This is one of those episodes that I struggle to write a review for. Most of the runtime is setting up for the next round of one versus one fights across Onigashima, while a dozen other battles are still raging. I would not go so far as to say that Wano is as bad as Dressrosa in regards to fight pacing and having too much going on, but it's still hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff happening and how many characters are involved.
Very little actual fighting happens in this episode to boot. It's mostly characters talking about getting ready to fight their next opponent: Jinbei and the beast pirates, Franky and Sasaki, Ulti and Nami, etc. Even if well-animated and directed, watching “Grrrr, I'm gonna beat you up!” repeated a few dozen times in vaguely similar disconnected locations across Onigashima is a bit tiresome.
I think what compounds the problem is the sort of hand-wavey feeling of Onigashima. Despite the maps Oda lays out from time to time, I still don't really know if I have a good sense of how big the island is or the sizes of the structures within it. Everything feels like it is as big as it needs to be – which is fine – but the act of traversing through these locations seems mind-numbingly long. Week after week of Luffy running through vaguely long hallways leading into darkness to get where he needs to be… just how much longer will Luffy be running? Another episode? Ten more? It's impossible to tell at the moment, and that deflates a lot of the tension that should be present in these scenes.
On the positive side, we get lots of great animation flourishes this week. Chopper hilariously rolling around in Marco's flames is a delight. Franky getting to flex (literally and figuratively) in the Iron Pirate with all the shine and dazzling lights is superb. And the introduction of the brief Ace bit at the end, tying him with Yamato, is a great sequence. It all looks and sounds terrific – I just wish these connective episodes had more to them beyond setup.
Series previously inspired 52-episode anime in 1993― This year's 24th issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine revealed on Wednesday that Gosho Aoyama's Yaiba manga will be getting a new anime adaptation. Aoyama is supervising. The series follows the titular Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai boy inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, the real-life swordsman who pioneered the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū sty...
Based on the novel by former Nogizaka46 member Kazumi Takayama, trapezium asks its audience to follow one girl who will use anything, and anyone, to achieve her dream.― Trapezium is a strange movie, to say the least. On the surface, it's a rather simple movie that explores youth, their dreams, and the lengths they'll go to achieve those dreams. It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in the veneer of the...
ZeroReq011 remembers what made Spice and Wolf a story for the ages, from its fully realized world and economics to Holo and Lawrence's romantic chemistry.― Back when Funimation was still its own company and not owned by Sony, long before its in-house streaming service was terminated in favor of Crunchyroll's streaming platform, it owned a TV channel. Legal streaming had yet to dominate the Western a...
Anime will star Hiroshi Kamiya, Kotaro Nishiyama, Kotaro Nishiyama― Distribution company Remow announced on Tuesday that Yura Urushibara's Tougen Anki: Dark Demon of Paradise manga will get a television anime in 2025. The company revealed the trailer, key visual, and main cast for the anime. The anime's cast includes:
Kazuki Ura as Shiki Ichinose, the protagonist who inherits the blood of an Oni. Sh...
Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations, from the Yuri on Ice movie to the second half of Stars Align.― Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations from the second half of Stars Align to the 2007 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood movie. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views...
Welcome to the rankings for the Spring 2024 season! The perfect place to check out which hidden gems might have flown under your radar.― 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 people rated ...
The final Spring 2024 Manga Guide update includes not-yet-released series from this month, including Sword Art Online Re:Aincrad,Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology, A Sign of Affection 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 a...
Producer Masakazu Kubo shares the animation team's dedication to realism, including bringing in a pro golfer to produce the anime's sound effects.― 64-year-old Masakazu Kubo has been planning and producing anime for decades. He's had a major hand in everything from Pokémon and Detective Conan to Teasing Master Takagi-san and Dorohedoro. Recently, he sat down with us to talk about Tonbo!, his attemp...