Since last time we were a bit shorter because of the Oden flashback, this one's going to be a mite longer in exchange. We're entering action episodes, which means these are going to be much shorter anyway:
Episode 977:
- Back to the present day!
- I do like the attention to detail that it's Ashura Doji that's the first to essentially give up. "Look at the seas and skies! Even heaven has abandoned us!"
- I do really like that the animation and dialogue actually keeps it ambiguous up until Kanjurou's speech who the traitor is. Focusing on Inuarashi last during the panning shot; having Raizou try to get everyone to not fight and point fingers... hell, showing the theater flashback could even point to Kiku since she and Izo used to be performers before they hung out with Oden.
- Another great delivery vocally, too -- Kin'emon, Kiku and Kanjurou are just yelling hysterically at each other, and then Kanjurou just speaks in this calm, menacing tone. Very simple, but very badass, too.
- Kin'emon just totally beheaded Kanjuro's ink clone, that's pretty badass.
- Again, loev the attention to deteail i.e. Kanjuro's right and left hand in painting.
- How good are Momonosuke and Shinobu's ears to actually hear what's going on through the storm and the distance?
- "The sea is for pirates to fight on!"
Episode 978:
- It's completely filler, but the fanboy within me really appreciates the roll call moment for the Straw Hats and their allies.
- We get some extra filler showing the Straw Hats on the beach reacting to the Sunny getting 'blown up'. It's complete fluff, but considering how streamlined the Oden flashback has been, it's understandable that they need some extra leeway.
- Oh, so that's why Luffy didn't show up in samurai regalia. "I'm a pirate, so I'd rather wear this."
- Thank you, Straw Hats, for recapping all the allies and side-quests that the characters have been doing throughout the arc.
- More filler in the flying SMILE users getting their attacks repelled by Nami, Robin and Sanji. Which is all fine and good other than the fact that the Scabbards look like nincompoops for not dealing with Kanjuro. On the other hand, Kanjuro also spends the entire episode standing on the beachfront, so...
- Holy shit that Zeus animation is pretty. Also pretty is the animation of the Mink musketeers using electro to zap a bunch of cannonballs.
- Bepo, Shachi and Penguin do something, holy shit!
- Good god, suddenly the animation went into overdrive when Law tosses that one Beasts Pirate ship into the air. From Luffy stretching all over the ship, to the Boundman/Punk Vise power-up, to Law countershocking the butterfly SMILE...
- Luffy, Law and Kid trying to one-up each other is still one of the comedic highlights of this arc. Between Law's deadpan seriousness compared to the other two, to Luffy going Gear Fourth just to beat up a random boat of mooks just to show off...
- Holy shit calm down Denjiro stop stealing the entire animation budget for your ship-cutting slash
Episode 979:
- I still love that Denjiro just casually has a detachable pompadour.
- Ah, yes, 5000 IQ Kin'emon. He plays his strategy chess so far in front of the others that he doesn't even realize that he's doing it. I still love the Hato/Tokage stuff and just how baffled Kin'emon is and how none of the other Scabbards believe that it's Kin's plan all along.
- THERE IS A SAMURAI CREST WITH THE TRIFORCE ON IT!
- This was a lot faster-paced in the manga, but finally, Kawamatsu realizes that someone has to try to beat the shit out of Kanjuro.
Episode 980:
- One of the less-well-received moments in the manga actually flows much better in here -- Usopp and Chopper react a lot more quickly, and Sanji actually flies up and exchanges some blows against Kanjurou's brush-sword. The ink arrow attack also gets drawn to look much more deadlier and vast compared to its manga counterpart, making Sanji look less like a dork for zipping down and taking the shot for Nami.
- That said, they do show a lot of shots of the allied troops dodging or hitting the evening shower attack.
- Momonosuke gets a pretty elaborate flashback scene. I'd have called this redundant, except... I kinda really like the little brat now, y'know? And I do feel like it's realistic for him to actually flashback to Oden and Luffy's words in this moment.
