I have a pretty intimate attachment to this second half of Whole Cake Island, so I've always had the usual concerns for how the anime was going to adapt it. For whatever pacing issues still linger—for the record I still think the more tension-focused action fares much better with all the dramatic slow-motion than the plot-heavy first half—they are animating the hell out of the Katakuri fight, with many show-stopping scenes still on the horizon. Emotions are running crazy high now that Katakuri has a personal stake in the fight and Luffy is at least somewhat able to keep up with him in Fourth Gear.
The hits are getting so strong that the two fighters are sending each other flying hundreds of yards with each blow, and we're witness to some dreamlike tunnel vision as the environment warps around them to emphasize their speed. The fight is getting so exciting now, but by the end of the episode the status quo is restored with Katakuri recollecting himself and turning his pseudo-invincibility back on. It's an exhausting hit of the reset button that wouldn't be so bad if it were much earlier in the fight, but there isn't much you can do but sit back and wait for the next interesting story event to happen. I do like how it serves the power play of the fight, though, where as long as Katakuri can keep his cool and use his Observation Haki, he's the one in control of the fight. (I also like his new Bayonetta mochi arms.)
Elsewhere, we finally get an update on the cake baking subplot, where Chiffon's dad is knocking on the Sweets Factory, hoping to see his daughter for the first time since she was born, but he's coming face-to-face with Charlotte Oven, one of Katakuri's triplets. Oven's arrival on Cacao Island is where you really feel the wrinkles in the plotting of the Big Mom chase. He's there to offer some tension, a powerful foe just outside of the factory where Sanji and Pudding are making the cake. The Big Mom family have overheard the Straw Hats' plan to reunite with Luffy on this island, and so they're gathering reinforcements to make things even more difficult on the off-chance that Luffy wins his fight, but this new tension is coming at the same time we're being reminded that the Straw Hats' plan still has nine hours to go. You've got heroes and villains who want the same thing (a non-rampaging Big Mom) but can't work together because of Reasons™, and the points of tension keep coming at the most awkward times.
Now would be as good a time as ever for the audience to be asking themselves what they think is going to happen. The show is pushing this big gathering on Cacao Island including the whole Straw Hat crew, Luffy, Oven and his reinforcements, and then finally Big Mom herself. What's actually going to happen when Big Mom eats that cake? Will she be satisfied and let the Straw Hats go? Will she be just as antagonistic when she's sober? Maybe the cake will straight up knock her unconscious, like what Sanji bragged was going to happen? There's a really engaging puzzle box brewing in this chase, where the audience is being lured into trying to figure out the trajectory ahead of time. Mom's never rampaged this long so this is uncharted territory, even for her children.
The One Piece anime delivers another bombastic fight episode this week, digging its heels in the ground with a great production. I really like where things are going, but the rhythm at which it takes steps forward and then steps back can get cumbersome, which is an issue for how complicated the plot is and how desperately it needs to keep its story straight in order to be as impactful as possible. As has been the One Piece way for ages, the series keeps telegraphing how long-winded it is, almost like it's bragging, and I think episodes like this suffer the most from it.
60th, final episode of previous anime streamed on YouTube on Friday― The official Twitter account for the anime of Penguin Box's Odekake Kozame (Little Shark's Outings) manga announced on Friday that the manga will get a new anime series. Update: The staff revealed a visual for the new series in a press release on Saturday. The previous anime series debuted on YouTube last August, and its 60th and f...
Recently ended manga follows middle school student living with mysterious bird-looking creature― Shogakukan announced on Friday that Akira Konno's Kujima Utaeba Ie Hororo manga is inspiring an anime. The "bird(?) home comedy" manga's story starts when first-year middle school student Arata Kōda meets a mysterious bird-looking creature named Kujima in autumn. Hungry and craving Japanese food, Kujima ...
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 ...
2nd part opens in Japanese theaters on June 7― The staff for the four-part Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture (originally titled Gode Geass: Z of the Recapture, or Dakkan no Zetto) anime project revealed a trailer and a visual on Saturday for the second part in the project. The below video previews MIYAVI's opening theme song "Running In My Head." The anime's first part premiered in Japan on Friday. ...
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...
If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.”― If I were to sum up Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! in a single word, that word would be “cute.” Shiki and Fuyuki's interactions are a mixture of playful (and sometimes sexual) teasing and heartfelt feelings as the two come to value each other. They have real chemistry—and that drives the anime stra...
Final volume ships in fall― The 25th compiled book volume of Yuki Sato's Tomodachi Game (Friends Games) manga revealed on Thursday that the series will end with the 26th volume's release in fall. The story, based on Mikoto Yamaguchi's original concept, centers on Yūichi Katagiri, a young man with a perfect student life who has four friends with difficult lives. His peaceful daily life comes to an e...
Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it.― Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed...
Based on the novel by former Nogizaka46 member Kazumi Takayama, trapezium asks its audience to follow one girl who will use anything, and anyone, to achieve her dream.― Trapezium is a strange movie, to say the least. On the surface, it's a rather simple movie that explores youth, their dreams, and the lengths they'll go to achieve those dreams. It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in the veneer of the...
ZeroReq011 remembers what made Spice and Wolf a story for the ages, from its fully realized world and economics to Holo and Lawrence's romantic chemistry.― Back when Funimation was still its own company and not owned by Sony, long before its in-house streaming service was terminated in favor of Crunchyroll's streaming platform, it owned a TV channel. Legal streaming had yet to dominate the Western a...