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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2019 15:37:53 GMT -5
Episode 620: "A Critical Situation! Punk Hazard Explodes!"
Or rather, the SAD Production room explodes. How sad...
Before the episode proper, there is currently something weird in the episodes on Crunchyroll. They changed back to "Sunshine" as the intro theme and there is no preview for the next episode. I wonder why that is...Hopefully, it will go back to normal when the new intro comes a few episodes from now.
So, as it turns out, we got a fake-out last episode: Of course, not the whole island exploded, putting the series to a premature end. But it could have happened, if Monet did not try to savor this moment for some inadequately explored reason (as said yesterday, if I was Doflamingo I would be pissed off at my subordinate not putting my orders to immediate use)...and, as it turns out, it was her biggest mistake when she suddenly keels over dead due to Caesar stabbing her heart (thinking that it was Smoker's) and with the swinging of the snail receiver in tune with her fading heartbeat, we witness the last moments of Monet's life in pain which is kinda dark. Though I have to say Law's reasoning why he gave Caesar Monet's heart back is kinda hilarious since he could not possibly forsee that working out as well for him as it did.
Otherwise, the whole gang is still going through the collapsing way to the ocean but luckily Luffy and Zoro provide protection from the falling debris. Also, Franky is still fighting Baby 5 and Buffalo in a hard battle (have to say that Baby 5 being able to regenerate herself after sending herself in a missile form at Franky is a pretty impressive power).
Finally, after not hearing anything from Monet, Doflamingo makes his way himself to Punk Hazard to take care of things there (cannot exactly see whether he can fly or Moon Walk all the way to the island). And I still wonder who that child is that is in his hideout, looking for him....
A decent episode all in all.
Manga Differences: -In the manga, we actually get to see Caesar stabbing Monet's heart while in the anime, we only get to see Monet dying and afterwards only the already stabbed heart. -Furthermore, in the manga, Monet actually lifts up her shirt and looks at the square-shaped hole where her heart is supposed to be before collapsing. This part misses in the manga. -We also only see the child walking in on Doflamingo's room and seeing it empty with the windows open in the manga while the anime shows in great detail how Doflamingo leaves and how the child searches every other room in the estate for him before reporting the old couple. -The usual scene extensions.
Mata ashita, yarodomo!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2019 15:15:19 GMT -5
Episode 621: "Capture Caesar! General Cannon Blasts!"
Gotta catch 'em all! Gotta catch 'em all!
The fight Buffalo/Baby 5 vs. Franky ends with a big bang...quite literally as Franky decides to shoot them with his General Cannon (basically a smaller version of the Sunny's Gaon Cannon). Have to say though that they put forward an impressive showing with Baby 5 managing to penetrate Franky's armor in her sickle form as well as being able to stand up following the cannon hit. As Franky says, they are indeed quite tough.
Their toughness however is not enough when the big group finally manages to exit the facility thanks to Nami's Gust Sword blowing the Shinokuni gas away. And no matter how many times I see it, I cannot help but laugh everytime any female cast member sits there stone-faced while all the male cast members get all fanboyish over the Franky robot (well, OK, Smoker and Law are not gushing as well).
Finally, Nami and Usopp prove to be the team to call when it is about fighting an enemy...that is already fleeing. Not exactly high honors for them but you cannot deny that they are pretty impressive in taking care of the fleeing Buffalo/Baby 5/Caesar team, showing off some impressive techniques (like Nami's Weather Egg or Usopp's Chomping Grass). And we finally have Caesar in sea prism stone handcuffs, thus finishing Law's first target in his plan for now.
But what is with Baby 5 and Buffalo knowing about Law and them talking about a "Heart Seat" being meant for Law? As always, One Piece episodes tend to leave us with some questions in its wake (not to mention that weird guy riding a penguin at the end...who is that?).
A decent episode only this time around.
Manga Differences: -The whole fighting part in the Baby 5/Buffalo vs. Franky battle until her turning into a sickle was anime-added content. -Otherwise, only the usual scene extensions.
See you all tomorrow!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2019 10:25:17 GMT -5
Episode 622: "A Touching Reunion! Momonosuke And Kin'emon!"
Hormone soup? Does not sound like anything I would try but OK...
