The Zou arc is continuing to shape up as a really solid chunk of the One Piece anime. There were a few average-to-below-average episodes in the middle there, but for now it seems like we're back on track with the good stuff. The story continues yet again with the flashback adventures of the Twirly Hat crew and their time bonding with the Mink tribe before Sanji's as-of-yet-unexplained disappearance. Zou is an arc of characters telling stories, and this time Brook takes the initiative to describe the next obstacle they faced in their time away from the Dressrosa crew.
The antagonists this time are the Big Mom pirates, who followed the Thousand Sunny all the way to Zou, represented today by the lion man Pekoms and the former super rookie Bege Capone. When Big Mom's ship originally appeared partway into the Dressrosa arc, they were after the Straw Hats' hostage, Caesar Clown, and this time it seems they have a second agenda up their sleeves.
This is a really entertaining episode, partly due to how relaxing it is. The little pineapple village that the crew hangs out in during their stay on Zou feels so occupied and alive. The anime has been doing a really wonderful job expanding on the interior lives of the Minks without feeling like they're just padding the story out. The drama picks up a lot for the final scene, but before then it's all shenanigans, like Sanji garchu~ing every lady Mink that he can (and the fact that the girls are into it allows Sanji to come off as endearing rather than creepy) and Caesar trying to don a disguise so he won't be associated with the good deeds he's being forced to do. It all serves as a really engaging moment to just sit back and live in. One of the reasons I like this sort of show to be slower is that it allows the more casual stuff to really suck you in.
This is also the second episode in a row with no model issues as far as I can tell, where everything looks tidy and well-drawn. Not an impressive episode in this case, but I'm happy to see this show looking right for the time being. The next episode preview looks solid as well, so I'm happy about that. Once the final scene rolls around, and Sanji decides to confront the Big Mom duo, the show returns to showing off its lighting and coloring Chōps that I was praising so much at the beginning of this arc, with the sun setting and all that.
Zou is inching the story forward very slowly, but it feels right at this point in time. Dressrosa was a huge battle arc with a million characters, so it's nice to slow down for the sake of exposition and atmosphere as opposed to unfortunate necessity. The story's got a mystery to hang over our heads, so the feet-dragging at least serves a dramatic purpose. I think it's a pretty interesting idea to have an arc focused primarily around unfolding a backstory that the characters missed out on, while we slip further and further into the shadows of the Four Emperors.
If I had any gripes with this episode it would be the exclusion of Brook's Cat Viper song. According to Oda, the character was inspired by a joke-y song that Brook's seiyuu, Chō, wrote for fun, and the song actually made an appearance in the manga at about this point in the story, but it was mysteriously absent here. Though, judging by the structure of the story right now, I'm sure they're saving it to put in a more Cat Viper-centric episode.
Manga about half human, half chimpanzee boy launched in 2020― TOHO Animation announced on Wednesday that Shun Umezawa's The Darwin Incident (Darwin Jihen manga will get a television anime adaptation. A new official Twitter account opened and unveiled a teaser visual: Original creator Umezawa shared an illustration to commemorate the announcement: TOHO Animation had teased on its X (formerly Twitter)...
The book feels like a deliberate combo of SAO, Log Horizon, and Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town, and that works better than you might expect.― If this story feels familiar, that's on purpose. In their afterword, author Nagawasabi64 says that they've noticed that the "trapped in a VRMMORPG" genre made popular by SAO has fallen out of favor, which made them want to ...
There's no question that Go! Go! Loser Ranger! is a dark deconstruction of Super Sentai/Power Rangers in anime form—but is that all it is? Chris and Lucas dive in to find out.― There's no question that Go! Go! Loser Ranger! is a dark deconstruction of Super Sentai/Power Rangers in anime form—but is that all it is? Chris and Lucas dive in to find out. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by ...
Umezu voiced Diamante in One Piece, Ian Vashti in Gundam 00 2nd Season― Voice talent company 81 Produce announced on Tuesday that voice actor Hideyuki Umezu died on May 17 due to interstitial pneumonia. He was 68. A funeral ceremony was held by relatives. Umezu was born on July 24, 1955 in Aichi Prefecture. Umezu voiced the characters of Diamante in One Piece, Ian Vashti in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Sec...
1st 3 main Kingdom Hearts games, with some spinoffs included― Square Enix announced on Tuesday that it will release the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind games on PC via Steam on June 13. All three games will also be available in a bundle titled Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece. The Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix r...
Takashi Shiina, Katsuyuki Sumisawa launched adaptation in September 2021― The seventh volume of the Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Hanyō no Yashahime) manga adaptation by Takashi Shiina and Katsuyuki Sumisawa revealed on May 17 that the series will enter the "final battle" in the eighth volume, which ships in fall 2024. Viz has the rights "to the digital streaming, EST, and home video" of the orig...
This is a good series to check out if you like more bite with your vampire romances.― Going into Bloody Sweet, I expected to find a fluffy rom-com about a girl and the vampire she accidentally gets attached to. Instead, I found a story about a bullied high school girl whose bullies are smart enough to evade all of the checks and balances the school has put in place. When Naerim accidentally awakens ...
In our brand-new column, Lynzee Loveridge comes clean about her backlog, starting with one of the most popular anime ever. Use this space here for critical finger-wagging and exclamations of disbelief.― I have a secret. A no-good, embarrassing, shame-inducing secret. I'm the executive editor at Anime News Network but there are, in fact, anime I have not watched. Not just forgettable mid-tier season...
Chiu shares how she brought the SEA simulcast service to the forefront after founding it at 17 years old.― Over the past six years, many streaming and simulcast services have catered to otaku in Asia, offering simulcasts of seasonal anime and theatrical anime screenings. One such service is Ani-One Asia, a Hong Kong-based Medialink Group brand that offers a competitive lineup of simulcasts every se...
The benefit of being committed to such a simple setup is that the story knows exactly what it needs to do to invoke the maximum emotional response for this type of story.― I Want You To Make Me Beautiful is a simple story that does everything it sets out to do. At its heart, it's a straightforward story about moving on from the pain of a bad breakup and reinventing yourself into something better. Th...
Laid-Back Camp narrowly claims the top spot this week, but Delicious in Dungeon is having none of that and bumps it down in the cumulative. Find out where your favorites rank this week!― 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 ...
Honestly, you're getting a solid collection of character art with some disposable comic stories where you might get to enjoy some out-of-context obscure CAPCOM cameos.― As a lifelong fan of Street Fighter, it's easy to get excited about the potential of seeing my favorite fighters doing stuff in different mediums. The flip side is that Udon Entertainment's hold on the comic treatment of the characte...
The cast of the Demon Slayer stage play gave a memorable performance during the Japan Day Parade.― The Demon Slayer franchise continues to prove itself as an absolute powerhouse for fans worldwide. The hit manga by Koyoharu Gotouge has been adapted into multiple mediums, including anime, light novels, video games, and a stage play that has been running since 2020. Cast members of the stage play app...