The duality of Wano, am I right folks? Continuing on last week's theme of “Oh my Usopp there is so much Wano,” we have a lot more arc to get through this week. Much of the runtime is rather uneventful. We get a discussion over what is to be done with Momonosuke, Kaido complaining in his room, and Law toting the Akazaya samurai to Onigashima. Not a lot going on even if it does continue to get certain important players into their appropriate positions on the stage, as it were.
At least this episode manages to be a great deal funnier in the process. Law and the Heart Pirates are always a hoot when they are together - in truth, anyway who isn't as glum as Law is hilarious when he's around. Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi being goofballs warms my heart every time. We also get a few good bits with the Akazaya Nine and Marco, the surprise comedy pairing of the season. Beyond the text, I also got a good laugh out of Kaido coming to the party super late - very much in the vein of a teenager coming downstairs and their parents going “Well look who finally decided to leave their room.”
The big hit though is the Yamato reveal. Even if it's only a short portion of the runtime, Yamato's revelation about discovering Oden's journal and idolizing him is really spectacular. I think it is a testament to Eiichiro Oda's incredible abilities that even after over twenty years of telling the same story, he finds ways to create new and compelling characters. The central tension of Yamato idolizing Oden, the ultimate foe of Kaido - it's just brilliant stuff, a dramatic capstone to an arc heavy with broader setting implications. Wano is long and at times it can be a slog due to the sheer breadth of it, but when the payoffs are there they're really there.
Also Robin talking like a mustache-twirling villain, whew Lordy I believe I'm catchin the vapors...
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...
The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well.― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
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 ...
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...