At long last, it's time for the Luffy/Capone/Caesar alliance to come to an end. They may have failed to kill Big Mom, but they succeeded in knocking down her castle (an accident) and pissing her off (hey, what can you do?) so Capone's ready to cut his losses and call it a day. The Big Mom pirates are furious and on the hunt, so they only have so much time to escape the territory completely. Sadly, this is also Caesar Clown's final appearance in this arc, concluding his multi-hundred episode long saga as the Straw Hats' resident hostage/bargaining chip. His final gag is to hang out in the background, shouting goodbye and hoping somebody somewhere will care that he's gone.
I care, Caesar. I care.
The Big Mom pirates were able to survive the fall off the chateau thanks to Streusen's food powers that turn the Whole Cake Chateau into an actual cake so that people can land on soft bread and frosting. However, food produced by the Cook-Cook Fruit apparently doesn't taste good enough for Big Mom's liking, and in the rubble of her fallen castle all she can do is lament the loss of that wedding cake she was craving for at the ceremony—the one that Luffy busted with his grand entrance. Mom's "hunger pangs" were established early in the arc, and the combo of those and her seething rage toward the Straw Hats as she hits a furious withdrawal and topples the nearest city screaming "wedding cake!!!" over and over again. Her children have a lot to worry about between killing the Straw Hats and stopping Mom from killing them.
After spending the past few months on top of the bright, confectionary-themed chateau, it's refreshing to see the green grass and trees again now that we're back on the ground floor. This episode's greatest strength is that we're finally entering a new phase of the story, with new settings and goals. That doesn't mean that our heroes are anywhere close to done with Big Mom and her family, but there's still something bittersweet about parting ways with our allies nonetheless. There's a lot of good comedy that comes with the end of the Straw Hat/Firetank partnership too, like Capone putting up a "Straw Hats went that way -->" sign in a last ditch attempt to get the Big Mom family off his heels.
The weakness of this episode is that somewhere along the way we slipped back out of the one-chapter-per-episode pace, so a lot of the runtime gets taken up with Big Mom's kids standing around talking, and the fate of Charlotte Opera, who was sent to try and calm Mom down in the midst of her rampage, is left for next week. If you were an anime-only watcher, then you'd likely be confused as to why the Straw Hats are now free to escape Big Mom's territory without any more fighting. Like, really? That's it? The faster the show can get us to the the Straw Hats' next concrete goal on WCI, the better.
This is a serviceable episode if ever there was one. Entering a new phase of the arc can be a little exciting, but it also comes with new challenges. The gimmick of Whole Cake Island moving forward is a giant chase with Big Mom herself, so we're going to hear her shout "wedding cake!" a deathly number of times. It's about to get very old, very fast. However, the focus on story flow and momentum in this part of the arc is incredible, and I'm looking forward to seeing it be adapted, janky pacing and all.
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...
Dagashi-ya Yahagi, The Poison King, more light novels to release in English― J-Novel Club announced on Thursday that it has released the first chapters of four manga titles and of seven new light novels in English. The manga include: Title: The Reincarnation of the Strongest Exorcist in Another World (Saikyō Onmyōji no Isekai Tenseiki)
Art: Toshinori Okazaki
Original story: Kiichi Kosuzu
Release Dat...
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...
The ANN After Show is at episode 100! Let's reflect on some of our favorite moments, catch up on Kaiju No. 8, Yatagarasu, and more this week!― 100 Episodes of the ANN Aftershow!? The ANN After Show is at episode 100! Let's catch up on Kaiju No. 8, Yatagarasu, and more this week! The ANN After Show streams live on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter Spaces on Tuesdays at 6pm PT/9pm ET. You can listen to ...
Nick and Steve look back on director Tsutomu Mizushima's work so far, from his latest Train to the End of the World to Shirobako, Girls und Panzer, and more.― Nick and Steve look back on director Tsutomu Mizushima's work so far, from his latest Train to the End of the World to Shirobako, Girls und Panzer, and more. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are...
i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!- is a movie best described as having big Saturday morning cartoon energy when it comes to its catchy high notes and off-key attempt at deeper storytelling.― Admittedly, when I walked into Anime Central to review i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!-, I envisioned the film as the typical fare of idol dancing via 3D models in dizzyingly pastel-rich environments with little to ...
Come celebrate the 25th anniversary of One Piece with this special orchestra concert!― Come celebrate the 25th anniversary of One Piece with this special orchestra concert! The most memorable moments of the beloved TV series will be projected on a giant screen to the sound of a 50-musician orchestra! In only a few weeks, the ONE PIECE Music Symphony 25 th Anniversary Tour will premiere in the US on...