I assumed that we were back on a one-chapter-per-episode pace, but it didn't dawn on me last week that the tease of Sanji's next two brothers was meant to be much meatier than what we got. This week, we get the proper introduction of Ichiji and Niji, the red and blue rangers of the Vinsmoke family. This is a pretty cool scene as we watch these two and their Germa 66 army cleanly win a war that had been raging for years on a distant island ("Brock-collie Island." Get it?) The Vinsmokes and their military nation act as super powerful mercenaries for hire, and there's a lot of grey area as we don't know enough about either warring nation to find sympathies, despite all the blood and tears coming from both sides. Whoever the "good" or "bad" teams were, the Vinsmokes just wiped out one of them, and now they've got a wedding they have to get to.
The general sluggishness of the Whole Cake Island arc so far is at its worst yet in this episode, as we're only just now getting what should have been last week's big stinger as the opening scene, and the most exciting stuff about this week's corresponding manga chapter has been pushed back to next week. In the meantime, we get an extremely stretched out encounter between the Straw Hats and a giant sea centipede as they're interrupted on their way to get back Sanji.
This episode is saved thanks to the fact that it simply looks much nicer than last week's messy attempt. I love the way Luffy looks in the episode, as if he just jumped straight out of one of the recent One Piece movies and into the centipede's now-footprint stamped face. It also helps that the Straw Hats hanging out on the Sunny tends to be a lot more fun than sitting in a room talking to Pudding. It's unfortunate that even after a short sprint of filler, the anime's story content is still uncomfortably close to the manga's, and thus slow pacing like this is probably going to have to continue. Thankfully the arc thus far has been entertaining enough that it doesn't bother me too much, but now we're past the point where I can calms anybody's worries. It looks like it's going to stay this slow for a while.
From the looks of things, it appears as though we've taken two chapters of the manga and are breaking it into three episodes of the anime, which isn't a death sentence on its own but it has impacted the final scene of this episode in a really unfortunate way. The episode ends with us cutting back to Big Mom, who's now in the midst of a hunger pangs rampage that can only be calmed by her desired meal of the day: some delicious croquembouche. Even her own underlings and children are terrified of her when she's in rampage mode, knowing that the only thing that can stop her kaiju attack on the city is getting her croquembouche. She's not above killing anybody who gets in her way and we see her putting her Emperor level strength to good use.
This is another scene that's stretched out uncomfortably long, and anybody who's read the manga knows that it stops just before it gets to the most interesting part. Since her rampage has nothing to do with the Straw Hats at the moment, ending on a cliffhanger of "what's mama going to do next?!" is not as effective as the way this scene will actually conclude next week. It's an awkward way to end an episode that was already starved for content.
Slowness and iffy structure aside, the most filler-tastic stuff of this episode with the elongated fight between the Straw Hats and the centipede is actually the most entertaining. It's one of those cases where just seeing the main characters do their thing in a relatively nice looking scene is enough for me to enjoy. This episode could have been a lot better if it looked this good while also moving the main story along, however. That's the way the ship sails, I guess.
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,...
Suzumura to concentrate on recovering from deteriorating health condition― Talent agency Intention announced on Thursday that Kenichi Suzumura will take a break to concentrate on resting due to poor health. The agency stated that Suzumura's health condition continued to deteriorate, and after a diagnosis from the doctor, it was decided that he needs to take a break. The agency stated that it will pr...
Games have both individual, double pack releases― Update: Spike Chunsoft confirmed in a press release on Friday that it is releasing both games and the double pack for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam in North America and Europe on May 23 as digital downloads. Source: Press release The PlayStation Store and Nintendo Switch eShop began listing on Thursday the first two visual novels in The Q...
Crunchyroll to stream upcoming anime― Aniplex and Crunchyroll announced on Wednesday that the late manga creator Hisaya Nakajo's Hana-Kimi manga is inspiring an anime. In addition, Crunchyroll announced that it will stream the anime when it premieres in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, the CIS, and India. The announcement did not reveal the deb...
James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film!― Could There Be More Evangelion on the Horizon? James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film! Plus, we catch up with Kafka and the Ka...
Grant Jones dives into the wild world of giant monsters and how Kaiju No. 8 builds on their legacy.― Kaiju No. 8 is a series that wears its influences on its sleeves. As the first word in its title suggests, it comes from a long line of works in the kaiju genre, using giant monsters and burning skylines as a backdrop to tell stories. While many likely know kaiju in a passing sense, it may help to h...
This steamy manga's appeal is going to depend on how much you can stomach a female protagonist who kicks off the romance by assaulting her former fiance.― This is a tricky one. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way with You is, to all appearances, a story that opens with a sexual assault. Agnès has been betrothed to Crown Prince Lucilleur since childhood, and she's been in love with him just as...
Japanese studio to handle production slated for broadcast, streaming globally― Kadokawa and Singaporean game developer and publisher Garena announced on Monday that they are co-producing an anime adaptation of Garena's Garena Free Fire battle royale shooting game, with a Japanese studio handling the animation. Kadokawa's Kadokawa Qingyu subsidiary is the production manager. The anime is planned to b...
Healer Nanna's powers have one very unique caveat: she has to have sex with the person to heal them. See why Rebecca Silverman calls it "a cute story, decently racy, and generally good, fluffy fun."― One of the fun things about Seven Seas' Steamship line of racy manga aimed at a female audience is finding which romance tropes are prevalent in any given release. While every genre has its tropes and s...
What's the perfect recipe for waifu supremacy? Lucas and Nick look at fan-favorites from Yu Yu Hakusho to Spice & Wolf.― What's the perfect recipe for waifu supremacy? Lucas and Nick look at fan-favorites from Yu Yu Hakusho to Spice & Wolf. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the s...