Luffy's got a plan and that plan is to sneak into Big Mom's territory all on his own in an attempt to rescue Sanji. "I'll just be quiet," he says, way overestimating himself. It's an audacious call, but none of the crew's options really put them in a place of ease. Pekoms has just told them that if Sanji goes through with this wedding and marries into Big Mom's family, he'll cease to be a member of the Straw Hat crew, and if Sanji refuses the wedding he'll find the head of somebody close to him in a box as a going away present.
It's hard to express how big of a deal Big Mom is in the One Piece world. She's one of the Four Emperors, the leading pirate captains who claim a majority of the territory in the New World. It's common for this kind of Shonen Jump series to constantly be introducing new villains who outshine the previous "strongest", but this series has been spending the past few hundred episodes building up the fact that characters like Big Mom and Kaido are truly at the very top, and Luffy has already picked long distance fights with both of them. It's been a while since Luffy faced off with somebody way stronger than him, which used to be a signature quality of this series, but the Four Emperors are making me think that time is coming up once again.
So Luffy is dead set on putting Law's anti-Kaido plan on hold so that he can risk making Big Mom angry instead, but that's just the way things got to be. He probably won't end up going alone, but we're still left with so many questions. If Luffy ends up fighting an Emperor, can he win? It honestly feels too early for something like that to happen, but there are plenty of other interesting happenings that could propel the story forward over a win-or-lose fight. There's also the possibility that Big Mom ends up being on of the friendlier Emperors like Shanks (though, she is already mad at Luffy), and the villain role could fall to Sanji's family. That's the direction that makes sense to me.
Unprepared and easily distracted, Luffy and company get caught up in a big overnight celebration, with the Minks thanking them for their help. This is a very fun and relaxing scene, and it has the air of the traditional end-of-arc party that we've seen many times, though it seems a little soon after the Dressrosa celebration. Also, they're celebrating the solution to a conflict that happened before Luffy's half of the crew even arrived on Zou, so it's got the vibe of "Yay! We beat Dolfamingo! Let's party! Oh? We helped you guys too and we didn't even know it? Sure! Let's have another party!" If we're about to get serious with a saga of Four Emperors, it might be a while before the next party, so it feels appropriate.
The party and Luffy's eagerness to go get Sanji signals an end of sorts to the Zou arc, though there are a few more hoops that we're destined to jump through before Luffy officially steps off the elephant. It makes sense for us to get a smaller adventure more focused on antics and info-dumps after the monster sized Dressrosa arc, and I'm eager to see the few remaining Zou-based story beats before we head into Big Mom's madness.
Goodbye, Lara follows reborn mermaid, Ninja Skooler features ninja school― Kinema Citrus announced at its panel during this year's Anime Central event on Saturday that it is producing two new anime titled Goodbye, Lara (Sayonara Lara) and Ninja Skooler. Takushi Koide is directing the Goodbye, Lara anime with character designs by Shiori Tani. The anime is based on a concept by Kinema Citrus, and it t...
2019-20 anime was itself a follow-up to first 2013-16 Ace of Diamond anime― Production on a sequel to the 2019-2020 television anime of Yūji Terajima's Ace of Diamond Act II (Daiya no A Act II) manga has been green-lit. Terajima drew an illustration to commemorate the news: Terajima's original Ace of Diamond baseball manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2013, and Crunchyroll streamed ...
Honestly, you're getting a solid collection of character art with some disposable comic stories where you might get to enjoy some out-of-context obscure CAPCOM cameos.― As a lifelong fan of Street Fighter, it's easy to get excited about the potential of seeing my favorite fighters doing stuff in different mediums. The flip side is that Udon Entertainment's hold on the comic treatment of the characte...
The cast of the Demon Slayer stage play gave a memorable performance during the Japan Day Parade.― The Demon Slayer franchise continues to prove itself as an absolute powerhouse for fans worldwide. The hit manga by Koyoharu Gotouge has been adapted into multiple mediums, including anime, light novels, video games, and a stage play that has been running since 2020. Cast members of the stage play app...
One Piece season 2 listed for Netflix in "2025 and Beyond"― The licensing news service License Global posted an interview with Netflix vice president Josh Simon on May 1, and included in the interview is a listing of a "Sakamoto Days" project among "Netflix Upcoming Releases" in 2024. The listing does not specify if the project is animated or live-action, nor does it specify a connection, if any, to...
2-hour programming block airs on Fridays starting on May 31― Adult Swim's Toonami programming block announced on Friday that it is creating a new block called Toonami Rewind that is dedicated to running anime, or versions of the series, that aired on the original Toonami prior to its 2012 revival. Toonami Rewind will air on Fridays starting on May 31 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, and it will feature Sailor Moo...
Pokémon Horizons continues to display some of the best the franchise offers with great character work, creative setpieces, surprisingly strong direction, and a focus on a plot that continues to feel engaging.― Pokémon Horizons felt like a breath of fresh air as a new mainline Pokémon series. With a more timid and empathic main character and a stronger emphasis on the adventuring aspect of being a Po...
Sony and Square-Enix are both reorganizing, from new CEOs to staff cutbacks. Also, sad news about Penny Blood, more Cotton, and the latest video game news!― Welcome back, folks! You know, it's always nice to discover old stuff from a franchise you love that you didn't know existed. For example, I didn't know that the old Captain N: The Game Master cartoon had an episode that featured the world of Dr...
Ahead of the romance anime's second season, director Takehiro Kubota discusses the choices, the challenges, and balancing the story between the everyday and the supernatural.― My Happy Marriage began its life as a series of novels written by Akumi Agitogi, and it has since been adapted both as manga and, as of July 2023, an anime series simulcast by Netflix. Agitogi's tale, set in a nebulous time t...
Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf.― Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.S...
You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable.― You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable. You and I Are Polar Opposites is based on the tried-and-true formula of a thousand romantic comedies: Suzuki is a popular girl, and Tani is the class nerd. She's bright and perky,...
James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film!― Could There Be More Evangelion on the Horizon? James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film! Plus, we catch up with Kafka and the Ka...
Grant Jones dives into the wild world of giant monsters and how Kaiju No. 8 builds on their legacy.― Kaiju No. 8 is a series that wears its influences on its sleeves. As the first word in its title suggests, it comes from a long line of works in the kaiju genre, using giant monsters and burning skylines as a backdrop to tell stories. While many likely know kaiju in a passing sense, it may help to h...
This steamy manga's appeal is going to depend on how much you can stomach a female protagonist who kicks off the romance by assaulting her former fiance.― This is a tricky one. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way with You is, to all appearances, a story that opens with a sexual assault. Agnès has been betrothed to Crown Prince Lucilleur since childhood, and she's been in love with him just as...