I'm honestly starting to get a feeling of deja vu writing these weekly One Piece reviews. If you've read any of my prior reviews on Wano, you'll probably know where I'm going with this.
Lots of running around in the middle of Onigashima. Conversations between Nami and Zeus. Tama yells. CP0 moves pieces on a Go board and counts big numbers. I can't tell if I'm describing Episode 1040 or half a dozen other episodes from months ago. There's even an extended flashback of Jinbei and his past encounters with Luffy, bringing us up to the current moment.
We've seen a lot of this stuff before and sadly I feel we will see more of it in weeks to come. Wano has many high points, but the endless meandering in the bowels of Onigashima wears on me most of all. Even the rooftop fight feels more engaging if for no other reason than it is simple and straightforward – you know it's punching time when you're up there. But seeing characters running and running without any clear end in sight starts to remind me of those Scooby Doo gags where they'd run in and out of the same doors a dozen times in a hallway. I'm ready to move on.
But then the Whos Who and Jinbei fight hits and it's an absolute knockout blow. Every moment is lavishly animated, all the super attacks have tremendous weight, and the relentless pace keeps you glued to the action. Watching Jinbei cross his arms while diagonal sprays of his own blood splatter the rocks nearby as he weathers the assault is terrific stuff. It really doesn't get much better than this, amazing fights between powerful weirdos is the beating heart of shonen action stories, and by God One Piece does it with aplomb.
Half monotonous mundanity, half dynamic spectacle – that's One Piece, all right.
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...
Kaijin Fugeki manga launches on May 29― Manga creator Oh! great announced on Tuesday that he will launch a new manga titled Kaijin Fugeki in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine on May 29. A Twitter account for the manga also debuted on the same day. Oh! great launched a manga adaptation of NisiOisin's Bakemonogatari novels (pictured at right) in Weekly Shonen Magazine in March 2018, and ended it in Ma...