As astonishing as it sounds, Wano's finale has only just begun. I have been talking about it for over a year now, but the sheer scale of this arc is something to behold. Hundreds of characters, dozens of locations, countless plot threads – it's all coming together and exploding at the same time. Even when things feel like they could not get any more ridiculous, Oda finds a way to add more explosions to the top of the giant skull mountain.
Still, most of this episode's runtime was moving characters from point A to point B. This is typical of the connective tissue episodes for Wano – there are simply too many characters to keep track of without doing check-ins with them and figuring out how they're getting around. Law, Kid, Killer, Zoro, and the rest do a lot of walking and talking to remind us that they are present and on the move. The best bit in all of these scenes has to be Queen talking via transponder snails. His reactions when he is communicating with the various Beast pirates frontline units as they are being taken out one by one are hilarious, as are the tiny snails doing their overacting as troops die.
The pièce de résistance of Episode 997 has to be the full moon sulong gang facing down Kaido. While all these transforming bestial warriors facing off against an army of giants led by a dragon is a breathtaking and amazing setup in and of itself, it also speaks to the scale of what Eiichiro Oda is doing. Wano is, arguably, the post time-skip arc of One Piece. Oda has been laying the groundwork for this for literal years, at least since Kinemon's introduction at Punk Hazard (and clearly well before then in ways large and small). So many arcs, so many backstories, all coming to a head here at Wano. The world of One Piece simply will not be the same once the dust from this fight settles.
James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY.― Yatagarasu Gets Violent! James and Lynzee discuss the latest episode of Yatagarsu, in which Wakamiya plays his hand to find out the truth behind his older brother's scheming to obtain the throne. Plus, GoHands keeps making anime, and we don't know WHY; Hunter x Hunter manga is on its ...
Making a sequel to Code Geass is a daunting task. But with its fantastic main character and a story that doesn't undercut what came before, Rozé of the Recapture is on the right track.― Making a sequel to Code Geass—especially one set close to the end of the series—is a daunting task. Any story that involves an ongoing war massively undercuts both the finale of the original anime and the sacrifices ...
The Switch sequel console is finally happening! The details are scarce, but you can find out more in this week's column. Also: an interview with El Shaddai's Sawaki Takeyasu, Microsoft layoffs, and more.― Welcome back, folks! What a wild week this has been for the gaming industry. We'll go further into it, but jeez. This past week also saw the disappearance of Capcom's Dark Void and Dark Void Zero. ...
The Code Geass creator discusses his new project with Web3 company Azuki, Enter the Garden, and his hope that this new path could help the medium evolve.― Los Angeles-based Web3 anime-styled brand Azuki and advertising conglomerate Dentsu debuted the first nine-minute episode of their joint anime endeavor, Enter the Garden, on April 30. The episode, which has already racked up a quarter of a million...
Wandering Son creator's manga about girls in opera school ran from 2011 until this past March― Ohta Publishing announced on Thursday that Takako Shimura's Awajima Hyakkei manga is inspiring an anime. Ohta Publishing has not revealed any further details about the anime adaptation. The coming-of-age omnibus series follows the girls at an opera music school, with each chapter centering around different...
Special cereal box honors Goku Day― Dragon Ball Z... for breakfast?! Alright, it isn't actually that surprising since General Mills' Reese's Puffs cereal has been rocking the dragon with a limited-time collaboration with Dragon Ball Z since earlier this year. The collaboration is still ongoing, but now Reese's Puffs has reached its FINAL FORM! In honor of Goku Day (May 9 because the numbers for "5" ...
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...
Final volume ships in fall― The 25th compiled book volume of Yuki Sato's Tomodachi Game (Friends Games) manga revealed on Thursday that the series will end with the 26th volume's release in fall. The story, based on Mikoto Yamaguchi's original concept, centers on Yūichi Katagiri, a young man with a perfect student life who has four friends with difficult lives. His peaceful daily life comes to an e...
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...
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...