Ever since One Piece changed to its morning time slot years ago, you can tell that it's subtly been trying to de-emphasize its violence. Dragon Ball Super certainly isn't as bloody as its predecessors were, but One Piece is still adapting material that needs to get dark on occasion, so it's always a pleasant surprise to see the anime stay faithful to the dirtier stuff. First of all there's Luffy, who spends the episode trying to get out of prison by twisting his arms around his body again and again in the hopes that his arms will stretch so far that they finally tear off and he can be free. The sound effects and visuals as his arms thin out and tear like bleeding rubber bands is frightening. The other example involves the story behind Pedro and Baron Tamago losing their eyes, but we'll get to that in a moment.
Brook continues to impress as he goes head to head with Big Mom, whose powers get shown off a little in this episode. Beyond having the ability to steal and manipulate people's souls, she has an anthropomorphized sun and cloud (Prometheus and Zeus, respectively) that can flare up into monstrous balls of fire and lightning. This is a case where the anime art was never going to be as impactful or dynamic as it was in the manga, but they look pretty cool nonetheless. Brook's coolheaded nature—"When you face an Emperor, you have no choice but to turn defiant instead of being nervous."—puts a neat little bow on the whole thing. Both Brook and Pedro's sides of the episode benefit greatly from how much the Four Emperors have been hyped up as the final frontier for Luffy's adventure.
Speaking of, the real star of the episode is Pedro's fight with Tamago, where the animation kicks it up a notch with lots of smears and exaggerated limb movement. Weaved in and out of great action and ridiculous pun-based attacks like "Legs Benedict" is some of the backstory behind the fight, where Pedro and his old crewmate Zepo ran amuck on Whole Cake Island years back. They managed to take out Tamago's eye in battle but were eventually caught and subjected to Big Mom's roulette wheel, just like Jimbei in the present day.
A lot of this is material that the anime has embellished. Since Zepo is the older brother of Bepo from Trafalgar Law's crew and this flashback informs a lot of the connections between the Minks and Big Mom, it's appropriate that we give some screen time to this character who's barely seen in the manga. Big Mom wants a hundred years of life force in return for the damages, but she can only pull thirty out of Zepo before he perishes. From there it's Pedro negotiating to get the remaining number of years down so that he can survive, and this includes plucking his own eye out in penance for taking Tamago's. We don't get to watch the actual plucking, but we see blood running down his face and his eyeball sitting in the palm of his hand as he offers it. It's awesome.
This is a superb episode that respects the audience's time as it briefly detours from the Pudding story. Pedro vs. Tamago easily could have been another background subplot, but this episode is gratefully a one-off with a great final scene that sees Pedro as the victor, all set to that classic Movie 5 soundtrack and flashbacks to the Minks' belief in the "Dawn of the World", just to make it extra dramatic. The worst thing I can say about this episode is that there were several stand-out shots where the art was trying to play with perspective, and it looks awkward and ugly as a result (a worm's-eye angle is not flattering on Big Mom, let's just put it that way), but all in all this episode cuts straight to the heart of what there is to love about One Piece's more melodramatic side.
T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime.― I adore classic sci-fi, especially when it involves time travel and grand adventure. T・P BON embodies the spirit of classic sci-fi adventure like almost no other recent anime. Based on a 1978-1986 manga by Doraemon co-creator Fujiko F. Fujio, this ultra-shiny modern adaptation from studio BONES and director M...
I can't recommend the series, nor think that any hypothetical viewer would enjoy it, but it is the kind of trash TV that's rewarding to dissect.― Have you ever wondered what Baki would be like if it had a conservative bent instead of queer undertones? Well, look no further because the answer is Kengan Ashura! While Kengan is trying to convey the same spectacle and white-knuckle action of the long-ru...
Film also available to rent, purchase digitally on several major outlets in N. America― The official X/Twitter account for TOHO's Godzilla franchise announced on Saturday that Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One film is streaming worldwide on Netflix. The film is available worldwide, but is currently not available in Japan. Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, the black-and-white version of the film, w...
One Piece: Heroines novel also licensed― Viz Media revealed its new licenses and new print releases planned for spring 2025 on Friday. Kazuyoshi Seto's Minecraft: The Manga: Announcement: Add this book to your enchantment room! Join Nico on his chance to escape the blocky confines of his home and prove how strong he's become when zombies attack! Minecraft: The Manga, by Kazuyoshi Seto, releases Spri...
Series starring Miku Martineau, Ayo Solanke, more starts production in Toronto― The Hollywood Reporter entertainment news site reported on Thursday that showrunner Simon Barry (Warrior Nun creator) and Boat Rocker Media are producing a live-action series for Netflix titled BET that "is based in part" on writer Homura Kawamoto and artist Tōru Naomura's Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler manga. The show h...
Jean-Karlo attempts to condense two big video game showcases into a coherent column, from the revamped Silent Hill 2 to the grazing pastures of Story of Seasons.― Welcome back, folks. This is related to a big story for this week, but this past weekend, I listened to Utada Hikaru's re-recording of "Simple And Clean". It's very emotional. Utada Hikaru is a good twenty-plus years older than when she or...
In the Eisner-nominated work, Maki Fujiwara chronicles her daily life with her husband, lionized mangaka Yoshiharu Tsuge. Though deceptively simple at first glance, a foundation of abuse is slowly revealed.― At first blush, Maki Fujiwara's My Picture Diary does what it says on the tin. It tells the story of her daily life as a housewife and mother, spending time with her daily activities, noting the...
Now streaming on Netflix, Tomotaka Shibayama's first feature animation mixes the magical with reality to share a simple but important message.―
Director Tomotaka Shibayama's latest film, My Oni Girl, is an action-adventure drama with elements of a buddy comedy and a relatable coming-of-age story. The film, produced by Studio Colorido, was released in theaters in Japan and on Netflix on May 24, foll...
Miyano, Nukumi play original characters for August 2 film― The official website for My Hero Academia the Movie: You're Next (My Hero Academia: You're Next), the fourth anime film in the My Hero Academia franchise, announced on Friday that the film has cast Mamoru Miyano and Meru Nukumi as original characters. Mamori Miyano as Giulio Gandini, a butler who serves the Scervino family Meru Nukumi as Ann...
Kaiju No. 8 takes the top spot this week while Tonari no Yōkai-san pushes to #3 in the cmulative! Check out our weekly user rankings!― 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 in...
Mospeada is a work very much of its time, riffing on ideas and tropes that were all the rage when it was made, and doesn't do anything exceptional with them.― It can be easy for even longtime fans to forget that alongside Macross, there were two other 80's sci-fi anime that got Frankenstein-ed into what we'd eventually call Robotech. While this isn't the first time one of those series has made it to...
Following the upcoming retro programming block Toonami Rewind, Chris and Lucas look back fondly on the afternoons spent watching Naruto and Sailor Moon.― Following the upcoming retro programming block Toonami Rewind, Chris and Lucas look back fondly on the afternoons spent watching Naruto and Sailor Moon. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the v...
Yeah, yeah, Kaiju No. 8 has all the great action scenes, but Yatagarasu is chewing up the scenery as the royal ladies absolutely lose their minds!?― Why Aren't You Watching This Anime Yet? Yeah, yeah, Kaiju No. 8 has all the great action scenes, but Yatagarasu is chewing up the scenery as the royal ladies absolutely lose their minds!? The ANN After Show streams live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitte...