Sometimes when you know specific details about stuff that's supposed to be a surprise for later, it can be hard to tiptoe around. That's been the case for a couple of things that get confirmation here in this episode, most notably the name of Big Mom's Devil Fruit: the Soul-Soul Fruit, a.k.a. a more than fitting power for an Emperor level enemy. I think of it as a beefed up version of Gecko Moria's shadow fruit, where she uses the power to remove pieces of people's personalities and put them into inanimate objects or animals, which she calls her "Homies" (I think it's short for homunculi). The fact that she can put souls into animals and not people is kind of a creepy detail. Do animals not already have souls? Does Chopper have a soul?
It also raises the question as to what Brook's role in this arc is, since his Devil Fruit seems to give him dominion over his own soul, but not others. Whose power beats whose in that rock-paper-scissors match? This revelation comes thanks to the large man in the ground who Luffy keeps running into in the Seducing Woods, shortly before we learn that this whole time he's been a former husband of Big Mom's.
This episode spends the entirety of its time in the Seducing Woods, the most tiresome part of the arc so far, but this is just as that subplot starts to get really interesting. There's a lot of on the ground action with Big Mom's daughter Brulee, a woman with mirror powers who has no problem fending off Carrot, and the episode ends with Big Mom's son Cracker arriving on the scene. Cracker is especially dangerous as one of the "Sweet Three", and we'll get to see exactly how enormous this person's physicality and stature within the family are soon enough.
As far as I can tell, we're pretty much back to one-chapter-per-episode in terms of pacing, which at this point feels like a victory. In manga form where you can breeze through the Seducing Woods easily in one go it's fine, but in the anime the hijinks have to get drawn out so much the story loses a lot of steam easily. The humor with Luffy and the fake Straw Hat animals has been really tight in the last couple of episodes, but maybe not so much so that it makes up for the repetition leading up to now. I did get a great laugh out of Luffy mistaking the real Nami for a fake, though.
One Piece continues to trod through the Whole Cake Island arc, alternating between using its slow pacing elegantly and otherwise. I look forward to seeing some proper drama and action now that Charlotte Cracker has arrived, and I've enjoyed the myriad of plot details we've been getting as of late, but it needs to pick up the slack soon lest this part of the arc be more exhausting than fun. Not enough of the Seducing Woods has been outright bad enough to criticize, but even my iron-clad patience can only handle so much, especially when there are so many bigger picture ideas being teased elsewhere.
When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad.― When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad. That's assuming, of course, that you weren't prepared for it going in. The fate of Astrea Familia is well-known to readers and viewers (and players) of the various Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon iterations, and the most recent season of ...
The documentary was full of cool tidbits about the 82-year-old producer and the anime he's worked on—including Ninja Scroll, Pluto, and In This Corner of the World.― Late last month, Japanese television network NHK put out a documentary on anime producer Masao Maruyama as part of their Anime Manga Explosion series. In it, the show delves into the now 82-year-old producer's life, philosophies, and so...
Masaki Watanabe directs anime at TMS Entertainment― Shueisha announced on Monday in its first "Jump Press" video that Yuuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days manga will get a television anime series in January 2025 starring Tomokazu Sugita as Taro Sakamoto. The video also revealed the main staff. Masaki Watanabe (KADO - The Right Answer, Bartender, several Battle Spirits anime) is directing the anime at TMS En...
This is where the series earns its place in anime history, setting a precedent that other magical girl shows will follow.― It's a moment of magical girl history, right there on the screen: in episode forty-six of Fairy Princess Minky Momo's original 1982-83 television series, Momo is hit by a truck and dies. Even putting aside the question of whether or not this is Truck-kun's first victim, this is ...
Ayane Sakura, Daisuke Ono join cast as Tokyo Blade play's creative team― A Sunday live-streamed program for the second Oshi no Ko anime season debuted the first main promotional video, a new main visual, and new character visuals for the season. The program and the video both revealed two more cast members, the opening theme song, and the July 3 premiere for the season. Sunday's program also announc...
Teaser video streamed― Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on Saturday that the Ghost in the Shell franchise is getting a new television anime series in 2026. Science Saru will produce the anime, which is tentatively titled Kōkaku Kidōtai (The Ghost in the Shell). Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, Science Saru, and Production I.G are on the production committee for the series. Bandai Namco Filmworks al...
This is a movie I never want to watch again. However, this is not because it's bad. Rather, it's a testament to just how incredible this film is.― Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction Part 2 is a film I never want to watch again. However, this is not because it's bad. Rather, it's a testament to just how incredible this film is. The film is full of well-developed and memorable characters—especiall...
Company acquires studio behind Lu over the wall, Inu-Oh, Scott Pilgrim anime, Tatami Time Machine Blues― The entertainment company Toho announced on Thursday that its board of directors has decided to acquire all shares of the anime studio Science Saru, effective on June 19. Toho will then make Science Saru its consolidated subsidiary from the second quarter (June-August) of the fiscal year ending i...
Chillin' in Another World pulls off a major dramatic spike and goes from trawling the bottom to #2 this week! See how all your favorites fared in our weekly user rankings.― 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 ran...
If you're a Haikyu!! fanatic, or if you can overcome this background knowledge hurdle, you're in for a pretty good time and some of the best editing to come from an anime in recent memory.― To begin, I should note that this film is a continuation of the Haikyu!! anime and a canon adaptation of the manga. As such, if you're not caught up on the anime or at least generally aware of the franchise and i...
The touchstone visual novel Kanon is coming to Steam! Plus, Gundam in Call of Duty, Nintendo's latest studio buy, and more!― Welcome back, folks! Last weekend, I had a sudden pang of nostalgia, and I started missing Avalon Code. Avalon Code was one of the many offbeat RPGs released on the Nintendo DS, this one by Matrix Software (and released in the US by Xseed). It had a fun concept: the world is g...
We sat down with game creator Suda51 ahead of his MomoCon appearance to talk about his new game Hotel Barcelona, his current must-watch TV shows, and more.― The renowned Suda51 has been responsible for countless cult-favorite video games. From the psychedelia of Killer7 to the hells of Shadows of the Damned, from the sunny streets of Santa Destroy in No More Heroes to the blood-soaked setting of the...
Nestled in a Japanese neighborhood is the Tokiwaso Manga Museum, a detailed replica of the sharehouse that Osamu Tezuka, Shōtarō Ishinomori, and more manga artists called home.― In the midst of the modern Toshima ward in Tokyo, there's a two-story, multi-flat building with an appearance straight out of the 1950s. It sits behind a wrought-iron gate, flanked by children's play equipment. The outer fa...