The opening portion of the episode was largely focused on Kinemon and Ashura. Kinemon admits to Ashura that he specifically caused the raids to antagonize Holdem, who would in turn attack Ashura and get him back into the revolution. Kinemon apologizes to Ashura by bowing low and admitting that he was wrong in his approach. Ashura basically lets it slide without saying as much out loud, and reminds Kinemon that he can never know what the past twenty years have really been like. However, he does have something to show Kinemon, but the episode cuts back to the prison without revealing what that is.
Things are not exactly going great at the prison for Queen and his henchmen because – dun dun dun – Big Mom has arrived. She tears off the iron gate with her bare hands and flings it away, entering the prison in search of red bean soup. Tama and Momonosuke are overjoyed by this turn of events, but Kiku reminds them that it is important they stay hidden. This doesn't exclude Kiku herself, as Chōpper reminds her, so she masks up and the duo enter the prison while Tama and Momonosuke hang back.
Queen is infuriated by Big Mom's request for his red bean soup. The soup is, by his own admission, like air to him, and he's not giving her a single drop. He even transforms into his brachiosaurus form to prove he means business. Big Mom's eyes glow red and she slams his face into the ground, shocking everyone right before we cut to the To Be Continued card.
This was a solid episode with some really great standout moments. First off, Queen's transformation is just an incredible visual – having a leather biker Fist of the North Star boss turn into a cigar-Chōmping dinosaur is precisely the reason I watch anime. Where else can you have this kind of fun?
Big Mom, as always, is a delight and the focal point of any scene she is in. She has a sort of narrative gravity that makes everything pivot to revolve around her. The gate-ripping sequence was terrific, and I love that the animation team gave it a floating leaf-like quality as it fell. It underscored how strong Big Mom is.
Kinemon and Ashura's scene was great too. Kinemon giving Yasui his due, while also showing the true humility of a leader who acknowledges that he's made a mistake, was great stuff and stands in stark contrast to Orochi and his villainy. I dug the shot that follows immediately after Kinemon's apology where the camera zooms in on Ashura's foot, which instills some doubt to how he might react. When Ashura pushes off of that foot it seems as though he might be moving to strike...but he doesn't. It's a great bit of direction that adds to the tension of the scene.
Far and away my personal favorite moment was Chōpper and Kiku's scene. Kiku putting the wrap on her head and thinking that was a sufficient disguise… I love it. I love these goofy characters so much.
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...