Another heaping helping of “your mileage may vary” with Wano arc. As much as I personally would have liked to see more of the Robin and Black Maria fight, this week's entry instead shifts its focus toward boss Hyogoro. As such, how you feel about episode 1022 will likely depend on how invested you are in his character.
I like Hyogoro, so the overall experience is a net positive for me. Both familiar and unique, Hyogoro is in some ways similar to Rayleigh, an older mentor figure who helps Luffy unlock Haki/Ryou and achieve the next phase of his advancement. Unlike Rayleigh, however, Hyogoro is much more of a local legend than a world-famous pirate, and there's a greater sense of pathos surrounding him. Rayleigh is older, yes, but he seems to mostly have simply aged out of the game and moved on after Roger's passing. While that's still sad, he seems like a more jovial character overall, and provides a tangible link to the bygone era that is more reaffirming for Luffy.
Hyogoro has been a more tragic figure from the start. His long-term imprisonment, coupled with the horrible events that befell him in the takeover of Wano by Kaido and Orochi, have given him a more somber tone. There's an underlying sense of desperation with him that has made even Luffy's growth under his tutelage quite bittersweet. 1022 gives us a proper ending so to speak, a finality to his story as he faces down the disease that he can't seem to defeat. Chopper is working as hard as he can, but even victory may come at a great cost. Wano cannot shake off the shackles of tyranny unscathed – and Hyogoro knows that.
If you're not invested in Hygoro though (and who can blame you, he is one of dozens of side characters in this arc alone), this all may ring a bit hollow.
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...