The battle of the serious and the silly continues with One Piece 1074, with the same high-quality results that Toei has been turning in, week after week.
I assume at some point, I will have to write a review that has more to discuss other than “Omg, One Piece is good”, but the Toei team certainly is not making it easy. Luffy and Kaido's fight on the roof of Onigashima puts on full displays of the creativity and vibrancy that they have made commonplace in the Wano arc. Watching these two god-like combatants move rubberbands (ha!) between blink-and-you'll-miss-it high-speed fluidity and full-stop body blows whose gravitas shakes the bones of the earth. It's quite spectacular. Again, I find myself asking if I should be able to watch this for free and not, I don't know, paying the full price for a movie ticket. The craft and care taken to render this fight is just outrageously good.
Even beyond the technical acumen of the team, their creativity has to be commended as well. A large portion of the fighting in 1074 revolves around Luffy manipulating lightning. I love how there were times it is rendered thick and branching like the roots of a great tree, while at other times, Luffy is pulling it taut and pinging between these great strands of light at high speed. It is a visual and conceptual spectacle, a delight for the senses, and a uniquely engaging high-fantasy combat. I know the arc has taken a long time, and this fight in particular is longer than some entire anime series, but I find myself wishing it could just keep going and not have to end.
What's also interesting to note is the new opening and ending sequence pairing. They are quite lovely as they exhibit a very soft style with light linework, reminiscent of things like the Baron Omatsuri film. I find it odd that we have new… well… anything this late into the arc, especially given how Wano-centric all the imagery is. I feel like the prior opening - PAINT - had a rather long run, and at this point, I just assumed it would last until the end of the arc. I wonder how many episodes we can expect for this one, given how close Wano's finale is (or at least appears to be).
Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it.― Lucas and Steve catch up on the Hunter × Hunter manga in time for the long-awaited new chapter and gush about why, even with years between releases, Hunter × Hunter is worth it. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed...
Series previously inspired 52-episode anime in 1993― This year's 24th issue of Shogakukan's Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine revealed on Wednesday that Gosho Aoyama's Yaiba manga will be getting a new anime adaptation. Aoyama is supervising. The series follows the titular Yaiba Kurogane, a young samurai boy inspired by Miyamoto Musashi, the real-life swordsman who pioneered the Hyōhō Niten Ichi-ryū sty...
Based on the novel by former Nogizaka46 member Kazumi Takayama, trapezium asks its audience to follow one girl who will use anything, and anyone, to achieve her dream.― Trapezium is a strange movie, to say the least. On the surface, it's a rather simple movie that explores youth, their dreams, and the lengths they'll go to achieve those dreams. It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in the veneer of the...
ZeroReq011 remembers what made Spice and Wolf a story for the ages, from its fully realized world and economics to Holo and Lawrence's romantic chemistry.― Back when Funimation was still its own company and not owned by Sony, long before its in-house streaming service was terminated in favor of Crunchyroll's streaming platform, it owned a TV channel. Legal streaming had yet to dominate the Western a...
Anime will star Hiroshi Kamiya, Kotaro Nishiyama, Kotaro Nishiyama― Distribution company Remow announced on Tuesday that Yura Urushibara's Tougen Anki: Dark Demon of Paradise manga will get a television anime in 2025. The company revealed the trailer, key visual, and main cast for the anime. The anime's cast includes:
Kazuki Ura as Shiki Ichinose, the protagonist who inherits the blood of an Oni. Sh...
Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations, from the Yuri on Ice movie to the second half of Stars Align.― Nick and Chris recount some of the most frustrating anime cancellations from the second half of Stars Align to the 2007 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood movie. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views...
Welcome to the rankings for the Spring 2024 season! The perfect place to check out which hidden gems might have flown under your radar.― 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 rankings are based on how people rated ...
The final Spring 2024 Manga Guide update includes not-yet-released series from this month, including Sword Art Online Re:Aincrad,Bungo Stray Dogs: The Official Comic Anthology, A Sign of Affection and more.― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Manga Guide! You may have seen one of our seasonal Anime Preview Guides, where a team of critics writes up each new anime television premiere as it a...
Producer Masakazu Kubo shares the animation team's dedication to realism, including bringing in a pro golfer to produce the anime's sound effects.― 64-year-old Masakazu Kubo has been planning and producing anime for decades. He's had a major hand in everything from Pokémon and Detective Conan to Teasing Master Takagi-san and Dorohedoro. Recently, he sat down with us to talk about Tonbo!, his attemp...