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.
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...