There's a specific plot thread in this arc that thankfully gets brought back up this week, because otherwise it would easily get swallowed up in all the chaos. One of Big Mom's passions is treasure chests, because she loves opening them and discovering what rare artifacts are inside. It's a tradition for her guests to give these chests to her as gifts during tea parties while trying to outdo each other in extravagance. It sounds pretty in-character to learn that even when it's her children getting married, Mom's the one raking in all the presents.
But Big Mom has been holding on to a very special treasure chest for a while: The TAMATE BOX. This has been a leftover thread since the end of Fishman Island, when the royal family gifted the Straw Hats all their treasure to thank them, and then Luffy gave that treasure to the Big Mom pirates to calm them down enough to not destroy the island for being unable to afford tribute. The TAMATE BOX was among that treasure, described as an important chest with a lot of history, passed down for generations. In the context of the Fishman Island arc, we learned that it originally housed the energy steroids that Hody Jones and his crew stole, and that the royal family rigged the chest with a bomb in order to catch future thieves. The family failed to warn the Straw Hats of this before they handed it over to Big Mom, and the implication has always been that one day Big Mom would open this "gift" and interpret it as a malicious attack from Luffy. Hundreds of episodes later, Mom still has that chest, and she's looking forward to opening it on this special day.
This ends up being one of the more interesting details in an otherwise calorie-free episode. We've spent the first half of this arc establishing Big Mom's monstrousness, and between the TAMATE BOX, the Mother Carmel picture that the crew is looking to smash, and the wedding cake that Mom has been looking forward to so much, we have at least three ways in which we could piss her off. Speaking of the Mother Carmel picture, there's also a scene in this episode where a random guest asks her a simple question about it, but gets a violent "Don't pry into my memories!" response in return, implying that it's a touchy subject.
Compared to all its build-up, there's something I found off about this episode. I was hoping to coast a little longer on the recent pretty visuals, but this plays out more like an empty buffer holding us over between the more interesting story beats. Visually this episode is mostly flat, with a lot of charmless waist-high medium shots making up the compositions. The core is in the scenes between Sanji and Pudding as they wait for their wedding to officially begin, and Sanji being hopelessly won over by his bride as she continues to play innocent. There's a growing concern over whether Sanji can keep himself together for the assassination plan, since the fantasy "good" version of Pudding is winning him back over while she inner-monologues about his coming death.
Hopefully this is the last episode of pre-wedding setup, since Sanji and Pudding are in the process of walking down the aisle. (If by "walking" you mean getting flown in on a giant piece of candy.) We've dedicated a lot of time to preparing for Capone's assassination plot, some of which we've seen in action and some of which is still a secret to the audience. The pieces are all in place, and it's time to see where they fall, considering how many ways this day can go wrong for every party involved. Let's get these kids hitched and get this mom assassinated, shall we?
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...