...but, god damn, it does mean that we're getting closer and closer to ANIMATED ROOF PIECE.
AND EPISODE 1015 GUYS!
Episode 1011:
- I absolutely love the irony that Jinbe is reflecting about how well-greased the Straw Hat crew is... when he misunderstood the reason why Sanji darted off on his own.
- I love that in the middle of the comedic trap, Black Maria's minions still had the time to talk about bounties and whether Zoro and Sanji had the higher bounty.
- It's small and understated, but I really do like that Black Maria's mostly-unnamed minions actually follow a 'theme' of Japanese yokai, just like how Who's Who has minions that all dress in cat costumes, or Sasaki has his armoured division -- it really does lend to the idea that all the Tobi Roppo used to be pirate captains that are now working under Kaido. The way that he's trying to get Kid and Luffy to join under him.
- HEAVEN'S GATE OPENS! You know, it's a shame that it led to some really unfortunate comparisons between Sanji and Zoro, but I did really like these goofy scenes with Sanji in this episode.
- They obviously extend the gag with Mizerka's gorilla a bit more.
- Holy shit Zoro cutting Queen's gatling gun, and the brief chibi-Queen that we see as he goes GYWEEAAAA is great. I already like Queen a lot in the manga, but the animations and the voice actor made him even more memorable to me.
- "I didn't come to this island to play some dumb game! I came here to slice up Kaido, who is said to be the world's strongest!" Yeah, you could definitely forgive Brook for thinking that Zoro has Conqueror's Haki in this scene.
- I love the little brief shot of Kaido being surrounded by purple smoke -- or rather, his flame clouds. All this episode essentially leads to the huge revelation that Kaido is levitating Onigashima, and hoo boy, what a cool reveal that was!
Episode 1012:
- I do actually really like that Zoro and Brook immediately goes to attack Marco because he set Chopper on fire without any explanation.
- I absolutely love just how colourful Marco's blue-and-yellow flames are.
- Ah, yes, all of you random background characters. Keep calling Chopper "tanuki-san". Keep doing that. Build up to that one joke we'll have later on.
- "As soon as! HURRY AAHP!"
- Poor Apoo. I mean, he absolutely deserves every single beatdown he gets, but getting chomped and ragdolled by an allosaur is probably pretty damn painful.
- So does every single person who ate a cat Gifter just get enrolled into Who's Who's cat club thing?
- These is the chapter/episode that reveals all the Tobi Roppo's beast modes! I've always had an inordinate amount of love for this chapter. Not sure if I like it being divided up into two episodes, though.
- Franky's voice actor and the animation team have way too much fun overacting. Flexing the 'muscles' of that robot body isn't something I expected, for sure.
- Okay, Hihimaru's scene being extended isn't something I expected. At least they kind of made it clear that it was just Page One and Ulti losing their tempers instead of this one random monkey suddenly being able to actually hold off two Tobi Roppo members.
Episode 1013:
- I always love Jinbe's line "would you please use the worthier title instead?"
- I'm not familiar enough with the Ace light novel to know if the pirate members of Ace's crew are actually consistent with the characters that were established to be part of the Spade Pirates there. There seem to be a bunch with unique character models for sure.
- Also, goddamn, Ace, I always forgot that you're actually pretty dang cool. That huge fire tornado he does at the beginning of the fight? Pretty badass! Also that fire bullet rain attack looked pretty cool. And, of course, there's the ever-eternal HIKENNNN!
- Ace facing off against Yamato for the second time had some really great closeups. Ace yelling at Yamato about "you can't choose your parents!" has some great expressions for sure.
- I really actually appreciate the parallels being drawn between Ace and Yamato a lot. It's been a while now, but I really do find Ace's character and how he's eternally trying to grow out of the status of being 'the son of Gold Roger' to be a very interesting story. So is the whole 'chain your heart' line. Ace's pretty underappreciated, honestly, because most of the time all I remember about him is his death.
- And hey, Ace being the mentor of a potential new Straw Hat, if Yamato actually joins the crew? That's pretty cool!
- Yeah, they extended the hell out of Yamato and Ace beating up Kaido's statue, but actually showing new scenes of Yamato essentially realizing that, yes, she needs to rebel against Kaido and shake off the shackles in her heart? Those are pretty necessary for sure.
- ...so Ace and Yamato totally boned, right?
- I really love that shot that pans up of Capone, Kid and Law leading to Luffy jumping off from the distance when Ace was doing his monologue.
Episode 1014:
- They extend the Marco scene by a lot, and... and honestly, it's so much cooler seeing Marco with swords sticking out of him while he nonchalantly activates his fire powers. Man's basically a Logia, isn't he?
- "Why should I be afraid of Kaido?" God damn, Zoro.
