Occasionally, anime is tasked with asking life's biggest questions, such as "What would you do if you wielded the mighty power of carbonated water?"
This week, the battle with Cidre the bountry hunter barrels towards its natural conclusion, and the Straw Hats are finally steered in the direction of Stampede's plot. Among the plethora of movie tie-in filler we've received over the years, this Cidre storyline doesn't stand out amongst its brethren, serving as easily the most mild experience of the bunch. That's either a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether or not you like the weird WTF-ery that often comes with these specials. Film Z's tie-in filler had vore and gigantification going on at the same time! Cidre and his goons have boring ol' soda.
Spectacle-wise, this episode has a significant leg up from last week. The action is exciting an impactful, even if the story is not. Despite being the suppose "greatest bounty hunter of the generation," Cidre can't do much to stop our rubbery captain, and the conflict escalates to to a pretty standard finisher where Cidre equips himself with a more powerful battle suit that barely look different than his normal one, and Luffy one-shots him after delivering a speech about conviction. There's a surprising amount of pontificating about the differences between pirates and bounty hunters, but nothing insightful ever comes of it.
Generally speaking, these recent One Piece movies have opened the doors for a truck ton of world-building and thematic exploration, even within the confines of filler and extraneous specials. The fun comes from the fact that their main villains are fixtures of the One Piece world and you can imagine they exist somewhere in the manga's canon, even if they're never directly mentioned. Cidre is connected to Stampede's main villain, Douglas Bullet, by virtue of having been defeated by him in the past and developing a grudge towards pirates as a result, but that's hardly the hook that's going to get our butts in theater seats. The more interesting angle is how Buena Festa is connected to both Bullet and Roger. There has got a be a more compelling idea for a filler arc tie-in than a bounty hunter scrub that the show can't even pretend to care about.
As the episode ends, Luffy receives his invitation to the Pirate Festa and the events of the movie are sure to roll out from there. We get a very brief montage of all the big name characters who are scheduled to show up, but there isn't anything novel here that isn't already in Stampede's trailer. It's a little odd how none of the other Straw Hats wound up playing a part in this filler arc outside of beating up grunts on the shoreline, since I'm sure they'll all be fighting for screentime once the movie comes out (not to mention this is the rare instance where the anime gets to have all the Straw Hats in one location again), but otherwise this episode is notably more entertaining than last week's, for whatever that's worth.
The summer anime season kicks off today with Rising Impact and The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord's Army was a Human. Check back every day for new reviews of the latest shows!― Welcome to Anime News Network's Summer 2024 Anime Preview Guide! Here's how it goes: our team of critics writes up their impressions instantly, to be posted here as they go along. Each critic will cover as many shows a...
Successfully balancing fresh and familiar content and expanding on its own story, Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- ranks among the all-time best video game remakes I’ve ever played.― It's hard to overstate just how big a deal the official English language release of Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- (TBGM) is. Until very recently, English-speaking fans of Type-Moon—the creators of Tsukihi...
The more you know about the real-world events the film adapts, the better it gets. And frankly, I've had as much fun researching what really happened as I did watching the film.― *Note: This review contains moderate spoilers for Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era. The basic concept of Uma Musume is that "horse girls" are reincarnations of racehorses from our world who find themselves wi...
From returning big names like Oshi no Ko and Tower of God to newcomers like Suicide Squad ISEKAI, this summer anime season is bound to be interesting.― This upcoming season looks to be an interesting one. However, returning big names like Oshi no Ko and Tower of God and newcomers like Suicide Squad ISEKAI and Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian are only the start of what will be airing. So...
Hot off its world premiere at Anime Expo, we sat down with Blue Miburo's director and screenwriter about bringing the Shinsen-gumi to life.― Blue Miburo, a historical fiction manga centered around the legendary group of swordsmen known as the “Shinsengumi,” is getting an anime adaptation this fall. Recently, I was able to sit down with director Kumiko Habara and scenario writer Kenta Ihara to talk n...
CyberAgent to hold 72.5% controlling stake in Nitroplus, which becomes its subsidiary― CyberAgent announced on Wednesday that it has decided to acquire the creative company Nitroplus for 16.704 billion yen (about US$104 million). As of July 1, CyberAgent will hold a 72.5% controlling stake in Nitroplus, which will become part of the CyberAgent group of companies as a subsidiary. Nitroplus founder an...
We're catching up on a lot of news this week from Gainax to Tohru Furuya.― Kaiju No. 8's Biggest Monster Yet The newest episode of Kaiju No 8 features the team's most formidable foe so far! Plus, a new villain was revealed in Yatagarasu. We've also got even bigger news: Gainax's bankruptcy, the latest details on the Lord of the Rings anime, you can finally watch Sailor Moon Cosmos this summer and a...
