Boss Kyoshiro has arrived and attacked the Beast Pirates vessel. The reason is that he is secretly none other than Denjiro in disguise, and he reveals his true identity to Kinemon and the others. In a continued string of good fortune, even more reinforcements arrive for our heroes in the form of 1200 additional samurai and their craft. Everyone is shocked by this turn of events, given that no one had arrived thus far and Orochi had used his many resources to attack the ships at port and destroy bridges. The arriving samurai explain that they actually understood Kinemon's secret message hidden in the writing of the coded note - they were to go to another port entirely! Kinemon is roundly congratulated by everyone for his brilliant foresight and planning.
...which he clearly did not do. Kinemon is reluctant to say anything, but the other Red Scabbards know he made a mistake and that it was a stroke of luck that things turned out this way. Still, better to be lucky than good, and now the assault on Onigashima and the Fire Festival has a fighting chance. Sadly, there is still great danger in this moment as Kanjuro is attempting to escape with Momonosuke as his hostage. Kawamatsu tries to stop him, but Kanjuro manages to break away using a meticulously drawn bird. It turns out that the “drawings dissolving in water” aspect was yet another layer to his ruse, and much to everyone's amazement he flies away as the to be continued card flashes.
Another perfectly solid episode for the Wano arc. After the visual tour de force of last week's entry with Luffy, Law, and Kid attacking the Beast Pirates ship, I expected we'd have something of a “breather” episode this week. By and large this was nowhere near that energy but I can't hold that against the Toei team, I'd rest on my laurels a bit too after all that. Still, the episode was more than appealing visually and had a few brilliant touches I thought. A particularly nice bit of framing was when Ashura was about to cry and he leaned his head down, allowing for a single raindrop to fall off the edge of his hat right where his eye/tear would normally be.
In terms of the content, this is one of the more hilarious and memey moments in Wano. Kinemon's “excellent plan” being a giant goof-up is a hilarious character beat, and his glum face replete with runny nose has to be one of the more enduring images of this arc (and that is saying something). I loved the build up to it as well, with all the visual explainers for the linguistic fun at play and thought the anime did a great job selling the scene. The Akazya Nine ribbing him over it was great too. Even after all the Wano we've seen and all these great moments, it's amazing to think that there is still more to come.
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...
One Piece season 2 listed for Netflix in "2025 and Beyond"― The licensing news service License Global posted an interview with Netflix vice president Josh Simon on May 1, and included in the interview is a listing of a "Sakamoto Days" project among "Netflix Upcoming Releases" in 2024. The listing does not specify if the project is animated or live-action, nor does it specify a connection, if any, to...
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...