Last week, the show left off with the promise of a “rain-ruption.” We learn that Zunesha, the giant elephant that this country sits atop, does its elephant thing and sprays itself with water several times a day. Since Zunesha is huge, this simple act looks like a volcano erupting to the people below, as water violently floods the area without prejudice.
Right off the bat, one of the most grabbing scenes of the episode is actually a filler sequence where Luffy gets washed away from his new Mink friends, and Carrot has to quickly jump through the trees to save him. The animation is super cool, and this time it's unmistakably the work of Naotoshi Shida (the Fourth Gear transformation sequence guy, among other scenes). I couldn't name any other sakuga artists from this show, but I'm going to point him out any chance I get, darn it!
The episode ultimately ends up feeling shockingly varied compared to most installments of the show. There's the aforementioned rescue scene, exposition scenes, comedy scenes, and all that's before the very end when Luffy and company finally reunite with (most of) their remaining crew. It turns out that the Mink tribe are not the human-hating group we were led to believe, and in fact are extraordinarily affectionate across the board. There are Minks of all kinds of animal species, and as far as they're concerned, humans are just monkey Minks with less fur.
The concept of race relations has been very prevalent in One Piece, especially since the time skip. The Minks' carefree attitude toward humans and their expectations of racism has just a twinge of judgement to it, similar to the response that Den from Fishman Island had to the same question. Since Minks and Fishmen/Merfolk are generally born with a random “species”, the need to divide between groups isn't as ingrained in their culture. In the One Piece world, racism is a uniquely human creation.
As it stands, the affection that the Minks give to the crew seems suspiciously furry-friendly. We've already seen Wanda and Carrot licking and nibbling Luffy, and we soon learn that Nami and Chōpper have more than embraced all the “garchuu~”ing that their new friends have given them. This show wants you to think about these humans and animals banging, basically. Still, it's done with such a harmless sense of fun that I'm happy to go along with it.
The episode ends with most of the Straw Hat crew reuniting. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Robin, and Franky were together through most of Dressrosa, and now Nami and Chōpper are back with them as well. Their reunion is heartwarming and full of happy thoughts, but once Luffy asks about Sanji, things take a mysteriously dark turn. Clearly something has happened to him, and we'll have to wait and find out.
I'm loving all of these Zou episodes so far, and this one is probably my favorite. Overall, the production just looks so polished, and the variety of content is incredibly satisfying. This is a perfect example of an episode that pads the story out and injects filler in a way that feels both creative and natural. I had to double-check the manga to see how much content was new because it all felt equally “real,” even if some of it is just killing time. I'm loving Zou, loving the new characters we're meeting, and I can't wait to see the mysteries continue to unfold.
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...