The one hurdle that I think Whole Cake Island is going to struggle with until the end is that it's really hard to nail that "Oh no! A Straw Hat might leave the crew!" trope that the series has done so well in the past. I'm reminded how badly I want to be on the edge of my seat as Luffy and Cracker fight, exchanging banter over whether Sanji would ever want to sail on a pirate ship again after being promised a life of luxury among royalty. Luffy argues against this, and I wish it could feel more cathartic as he does because come on, how could anybody ever feel the suspense at this point?
I say this because otherwise Luffy vs. Cracker is a great fight. Last week got us going, but this week we barrel forward into a well-directed episode full of animated character acting from both combatants and some fun twists to the battle. Luffy unleashes Fourth Gear for the first time since Dressrosa, and we all remember how much of a last ditch effort that was with its dramatic cool-down phase. Cracker is that level of an opponent, being one of an Emperor's top generals and all.
I also like the mild scenery change that we get as the fight takes them to the outskirts of the Seducing Woods, where they bump up against the wall of Whole Cake Chateau. There's a clearing with a little Hansel and Gretel house that they get to smash into as the fight goes through its ebb and flow, before Luffy smashes Cracker back into the woods with his new power-up. The best part, however, is when Luffy's attack seems to break Cracker in half, and we discover that the large-bearded man we've been fighting this whole time was just a suit of armor for the real Charlotte Cracker, who's got a much leaner (and in my opinion, cooler) design. Cracker's been so good at hiding his true persona that even the Navy's wanted poster of him only shows his armor, none the wiser.
Cracker has a "Biscuit" Devil Fruit that allows him to summon a seemingly infinite amount of carb-heavy materials and shape them however he wants. This means that the armor that Luffy had been struggling with so much can be one of many, piling on the excitement as we wonder how Luffy could possibly fight his way out of this. A shonen hero never giving up is a cliché, but I've always loved how much One Piece makes you feel it.
In general I would describe this as a very pretty episode. We cut back to Sanji and Reiju, and all that stuff looks great, but I did find myself chuckling at the on-the-nose visual metaphor that the anime included, where Sanji is admiring a butterfly that flutters away the second he's reminded of the bomb cuffs around his wrists. Nice try, guys. Very subtle.
My Hero Academia has really raised the bar for me when it comes to looking solid and on-model at its worst and mind-blowing at its best, so when a One Piece episode makes me say "I wish this is how all One Piece episodes looked!" I have to pause because even that height isn't quite up to snuff compared to other modern shows. It's still true though, and when we do occasionally get an episode of One Piece that has that extra bit of pulse, all is right with the world.
The benefit of being committed to such a simple setup is that the story knows exactly what it needs to do to invoke the maximum emotional response for this type of story.― I Want You To Make Me Beautiful is a simple story that does everything it sets out to do. At its heart, it's a straightforward story about moving on from the pain of a bad breakup and reinventing yourself into something better. Th...
Masaaki Mizunaka, KENN, Daiki Yamashita, Maria Naganawa, more join cast― The staff for the anime of Kaoru Shinozaki's Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-level Spells (Hazure Waku no "Jōtai Ijō Skill" de Saikyō ni Natta Ore ga Subete wo Jūrin Suru made) light novel series revealed on Sunday the anime's ending theme song's title and artist, additional cast member...
Laid-Back Camp narrowly claims the top spot this week, but Delicious in Dungeon is having none of that and bumps it down in the cumulative. Find out where your favorites rank this week!― 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 ...
Goodbye, Lara follows reborn mermaid, Ninja Skooler features ninja school― Kinema Citrus announced at its panel during this year's Anime Central event on Saturday that it is producing two new anime titled Goodbye, Lara (Sayonara Lara) and Ninja Skooler. Takushi Koide is directing the Goodbye, Lara anime with character designs by Shiori Tani. The anime is based on a concept by Kinema Citrus, and it t...
2019-20 anime was itself a follow-up to first 2013-16 Ace of Diamond anime― Production on a sequel to the 2019-2020 television anime of Yūji Terajima's Ace of Diamond Act II (Daiya no A Act II) manga has been green-lit. Terajima drew an illustration to commemorate the news: Terajima's original Ace of Diamond baseball manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2013, and Crunchyroll streamed ...
Honestly, you're getting a solid collection of character art with some disposable comic stories where you might get to enjoy some out-of-context obscure CAPCOM cameos.― As a lifelong fan of Street Fighter, it's easy to get excited about the potential of seeing my favorite fighters doing stuff in different mediums. The flip side is that Udon Entertainment's hold on the comic treatment of the characte...
The cast of the Demon Slayer stage play gave a memorable performance during the Japan Day Parade.― The Demon Slayer franchise continues to prove itself as an absolute powerhouse for fans worldwide. The hit manga by Koyoharu Gotouge has been adapted into multiple mediums, including anime, light novels, video games, and a stage play that has been running since 2020. Cast members of the stage play app...
2-hour programming block airs on Fridays starting on May 31― Adult Swim's Toonami programming block announced on Friday that it is creating a new block called Toonami Rewind that is dedicated to running anime, or versions of the series, that aired on the original Toonami prior to its 2012 revival. Toonami Rewind will air on Fridays starting on May 31 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, and it will feature Sailor Moo...
Pokémon Horizons continues to display some of the best the franchise offers with great character work, creative setpieces, surprisingly strong direction, and a focus on a plot that continues to feel engaging.― Pokémon Horizons felt like a breath of fresh air as a new mainline Pokémon series. With a more timid and empathic main character and a stronger emphasis on the adventuring aspect of being a Po...
Sony and Square-Enix are both reorganizing, from new CEOs to staff cutbacks. Also, sad news about Penny Blood, more Cotton, and the latest video game news!― Welcome back, folks! You know, it's always nice to discover old stuff from a franchise you love that you didn't know existed. For example, I didn't know that the old Captain N: The Game Master cartoon had an episode that featured the world of Dr...
Ahead of the romance anime's second season, director Takehiro Kubota discusses the choices, the challenges, and balancing the story between the everyday and the supernatural.― My Happy Marriage began its life as a series of novels written by Akumi Agitogi, and it has since been adapted both as manga and, as of July 2023, an anime series simulcast by Netflix. Agitogi's tale, set in a nebulous time t...
Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf.― Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.S...
You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable.― You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable. You and I Are Polar Opposites is based on the tried-and-true formula of a thousand romantic comedies: Suzuki is a popular girl, and Tani is the class nerd. She's bright and perky,...