As of right now, the Luffy vs. Katakuri fight seems really at war with itself, since it's so long and slow without a ton of variation in the material, but even when it gets repetitive, the action manages to be interesting and engaging. The fighters have cool powers, and there's a much greater emphasis on the actual choreography than we often see in One Piece. Right now Luffy's greatest challenge is out-speeding Katakuri's Observation Haki. Since his opponent can predict his moves, he has to exhaust twice as much stamina to dodge. It doesn't help that now we're learning Katakuri has "awakened" Devil Fruit powers like Doflamingo, meaning he can turn the physical world around him into mochi as well.
Once again, there's not a ton of story movement as much as now would be the time for things to get going. I think the scene I actually appreciated the most this week was with the side characters chit-chatting on the shoreline of Whole Cake Island. Charlotte Montd'or and the Artist Formally Known as Baron Tamago (now "Count Niwatori") talk about the Straw Hats' chances at victory. An element that really gets lost when you're watching this show week-to-week is that enormous sense of gutsiness and achievment. Niwatori is looking back at recent events and remarks that Luffy's crew has already accomplished more than any other rookies could dream of, between breaking into the Emperor's lair, knocking her castle down, and (mostly) surviving all the way to this point. Montd'or doesn't wanna hear it, but the reminder is in the audience's head.
The biggest change this week actually comes with the Germa 66 fight, which finally concludes this week. It's funny, in the manga this whole fight was off screen until the very end where we see them chilling on a mountain pirate corpses. I didn't mind some of this filler but it really undermined itself by showing us the same batch of match-ups over the past several months, so the ending feels so much more extreme by comparison. Each Vinsmoke kid took several episodes to defeat their given opponents, and now they've suddenly taken out hundreds of people.
The episode ends with the Vinsmokes calling in and tricking the rest of the Big Mom pirates into thinking they were victorious on the Germa side of the fight, and now they're planning to make their next move. They're still in that quasi-ally state with the Straw Hats, so who knows what sort of help they might lend, if they're even in the helping mood at all after all this.
So we're two-for-two on Luffy vs. Katakuri fight episodes where not a ton happens, and we've had little of the other Straw Hats present to balance it out. There are parts of this fight that are definitely a long-winded grind, and if the show had the luxury of trimming it down, I think it'd improve the experience a lot. That said, the fight has yet to get boring per se, and it helps that the animation hasn't bottomed out, but we're in desperate need to get some of that oomph back soon. It's an acceptable episode, but I'm hungry for a lot more substance at the moment.
I can't recommend the series, nor think that any hypothetical viewer would enjoy it, but it is the kind of trash TV that's rewarding to dissect.― Have you ever wondered what Baki would be like if it had a conservative bent instead of queer undertones? Well, look no further because the answer is Kengan Ashura! While Kengan is trying to convey the same spectacle and white-knuckle action of the long-ru...
Film also available to rent, purchase digitally on several major outlets in N. America― The official X/Twitter account for TOHO's Godzilla franchise announced on Saturday that Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One film is streaming worldwide on Netflix. The film is available worldwide, but is currently not available in Japan. Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, the black-and-white version of the film, w...
One Piece: Heroines novel also licensed― Viz Media revealed its new licenses and new print releases planned for spring 2025 on Friday. Kazuyoshi Seto's Minecraft: The Manga: Announcement: Add this book to your enchantment room! Join Nico on his chance to escape the blocky confines of his home and prove how strong he's become when zombies attack! Minecraft: The Manga, by Kazuyoshi Seto, releases Spri...
Series starring Miku Martineau, Ayo Solanke, more starts production in Toronto― The Hollywood Reporter entertainment news site reported on Thursday that showrunner Simon Barry (Warrior Nun creator) and Boat Rocker Media are producing a live-action series for Netflix titled BET that "is based in part" on writer Homura Kawamoto and artist Tōru Naomura's Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler manga. The show h...
Jean-Karlo attempts to condense two big video game showcases into a coherent column, from the revamped Silent Hill 2 to the grazing pastures of Story of Seasons.― Welcome back, folks. This is related to a big story for this week, but this past weekend, I listened to Utada Hikaru's re-recording of "Simple And Clean". It's very emotional. Utada Hikaru is a good twenty-plus years older than when she or...
In the Eisner-nominated work, Maki Fujiwara chronicles her daily life with her husband, lionized mangaka Yoshiharu Tsuge. Though deceptively simple at first glance, a foundation of abuse is slowly revealed.― At first blush, Maki Fujiwara's My Picture Diary does what it says on the tin. It tells the story of her daily life as a housewife and mother, spending time with her daily activities, noting the...
Now streaming on Netflix, Tomotaka Shibayama's first feature animation mixes the magical with reality to share a simple but important message.―
Director Tomotaka Shibayama's latest film, My Oni Girl, is an action-adventure drama with elements of a buddy comedy and a relatable coming-of-age story. The film, produced by Studio Colorido, was released in theaters in Japan and on Netflix on May 24, foll...
Miyano, Nukumi play original characters for August 2 film― The official website for My Hero Academia the Movie: You're Next (My Hero Academia: You're Next), the fourth anime film in the My Hero Academia franchise, announced on Friday that the film has cast Mamoru Miyano and Meru Nukumi as original characters. Mamori Miyano as Giulio Gandini, a butler who serves the Scervino family Meru Nukumi as Ann...
Kaiju No. 8 takes the top spot this week while Tonari no Yōkai-san pushes to #3 in the cmulative! Check out 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 are based on how people rated in...
Mospeada is a work very much of its time, riffing on ideas and tropes that were all the rage when it was made, and doesn't do anything exceptional with them.― It can be easy for even longtime fans to forget that alongside Macross, there were two other 80's sci-fi anime that got Frankenstein-ed into what we'd eventually call Robotech. While this isn't the first time one of those series has made it to...
Following the upcoming retro programming block Toonami Rewind, Chris and Lucas look back fondly on the afternoons spent watching Naruto and Sailor Moon.― Following the upcoming retro programming block Toonami Rewind, Chris and Lucas look back fondly on the afternoons spent watching Naruto and Sailor Moon. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the v...
Yeah, yeah, Kaiju No. 8 has all the great action scenes, but Yatagarasu is chewing up the scenery as the royal ladies absolutely lose their minds!?― Why Aren't You Watching This Anime Yet? Yeah, yeah, Kaiju No. 8 has all the great action scenes, but Yatagarasu is chewing up the scenery as the royal ladies absolutely lose their minds!? The ANN After Show streams live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitte...
Here we have a from-the-ground-up remake, but does this beloved classic still hold up in a modern sense, or is that praise just nostalgia talking?― It's nice when Nintendo surprises us with a remaster or re-release of one of their more difficult-to-obtain games. The original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the Nintendo GameCube is a classic for many. However, since the game was never re-rele...
Miles Atherton crunched Netflix's latest numbers for some surprising anime discoveries, from the popularity of My Happy Marriage to the One Piece juggernaut.― Since the advent of streaming, it's been notoriously difficult to gauge how popular a specific anime is with international audiences, both for publishers looking to make informed decisions for a market that generates most of its revenue outsi...