The Luffy vs. Cracker fight has not benefited from the anime's less-than-one-chapter-per-episode pacing, but I really admire the experience it's trying to take the audience through, constantly shifting between the foreground and background while we watch both combatants get exhausted by each other's near-infinite tricks. Luffy's victory is a satisfying one—it took multiple rounds of Fourth Gear and most of an in-world day for him to finally come out on top of his 800 million bounty foe. Luffy barely defeating a Doflamingo-level opponent is just a stepping stone to facing the challenges of this arc, although knowing Luffy, he'll keep pushing forward despite the overwhelming odds.
It took a lengthy ten episodes to get here, which is far from ideal, but I love how it started in the middle of the night and bled into the next day, allowing us to emerge back into the world with fresh optimism. The method of defeat is also novel, as Luffy combines his big chubby body after eating hundreds of Cracker's biscuit soldiers with Fourth Gear in order to create the massive "Tank Man", which looks equal parts intimidating and stupid. But laugh all you will, because Luffy is sick of this fight and ends it by blowing Cracker across the island in a satisfying, aggressive victory.
Between the end of the fight, the exposition we get about Big Mom's powers, and the setup with the Vinsmokes heading off to meet the Charlotte family, this episode feels uncharacteristically packed. More than that, the general tone is the most distinctly One Piece out of all the Whole Cake Island episodes yet. From the animation to the music, it looks and sounds great, but that's not to say it's overexerting itself. This is the kind of episode that would be average in a better produced show, but it stands out as a breath of fresh air for One Piece, as it revels in its comfortable low-rent Disney tone. There's a very specific feeling that I look for in Toei's One Piece, a feeling they seem largely disinterested in these days, but an episode like this is so back-to-basics that I can't help but imagine the shift is purposeful.
The episode ends with Sanji sternly joining his family as they board the carriage leading them to Big Mom. The atmosphere is tense as we get the contrast between the lavish celebration of Germa soldiers waving them off, and Sanji's bitter expression as he readies himself for his wedding. He doesn't want to be a prince, he wants to be a pirate, darn it! The marketing for the show has been promoting the upcoming Luffy vs. Sanji fight up and down, and the build-up to it in this scene is fantastic.
It's almost indescribable how good it feels to see a One Piece episode that simply feels "right". Independent of the animation or pacing, there's a soul to this production that shines through every now and then, and I'm a total sucker for it. The Whole Cake Island arc is on its last stretch in the manga right now, and this chance to re-evaluate it through the anime after gathering my thoughts puts me right back where I want to be with this show. One Piece is good, you guys.
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...
Anime will star Hiroshi Kamiya, Kotaro Nishiyama, Kotaro Nishiyama― Distribution company Remow announced on Tuesday that Yura Urushibara's Tougen Anki: Dark Demon of Paradise manga will get a television anime in 2025. The company revealed the trailer, key visual, and main cast for the anime. The anime's cast includes:
Kazuki Ura as Shiki Ichinose, the protagonist who inherits the blood of an Oni. Sh...
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...