When Luffy first pulled Katakuri into the mirror world, it was done with the implication that neither of them would have an easy way back to the Sunny. Luffy was willfully facing a challenge where he'd not only have to beat Katakuri in a one-on-one fight, but he'd have to beat any other Charlotte siblings who might get in his way once it's time to find a new mirror elsewhere in Totto Land and find the way back to his crew. The hiccup is that there's more than one mirror on the Sunny, and the Big Mom family has easier access to them than he does, so using a loose shard from the original mirror like a phone, Luffy has to command his crew to destroy any extraneous exits from the outside, thus helping him double down on his crazy gamble.
After surviving Big Mom's tidal wave, the Sunny crew is momentarily in the clear. The enemy assumes that the Straw Hats are dead, and Big Mom gets distracted on her rampage and steers herself towards the delicious-looking Nuts Island. There's a significant release in tension that leaves the Thousand Sunny side of the chase a little limp, since they're basically free to sail off and hide until Sanji has the cake ready, though the shift comes with Luffy's fight becoming even more dire. He lies to his crew and tells them everything's going to be okay before their communication gets cut-off, when in reality he's getting his ass kicked by an opponent who he'll have to deal with for the ten-plus hours it takes to bake a giant cake.
So since we're going to be spending a lot of time with Charlotte Katakuri, let's get to know him, shall we? Brulee is very quick to brag about his outrageously silly backstory this week—not only has he never lost a fight, he's never once laid on his back! He came out of the womb standing up, and this obviously true legend (no need to look it up, there are no lies here) is supposed to be evidence of true nobility, coolness, and masculinity. Katakuri doesn't seem like to type to brag on his own behalf, but he is demonstrably much stronger than Luffy, so much so that it barely feels like he's trying in this fight until he gets mad at Luffy for trying to strike his siblings.
We get a brief return of the Germa 66 subplot this week, though I had forgotten they were even still in this story and not a lot has changed in their ongoing skirmish with the Big Mom pirates, but there was an interesting anime-only detail where Charlotte Bassquarte (one of the nobody Charlottes whose name you wouldn't even know if you didn't follow supplemental materials) pulls down the covering on his face to breathe fire and you get to see he's got a jagged monster mouth. It was interesting to see the anime add some flourish to the arc's motif of Charlotte children hiding a part of their true appearance, though it's a little redundant if you have even an inkling about what's going on under Katakuri's big scarf.
This is a decent episode for the Katakuri fight, but you don't reach the end feeling like a whole lot of progress is made. The biggest issue with this battle is that it gets repetitive by following the same basic beats: Luffy attacks, Katakuri dodges. Luffy attacks again, Katakuri copies his move but bigger. Rinse and repeat. This week introduces Katakuri's trident into the mix, but now is about the time we'd want to see a shift in the power dynamic between the two. Thankfully, the moment-to-moment pacing is much more exciting than last week, so as bare bones as this episode is, it still manages to be enjoyable enough.
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 ...
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...
Games were scheduled for release on Tuesday― Idea Factory International (IFI) announced on Monday that it is delaying the Nintendo Switch versions of Compile Heart's Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth game series digitally in North America and Europe indefinitely until further notice. The company did not provide a reason. The games were scheduled for digital release on Switch in the West on Tuesday. T...
Crunchyroll to stream 18-episode series with new footage― Crunchyroll announced on Monday that it will begin screening a new television series version of the two-part anime film adaptation of Inio Asano's Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction worldwide on Thursday at 11:00 p.m. EDT (which is Friday in Japan). Crunchyroll will stream the 18 episodes weekly. Episodes will feature new footage not in t...
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...
'Eikyū -Tokoshie-' debuts in episode 2 on Sunday― The staff for the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Hashira Training Arc television anime confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that HYDE×MY FIRST STORY is performing the new ending theme song "Eikyū -Tokoshie-" (Eternity -Eternity-), which premieres in the second episode on Sunday. Yuki Kajiura wrote the music and lyrics for the song, and also a...
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...
Masaaki Mizunaka, KENN, Daiki Yamashita, Maria Naganawa, more join cast― The staff for the anime of Kaoru Shinozaki's Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-level Spells (Hazure Waku no "Jōtai Ijō Skill" de Saikyō ni Natta Ore ga Subete wo Jūrin Suru made) light novel series revealed on Sunday the anime's ending theme song's title and artist, additional cast member...
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 ...
Goodbye, Lara follows reborn mermaid, Ninja Skooler features ninja school― Kinema Citrus announced at its panel during this year's Anime Central event on Saturday that it is producing two new anime titled Goodbye, Lara (Sayonara Lara) and Ninja Skooler. Takushi Koide is directing the Goodbye, Lara anime with character designs by Shiori Tani. The anime is based on a concept by Kinema Citrus, and it t...
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...