One Piece episode 1052 was mostly just fine, though it was one of those weeks where I found myself a bit worn out by the events rather than hyped.
This is at least in part because we are still coming off a few very strong weeks in terms of what's been on offer. With 1052 we are back to the status quo which is still very high quality, but less than the literal apex of weekly animation. Which I completely understand; we can't expect the animation team to be firing on all cylinders 100% of the time.
But I think this episode is also lacking in terms of actual progress in the story. In theory, we get more of two key fights: Zoro versus King and Sanji versus Queen. In practice, not much happens in either struggle. There are a few more hints at what is to come with Sanji, and Zoro gets angry after being knocked around, but it's sort of perfunctory stuff. It does not feel like these scenes are naturally following from earlier in the fight so much as it feels like these are scenes that could be happening nearly anywhere between the start and end of hostilities.
Part of that has to do with my primary ongoing gripe with Wano: the interior of Onigashima. Almost without fail, the fights that take place within the actual tower of Onigashima seem to drag on to infinity. I don't know if it's the limitations of the setting or what, but once a fight starts taking place inside the tower it just seems to lose any sense of place, time, or meaning to me. I don't know why this is – ostensibly the roof of Onigashima is a blasted empty landscape, but any of the conflicts happening up there seem to really pop. Something about the Onigashima interior fights makes my eyes start to glaze over.
If nothing else, some of the exchanges between Zoro and King were well done this week and there's the hope that next week bears more exciting fruit.
The Code Geass creator discusses his new project with Web3 company Azuki, Enter the Garden, and his hope that this new path could help the medium evolve.― Los Angeles-based Web3 anime-styled brand Azuki and advertising conglomerate Dentsu debuted the first nine-minute episode of their joint anime endeavor, Enter the Garden, on April 30. The episode, which has already racked up a quarter of a million...
Wandering Son creator's manga about girls in opera school ran from 2011 until this past March― Ohta Publishing announced on Thursday that Takako Shimura's Awajima Hyakkei manga is inspiring an anime. Ohta Publishing has not revealed any further details about the anime adaptation. The coming-of-age omnibus series follows the girls at an opera music school, with each chapter centering around different...
If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.”― If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.” Shiki and Fuyuki's interactions are a mixture of playful (and sometimes sexual) teasing and heartfelt feelings as the two come to value each other. They have real chemistry—and that drives the anime stra...
Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it.― Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed...
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...
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 ...