The chase outside of Whole Cake Island was never going to be easy, and even after several episodes we're only getting started. As much as I love this second half of the arc, it does a terrible job of giving the audience a sense of how much more is to come, and with how big of a pain Big Mom is to shake off. As a manga reader, I would have hated to learn at this point in the story that we still have a good 20-30 weeks left to go.
My good will for this portion of the chase is starting to run thin, since now we're on episode three of this repetitive material. The Sunny is in sight, but now the Seducing Woods are disorienting the Straw Hats to keep them from running in the right direction. It's nice to see a callback to how this arc began, and it's clear that we don't intend to stay in the Seducing Woods for nearly as long as our first time through, but this episode is out to test the audience's patience. It's a fight to keep our wits while Big Mom's children flank us from all sides.
This is a frustrating combination of issues. Not only are we stretching the source material out too much during an action-heavy chase (we've settled back into less than one chapter per episode), but the show has already covered its available b-plots in prior episodes. As is, they've animated a considerable amount of filler Vinsmoke action, and it isn't time to reveal what Pudding and Chiffon are up to either. The animation quality this week is low, save for a surprisingly good looking sequence where the crew fends off Big Mom's cronies in a series of mini one-on-ones. The animators really flesh out Carrot, Pedro, and Jimbei's unique fighting styles and body types in motion, and it looks great.
The rest of the episode, however, is less than stellar. The climax where Zeus dopily takes another unexpected bite of Nami's thunderclouds and launches a massive lightning bolt down on Big Mom herself should look a lot more thrilling and intense than it does, or at the very least it should have come sooner in the episode. This is one of Nami's big attacks for the arc (even if it was an accident), and it just feels like it's here to stall. Last week ended with Prometheus's attack on the Straw Hats and this week ends with Zeus's friendly fire, but neither bout looks cool enough to justify keeping us in one place for so long.
I'm torn because I really like parts of this episode. That one good action scene pulls a considerable amount of weight, and I think the show does a good job getting the most out of the Seducing Woods: Round Two. That sinister Disney air still has a presence this far into the arc, but as a step in the Big Mom chase I really think we need to keep things moving. The problem with good scenes in mediocre episodes is that the lackluster material only stands out more. My spirits were high with the beginning of this chase, but now it's going to be diminishing returns until the next amazing thing happens.
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...
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 ...
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...