One Piece episode 1031 returns us to the One Piece that we know and love (or hate, depending on your affinity for roofs). I for one am glad to be back to Wano proper, if for no other reason than to start moving towards the resolution of the arc that we have spent far too long in.
The Kaido and Luffy punching continues unabated. Lots of big hammer blows and shaking screens with explosions on top of Onigashima. Ah, home sweet home. But not much of consequence happens other than the punchies.
The mid-level chase sequence in this episode is more noteworthy. Nami and Usopp are always great together, and there are some fun moments in this sequence. I particularly liked the scene when they were pummeling Page One, and Usopp's speech to Tama was terrific. That said, both the manga and the anime make this chase feel like it goes on for roughly 100 miles with a repeating background loop. I wish there were more landmarks or clear objectives other than ”escape” to break some of this up because literal months have gone by in real life and they are still running down the same hallway in the show (that looks like a half dozen other hallways where fighting is occurring elsewhere).
The big standout of this episode is everything with Tama and Big Mom. Wano is so long that it is easy to lose track of the minor threads and sub-plots that have developed throughout, let alone stay invested in them, because they get spread over such long publishing times. That said, this thread feels particularly resonant and because of Big Mom's involvement, somehow more tragic. Tama's emotional pleas and recounting of what happened are delivered expertly by the voice cast and the animation team pulls out all the stops. When Big Mom hits Page One you really feel the blow and the emotional weight behind it – a rare feat in this arc of big explosive punches.
Glad to have you back, One Piece. Let the roof fighting continue.
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...
Kaijin Fugeki manga launches on May 29― Manga creator Oh! great announced on Tuesday that he will launch a new manga titled Kaijin Fugeki in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine on May 29. A Twitter account for the manga also debuted on the same day. Oh! great launched a manga adaptation of NisiOisin's Bakemonogatari novels (pictured at right) in Weekly Shonen Magazine in March 2018, and ended it in Ma...