As always after a big fight has finished, it is time for the arc wrap-up and that always means a banquet (much to Law's hilarious chagrin). The main focus is the titular reunion between father and son (and finally getting to see Momonosuke in human form who looks like your ordinary kid...well, an ordinary kid with a samurai haircut but still...) which is pretty heartwarming. Also, Momonosuke finally eats something (after almost throwing some of Sanji's food away which, as we know, is something that could seriously tick off our curly-haired cook) and as always Sanji's cooking manages to find lots of fans (even within the Marines who did not want to have anything to do with the pirates following their escape).
In some other good moments, Nami agrees to let the Marines handle returning the kids to their parents despite one marine traitor being the main reason for the children's abduction. Well, I wouldn't say no if Tashigi begged me with tears in her eyes as well, so I can understand her (it is actually a nice wrap-up for something that lingered in the whole arc that Tashigi did all she could to ensure the children's safety...although the children would rather hang out with the Straw Hat Crew). It leads to a pretty nice Nami/Usopp conversation as well. It is also fun to see the Marines being adamant about keeping a separate line between themselves and the pirates but happily disregarding it when smelling Sanji's soup. Also interesting was Chopper freaking out about Law slicing up the kids, obviously not knowing about Law's devil fruit powers, which is portrayed in a kinda dark way (we only see Chopper's reaction while hearing slicing sounds and screams from the children).
Ultimately, everything ends with the big banquet underway and Law thinking about Luffy's intent...to defeat all Four Emperors (interesting to note here that he is not disregarding Shanks but completely has his sights on him, mentioning only that he is glad that Shanks is not the first one to defeat). That's a mighty big goal.
Wrap-up banquets are always good so a good episode this is.
Manga Differences: -Sanji and Brook building the stove for the soup is anime-filler, we never see them building the stove in the manga. -Chopper sneaking into the ship and watching Law slice up the children is also anime-added content. The manga only sets in when he runs outside screaming about how Law is a murderer. -The talk between Nami and Tashigi is a lot longer in the anime, adding an interesting touch to it with Nami refusing at first to give the children to the marines due to Vergo's actions. The manga only shows the part where Tashigi begs her with tears in one panel in a flashback, but not showing the actual conversation. -We actually see Momonosuke in all his glory in the anime before he gets clothes via Kin'emon's devil fruit power. In the manga, his face is still obscured until he finally gets clothes. -The scene with Chopper at Mocha's side while she wakes up is also anime filler that is not shown in the manga. -The usual scene extensions.
Later days!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 3, 2019 15:32:29 GMT -5
Episode 623: "It's Time To Say Goodbye! Leaving Punk Hazard!"
*cues the Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman song*
While the arc is not yet over, this episode is indeed the departure of the Straw Hats from Punk Hazard. The separation from the children is complicated at first because the Marines try their hardest to keep the children from saying goodbye to the Straw Hats (while their methods are questionable certainly, one cannot fault their logic since their parents will not be happy about the children wanting to become pirates when they grow up). But moved by their tears or rather by not being able to hold back their feelings anymore, the Marines admit that they badmouthed the pirates to avoid having to admit that they find them pretty cool (which is of course not a wise course of action for a marine soldier). The Straw Hats...being able to move even the lowest of the low marine soldiers to admiration.
Other bullet points in this episode include Law deciding a place called Green Bit for their next destination to which the Straw Hats will be accompanied by Kin'emon and Momonosuke it seems along with, of course, the captured Caesar as well as his negotiation with Doflamingo starting (via a kinda gruesome image, sending Buffalo's and Baby 5's heads along with a Transponder Snail in the direction of Doflamingo...how Law would know that Doflamingo is on his way is anybody's guess). Law's deal is simple: Doflamingo should resign from the Seven Warlords Of The Sea and become a common pirate again, then he will give Caesar back to him. I am not really seeing how this will help the Strawhat-Heart pirate alliance beat Kaido but I guess Law is the strategist. And you can definitely tell that Doflamingo is mighty pissed about this.
Finally, there are some highlight clips of the Punk Hazard arc to pad out the episode some more while the Thousand Sunny departs.
A decent episode here: -The departing scene incl. the higlight clips from Punk Hazard is added in the anime. In the manga, we actually don't see the Straw Hats depart between them saying goodbye to the marines and the Doflamingo scene. -Cannot recall anything other in particular besides the usual scene extensions.
