With all three initial Zou episodes being home runs, it was only a matter of time before we got an episode that was just “pretty good.” The majority of the crew has reunited, minus Sanji, so most of this episode is the crew sitting around with their new Mink friends and filling each other in on the events that they've missed out on since splitting up early in the Dressrosa arc. As a result, this episode is low on the awe and wonder that this arc was off to such a great start with.
That being said, there are still a few things that I have to give Toei props on, mainly the continued inclusion of genuinely entertaining filler sequences. At the beginning of this arc, the samurai duo who had been tagging along with the Straw Hats, Kin'nemon, and Kanjuro, got knocked off the back of Ryunosuke and had to restart their climb up the elephant on their own. This time, they're using a new living drawing in the form of Nekozaemon the cat. In the manga, that's about as eventful as their re-climb gets. But in the anime, we see their trials as the elephant's run-off water from last week knocks them back down yet again and Nekozaemon just barely survives being washed away, remaining as this horrifying zombie-looking monster that insists on continuing its climb. That image got a big laugh out of me, and I was happy to see Toei editorializing the story in a way that was actually fun to watch.
The rest of the episode centers around a flashback as we learn the immediate events of what went down with Sanji's half of the crew after splitting from Dressrosa and getting chased by Big Mom. We get confirmation that Bege Capone has joined Big Mom's forces and is assisting them with the capture of the Straw Hats' mad scientist hostage, Caesar Clown. The ensuing fight is one of those cool team-up attacks that we don't get to see from the Straw Hats often enough, and I really like seeing Sanji's Sky Walk ability animated in a way that actually has a sense of speed and impact. The crew does manage to escape and even blow a big hole in Big Mom's ship. Not a small feat when your opponent is one of the Four Emperors.
The episode ends with the promise of the continued story of the “Twirly Hat Pirates” and the eventual explanation as to where exactly Sanji has been this whole time. The flashback is to be continued as the crew travels across Zou to meet one of the county's two Dukes, a man named Dogstorm (or “Inuarashi” if you prefer the Japanese name).
This episode isn't exceptional like the last few have been, but it's solid nonetheless. In an ideal world, this is what the lower-end episodes of this show would look like; it's not especially stylish or ambitious, but more of a connecting information episode designed to transition us between the really cool parts of the story. The flashback to the Twirly Hat crew had some good action, and Brook's arrival on the scene was super funny as we learn the natural relationship between a batch of living bones and a community of dog Minks. Lastly, the episode preview for next week looks especially cool as we step closer the the grittier side of Sanji and company's previous adventures on Zou.
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...