Episode 1055 of One Piece manages to swing the pendulum back in the other direction vis-à-vis my interest level and deliver a solid mix of stories with action, pathos, and comedy.
The most important element is that Nico Robin is present and we see her smile, and this is not at all biased on my part.
In terms of other elements that I guess appear in the episode too, we get a fair bit of focus on Sanji. Queen is chasing him about and zapping him with lasers—and hey, if you can't enjoy a cyborg dinosaur pew-pewing the place up with laser beams, then what can you enjoy—in addition to being a big goof. More than that though we get Sanji partaking in a bit of body horror and psychological torment at the thought of Judge's experiments on him. I think that this angle with Sanji is the most effective for me by far; there's no fear quite like wrestling with the trauma your parents have foisted on you, and the impact is even greater when you realize it was purposeful. It gives the mid-fight power-up a sinister edge and opens the door to interesting character development for Sanji (something he sorely needs, among other things).
Kanjuro's moments are well-handled too. He's not exactly an admirable character, yet at the same time, there is an understandable sympathy for what has happened to him and the anger he bears toward the Kozuki clan. The level of commitment he has when running his brush across the floorboards, envisioning the shadow-faced crowds cheering for him—it's a poignant and dramatic moment. Definitely one of the more memorable villains in an arc full of them.
And Kinemon talks to Usopp and Nami using nothing butt but farts. Folks: this is what anime is all about.
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...