- I get that the information suppression on Wano does make it hard for information to get out of the island, but for Izo and Whitebeard to not attack Kaido in retaliation after finding that out? I mean, the manga does give us Marco and Whitebeard explaining about the 'toll' to the people, but honestly, it's not like they're any better under Orochi...
- I forgot that Blackbeard actually has a couple of lines when Whitebeard and Ace was having the discussion about Wano -- and it's a relatively simple contrast in their viewpoints, where Ace thinks about his promise to Tama and Yamato while Blackbeard just sees it as a way to get reputation.
- All the Ace focus in this episode is nice -- we kind of breeze through it in the manga, but I do like that we get time to let the Ace connection sink in to both Marco, Tama and Momonosuke. Having a giant repeat-flashback on Tama's segment is admittedly kind of annoying, though.
- Usopp remembers Luffy and Vivi's famous "people die" conversation and contrasts it to Tama and Luffy's conversation... and, interestingly, to Luffy's mental breakdown with Jinbei post-Marineford. Again, the flashbacks are perhaps a bit too much, but I feel like taking the time to contrast it and dissect Luffy's personality is very much needed.
- Does Prometheus always have to eat flames to transform from his 'cartoon sun' to his 'burning ball of death fire' form? I know Zeus does, and... and I guess it's appropriate for creatures born out of Big Mom's soul to power up by eating.
- Ah, yes, Queen's brachio-mouth-gatling-gun, and his subsequent extendable-machine-Doctor-Octopus-arms-brachio-neck.
- I still love just how casually Marco just holds back both King and Queen in his way to toss Luffy up to the rooftop.
- We get an extended scene of the C-tier Minks defending the stairs -- the only ones I know among this group are Shishillian and his two sidekicks. They were totally ready for a last stand before Luffy goes and Gomu Gomu-beatdowns the goons in pretty much one shot. I like that little buildup.
- It's a bit of an understated scene, but I really do like how that scene does exemplify Luffy's character. He's a dumbass who sometimes forgets people's names, but he remembers very well that Shishillian and the Minks did something great for one of his friends.
- I actually didn't find the Ace/Yamato stuff anything special when I first read the manga, and it's amazing that this episode and the next one really ended up making Ace feel so much more like a character and making the flashback feel like it's building up to Yamato's big moment.
Episode 1015:
- Chapter 1000!
- The episode that everyone got super-excited over... and... and you know what? The hype is all worth it. Before I get hyped about it... the fact that they changed certain parts of the artstyle in order to symbolize flashbacks, utilizing pastel colours and shit... the Wano anime has had some really great moments. The beginning of the raid, the Scabbards' Sunnacchi moment, the quartet Togen Totsuka... but this just blows everything out of the water and it's no hyperbole. From an animation standpoint, to the sound mixing, to even stuff like animation transitions and stuff that One Piece really doesn't get to do all that often... I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that this actually eclipses some of the One Piece movies I've watched before.
- We get some manga-style table-setting 'several years ago' to set up this episode and you just kind of know that visually it's going to be something special.
- That shot of Yamato going "eeee" when Ace says that he's going to continue telling stories is adorable! Her twiddling her fingers when she's about to ask Ace about her leaving out to sea? That's also fucking adorable.
- Yeah, the pastel flashback of having Yamato realize that Ace's story about Luffy is exactly what Roger said in Oden's logbook? Complete with this very different almost Ghibli-style animated sequence with little Luffy, Ace and Sabo? It's such a pretty, well-animated sequence that could've felt jarring but it didn't. It just really looks fucking good. An inferior, regular episode would've just had the animation team pluck the relevant scenes from previous episodes... but no. Not only did we get new animation, not only do we get unique shading and Yamato witnessing these scenes, it truly enhances the scene beyond 'hey, let's just recall a moment from the past'.
- I absolutely love, by the way, how the anime handles the fact that Luffy and Roger says something that's the same but the audience doesn't actually hear it. Having two flashbacks interposed with each other, and then having Ace, Sabo, Oden and Whitebeard juxtaposed against each other...
- Everything about this scene -- from the remake of the Roger/Oden/Whitebeard scene, to Yamato witnessing Luffy run in and being enveloped with an aura of blue colours to contrast Roger's red-yellow palette... I really like it. It really emphasizes that Luffy's going to carve his own destiny instead of just repeating what Roger did.
- The scenery exploding into flying birds and colours really does visualize 'Yamato had her mind blown' very well, doesn't it?
- I did notice it back when I read 1000, but having an elaborate Ace flashback really does make the whole fact that Ace is all happy about 'a great man' without realizing that Yamato is referring to his hated father extra melancholic.
- You know, I roll my eyes anytime people use 'Yamato wants to go out to sea' as an excuse for her to join the Straw Hats. After seeing this sequence of flashbacks, though? Someone take her out to the ocean, please!
- That amazing transition of Yamato's hand holding Ace's Vivre Cut, cutting from her happy farewell to Ace straight to the day the card burns down into ashes while news of Ace's death reaches her... that's so good.