This science fiction horror story from the early days of computers and robotics is fascinating, even as it takes its time getting to where it's going.― If you're only familiar with Kazuo Umezz's previously released titles from Viz's current Perfect Edition run, My Name is Shingo may surprise you. That's not because it's more science fiction than horror or features a central romance, but because this...
Chris and Lucas find their pockets stretched by the multitude of anime streaming services; let's see how far we can get using legal, free streaming!― Chris and Lucas find their pockets stretched by the multitude of anime streaming services; let's see how far we can get using legal, free streaming! Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of ...
You've already seen the editorial team's picks for the best of the season, so now it's time for the opposite. From the painful to watch to the largely forgettable, here are our picks for the worst anime of spring 2024.― You've already seen the editorial team's picks for the best of the season, so now it's time for the opposite. From the painful to watch to the largely forgettable, here are our pick...
2nd season's 25th, final episode aired on Monday― The official website for the television anime of Kei Azumi's "alternate-world social reform fantasy" novel series Tsukimichi -Moonlit Fantasy- (Tsuki ga Michibiku Isekai Dōchū) announced on Monday that the series is getting a third season. The website unveiled a visual for the announcement: The 25th and final episode of the anime's second season aire...
Gorgeous art and an interesting mix of subgenres make this manhwa a must-read.― In The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, heroine Ailette's greatest desire is to be reborn into what she calls a “child-raising romantasy,” a subgenre of isekai where the heroine, an ordinary woman in her previous life, ends up starting from babyhood as the pampered princess of a powerful ruler. She doesn't mention that...
Based on the classic manga series comes a colorful story from artists Gurihiru and writer Samuel Sattin.― Publisher Scholastic and writer-artist team Samuel Sattin (The Essential Anime Guide) and Gurihiru ((Superman Smashes the Klan, It's Jeff) are set to release Unico: Awakening, their 210-page comic based on Osamu Tezuka's classic series on August 6. Anime News Network is sharing the first 30 pag...
As we reach the end of the Spring 2024 anime season, now's the perfect time for our editorial staff to come together and highlight the best the season had to offer—both the mainstream hits and the hidden gems.― As we reach the end of the Spring 2024 anime season, now's the perfect time for our editorial staff to come together and highlight the best the season had to offer—both the mainstream hits a...
Weekly Shonen Jump magazine to publish manga's final chapter on August 5― Shueisha announced on Monday in its "Jump Press" video that Kōhei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia manga will end in five chapters. The manga's final chapter will publish in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine's combined 36th and 37th issue, which will release on August 5. Horikoshi stated that the manga will continue "for a short while" ...
Hinaki Yano stars as protagonist Akane Sakuramori― Aniplex revealed on Monday that Seiju Amano's Class no Dai Kirai na Joshi to Kekkon suru Koto ni Natta. (I Ended Up Marrying the Girl in My Class I Hated the Most) story is getting a television anime adaptation, and also revealed the anime's teaser visual and main cast. The anime will star Hinaki Yano as the protagonist Akane Sakuramori (featured in...
Let's Do It Already's first volume is frothy, but this still reads like a fluffy shoujo romance. It's less of a sexy comedy than its copy implies, but it's still a fun read if you're a genre fan.― Ah, high school love – when some teens begin navigating the waters of relationships and their physical components, eager to learn what their bodies can do and do it with the people they're crushing on. The...
Teaser, key visual revealed― The staff for the television anime of Miraijin A's (also known as Jinei Mirai's) As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I'll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World (Tensei Kizoku Kantei Sukiru de Nariagaru - Jakushō Ryōchi o Uketsuidanode, Yūshūna Jinzai o Fuyashite Itara, Saikyō Ryōchi ni Natteta) light novel series announced on Sunday that the anime will get a second telev...
Isekai fantasy launched in 2017― Micro Magazine revealed in a new promotional video on Sunday that Fehu Kazuno's Apocalypse Bringer Mynoghra: World Conquest Starts with the Civilization of Ruin (Isekai Mokushiroku Mynoghra: Hametsu no Bunmei de Hajimeru Sekai Seifuku) isekai fantasy light novel series is inspiring a television anime. Cross Infinite World publishes the series in English and describes...
Voice actor admitted to 4-year affair with acknowledged abuse last month― The talent agency Aoni Production and voice actor Toru Furuya jointly announced on Saturday that Furuya has stepped down from the roles of Tōru Amuro in the Detective Conan franchise and Sabo in the One Piece franchise. Aoni Production added that it had asked Furuya to step down, and Furuya obliged. Furuya himself added that h...