The Big Mom and Luffy fight continues, with Big Mom sending Luffy flying using a windup punch that would make Popeye blush. Hyogoro ends up rather worse for wear. Luffy clutches him close and Hyogoro, trembling, tells him about mastering Ryou. He reveals that he can reach a level where he is able to use the Divine Fist of the North Star Haki to make his enemies' bodies explode from within. Hyogoro drifts off and Luffy cries out in agony, just as Big Mom is driving down with a crushing overhead blow.
...then Luffy and Hyogoro both get up and scramble away.
Hyogoro exits stage left as Big Mom tears after Luffy. In the process of chasing him she keeps attacking using either her fists or a giant metal club, destroying most of the prison in the process. Luffy leaps from one area to the next, and essentially tears the prison apart from within.
Meanwhile, Queen awakens from being knocked out and devises a plan. He and the other guards place an empty red bean soup container in the center of an open space. When Big Mom sees it she goes to enjoy the soup, but *sad trombone* it's empty. That is when Queen springs his trap, launching himself into the air in his brachiosaurus form to enact another Brachio Bomber. He hits her square in the head and creates a massive crater. She is almost knocked out in the process, and regains her memories of who she is: Charlotte LinLin, Emperor of the Sea. She roars mightily then we see the To Be Continued card.
Another strong episode from the Toei team for the Wano arc. The majority of the runtime is caught up in the early sequence with Luffy and Hyogoro talking, then Luffy on the run and Big Mom smashing stuff. Even if the Ryou/Haki exposition is not the most engaging material for the runtime, the payoff of Luffy and Hyogoro leaping away from Big Mom's attack is more than worth it. Similarly the framing of Big Mom as a kaiju-like menace is an easy win for me, shaking the screen with her every tread and destroying everything in her path.
The animation and direction were on point once again. I think the tracking shot along Big Mom's arm during that first sucker punch was marvelous. Talk about selling her power in one punch. The Bracihio Bomber effects were also outrageously good, with sparking lightning and the light haze/filter over the shot to create the effect of heat coming off the high-pressure impact. I liked Queen in the manga, and the anime team has done a great job bringing him to life between the fun dance numbers, the exaggerated reaction shots, and the lavishly rendered attack animations.
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...
Anime will star Hiroshi Kamiya, Kotaro Nishiyama, Kotaro Nishiyama― Distribution company Remow announced on Tuesday that Yura Urushibara's Tougen Anki: Dark Demon of Paradise manga will get a television anime in 2025. The company revealed the trailer, key visual, and main cast for the anime. The anime's cast includes:
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 ...
The final Spring 2024 Manga Guide update includes not-yet-released series from this month, including Sword Art Online Re:Aincrad,Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology, A Sign of Affection and more.― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Manga Guide! You may have seen one of our seasonal Anime Preview Guides, where a team of critics writes up each new anime television premiere as it a...
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...