as far as I'm concerned. Also the hilarity of watching Page One dip noodles as a dinosaur was one of those weird, wonderful moments you only get in anime. Oh! Plus the To Be Continued card having the slight sparkle effect as a bit of foreshadowing for Sanji's pending henshin was appreciated as well.

Rating:


Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

One Piece is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.com.


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