- Jinbe's huge water beams look pretty neat. Kind of not as badass as some of the other stuff we see in the arc, but between the voice acting and showing him just utterly demolishing that one cannon-ship, hell yea Jinbe's back.
Episode 981:
- I do like that the characters who hung out in the Whole Cake Island get close-ups to show how relieved they are that Jinbe's fine. Appropriately, this includes the Sunny! The ship's part of the crew, and all that!
- That's a bit too many flashback scenes -- we basically see every single major Jinbe moment.
- "Stop it, Kin. There's no point in giving them a plan." Law, you long-suffering man, I pity you.
- They really play up Law trying to get the samurai off his submarine and the submarine ignoring every single request and just doing the strategy meeting there. It's great comedy.
- I also love the scene where Denjiro (genuinely?) believes Kin'emon has a 5000 IQ brain and made up a terrible plan to throw Kanjuro off, while Raizou is just in the sidelines thinking 'yep, you moron, you have no plan'.
- Also, very realistic and appropriate that it ends up Law that sets up the plan for everyone.
- Again, can't help but fanboy over the extremely extended Straw-Hats-vs-random-goons under the Torii gate. Everyone's attacks even get their own little introduction box!
Episode 982:
- Good god that's a pretty Red Hawk.
- STRAW HATS ASSEMBLE!
- I love that Queen demanding for more oshiruko nets him some J.J. Abrams lens flare glowing eyes.
- Yamato? What are you doing showing up so early? We don't see Yamato's face yet, but still...
- For the second half of this episode, we get the famous "PRESENTED BY ONIGASHIMA" Queen and Apoo music video, where the whole Queen performance in the manga gets played up all the way to the maximum levels of fun MV ridiculousness that they can get. And they do some pretty cool animation tricks here, too. If there's one thing you need to check out from the Wano arc in the anime, it's this. This moment.
- zumu zumu zumu zumu zumu zumu zumu zumu
- Ulti is a lot funnier with a voice, let's just say that. "I AM CUTE!" Also, that wasn't the colour schemes I thought Who's Who and Page One would have.
- The samurai ships bursting through the red waves is a pretty damn awesome shot.
Episode 983:
- I always did like the fact that Kid's entire crew joins in Killer's fafafafa laughing just to make him feel included. Such a nice little moment.
- "We will not need return ships." is still pretty boss.
- Okay, the introduction of the Beast Mode disguise Straw Hats is definitely pretty well-done.
Episode 984:
- I keep forgetting Orochi's like, large enough to grab a regular woman in his palm.
- We actually see the scene of Kid and Luffy arguing, with Luffy wanting Kid to follow the samurai's plans, and Zoro going off to drag Luffy back.
- Okay, I really didn't expect the Festival Hall to be... illuminated like a club. The way it's drawn in the manga makes me think it's always well-lighted, but this definitely makes it look visually much more unique.
- We get a pretty fun Super Sentai roll call moment with Franky, Usopp and Chopper with the Franky Shogun vehicles.
- The anime makes it 100% explicit that it's Yamato shadowing Jinbe and Robin. I guess that's just a bit of ambiguity that was kind of... unnecessary to the story, honestly.
- Ulti is funny.
- I get that they're villains so they're dumping the oshiruko on the floor, but both Queen and Big Mom really, really like those. It's particularly stupid for those goons to do so. I guess they're just drunk.
- Random early appearance of Zoro's Conqueror's Haki? I get that the Beasts Pirates mocking the poor villagers is going to trigger Zoro, but while it's a cool moment in a vacuum, I'd much rather have it either be more ambiguous on whether it's really Conqueror's, or just do the manga thing and have it be confirmed mid-battle with Kaido. Odd choice.
Episode 985:
- So Bao Huang's thing is that she drags out what she's going to say?
- Heat and Wire actually get lines of dialogue here.
- "I have to calm him down, or he'll screw up the plan!" -proceeds to slice down an entire tower- Zoro, never change.
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