The opening portion of the episode was largely focused on Kinemon and Ashura. Kinemon admits to Ashura that he specifically caused the raids to antagonize Holdem, who would in turn attack Ashura and get him back into the revolution. Kinemon apologizes to Ashura by bowing low and admitting that he was wrong in his approach. Ashura basically lets it slide without saying as much out loud, and reminds Kinemon that he can never know what the past twenty years have really been like. However, he does have something to show Kinemon, but the episode cuts back to the prison without revealing what that is.
Things are not exactly going great at the prison for Queen and his henchmen because – dun dun dun – Big Mom has arrived. She tears off the iron gate with her bare hands and flings it away, entering the prison in search of red bean soup. Tama and Momonosuke are overjoyed by this turn of events, but Kiku reminds them that it is important they stay hidden. This doesn't exclude Kiku herself, as Chopper reminds her, so she masks up and the duo enter the prison while Tama and Momonosuke hang back.
Queen is infuriated by Big Mom's request for his red bean soup. The soup is, by his own admission, like air to him, and he's not giving her a single drop. He even transforms into his brachiosaurus form to prove he means business. Big Mom's eyes glow red and she slams his face into the ground, shocking everyone right before we cut to the To Be Continued card.
This was a solid episode with some really great standout moments. First off, Queen's transformation is just an incredible visual – having a leather biker Fist of the North Star boss turn into a cigar-chomping dinosaur is precisely the reason I watch anime. Where else can you have this kind of fun?
Big Mom, as always, is a delight and the focal point of any scene she is in. She has a sort of narrative gravity that makes everything pivot to revolve around her. The gate-ripping sequence was terrific, and I love that the animation team gave it a floating leaf-like quality as it fell. It underscored how strong Big Mom is.
Kinemon and Ashura's scene was great too. Kinemon giving Yasui his due, while also showing the true humility of a leader who acknowledges that he's made a mistake, was great stuff and stands in stark contrast to Orochi and his villainy. I dug the shot that follows immediately after Kinemon's apology where the camera zooms in on Ashura's foot, which instills some doubt to how he might react. When Ashura pushes off of that foot it seems as though he might be moving to strike...but he doesn't. It's a great bit of direction that adds to the tension of the scene.
Far and away my personal favorite moment was Chopper and Kiku's scene. Kiku putting the wrap on her head and thinking that was a sufficient disguise… I love it. I love these goofy characters so much.
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...
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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...
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...