Whitebeard and crew stagger ashore from their shipwreck and are quickly spotted by Oden's retainers. Oden rushes there, overjoyed at the thought of pirates and seeing the wider world. Kinemon and the others swiftly run after him.
As soon as Oden arrives at the shore Whitebeard senses his power. They both draw blades and clash, their thunderous blows sending up massive shockwaves. Oden is cheerful because Whitebeard stopped his sword. The legendary pirate assumes the samurai is underestimating him and their duel continues. Whitebeard knocks him down and tries to send him away, just as Oden's retainers arrive to battle Whitebeard's crew. But before the fighting can start, Oden declares that exploring the world is his dream. Whitebeard points out that their ship is wrecked and they can't go anywhere.
The people of Wano begin to help work on the ship with the hopes that the pirates will leave immediately afterwards. Oden, Whitebeard, and their followers begin bonding during this time. During a heated drunken discussion, Oden admits he cannot navigate and Whitebeard tells him to give up on his dream and do his job as a daimyo. Kinemon salts the wound by adding that the land of Wano has laws strictly forbidding anyone from leaving. Oden begs and pleads to go with Whitebeard but Kinemon and crew drag him away kicking and screaming.
Whitebeard attempts to sail away under cover of night. Oden anticipated this and – through a combination of leaping and using a long chain – grabs hold of the ship. He hangs on tight and is carried away with Whitebeard's vessel. Whitebeard offers Oden the chance to join – if he can withstand being dragged behind the ship for three days. Though beaten by storm and sea and ocean creatures, he nearly holds on the entire time. But almost near the end of the trial, he hears a woman screaming for help – Amatsuki Toki, who is being accosted by bandits. He shows up on the shore bloated and beaten, spits fish at them to scare them off, then collapses in front of her.
The strong showing for Wano arc rumbles along.
There is not too much to say about this episode, on the whole. Still, there is no shortage of momentous events. For one, seeing young Whitebeard and crew is a real treat. Pops is, as always, a balm for weary souls such as mine. Young Marco is also just a tiny baby; I don't know why, but something about losing the glasses makes him look like he's 11.
The clash between Oden and Whitebeard looks as important as it feels. Whitebeard's earthquake effect shattering the screen is so strikingly powerful every time, especially with those shots of green running through everything. The color was overall really bright in those sequences, and the extra thick linework made it feel even more cartoonish, but these visual choices make sense for a clash between larger-than-life legends.
Oden's herculean task of hanging onto the ship is rendered in all its glory. The image of him being carried behind the ship for three days all to give it up to save Toki by spitting a fish at bandits is just an all-time great moment. Oden's flashback isn't my favorite in the series, but it is so fascinating in its own right for how different and impactful it is.
Not much more to say other than “One Piece good, Wano good, see you next week”, but that's the kind of consistently strong material Toei keeps delivering.
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...
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