It cannot be understated how important these post-arc episode batches can be for the series. They continue to act as little windows of time that serve as a crash course on so many of the things that make One Piece what it is. Just recently we've had info-dumps, a flashback, a major villain unveiling, and now this week we get a peaceful and reflective calm before the storm. I don't know if Toei is just excited to move onto the Zou arc, but whatever it is that's whipped them into shape these last few episodes, I don't want it to stop.
The episode takes place the continuing day, and the Navy is still at odds over how to deal with the hiding Straw Hats. Fujitora, the highest ranked Marine on Dressrosa, continues to put events into the hands of fate, deciding that he will only chase Luffy and company if he rolls anything but a one on his die. For the past few days, Luffy has been lucky. Vice Admiral Tsuru and former Fleet Admiral Sengoku (now with a greying 'fro and a much happier demeanor in his retirement) have also arrived to assist Fujitora in transporting the captured Doflamingo.
As the episode goes on, we're treated to numerous insert shots of flower petals gently falling. Specifically, they are pairs of petals; a pink one and a yellow one. These coincide with the segments of the episode that focus on Kyros and Rebecca, and it's honestly pretty surprising to see Toei go out of their way to include a visual motif that we follow throughout the episode. I mentioned a few weeks ago that there's something very unfamiliar about creative decisions being this visible in the One Piece anime. That's mostly thanks to the anime production really running low on gas towards the end of the Doflamingo fight, but it's still nice to see stuff like this all the same.
The story goes on, as we learn that Kyros has been spreading rumors around town that Rebecca's "true" father was some prince from a far-off country who died in battle a long time ago. The idea is that the country of Dressrosa is more likely to accept her with full noble blood, as opposed to being the daughter of a famous ruffian/soldier like Kyros. We see the two of them dealing with the reforming Dressrosa separately, with Kyros living alone in the flower field and Rebecca being suited up back at the palace. It's all portrayed as bittersweet, and the music and scenery really drives home how fantastic Dressrosa works as a beautiful fantasy setting (as opposed to the tedious battleground it mostly ended up being).
Kyros and Rebecca's story is such a tricky thing to tackle. To this date they've been stuck with some of Oda's absolute worst character writing, and yet I find myself drawn into their world now that the higher stakes have simmered down. I don't want to dislike their story, it just kind of doesn't work at all. This episode brings us back a bit further, to when Kyros was still a toy soldier, and we're reminded that this relationship had a lot of heart before it completely derailed during the Diamante fight.
The episode ends with Fujitora rolling his die once again and finally deciding to roll his men out to hunt Luffy down at Kyros's cabin. I didn't recognize the very cool music track that plays during the last scene as we cut around to all the major players who will be a part of this upcoming chase, but I was pretty impressed. A lot of the orchestration in One Piece these days feels very reminiscent of old Hollywood movies.
One Piece wasn't as packed this week as it was last week, but this episode serves as a good example of how sometimes the thing you need in a series like this is to just relax and soak in the feelings and the world. Early on, there was also a scene where Tsuru and Sengoku interact with Mansherry and the other Tontattas, and it's just really nice to see Tsuru and Sengoku smile and Mansherry being Mansherry. One Piece is a show with a lot to offer, and sometimes "nice" is one of those things.
Train to the End of the World and Voice Actor Radio are getting a lot of love these last few weeks! Discover which other series stand out in 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...
Crystal Kay previously sang themes for 2004's Fullmetal Alchemist and Nodame Cantabile― Recently, Anime News Network was able to sit down with singer-songwriter Crystal Kay and talk about not only her involvement with anime over the years but also what it was like to grow up in Japan as the child of a Korean-Japanese mother and an African-American father. Anime fans likely know of Crystal Kay throug...
The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well.― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
60th, final episode of previous anime streamed on YouTube on Friday― The official Twitter account for the anime of Penguin Box's Odekake Kozame (Little Shark's Outings) manga announced on Friday that the manga will get a new anime series. Update: The staff revealed a visual for the new series in a press release on Saturday. The previous anime series debuted on YouTube last August, and its 60th and f...
Recently ended manga follows middle school student living with mysterious bird-looking creature― Shogakukan announced on Friday that Akira Konno's Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo manga is inspiring an anime. The "bird(?) home comedy" manga's story starts when first-year middle school student Arata Kōda meets a mysterious bird-looking creature named Kujima in autumn. Hungry and craving Japanese food, Kujima ...
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 ...
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...