We get a flashback to Oden giving his wife Toki a letter before he is to go to war. She shows her resolve that she and the family will not be his weakness. Then we flash forward to the Akazaya Nine struggling in the wake of Oden's death. There is arguing over what to do regarding vengeance, but Kinemon tells them all that he will not allow them to waste their lives. Shinobu also arrives to reinforce this and give them back their blades. In no time they are racing through the woods cutting down beast pirates and trying to make it to safety. The warriors hope to exit the land and make their way to Zou.
We break away to another flashback involving Oden. This time it focuses more on his role as a father to Momonosuke and Hiyori. We see him showing Momo how to swing a sword and praise Hiyori for his shamisen playing.
Back in the present, Kaido breaks into the burning Kozuki castle. He bats aside Toki as she attempts to defend her family and takes Momo in one hand. Kaido holds Momonosuke over the edge of the castle and mocks Oden. As Momo weeps, Kaido tosses him back into the castle and leaves disinterested. Toki reveals that she actually is a time traveller from the past. She resolves to send Momonosuke 20 years forward in time and entrusts Hiyori to Kawamatsu for safety, and then dramatically faces down the beast pirates in front of the burning castle. She makes one last speech and is brutally gunned down before the eyes of the people of Wano.
Perhaps one of the most dramatic revelations in One Piece has finally arrived in the anime.
Toki being a time traveller was certainly a big “wha!?” moment for myself when reading the manga, and it's great to see it fully realized here in the anime. I for one did not see it coming, but I think even in the space in the greater narrative it represents a rather amazing power. Most of One Piece's Devil Fruit abilities have been very “present tense” so to speak - sure, someone like Whitebeard could rock the world around him to its foundation but that feels like small potatoes compared to something like time travel. Toki and Oden both have an almost mythic level of capability in a setting with no slouches in terms of the power department, and that only underscores the tragedy of their respective ends.
And what ends they are. The additional time the Toei team could spend with Oden's flashbacks and Toki's dramatic sacrifice really ups the melodrama here in a way the manga simply did not have the space for. The glossy, painful clarity of her final speech and the tearful expressions in the childrens' eyes as she sent them away - truly heart wrenching stuff. Once again, the team at Toei gets my highest regards for making every moment count and delivering as much in these slower moments as they do in the bombastic action set pieces. A wrinkly Momo or a tearful Hiyori may not make the highlight reels quite like, say, Zoro unleashing a flashy technique, but that craft and care makes a huge difference in how we feel about these characters.
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...