Let us meet again the day following today.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2019 15:03:55 GMT -5
Episode 624: "The G-5 Wiped Out! Doflamingo's Sudden Attack!"
Hell hath no fury like a guy with sunglasses and an feathered jacked scorned!
But first, we get a look at the Straw Hats relaxing a bit following their adventures on Punk Hazard. Via Law we learn a bit more about how the Four Emperors operated (more like a crime syndicate with many pirate groups combined...kinda like how it was with Whitebeard although Shanks does not appear to have any kind of associated pirate group) and that their next destination will be Dress Rosa where this island called Green Bit is located. As it happens this island is also the next destination for Kin'emon and Momonosuke for some undetermined reason as of yet. Alongside this we get the captivating tale of how Franky retrieved the Mini Merry (I really like that everybody asked him about it...goes to show how everybody cares about this memento of their former ship) while sporting some silly twin tails that make him look like a certain heavy-boned Gaul, Caesar yapping off leading to Sanji kicking him (I really like the follow-up where Chopper insinuates that Sanji can continue as soon as he is done treating him) and Law being really uncomfortable about Luffy's laid-back attitude about all of this. Also, I guess after all this time Usopp really is still a part of the weak trio with Nami and Chopper.
Meanwhile, following the departure of some marines and Brownbeard (who learned from Caesar that the encased victims are still alive and can be rescued...though I don't think they will get there on time on foot considering the tunnel must be several miles long given how long it took them by cart to get out), Doflamingo appears mightily best and immediately tries to get the location of the Straw Hats and Law out of the marines. Smoker tries to protect his soldiers and has a pretty good and well-animated fight with Doflamingo (I especially like the "sound" of Doflamingo's power used in that sequence) but he has to succumb quickly to the Warlord's overwhelming power.
Things seem bleak when suddenly...Aokiji appears?! What's he doing here?
A good episode this time around.
Manga Differences: -All the scenes leading up to Franky explaining how he retrieved the Mini Merry are anime filler. Only from that point onward are we in manga based territory. -The fight between Smoker and Law is a lot longer in the anime. In the manga, it basically only consists of Doflamingo torturing Smoker's men, Smoker intervening, Doflamingo hitting him with his attack (leading to the scene of the cut cigars and erupting blood), a scene change to the Straw Hats and then after, Smoker lying bloody before Doflamingo. -Otherwise the usual scene extensions.
Until 'morrow, laddies!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 5, 2019 10:00:15 GMT -5
Episode 625: "Intense! Aokiji vs. Doflamingo!"
Yeah, that was the most intense...staring contest I have ever seen!
As the introduction tells, the Aokiji vs. Doflamingo "fight" is not as much of a fight as the title makes it sound. Aokiji freezes him, Doflamingo frees himself from the ice and then they stare at each other...until Doflamingo leaves along with Buffalo and Baby 5. Afterwards, we still don't find out more about what Aokiji's been up to since leaving the Marines, being rather mysterious but telling Smoker that he is still the same as he was before. Though why he travels via penguin instead of his bicycle like he used to eludes me. Good to see though that he is still as lacksadaisacal as he was before (as seen when he is too lazy to tell them to keep his appearance a secret, giving up half-way through).
The second part takes place entirely on the Sunny where Law tells them more about the grander scheme of his plan: by kidnapping Caesar and destroying the SAD production facility, they took out one key component in creating the artificial devil fruits called SMILE. Their next course of action is destroying the SMILE factory on Dressrosa, thus weakening the forces of Kaido (the only Emperor we have not seen yet and the main proprietor of the fruit) which will make it easier for them to take him out. Most everyone is on board with this and as it turns out, the reason why Kin'emon and Momonosuke want to go to Dressrosa is because one of their friends is kept prisoner on that island as well. So, I guess they will travel for a while.
The rest of the episode is pretty leisurely with Nami giving Momonosuke a tour of the Thousand Sunny in a little montage, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper donning samurai outfits for their nightly guard, Kin'emon mistakenly believing Zoro to be the thief that stole Shusui, the legendary samurai Ryuma's sword (which is a callback to the Thriller Bark arc) and dueling him...and we learn that Momonosuke might be the most lecherous little boy in this particular universe (much to the chagrin of Brook, Sanji and Kin'emon).
Things get tense when something mysterious happens at night...
A decent episode all in all.
Manga Differences: -The montage of Nami showing Momonosuke the Thousand Sunny is anime-only filler. There is an immediate transition following the talk with Law to Luffy, Usopp and Chopper wearing their samurai gear. -The very last scene with something appearing out of the water, contacting somebody else is also anime-added content. -The usual scene extensions.
Until 'morrow!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2019 8:58:53 GMT -5
Episode 626: "Caesar Goes Missing! The Pirate Alliance Makes A Sortie!"
OK, I don't care if its a bow tie or a bow for his cape...that accessory alone makes me hate Breed all the more.
So, its the night before the Pirate Alliance will know whether Doflamingo agreed to their proposition or not, so I guess the anime producers figured "Might as well have a few filler episodes thrown in". In this case, a fat ugly dude named Breed who is very interested in pets kidnaps Caesar with his sea creature army so that he can create the kingdom of his dreams. While he does not have Aquaman's powers, Breed has eaten the Pet-Pet fruit enabling him to create slimy collars that enables him to control the captured being (the being however still retains his self so that he/she has to helplessly watch its body do things it does not want to do. That is really kinda cruel actually). He also talks derogatory about humans all the time though does not seem to see the hypocrisy that he himself is human.
The episode had some good fight scenes (especially the fight scene in the dark at the beginning with all fighters participating) and the fight in Breed's fishtank room, an unexpected reappearance (one of the Kung Fu Dugongs the Straw Hats met way back in the Alabasta Arc is actually the leader of the other sea creatures and felt inspired by Luffy to take up pirating and, therefore, he created his own pirate crew consisting of those sea creatures...OK, then) and I gotta love how Law seems to have his own nickname for everyone in the Straw Hat crew (Nose-ya for Usopp and Raccoon-ya for Chopper).
Let's see how Luffy, Chopper and Law get out of this situation...
A decent episode all in all.
Manga Differences: -Besides the very beginning (the scene of everyone sleeping with Usopp, Chopper and Franky on guard watch), everything else in here is filler material.
See y'all the day following today!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 7, 2019 14:53:57 GMT -5
Episode 627: "Luffy Dies At Sea!? The Pirate Alliance Comes Apart!"
Geez, this must be Chopper's most embarrassing moment ever since setting out on see.
Yeah, this episode is a bit of a downer and kinda creepy. Mostly because of my personal view that, regarding mind control, I find the type of mind control pretty cruel where the controlled is still conscious and can see what his body is forced to do. If I should ever come across a mind controller, I'd prefer that my mind be blank while I do my terrible deeds so that I can keep my trauma as much in check as possible. Sadly, Breed is exactly the opposite and, similar to the Platonians in the Star Trek TOS episode "Plato's Stepchildren", he has no qualms having his mind controlled subjects do humiliating things (like Luffy and Law having to sit and give paws to Breed or putting Caesar on a leash). These actions certainly put him pretty high in the list of the most disgusting antagonists in One Piece history (even scenes played for laughs like him gushing over Chopper's cute form do not help this).
So yeah, most of this episode is dealt with Luffy, Chopper and Law being forced into humiliating situations while we learn that Breed's goal is for Caesar to continue making SMILE fruits so that he can forcefeed them to all humans, force them to turn permanently into animals so that he can get rid of disgusting humans forever (I am sure if he could ingest another SMILE fruit, he would gladly do it to get rid of his own appearance). The final sequence deals with Breed forcing Luffy and Law to a fist fight to the death which is only aborted by the teary-eyed pleas of the Kung Fu Dugong which at least forces Breed to a change of plans...that the Dugong should kill Luffy and Law instead. And with tears in his eyes, he apparently succeeds, punching them through the glass causing them to fall into the sea below...where we end the ep on a depressing note.
Technically a decent episode but it was really a kinda uncomfortable episode to watch.
Manga Differences: -I Filler Rock (Rock!), I Filler Rock (Rock!), I Fil-Ler Rock (Rock!)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2019 10:05:42 GMT -5
Episode 628: "A Major Turnaround! Luffy's Angry Iron Fist Strikes!"
So long, