Whether or not you enjoy the chaos of Wano week to week really depends on how much you enjoy the characters who are in the spotlight in each given scene. Given the sheer breadth of the cast, locations, and motivations coalescing in this grand battle, it can be a real crapshoot as to who you'll see on the center stage and whether you'll enjoy it. This week was a good one for myself at least, as it (mostly) highlighted characters I am deeply invested in.
The Big Mom and Marco fight was a bit mixed for me. No offense to the pineapple phoenix lovers out there, but he doesn't do much for me as a character, despite generally being the center of attention whenever he's on-screen. Big Mom is great though, so I'm a big fan of her knocking him around and generally being indestructible. Perospero is similarly kind of meh for me outside of his ridiculous design, but Carrot and Wando going sicko mode (sulong variant) is great. The x-slash across the face was gorgeous, and the Pedro flashback was great for highlighting that even the “minor” grudges at play are a big deal for the cast.
Nami and Usopp also get a brief moment to wrap up their scene with Page One and Ulti. I love Usopp and Nami of course—their goofy sibling antics and Usopp's cartoonish sneaking are terrific—though I find myself waffling on Page One and Ulti. On the one hand, they have really distinctive designs and turn into dinosaurs which is rad. On the other hand, the sibling rivalry and “Ulti whines a lot” shtick wore out its welcome with me fast. Hearing Ulti yell PAY PAY feels like we're just killing time at this point.
Surprising no one, the real treat for me was Yamato and Franky. Yamato has got to be one of the most memorable recent additions to the One Piece cast to my mind, and any Franky time is a good time. Yamato going all fanboy about Franky appearing and then one-shotting a giant on the way out was big Dudes Rock energy. And of course, every action was animated to the nines and punctuated with stellar emotional stakes with the Oden flashbacks. Momo has been mostly miss rater than hit for me, but seeing him managing to shed his fear over his father's death and learn to be inspired by it instead—all via Yamato and Luffy being shining examples to him—has been great character growth.
Laid-Back Camp narrowly claims the top spot this week, but Delicious in Dungeon is having none of that and bumps it down in the cumulative. Find out where your favorites rank this week!― 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 ...
Goodbye, Lara follows reborn mermaid, Ninja Skooler features ninja school― Kinema Citrus announced at its panel during this year's Anime Central event on Saturday that it is producing two new anime titled Goodbye, Lara (Sayonara Lara) and Ninja Skooler. Takushi Koide is directing the Goodbye, Lara anime with character designs by Shiori Tani. The anime is based on a concept by Kinema Citrus, and it t...
2019-20 anime was itself a follow-up to first 2013-16 Ace of Diamond anime― Production on a sequel to the 2019-2020 television anime of Yūji Terajima's Ace of Diamond Act II (Daiya no A Act II) manga has been green-lit. Terajima drew an illustration to commemorate the news: Terajima's original Ace of Diamond baseball manga inspired a television anime that premiered in 2013, and Crunchyroll streamed ...
Honestly, you're getting a solid collection of character art with some disposable comic stories where you might get to enjoy some out-of-context obscure CAPCOM cameos.― As a lifelong fan of Street Fighter, it's easy to get excited about the potential of seeing my favorite fighters doing stuff in different mediums. The flip side is that Udon Entertainment's hold on the comic treatment of the characte...
The cast of the Demon Slayer stage play gave a memorable performance during the Japan Day Parade.― The Demon Slayer franchise continues to prove itself as an absolute powerhouse for fans worldwide. The hit manga by Koyoharu Gotouge has been adapted into multiple mediums, including anime, light novels, video games, and a stage play that has been running since 2020. Cast members of the stage play app...
Natalie Van Sistine plays Star and Stripe in dub on Saturday― Crunchyroll announced on Friday that it will premiere the English dub for the seventh season of the My Hero Academia anime on May 18. New cast members include: Natalie Van Sistine as Star and Stripe Kyle Hebert as Agpar William Ofoegbu as Ethan Aiden Call as Biggs Sean Letourneau as Wedge Additional voices include Tyson Rinehart and Wyat...
2-hour programming block airs on Fridays starting on May 31― Adult Swim's Toonami programming block announced on Friday that it is creating a new block called Toonami Rewind that is dedicated to running anime, or versions of the series, that aired on the original Toonami prior to its 2012 revival. Toonami Rewind will air on Fridays starting on May 31 at 5:00 p.m. EDT, and it will feature Sailor Moo...
Pokémon Horizons continues to display some of the best the franchise offers with great character work, creative setpieces, surprisingly strong direction, and a focus on a plot that continues to feel engaging.― Pokémon Horizons felt like a breath of fresh air as a new mainline Pokémon series. With a more timid and empathic main character and a stronger emphasis on the adventuring aspect of being a Po...
Sony and Square-Enix are both reorganizing, from new CEOs to staff cutbacks. Also, sad news about Penny Blood, more Cotton, and the latest video game news!― Welcome back, folks! You know, it's always nice to discover old stuff from a franchise you love that you didn't know existed. For example, I didn't know that the old Captain N: The Game Master cartoon had an episode that featured the world of Dr...
Ahead of the romance anime's second season, director Takehiro Kubota discusses the choices, the challenges, and balancing the story between the everyday and the supernatural.― My Happy Marriage began its life as a series of novels written by Akumi Agitogi, and it has since been adapted both as manga and, as of July 2023, an anime series simulcast by Netflix. Agitogi's tale, set in a nebulous time t...
Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf.― Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.S...
You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable.― You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable. You and I Are Polar Opposites is based on the tried-and-true formula of a thousand romantic comedies: Suzuki is a popular girl, and Tani is the class nerd. She's bright and perky,...
James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film!― Could There Be More Evangelion on the Horizon? James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film! Plus, we catch up with Kafka and the Ka...
Grant Jones dives into the wild world of giant monsters and how Kaiju No. 8 builds on their legacy.― Kaiju No. 8 is a series that wears its influences on its sleeves. As the first word in its title suggests, it comes from a long line of works in the kaiju genre, using giant monsters and burning skylines as a backdrop to tell stories. While many likely know kaiju in a passing sense, it may help to h...
This steamy manga's appeal is going to depend on how much you can stomach a female protagonist who kicks off the romance by assaulting her former fiance.― This is a tricky one. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way with You is, to all appearances, a story that opens with a sexual assault. Agnès has been betrothed to Crown Prince Lucilleur since childhood, and she's been in love with him just as...