I wished the Shinobu and Momo scene impacted me more, but it sadly struck me as a bit dull, which is a shame given how important it is to the events at Onigashima. At least we got a terrific little Queen moment complete with his absurd reactions from the balcony, which continues to cement him as one of the real treats of this entire arc.
Much of the middle section of this episode served to simply reiterate how much is happening at Onigashima. We've got Yamato versus Ulti, Luffy versus goons, Big Mom chasing Nami, Zeus having his meltdown, Franky and Brook riding in on the motorcycle… goodness, this is just a lot isn't it? Imagine sitting down and trying to explain to someone everything that is happening in this fight. Even for someone who is keeping up weekly in manga and anime form, I think it would be a challenge to say the least. Not that it doesn't all make sense, mind you; it's just an unavoidable consequence of having dozens of characters on multiple vectors interacting across multiple floors of this giant multi-story structure. You might think we were going to stick to the epic confrontation happening with Kaido and the Akazaya Nine, but other than a brief flashback they don't make much of an appearance here.
The scene with Brook and Franky absolutely steals the show for this episode. Nami's attitude toward Zeus, while funny in the moment, is kind of odd to watch as an audience member. I'm never quite sure how I'm supposed to feel about it. But Brook and Franky riding into the scene, singing songs together on a giant rhinoceros motorcycle, and burning rubber on Big Mom's face (twice!) is a riot. It's the kind of absurd situation that feels right at home in One Piece, and serves as a great Cool Dudes Being Cool ™ entrance for two Straw Hats who seem to have been sidelined a lot in recent years. The gorgeous animation every time Big Mom attacks or gets close-up camera shots is icing on the (whole) cake.
Dahlia in Bloom staff state they are investigating the situation― The official X/Twitter account for the Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start With Magical Tools anime and the official website for the Hokkaido-based anime studio Ekachi Epilka have both released statements, after the 38 North website posted a report on Monday claiming that North Korean animators worked on Dahlia in Bloom and an unn...
The Grimm Variations is one of those shows that tries. It almost tries too hard, and the result is that some of the tales are beyond recognition, while others play it too safe.― At the end of The Grimm Variations, Charlotte, the real-life younger sister of the Brothers Grimm (who were, in fact, only two of many Grimm brothers), remarks that she would like to see fairy tales where the protagonists ar...
The critically-acclaimed historical drama captivated audiences, but if you're craving more battle tactics and court intrigue, these anime will scratch your Shogun itch.― For the past couple of months, it's been hard to ignore the loud promotion of Disney+/Hulu's mega-budget Shogun. Based on James Clavell's feted 1975 novel, it's a compelling and glossy historical drama following a large cast of fic...
Creator Negi Haruba drafts story for new anime, light novel― "The Quintessential Quintuplets 5th Anniversary Event in Yokohama Arena" announced on Sunday that Negi Haruba's The Quintessential Quintuplets (Gotōbun no Hanayome) romantic comedy manga is inspiring a new anime, Gotōbun no Hanayome*. Haruba personally drafted the original story concept and is supervising all aspects of the anime, which re...
Makes Nagi an even more interesting and nuanced character, but the last 10 minutes almost upends the film's otherwise interesting plot.― BLUELOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- is a retelling of the early events of BLUELOCK through the eyes of Nagi and Mikage. However, that's not to say this is a recap or compilation film. Rather, a good 70% of the film is newly animated footage as the story follows their...
Following Poupelle of Chimney Town, Nishino tackles addiction in his new stop-motion anime short film.― In advance of the U.S. premiere of the new stop-motion animated short film Bottle George, Anime News Network sat down with writer Akihiro Nishino and chatted not only about the film and its creation but also its deeper message and how it connects to Nishino's past. While now well-known as a childr...
From Classroom for Heroes to Management of a Novice Alchemist, we have reviews of the newest light novels in our guide!― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Light Novel Guide, the companion to our ongoing manga guide! This season, we have 20 novels with reviews in the guide for you to browse. Every included novel was published in March or April or will be released in May. This guide focuses...
SAND LAND is a curious game that combines an eclectic set of gameplay features into a well-realized package that, despite its flaws, is perfectly solid and more than the sum of its parts.― SAND LAND is a curious game that combines an eclectic set of gameplay features into a well-realized package that, despite its flaws, is perfectly solid and more than the sum of its parts. Going into this one, all ...
Atlus reveals its big new game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, amid the recent exit of Shin Megami Tensei artist Kazuma Kaneko. PLUS: A Golden Axe comedy series and Pokémon Go models get a makeover.― Welcome back, folks! As you probably noticed, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes came out earlier this week. It's a fun time, as you could see in my review of it. It's come to my attention that there are some per...
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes promises to revive the Suikoden series in everything but name, but what's so great about Suikoden that it's worth reviving? Well, read on…― It's 1996, and the PlayStation is just starting to take over the game industry. It has many genres covered: racing, fighting, action, sports, puzzles, train-conducting, deep-sea diving, fire-fighting, and so forth. But what abou...
