Orochi continues to cackle at his own devious work at stopping the revolution. We are shown scenes of his henchman blowing up the bridges of Wano one by one, as well as the Thousand Sunny cutting off any access route the revolutionary forces can use to link up with the Akazaya Nine. Meanwhile, on the rainswept shores, Kinemon and the others decide that – army or no army – they are setting off to battle Kaido. Momnosuke pleads with them to stay but they insist that they must honor Oden by remaining his samurai to the very end.
That is when we enter One Piece Flashback Time™
*cue wailing sirens*
We (quantum) leap decades into the past to see Kozuki Oden in his prime. He is eighteen years old, fit and strong and a beast of a man. Wano is different too, a pristine verdant beauty free of industrial smokestacks and ash-choked wastelands. We learn of Oden's (in)famous deeds, from wrestling his nanny to visiting pleasure houses to starting harem wars (as one does, naturally). Oden is a man of great excess, womanizing and cooking food over the bones of the dead; yet he is also capable of great kindness, shaping the land of Wano to help its people or solemnly honoring the very dead he has his meal over. We also see young Kinemon and Denjiro as wayward criminals, the former almost being on the receiving end of Tsuru's (his future wife) blade for stealing. Eventually he takes a small white boar and, wouldn't you know it, that summons a terrasque enormous boar.
Oden shows up with an eager gleam in his eyes and, clearly getting ready to face down the giant boar, tells Kinemon to hand him the small boar just as the To Be Continued card flashes.
Another excellent, excellent episode for this season.
Wano has been strong material in the manga, but the anime has done such a tremendous job realizing the material that it's a delight. The direction was once again on point. I loved the use of stark foreground and background contrasts such as in scenes with the lit bomb fuses on the Sunny's deck, or how Orochi is literally painting inky X's onto the camera as he crosses off targets on his map of Wano. Another excellent sequence was him tearing up the map and throwing the pieces into the air only for that to be a match cut to the falling cherry blossom of Wano. Perhaps most evocative was the scene where the Akazaya Nine set out and are entirely cast in black and white, but Momo's tears and the rain are realized in a haunting cold blue. It's all yet more excellent work for a weekly television production that has continued for so long.
Oden's flashback is going to be a real treat to see in motion too. It's certainly full of big moments that leap right off the page of the manga, and already these early bits make them that much larger feeling. Oden's status as less a character and more a folk hero is an important one to keep in mind I think; whether by his actual feats or the aggrandizement of his followers, he has become a legend more than a man. He reroutes the mighty river and challenges beasts the size of entire cities! Even in the world of One Piece these are considerable feats that seem to stretch the bounds of what is possible. Keeping that folk hero identity in mind is a key component to understanding the flashback overall, in my opinion. I can't wait to see more.
As Slam Dunk reached its final stretch, I can see why this series is considered the sports classic that it is today.― This is the largest batch of Slam Dunk episodes that I've reviewed thus far. Originally, I wanted to review the show in more even seasons, but given its overall pacing and release, it wasn't easy to find a moment where it felt right to stop and start again. However, as we approached ...
Main cast, staff, teaser visual, video revealed― A website opened on Thursday to reveal a television anime adaptation of Kogitsunemaru's Izure Saikyō no Renkinjutsu-shi? (Someday Will I Be The Greatest Alchemist?) light novel series, which will premiere in January 2025. The website also revealed the anime's main cast, staff, and a teaser promotional video and visual. The novel series' illustrator Hi...
Anime adapts manga by Crossing Time creator― Futabasha revealed on Friday that Yoshimi Sato's Kakushite! Makina-san!! (Hide! Makina-san!) manga is inspiring a television anime that will premiere next year. Futabasha unveiled a teaser visual for the anime. The risque romantic comedy manga's story centers on Eita, an introvert mecha otaku high schooler who has a crush on the school's most popular girl...
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...
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...
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...