Occasionally, anime is tasked with asking life's biggest questions, such as "What would you do if you wielded the mighty power of carbonated water?"
This week, the battle with Cidre the bountry hunter barrels towards its natural conclusion, and the Straw Hats are finally steered in the direction of Stampede's plot. Among the plethora of movie tie-in filler we've received over the years, this Cidre storyline doesn't stand out amongst its brethren, serving as easily the most mild experience of the bunch. That's either a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether or not you like the weird WTF-ery that often comes with these specials. Film Z's tie-in filler had vore and gigantification going on at the same time! Cidre and his goons have boring ol' soda.
Spectacle-wise, this episode has a significant leg up from last week. The action is exciting an impactful, even if the story is not. Despite being the suppose "greatest bounty hunter of the generation," Cidre can't do much to stop our rubbery captain, and the conflict escalates to to a pretty standard finisher where Cidre equips himself with a more powerful battle suit that barely look different than his normal one, and Luffy one-shots him after delivering a speech about conviction. There's a surprising amount of pontificating about the differences between pirates and bounty hunters, but nothing insightful ever comes of it.
Generally speaking, these recent One Piece movies have opened the doors for a truck ton of world-building and thematic exploration, even within the confines of filler and extraneous specials. The fun comes from the fact that their main villains are fixtures of the One Piece world and you can imagine they exist somewhere in the manga's canon, even if they're never directly mentioned. Cidre is connected to Stampede's main villain, Douglas Bullet, by virtue of having been defeated by him in the past and developing a grudge towards pirates as a result, but that's hardly the hook that's going to get our butts in theater seats. The more interesting angle is how Buena Festa is connected to both Bullet and Roger. There has got a be a more compelling idea for a filler arc tie-in than a bounty hunter scrub that the show can't even pretend to care about.
As the episode ends, Luffy receives his invitation to the Pirate Festa and the events of the movie are sure to roll out from there. We get a very brief montage of all the big name characters who are scheduled to show up, but there isn't anything novel here that isn't already in Stampede's trailer. It's a little odd how none of the other Straw Hats wound up playing a part in this filler arc outside of beating up grunts on the shoreline, since I'm sure they'll all be fighting for screentime once the movie comes out (not to mention this is the rare instance where the anime gets to have all the Straw Hats in one location again), but otherwise this episode is notably more entertaining than last week's, for whatever that's worth.
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 ...
Announced at special event on Sunday― A special event announced on Sunday that a sequel for the television anime of Hajime Kōmoto's Mashle: Magic and Muscles manga has been green-lit. The event also debuted the teaser video for the sequel. The anime's first season premiered in Japan in April 2023. Crunchyroll streamed the anime as it aired, and it streamed an English dub. The second season premiered...
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...