- I really do like that the anime extends the scene of Yamato throwing a temper tantrum reacting to Ace's death -- it shows a bit more of what Kaido was doing right after (or is this during?) the Marineford era... Kaido's analysis about how Yamato was holding out hope for Ace to come back does kind of explain why she's a bit more hesitant and unsure of herself when the Onigashima Raid begins, before she meets Luffy.
- Some really great voice-acting with Yamato despairing about how she's 'not free', how she can't leave the island, can't beat her father, and can't save Ace... somebody take this dumb oni princess out to sea
- That's also a very pretty shot when Yamato was despairing, then we get to see Kaido and his goons in the background backlit with red light like part of a concert stage or some shit. And, again, showing Yamato regaining her desire to resist and fight and wait is also done amazingly well.
- It's a short scene and cuts off after Yamato jumps into the air. It's not a full-on fight or anything, but god damn Yamato bullrushing Kaido looks beautiful as all hell.
- Speaking of great transitions, the anime shows Law going from the Poneglyph room to the rooftop. Pretty obvious, right? Well it cuts to Law dropping (and switching with) a random stray gear... which transitions to the mass of spare parts that Kid is collecting as he and Killer runs up to the roof. All this set to Yamato quoting Oden about the strong young generation of pirates.
- I love that as Kid and Killer is about to fight, then Zoro and Law slowly enters, we get this yelling -- I'm not sure if the yelling is just Zoro or part of the soundtrack, but I like it.
- Of course we get a shot of Luffy putting on his hat just before his dynamic entry.
- It's a simple trick, but I absolutely love that Prometheus ends up giving a lens flare during that shot of Kaido and Big Mom glaring down at the Supernovas. That's so hilarious and stylish.
- Holy shit the transition of Oden falling into the boiling pot with a grin which immediately dissolves to Luffy's badass walk though. God damn, yo.
- And then the casual explosion of Conqueror's Haki as Luffy takes his pose next to the Supernovas....
- Reanimated beautifully -- and another case where just replaying the old scenes might have been excusable -- is that great shot of the brim of Luffy's hat as he remembers his meeting and the history revolving around Kin'emon and the other Wano characters ever since Dressrosa. It really makes you feel for Kin'emon, and... I know he doesn't die here, and I really actually find that I do like Kin'emon a lot since the anime executed his scenes so well, but... but damn, this would be such a great moment if Kin actually died here, wouldn't it?
- Fuck, though, the animation of Kin'emon spitting out blood was so surprisingly bloody -- something that the recent episodes haven't shied away from, but most of One Piece has been so bloodless in the anime.
- Everyone did a great job, but I actually want to give extra kudos to Kin'emon's voice actor for his absolutely heartbreaking gurgling and crying as he begs Luffy.
- The purple lightning bolts from Kaido's kanabo really looks good, too. What doesn't look good in this episode, really?
- Holy shit, the way that they showcase Ryu'o here. I didn't even realize what was going on until I realized that we're basically showcasing Luffy's blood vessels or nerves or... well, the flow of Haki in his body, I guess. Absolutely beautiful.
- The rapid-fire cutaways of the highlights of the Wano saga... the Oden castle, the gravestones, the Ponegylph revelation, "Raizo is safe", Pedro's death, Yasu's death, Momo's moment in the prison, the beginning of the raid, current shots of all the secondary characters fighting in the lower floor... this could have been a scene that is like 'yeah, whatever, we're having a recap', but no. Holy shit, no. Even in the manga it was just a bunch of reprinted panels surrounding Luffy. But the way this is done, with the voice-acting and the brand-new animation, it looks so fucking good.
- Then we cut off at Luffy and Momonosuke's conversation. "You're the leader of this great men, aren't you?" "I want to bring down Kaido!"
- And then we get a great zoom-in to Luffy's absolutely pissed-off face.
- And then we get this amazing reorchestrated version of "We Are", the first One Piece opening.
- GOMU GOMU NOOOOO
- RED ROC
- God damn, the Wano arc really likes its huge explosive fires. We've got two very great Red Hawks in this arc that I can already think of, but the animation of the Red Roc scene? Again, back when I read this in the manga, it was like... 'cool, a new attack name, an upgraded Red Hawk is pretty cool, it's a Gear Third version of Red Hawk I guess'. But finding it cool and going "OMGWTFHOLYSHITTHATSSOGOOD" are two extremely different emotions.
- I was confused about there being shots about ice shattering, and I thought it was supposed to be symbolic of Luffy breaking some sort of 'stasis' over Wano or whatever... but no, no, people online pointed out that Luffy's Red Roc was so hot that is glassified the rocks around them.
- "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. I'm the man who will surpass you and become the King of Pirates." hell fucking yeah, you rubber boy.
- BRB, about to rewatch episode 1015.
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