Oh, yikes. It appears as though every episode of this Reverie is going be at least half flashback, while the main story barely inches forward. This doesn't give me much to talk about each week, so how about we mix it up and I'll put aside a little section for a mini-review of the material being recapped in any given episode? It's mostly going to be stuff I haven't covered before in these weekly reviews, so it might be fun to flex my nostalgia muscles when I can.
Ace/Sabo/Luffy flashback: I remember this flashback coming along in the manga shortly after I first caught up week-to-week. It's weird to think that One Piece even got away with something like this, introducing Luffy's secret older brother who's been here this whole time, we swear—no, he's not here to replace the hot older brother character who just died, what gave you that idea? It helps that this flashback is a rock solid down-to-earth drama about class and poverty that's long enough to make you feel like you know these characters before inevitable tragedy strikes. This is an example of One Piece flashbacks feeling less like backstories propping up a larger narrative and more like Eiichiro Oda taking a chance to branch off and write out his Oscar-bait screenplay ideas (and being weirdly good at it). All this sentimental brotherly love would go on to be an aspect of the series that I think fan enthusiasm heightened beyond its initial importance, but I'd be damned if Sabo's eventual return as an adult wasn't one of the most exhilarating shared community experiences in the whole franchise.
Thankfully, this particular clip show is a touch more relevant than most of the recent recaps, since it helps remind the audience about this King Stelly guy. Stelly was the fugly kid that Sabo's biological parents adopted and raised to take over the Goa Kingdom in his place. Before Whole Cake Island began, we got to see the back of his head as he was preparing to enter the Reverie, and I liked to theorize that he was going to turn out comically handsome to contrast his ugly child self. But no, Stelly's final form still looks like a doofus, and he's here to represent the general idea of snobby ineffectual rulers who desire selfish power over serving the people. As a king among kings, he seems especially out of his depth, and he's poised to make everything worse for everybody in the near future.
While royalty is being shuffled around the government holy land of Mariejois, the Revolutionaries are making their move behind the scenes to crash the party. This is the first time we get any kind of specific mission statement from the Revolutionaries, where Koala explains that it's not the World Government itself they want to dismantle, but the Celestial Dragons who sit at the top and pull the strings. The World Government and the Navy have always featured the broadest spectrum of moral respectability in this series. There's clearly corruption and evil at the heart of the system, but there are also good people working within it and getting chewed up in the process. The Revolutionaries' vision for the future still features a government of some kind, so they aren't agents of chaos like the pirates.
Six episodes into the Reverie, we've covered three chapters of manga material. I don't see this pattern of excessive flashbacks reining it in anytime soon, either. The world-building and intrigue of this arc is about to get really juicy, but the anime isn't given the opportunity to relay all of its info-dumping with the density I think it deserves. We're getting about five minutes of story every week, and even if you can survive the onslaught of recap, the main plot is forced to start and stop at every inch, which is a criticism you could make even at the show's usual pace, but it's so much worse right now. I'd honestly prefer several months of anime-original filler material over this awkward half-step.
With the release of Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction, Nick and Steve take a look at it and some other manga that were thought to be "unadaptable"—and see if that was truly the case.― With the release of Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, Nick and Steve take a look at it and some other manga that were thought to be "unadaptable"—and see if that was truly the case. Disclaimer: The views and...
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 ...
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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...
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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...
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