We get lots of good character bits with Yamato, Shinobu, and Momonosuke in the early portion of the episode. A few comedy beats also gave me a nice chuckle.
But this episode is well and truly the Akazaya Nine show, and WOW what a spectacle it is. I find myself once again running off a laundry list of gorgeous cuts and artful framing. Our first hint of the great stuff to come is Black Maria playing the shamisen. While she plays, we get snapshots of each of the Akazaya Nine through a series of close-ups where their faces are overlaid midnight blue, then a single moon-shaped light frames one eye. Black Maria's intense playing eventually makes one of the shamisen strings snap, and with it, the tension ratchets up.
The battle between Kaido and the Akazaya Nine is the stuff of legend. Each of the team members gets a gratuitous action shot launching powerful and over-the-top attacks at Kaido. Even Kaido's repeated mega-blasts get lavishly done up by the Toei team with colorful screen-rocking explosions that look like a crayola factory got hit with a missile. And the heart, the pathos in it all – it's just so good. Kinemon running and weeping, only to turn into cherry blossoms, then those blossoms are tossed on the wind until they become his sword, which he then reforms and takes in his grasp.
It's *chef's kiss* beautiful stuff, a testament to the power of moving pictures.
I think what this episode really hammered home for me is what at first felt like heresy: I think the anime is the best way to experience Wano. I've been a manga-first guy from the get-go, but this arc is simply so well done so consistently, with such high highs to boot, it's unreal. Never stop reading the manga – I know I won't – but if you're not watching Wano, you're truly missing out.
If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.”― If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.” Shiki and Fuyuki's interactions are a mixture of playful (and sometimes sexual) teasing and heartfelt feelings as the two come to value each other. They have real chemistry—and that drives the anime stra...
Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it.― Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed...
Series previously inspired 52-episode anime in 1993― This year's 24th issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine revealed on Wednesday that Gosho Aoyama's Yaiba manga will be getting a new anime adaptation. Aoyama is supervising. The series follows the titular Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai boy inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, the real-life swordsman who pioneered the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū sty...
Based on the novel by former Nogizaka46 member Kazumi Takayama, trapezium asks its audience to follow one girl who will use anything, and anyone, to achieve her dream.― Trapezium is a strange movie, to say the least. On the surface, it's a rather simple movie that explores youth, their dreams, and the lengths they'll go to achieve those dreams. It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in the veneer of the...
ZeroReq011 remembers what made Spice and Wolf a story for the ages, from its fully realized world and economics to Holo and Lawrence's romantic chemistry.― Back when Funimation was still its own company and not owned by Sony, long before its in-house streaming service was terminated in favor of Crunchyroll's streaming platform, it owned a TV channel. Legal streaming had yet to dominate the Western a...
Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations, from the Yuri on Ice movie to the second half of Stars Align.― Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations from the second half of Stars Align to the 2007 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood movie. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views...
Welcome to the rankings for the Spring 2024 season! The perfect place to check out which hidden gems might have flown under your radar.― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind that these rankings are based on how people rated ...
Producer Masakazu Kubo shares the animation team's dedication to realism, including bringing in a pro golfer to produce the anime's sound effects.― 64-year-old Masakazu Kubo has been planning and producing anime for decades. He's had a major hand in everything from Pokémon and Detective Conan to Teasing Master Takagi-san and Dorohedoro. Recently, he sat down with us to talk about Tonbo!, his attemp...