Big Mom's wedding cake rampage has claimed its first victim with Charlotte Opera—just like Moscato at the beginning of the arc, Big Mom was able to yank his soul right out of his body. Since it's a soul-themed death, it's easy to imagine that he'll be revived at some point in the aftermath of the story (people die so rarely in One Piece anyway), but it's a blunt reminder of what the Charlotte family has to put up with on a daily basis. Their mom straight-up does not care about their well-being as long as it means she gets what she wants. The kids are still committed to revenge-killing the Straw Hats, but the more we get to see them as victims, the more we start to expect a change of heart out of them at some point.
The gear change from the assassination plot to full-on escape really goes a long way in bringing out the best in One Piece's glacial pacing. The thing that has always saved long-running shonen anime for me is the emphasis on propulsion, especially when there's a clear goal ahead of us. It's much easier to get lost in the moment, and it's more enticing to follow that 'To Be Continued' card at the end. Shonen momentum is a miraculous thing in that it still holds power even when you're witnessing everything in slow-motion. We're watching the heroes run straight for their goal (the ocean) and seeing the villains strategizing on how best to flank them. No more secret weapons or mysterious subplots waiting to surface. The audience is on the same page as everyone else.
On the good guy team, Luffy and his group are heading back to the Thousand Sunny while Chōpper and Brook break off to reclaim the Sunny's submarine, which was left on another shore. The Charlottes' plan to kill two birds with one stone is to lie to Big Mom and tell her that the Straw Hats stole a bonus backup wedding cake, getting her to move away from the city and after Luffy. Meanwhile, Katakuri is using Brulee's mirror powers to warp onto the Sunny and wait, just in case. So the Straw Hats have the strongest character in the arc chasing them, and if they manage to survive that, the second-strongest character has already taken their ship hostage.
I love this version of Big Mom so much. She's a big lady, but she can absolutely book it across the island. She's physically imposing all on her own, but she also has her sentient cloud Zeus that she can ride like the Kinto'un from Dragon Ball, and she has her hat Napoleon who can also double as her sword. Sword-swinging, bandana-wearing Big Mom is the most the woman's ever looked like a proper buccaneer, and it's the most ferocious we've ever seen her attacks. The Straw Hats may have gotten a head start on the chase, but Big Mom's on their heels the second she's in the game.
Meanwhile, a band from the Big Mom pirates are also attacking Germa 66 at their base and getting into a surprisingly well-animated scuffle. This battle was mostly off-screen in the manga, another example of a side plot that could have conceivably happened in the source material if the author wasn't wrestling with limited page counts so much. There's also some setup for what Pudding plans to do, which is track down Chiffon (who's considered a traitor to the family) and work together to bake a new cake that will calm their mother down once the Straw Hats are disposed of. Mom's hunger pangs don't end until she gets her desired treat, and the head chef is out of commission.
This is a mere baby step in the Big Mom chase, and yet it's so exciting and busy. The way the different groups have to split up and strategize keeps the suspense going, and Big Mom is such an offensive force that it's hard to imagine what it'll take to finally sail away from Whole Cake Island. This climax isn't structured like a video game the way One Piece arcs often are, where we slowly build up to the final boss battle. The final boss is right here, and she's like level two thousand in aggro mode.
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 ...
The final Spring 2024 Manga Guide update includes not-yet-released series from this month, including Sword Art Online Re:Aincrad,Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology, A Sign of Affection and more.― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Manga Guide! You may have seen one of our seasonal Anime Preview Guides, where a team of critics writes up each new anime television premiere as it a...
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...