Yuck. I hate seeing the anime look this bad. I have a lot of affection for the One Piece anime as a whole, and I'm among the people quick to defend it, but every so often there's an episode so slap-dash that it's genuinely disappointing .
It turns out that we haven't entirely left filler territory yet on our trip to Zou, as we spend about two-thirds of this episode on Bartolomeo regaling his crew with the stories of how Luffy met each member of the Straw Hat pirates. The arcs included in this clip show range from the Shanks flashback all the way through Thriller Bark (not including arcs like Skypiea, where we weren't introduced to any new crew members). Once the story reaches the point where the anime started to broadcast in widescreen, the episode simply re-uses old footage. However, anything before that gets re-animated with a glossy new coat of modern Toei paint.
The only explanation I can imagine for why this episode looks so bad is that they're currently spending their resources on better future episodes and needed an extra week of filler, but even by bottom-of-the-barrel Toei standards, there's something weirdly alarming about some of this footage. Characters are almost never on-model, the static "animation" draws a lot of attention to itself, and the overall storyboarding/direction of these classic scenes is as dull and lifeless as you could possibly get. The Zoro and Nami related content was the worst of this material.
But by far the most heartbreaking thing about this episode is how it forces you to think about how much the animation style has changed for the worse over the years. Again, I'm usually an apologist for the modern incarnation of Toei's One Piece, but I do think it's lost a bit of soul somewhere down the line. Even if this was a more expensive looking episode, something about the way the show is made on a technical level wouldn't allow those old scenes to have the same organic quality they used to have. Shiny and plastic is just kind of Toei's thing now, and I do not understand why. This has little to do with how impressive the show does or doesn't look at a given moment, since even the old stuff had it's fair share of butt-ugly animation, this is purely about what feels good to look at. And feel-good episodes are few and far between these days.
The episode wraps up with a few noteworthy story events: First, we learn about the most recent addition to the Seven Warlords: a bulky and powerful man claiming to be the biological son of Whitebeard. We don't get to see much of this person, but the next-episode preview makes it clear we'll be seeing more of him soon. Second, Luffy and friends finally arrive at the island of Zou, which turns out not to be an island at all but rather an enormous living elephant wandering the oceans and carrying an entire civilization on its back. We've seen snippets of Sanji's half of the crew exploring this unique location, so now we'll be getting to see it in much more explicit detail.
Ignoring the poor quality of the episode itself, I do love the concept of Zou. Ever since the crew entered the Grand Line, every location has had some kind of crazy fantasy hook, and an entire kingdom that exists on the back of an elephant (who may or may not have ties to the dark history of the One Piece world) fits perfectly snug into that pattern. I look forward to the Straw Hats' adventures in this crazy new location, and I'm crossing my fingers about feeling better about the production starting next week.
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...
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...
Series previously inspired 52-episode anime in 1993― This year's 24th issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine revealed on Wednesday that Gosho Aoyama's Yaiba manga will be getting a new anime adaptation. Aoyama is supervising. The series follows the titular Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai boy inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, the real-life swordsman who pioneered the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū sty...
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...
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Kazuki Ura as Shiki Ichinose, the protagonist who inherits the blood of an Oni. Sh...
Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations, from the Yuri on Ice movie to the second half of Stars Align.― Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations from the second half of Stars Align to the 2007 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood movie. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views...
Welcome to the rankings for the Spring 2024 season! The perfect place to check out which hidden gems might have flown under your radar.― 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 ...
Producer Masakazu Kubo shares the animation team's dedication to realism, including bringing in a pro golfer to produce the anime's sound effects.― 64-year-old Masakazu Kubo has been planning and producing anime for decades. He's had a major hand in everything from Pokémon and Detective Conan to Teasing Master Takagi-san and Dorohedoro. Recently, he sat down with us to talk about Tonbo!, his attemp...