I feel compelled to talk about pacing. One Piece has definitely been in a not-so-ideal position for a few years now where each episode is adapting a single manga chapter, if even that. That's just the way it is whether we're happy about it or not. One Piece fans are in a unique position for a Shonen Jump audience where we actually want the series to indulge in more filler, if only to give the original comic story more breathing room.
For the most part, I've made my peace with the pacing of One Piece. It's not perfect, but there are times where I feel it works miles better than people give it credit for. There's definitely a precedent where very action centered content translates to the one-chapter-per-episode pace much worse than the plot or exposition stuff. The last few episodes we've been dealing with lately have definitely suffered, since the runtime has to dedicate most of it's economy to repetitive shots of the citizens of Dressrosa escaping while we wait for the story to jump through the necessary hoops to get Luffy back on his feet.
Basically, we're dealing with a fairly boring episode. The main story beat at hand is watching the rest of the crew and the available gladiators do what they can to push Doflamingo's birdcage back in an effort to keep the strings from closing in before Luffy can make is grand re-entrance. It's a bunch of stuff that exists to stall the foregone conclusion in an effort to keep the dramatic ebb and flow of the story in tact. But again… that pacing. When Luffy's ten-minute recharge time premiered in the manga, jokes were flying about how much we didn't anticipate the anime adaptation of these scenes.
Whenever a badly paced portion of the story airs, people are quick to worry that that's it for the show, that it will never become tolerable again. That's demonstrably not true, since the show has always gone back and forth between content that translates fine to the anime's format and content that doesn't, but that doesn't stop it from being frustrating when you're in the thick of it. Pace aside, this is a weirdly lopsided episode, visually. Roughly the first half or so looks like bottom-of-the-barrel stuff for the series, but then you get to scenes like the continued Sabo vs. Burgess fight that actually look pretty cool. Around the halfway point we're suddenly treated to a lot of little pieces of animation, as the gang push against the birdcage and their feet go sliding across the ground and whatnot. Sudden, thicker outlines are sprinkled throughout as well, which is a style I definitely wish I could see more of in One Piece.
Overall, I get how keeping the hero preoccupied to stoke drama is a really common shonen trope, but when push comes to shove it's easy to get impatient with it and that's what's happening to me here. It doesn't help that we as good as know everything's going to turn out okay and that Luffy will win the fight, so delaying it further on Toei's watch doesn't always make for great TV.
With seven full routes and one mini-route with a character from the previous game, if you enjoyed Cupid Paradise, Sweet & Spicy Darling is worth playing.― The first order of business is this: if you haven't played the original Cupid Parasite otome game, there isn't much point in picking up Sweet & Spicy Darling. There is one new route for this sequel, but even that relies on you knowing the backgrou...
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 ...
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...