After many long weeks, One Piece is back. What a glorious day.
This episode is a solid return to form for the consistently strong Wano arc. There are plenty of fight scenes and more than a few flashbacks, and it all fits together well without feeling overwhelming. There's no big standout moment, but being consistent and, well, back is sufficient enough.
There are lots of fun little moments in this episode as well, such as scenes of Chopper demonstrating battlefield medical science – it's rare that he gets any screen time, let alone showcase his medical background. We also get lots of Marco showing off his blazing pineapple powers which I know will please the Marco lovers out there.
But the real meat of the episode is a rumination on what Wano means to Ace, and what Ace means to Wano. Ace's place in One Piece is interesting because his demise is one of the few high-profile character deaths in the entirety of its 25-year run. It was definitely one of the definitive moments of the series and I still get pangs in my chest (sorry, too soon) just thinking about him. So it's interesting that Oda has chosen to tie Wano into his past through flashbacks as a way to loop it more fully into Luffy's personal story.
Oda is a huge proponent of hard-hitting flashbacks, but I think using Ace this way is smart. Because we so rarely get much information about Ace, having his dream be tied to Wano gives us that much more reason to root for Luffy's success. The flashbacks to Yamato and Tama spending time with Ace further underscores how important they are, while adding a bit of gravitas to their relatively recent appearances in the story.
There are a few bombastic fight sequences to round out the episode too. Queen and King make their “official” combat debuts against Marco, plus we get some really terrific Musou-esque explosions of goons when Luffy comes in swinging right at the end. All in all a great episode that hopefully heralds a return to regular airing for the show.
Momoiro Clover Z, MindaRyn to perform season's new theme songs― Bandai Namco Filmworks revealed more cast, a new key visual, a new promotional video, and a new commercial on Saturday for the third season of the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken) television anime. Bandai Namco Filmworks also announced that Momoiro Clover Z will perform the season's second opening...
She allegedly didn't like how her favorite character was being treated― With games like The IdolM@ster and Ensemble Stars!! allowing people to manage Japanese idols, they're bound to create schisms among fans — not about which game is better, but which character is the best. This can lead developers to leave some characters by the wayside to promote more popular ones. But what are fans to do if this...
Co-founder Hideaki Anno's current studio Khara acquires Gainax's trademark― Anime studio Gainax announced on its website on Friday that it filed for bankruptcy in the Tokyo District Court on May 29. The bankruptcy proceedings are happening just short of the studio's 40th anniversary in December. Gainax's Statement In its statement on Friday, Gainax explained that its financial situation worsened sta...
Lynzee slays the Nosferatu Arucard, but isn't sure if she enjoyed the experience.― Welcome back to The Anime Backlog, the column where I chronicle my journey to overcome a backlog of 100+ anime titles. After slaying my behemoth of shame, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I decided to dive into the quintessential dark and edgy series of the aughts, Hellsing Ultimate. Hellsing Ultimate Why Is It Impo...
Synduality: Noir perhaps ends up better than other video game tie-in series, but in the larger mecha genre, it's still an also-ran.― This second cour started as a big fat question mark. While the first half of Synduality: Noir had occasional drama, most of its runtime was all about chilling with its extended cast as they got into cool robot fights. While that lent the show a lot of charm, it meant t...
Before Summer Game Fest truly kicks off, Jean-Karlo checks out the upcoming Yakuza TV series news and Gen Urobutchi's deceptively cute rabbit puzzler.― Welcome back, folks! In honor of the Astro Bot announcement, I spent some time playing Astro's Playhouse over the weekend. It's a cute tech demo disguised as a platformer, helped by Astro being an adorable little mascot. The historical angle of colle...
Anti-hero or villain? Scar and Magneto present evidence for either interpretation.― X-Men' 97 has now concluded its stunning first season, and those ten episodes highlighted the best and worst of Magneto — a man who's been both the X-Men's nemesis and leader. Introduced at the very beginning of X-Men in Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's 1963 debut issue, the "Master of Magnetism" has changed a lot in his s...
Sound Euphonium 3 is now the top anime both in weekly and cumulative rankings! Find out how your favorite shows fared in our weekly user rankings.― 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 pe...
Chris and Steve make the highly questionable decision of watching all of Code Geass in 48 hours. Is the series just as good as it was nearly two decades ago?― Chris and Steve make the highly questionable decision of watching all of Code Geass in 48 hours. Is the series just as good as it was nearly two decades ago? Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are...
Unfortunately, Kengan Ashura isn't dumb fun often enough to be enjoyable, and its politics make it a slog to get through.― The back half of season one of Kengan Ashura — confusingly labeled "Part II" on Netflix and with episode numbers that reset to 1 through 12 — is better than the first part of the season. Unfortunately, that isn't saying much, as this martial arts anime opens with an incredibly w...
Pierrot Films to animate new season― The official website for the Mr. Osomatsu anime revealed on Thursday that the anime is getting a fourth season. Pierrot Films is animating the series. The main six cast members of the Matsuno sextuplets are returning. The Mr. Osomatsu television anime was inspired by Fujio Akatsuka's original Osomatsu-kun manga and "high tension comedy" TV anime, which centers on...
Lynzee and James welcome Richard Eisenbeis onto the podcast to discuss the first episode of the weird sci-fi series Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction!― Why You Should Watch Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Lynzee and James welcome Richard Eisenbeis onto the podcast to discuss the first episode of the weird sci-fi series Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, plus NEW revelations in Yata...
The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie.― The best and worst thing I can say about Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf is that it feels like an 80s movie. This track as this anime is an adaptation of the quietly seminal Garōden martial arts novels written by Baku Yumemakura, the first of which premiered in 1985. If you like shows ...
From Aqua to Yunyun, we tried all the KONOSUBA drinks at The Hub to find the most delicious!― If there's one thing many adults worldwide enjoy doing, it's getting an alcoholic beverage with some friends. Be they beers, ales, spirits, wines, cocktails, among other beverages, adults have their drinks of choice. And one of the best places to enjoy your drink is your local pub or bar. In Japan, though, ...