I think I've finally gotten to the point where Whole Cake Island's molasses pacing is getting to me. I had hoped we were returning to a one-chapter-per-episode pace soon enough, but I guess fate decided otherwise since the anime continues to break the original structure of the story in awkward ways. It's a shame too, because this awkwardness comes from the staff trying to get creative again with how they expand on the story.
Last week began the misadventures of the Straw Hats in the "Seducing Woods", the domain of Big Mom's haunted living objects and her more trickster-oriented subordinates. Luffy's fighting his mirror self, who may be an enemy in disguise, and the rest of the crew find themselves in an endless loop where they keep encountering a giant man partially buried in the ground (for his own enjoyment, he assures us). I felt a twinge of excitement once I realized that the morbid Disney musical thing from a few episodes ago might become a full-on motif for this arc, as the living trees and flowers start to sing about the Straw Hats' impending death. However, the excitement is dulled somewhat when the song ends fairly quickly, without getting much chance to deviate from the melody and tone of Big Mom's other recent number.
This is a mixed bag episode if I ever saw one, because I certainly like the idea of Toei coming up with fun ways to kill time as they try to keep their distance from the manga's current story material, but the execution isn't quite there, and the fragmentation of the original manga chapters ends up being disorienting and killing a lot of the intended drama. Oda's always been fantastic at dividing the story into juicy cliffhangers, and the stuff in the middle of any given chapter rarely makes a good end point for an episode. This isn't the worst example of that problem, but the repetition of the Seducing Woods gets exhausting, and the ugliness of the animation doesn't help.
Really driving home my problem with this pacing style is a scene that finally cuts away from the Seducing Woods where we get to watch a fight between Sanji and his brother Yonji. In the manga, this was off-screen, but the result of this confrontation connects us to the next major event between Sanji and his family. It makes sense that they would animate something like this instead of finding dead air to drag out elsewhere, but after seeing the manga get away with showing so little, going back and actually seeing the fight just feels like extra minutes on a screen. You know you don't need it.
I like the attempt, but it also demands the direction and art be much more engaged, and this is one of the weaker episodes of the arc from a technical perspective. As far as the canonical character introductions we manage to get in this episode, it's funny to see Chōpper play the fed-up straight man to the dopey guy in the ground. We also get a non-Mink rabbit opponent for Carrot, and the episode wraps up with one of Big Mom's own daughters, Charlotte Brulee. Next week looks to focus a lot more on Sanji and his family, so thankfully we're not going to be hanging out exclusively in the Seducing Woods for the next couple episodes.
James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY.― Yatagarasu Gets Violent! James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu, in which Wakamiya plays his hand to find out the truth behind his older brother's scheming to obtain the throne. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY; Hunter x Hunter manga is on its ...
Making a sequel to Code Geass is a daunting task. But with its fantastic main character and a story that doesn't undercut what came before, Rozé of the Recapture is on the right track.― Making a sequel to Code Geass—especially one set close to the end of the series—is a daunting task. Any story that involves an ongoing war massively undercuts both the finale of the original anime and the sacrifices ...
The Switch sequel console is finally happening! The details are scarce, but you can find out more in this week's column. Also: an interview with El Shaddai's Sawaki Takeyasu, Microsoft layoffs, and more.― Welcome back, folks! What a wild week this has been for the gaming industry. We'll go further into it, but jeez. This past week also saw the disappearance of Capcom's Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. ...
The Code Geass creator discusses his new project with Web3 company Azuki, Enter the Garden, and his hope that this new path could help the medium evolve.― Los Angeles-based Web3 anime-styled brand Azuki and advertising conglomerate Dentsu debuted the first nine-minute episode of their joint anime endeavor, Enter the Garden, on April 30. The episode, which has already racked up a quarter of a million...
Wandering Son creator's manga about girls in opera school ran from 2011 until this past March― Ohta Publishing announced on Thursday that Takako Shimura's Awajima Hyakkei manga is inspiring an anime. Ohta Publishing has not revealed any further details about the anime adaptation. The coming-of-age omnibus series follows the girls at an opera music school, with each chapter centering around different...
Special cereal box honors Goku Day― Dragon Ball Z... for breakfast?! Alright, it isn't actually that surprising since General Mills' Reese's Puffs cereal has been rocking the dragon with a limited-time collaboration with Dragon Ball Z since earlier this year. The collaboration is still ongoing, but now Reese's Puffs has reached its FINAL FORM! In honor of Goku Day (May 9 because the numbers for "5" ...
If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.”― If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.” Shiki and Fuyuki's interactions are a mixture of playful (and sometimes sexual) teasing and heartfelt feelings as the two come to value each other. They have real chemistry—and that drives the anime stra...
Final volume ships in fall― The 25th compiled book volume of Yuki Sato's Tomodachi Game (Friends Games) manga revealed on Thursday that the series will end with the 26th volume's release in fall. The story, based on Mikoto Yamaguchi's original concept, centers on Yūichi Katagiri, a young man with a perfect student life who has four friends with difficult lives. His peaceful daily life comes to an e...
Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it.― Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed...
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...
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...