One Piece returns after a multi-week break, and it has a bit of a mixed impact for me.
On the one hand, 1054 exemplifies a lot of what makes Wano great. We've got an epic battle in the heart of Onigashima, with Killer and Hawkins battling it out with the catch that Killer cannot hurt Hawkins without hurting Kid as well. Elsewhere, Kid and Big Mom are throwing down with similarly titanic results. Finally, the supernovas who wowed us from their first appearance are getting ample spotlight time to show their stuff and it feels like everything is on the line for them.
In a similar vein, the visuals are top-notch. The amount of detail and visual splendor on display is truly something else, and the Toei team goes all out seemingly every week for Wano. Everything from the high level of detail on Killer's cracked mask to the gorgeous flip/cut attack is impressive on a purely technical level. While at the same time, the artistic choices like switching between the blue and red filters at the moment of decisive impact or the shot of Hawkins spraying blood and cards as he is struck down show the elevation of the core manga material. One Piece has absolutely benefited from this arc being translated into animation.
At the same time, 1054 underscores Wano's continuing struggles in the same breath. We already have roughly half a dozen Most Important Battles In the World going on right now, and this is yet another. It's hard to keep ramping up that investment while not thinking bout the other battles I'm already wanting to see the outcome of happening elsewhere in the raid. In fact, this is Killer's second big dramatic plot thread in an already massive arc. Obviously, this is a continuation of that first thread, and a bit of closure on what has been done to him here on Wano, but when those events happened literal years ago in both the anime and the manga it reminds you just how long we've been doing this and the weariness starts to set in once again. At this point, I'm personally ready to get back to the Kaido and Luffy fight.
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...