Last week, the show left off with the promise of a “rain-ruption.” We learn that Zunesha, the giant elephant that this country sits atop, does its elephant thing and sprays itself with water several times a day. Since Zunesha is huge, this simple act looks like a volcano erupting to the people below, as water violently floods the area without prejudice.
Right off the bat, one of the most grabbing scenes of the episode is actually a filler sequence where Luffy gets washed away from his new Mink friends, and Carrot has to quickly jump through the trees to save him. The animation is super cool, and this time it's unmistakably the work of Naotoshi Shida (the Fourth Gear transformation sequence guy, among other scenes). I couldn't name any other sakuga artists from this show, but I'm going to point him out any chance I get, darn it!
The episode ultimately ends up feeling shockingly varied compared to most installments of the show. There's the aforementioned rescue scene, exposition scenes, comedy scenes, and all that's before the very end when Luffy and company finally reunite with (most of) their remaining crew. It turns out that the Mink tribe are not the human-hating group we were led to believe, and in fact are extraordinarily affectionate across the board. There are Minks of all kinds of animal species, and as far as they're concerned, humans are just monkey Minks with less fur.
The concept of race relations has been very prevalent in One Piece, especially since the time skip. The Minks' carefree attitude toward humans and their expectations of racism has just a twinge of judgement to it, similar to the response that Den from Fishman Island had to the same question. Since Minks and Fishmen/Merfolk are generally born with a random “species”, the need to divide between groups isn't as ingrained in their culture. In the One Piece world, racism is a uniquely human creation.
As it stands, the affection that the Minks give to the crew seems suspiciously furry-friendly. We've already seen Wanda and Carrot licking and nibbling Luffy, and we soon learn that Nami and Chōpper have more than embraced all the “garchuu~”ing that their new friends have given them. This show wants you to think about these humans and animals banging, basically. Still, it's done with such a harmless sense of fun that I'm happy to go along with it.
The episode ends with most of the Straw Hat crew reuniting. Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Robin, and Franky were together through most of Dressrosa, and now Nami and Chōpper are back with them as well. Their reunion is heartwarming and full of happy thoughts, but once Luffy asks about Sanji, things take a mysteriously dark turn. Clearly something has happened to him, and we'll have to wait and find out.
I'm loving all of these Zou episodes so far, and this one is probably my favorite. Overall, the production just looks so polished, and the variety of content is incredibly satisfying. This is a perfect example of an episode that pads the story out and injects filler in a way that feels both creative and natural. I had to double-check the manga to see how much content was new because it all felt equally “real,” even if some of it is just killing time. I'm loving Zou, loving the new characters we're meeting, and I can't wait to see the mysteries continue to unfold.
Crystal Kay previously sang themes for 2004's Fullmetal Alchemist and Nodame Cantabile― Recently, Anime News Network was able to sit down with singer-songwriter Crystal Kay and talk about not only her involvement with anime over the years but also what it was like to grow up in Japan as the child of a Korean-Japanese mother and an African-American father. Anime fans likely know of Crystal Kay throug...
The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well.― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
Some older mysteries inch closer to resolution as the true nature of the Abyss slowly comes into view, and long-posed questions start to be answered.― Sometimes, being a fan of Akihito Tsukushi's acclaimed Made in Abyss series means acclimating to suffering. Like many Western devotees, I was introduced to this bizarre, squishy, disturbing world via the 2017 first season of Kinema Citrus' fantastic a...
Anime premieres in 2024― Adult Swim's YouTube channel began streaming a first look video for the Rick and Morty: The Anime series on Saturday. The show will premiere on Adult Swim and Max in 2024, and will also run on Adult Swim Canada. The anime will be an original work, with adapted themes and events from the main Rick and Morty animated series. Takashi Sano (Tower of God) is writing and directing...
As Slam Dunk reached its final stretch, I can see why this series is considered the sports classic that it is today.― This is the largest batch of Slam Dunk episodes that I've reviewed thus far. Originally, I wanted to review the show in more even seasons, but given its overall pacing and release, it wasn't easy to find a moment where it felt right to stop and start again. However, as we approached ...
2nd part opens in Japanese theaters on June 7― The staff for the four-part Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture (originally titled Gode Geass: Z of the Recapture, or Dakkan no Zetto) anime project revealed a trailer and a visual on Saturday for the second part in the project. The below video previews MIYAVI's opening theme song "Running In My Head." The anime's first part premiered in Japan on Friday. ...
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...