One Piece is in a position that demands high expectations right now. After the incredible episode finale last week, the promise to transition off of Zou and towards Big Mom, as well as the remaining surprises left to wrap the Zou arc up and bid it ado for now, I've got high hopes that the show will keep delivering on that something special that One Piece has always had.
This episode is tapping into the same feeling as the big party episode that we got a few weeks ago, basking in the general pleasantness of the One Piece world. Dogstorm and Cat Viper agree to get along at Momonosuke's request, and Zunesha sprays some water into the sky, creating a beautiful, sparkly rainbow to commemorate the occasion. The episode also uses a few classic tracks from the series' ever growing OST, reminding me how much I miss the constant presence of the old music. The new stuff is good, (especially that 'Bond Between the Samurai and the Minks' theme used at the end of last episode), but I'm hellbent on seeing the show continue to tap into those old feelings again.
Plot-wise we get a few bombs dropped regarding our samurai friends. The biggest by far being that Kin'nemon and Momonosuke are not actually father and son. Kin'nemon was simply guarding Momonosuke, who it turns out is actually the son of a deceased samurai lord named Oden. The idea here is that Momonosuke is a far bigger deal than we were led to believe previously, and that the story of our samurai allies (which started in Punk Hazard, over 150 episodes ago) is only just beginning, promising to tie us directly into a forthcoming Wano Country arc with its own history and connections to Kaido of the Four Emperors. Dogstorm and Cat Viper also think of Momonosuke as their leader, just to hammer home how much power he's supposed to have as an heir.
I have a tough time with this father/son twist because it, more than a lot of surprises in this series, feels like it was partially pulled out of thin air. I can't go back to those Punk Hazard episodes and believe that Oda already had this twist in mind, and it feels a little contrived as an attempt to unfold the importance of these samurai characters. That said, it did succeed in all other respects, as the samurai now feel like a much bigger deal, and I'm super invested in learning the story about Oden, his relationship to Wano as a country, and his eventual demise.
Aside from the billion berry bounty man, Jack, being revealed to be alive and on his way back to Zou, so much of this arc has been wrapped up. All of the characters that we're hanging out with are getting along, and we get to enjoy Zou as a great fantasy one last time before the story gets ready to reveal the thing we're truly here for (speaking as a person who's familiar with the manga). This sense of peace is earned and entirely welcome, though maybe not the most efficient thing for story progression since we already had a peace and fun episode a few weeks ago. It's a calm before a storm, however, and that's definitely something I can get behind.
Manga about novelist, niece also has live-action film opening on June 7― Pony Canyon announced on Friday that Tomoko Yamashita's Ikoku Nikki (Diary of a Strange Land) manga is inspiring a television anime adaptation. The company also revealed a teaser promotional video, a teaser visual, and the show's main staff. Miyuki Oshiro (episode director for Durarara!!×2 Ketsu, Natsume Yūjin-Chō Go, To Your E...
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Find out about the young star who set the internet aflame and walked away with two medals. Plus: Thousand-Year Door updates, a new HunterxHunter game, and Miku!― Welcome back, folks! As is my wont, I'd like to plug my El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron HD Remaster that went up earlier this week... but I've also got the disappointing news that Megaton Musashi W: Wired finally released in the US la...
Daisuke 'Dice' Tsutsumi shares what it was like to leave Pixar and how his studio will never shy away from honesty in their work, even when honesty isn't pretty.― Director Daisuke "Dice" Tsutsumi contributed to films like Toy Story 3 and Monsters University while simultaneously crafting what became his Academy Award-nominated animated short film, The Dam Keeper. His latest short film, Bottle George,...
Chris and Nick put on their headphones and dust off their vinyl records for a look at this season's guitar-strumming, mic-swinging girl groups.― Chris and Nick put on their headphones and dust off their vinyl records for a look at this season's guitar-strumming, mic-swinging girl groups. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News...
I cannot imagine how Square Enix could top themselves after this.― Final Fantasy VII Rebirth initially launched on the last day of February, and if you look at the date of this review's publication, you will immediately be able to discern one thing about this second entry of the FF7 Remake series: It is gargantuan. The first game got plenty of praise (and plenty of flak) for taking the relatively sh...
The Manga Guide library expands with six more series, including Trinity Seven -Revision-, Watch Dogs Tokyo, Fed Up With Being the Spoiled Queen's Genius Butler,, 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 airs at the beginning of a season. N...
With a new Nintendo Switch port available, even more gamers can experience Enoch's transcendental adventure across the world. How does it fare on Nintendo's portable device?― El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron was a curious game when it released in 2011. The world wasn't quite ready for it then, but time (and a PC port) helped people accept it. With a new Nintendo Switch port available, even more...