We get a flashback to Oden giving his wife Toki a letter before he is to go to war. She shows her resolve that she and the family will not be his weakness. Then we flash forward to the Akazaya Nine struggling in the wake of Oden's death. There is arguing over what to do regarding vengeance, but Kinemon tells them all that he will not allow them to waste their lives. Shinobu also arrives to reinforce this and give them back their blades. In no time they are racing through the woods cutting down beast pirates and trying to make it to safety. The warriors hope to exit the land and make their way to Zou.
We break away to another flashback involving Oden. This time it focuses more on his role as a father to Momonosuke and Hiyori. We see him showing Momo how to swing a sword and praise Hiyori for his shamisen playing.
Back in the present, Kaido breaks into the burning Kozuki castle. He bats aside Toki as she attempts to defend her family and takes Momo in one hand. Kaido holds Momonosuke over the edge of the castle and mocks Oden. As Momo weeps, Kaido tosses him back into the castle and leaves disinterested. Toki reveals that she actually is a time traveller from the past. She resolves to send Momonosuke 20 years forward in time and entrusts Hiyori to Kawamatsu for safety, and then dramatically faces down the beast pirates in front of the burning castle. She makes one last speech and is brutally gunned down before the eyes of the people of Wano.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic revelations in One Piece has finally arrived in the anime.
Toki being a time traveller was certainly a big “wha!?” moment for myself when reading the manga, and it's great to see it fully realized here in the anime. I for one did not see it coming, but I think even in the space in the greater narrative it represents a rather amazing power. Most of One Piece's Devil Fruit abilities have been very “present tense” so to speak - sure, someone like Whitebeard could rock the world around him to its foundation but that feels like small potatoes compared to something like time travel. Toki and Oden both have an almost mythic level of capability in a setting with no slouches in terms of the power department, and that only underscores the tragedy of their respective ends.
And what ends they are. The additional time the Toei team could spend with Oden's flashbacks and Toki's dramatic sacrifice really ups the melodrama here in a way the manga simply did not have the space for. The glossy, painful clarity of her final speech and the tearful expressions in the childrens' eyes as she sent them away - truly heart wrenching stuff. Once again, the team at Toei gets my highest regards for making every moment count and delivering as much in these slower moments as they do in the bombastic action set pieces. A wrinkly Momo or a tearful Hiyori may not make the highlight reels quite like, say, Zoro unleashing a flashy technique, but that craft and care makes a huge difference in how we feel about these characters.
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 ...
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...