Between Dressrosa and Zou, there was a really abysmal clip show that reanimated segments from hundreds of episodes ago. Now that we're transitioning arcs once again, it seems as though this might become a more regular occurrence; the vast majority of this episode is a remake of the Alabasta arc. It's nowhere near as bad-looking, and there's important story content accompanying it, but it's definitely another blow to the recent snail's pace that I'm desperate to get out of.
Vivi and the rest of the Alabasta crew are off to Mariejois, the capital of the World Government. The upcoming "Reverie", a meeting of the various royal leaders of the world that's held every four years, has been given tremendous significance in the story, trailing back long before the timeskip. The stated intent of this meeting is to have discussions about the betterment of the world, but the narrator sums it up succinctly: "Since they are all judicious and sly leaders of nations, things never go smoothly." The politicians are not a far cry from the pirates.
One Piece has done a tremendous job creating a political landscape of its own, where everything is connected and corruption is not easily dealt with. The implication is that massive change-ups will be set in motion, both good and bad. The Straw Hats will have several friends there, the kingdoms of Alabasta, Dressrosa, and Fishman Island, the latter having the most at stake since they seek to repair race relations between Fishmen and humans. Also present is Navy Admiral Fujitora, who's still fairly new to the government system but seems strong and wise enough that his goal of abolishing the Seven Warlord system doesn't seem impossible, albeit likely with some trouble.
Fans have spent a long time speculating whether or not the inevitable Reverie would involve the Straw Hats themselves being present, but considering the current events, that seems unlikely. I'm sure we'll see much of the Reverie itself, but it will have to exist as a side story that Luffy isn't directly involved in. At the same time, Luffy's friends like Vivi and Shirahoshi seem like appropriate point-of-view characters in his absence. I'm placing my bets on the Reverie happening in the transition between the Whole Cake Island and Wano arcs.
So most of this episode is ultimately a clip show. In theory, it should be nice to see old scenes tidied up with new animation, but more often than not, it's depressing to see the organic feel of the old episodes interpreted with a flat, plastic look. I don't think the newer animation of the series' style is inherently bad, but I think getting the most out of it requires more time and care than Toei often has. It just feels different, and for the worse.
This episode is a million times better than the last re-animated clip show, so at least it's got that going for it. The hints of the upcoming Reverie are exciting, and there's enough story content in here to make it worth watching. The episode also ends with Carrot's surprise appearance on the Thousand Sunny as Luffy and crew are on their way to Whole Cake Island, so that's one more person for the Sanji Rescue Team. All in all, it's a fine episode.
Train to the End of the World and Voice Actor Radio are getting a lot of love these last few weeks! Discover which other series stand out in 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...
Crystal Kay previously sang themes for 2004's Fullmetal Alchemist and Nodame Cantabile― Recently, Anime News Network was able to sit down with singer-songwriter Crystal Kay and talk about not only her involvement with anime over the years but also what it was like to grow up in Japan as the child of a Korean-Japanese mother and an African-American father. Anime fans likely know of Crystal Kay throug...
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Anime premieres in 2024― Adult Swim's YouTube channel began streaming a first look video for the Rick and Morty: The Anime series on Saturday. The show will premiere on Adult Swim and Max in 2024, and will also run on Adult Swim Canada. The anime will be an original work, with adapted themes and events from the main Rick and Morty animated series. Takashi Sano (Tower of God) is writing and directing...
As Slam Dunk reached its final stretch, I can see why this series is considered the sports classic that it is today.― This is the largest batch of Slam Dunk episodes that I've reviewed thus far. Originally, I wanted to review the show in more even seasons, but given its overall pacing and release, it wasn't easy to find a moment where it felt right to stop and start again. However, as we approached ...
James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY.― Yatagarasu Gets Violent! James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu, in which Wakamiya plays his hand to find out the truth behind his older brother's scheming to obtain the throne. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY; Hunter x Hunter manga is on its ...
Making a sequel to Code Geass is a daunting task. But with its fantastic main character and a story that doesn't undercut what came before, Rozé of the Recapture is on the right track.― Making a sequel to Code Geass—especially one set close to the end of the series—is a daunting task. Any story that involves an ongoing war massively undercuts both the finale of the original anime and the sacrifices ...
The Switch sequel console is finally happening! The details are scarce, but you can find out more in this week's column. Also: an interview with El Shaddai's Sawaki Takeyasu, Microsoft layoffs, and more.― Welcome back, folks! What a wild week this has been for the gaming industry. We'll go further into it, but jeez. This past week also saw the disappearance of Capcom's Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. ...
The Code Geass creator discusses his new project with Web3 company Azuki, Enter the Garden, and his hope that this new path could help the medium evolve.― Los Angeles-based Web3 anime-styled brand Azuki and advertising conglomerate Dentsu debuted the first nine-minute episode of their joint anime endeavor, Enter the Garden, on April 30. The episode, which has already racked up a quarter of a million...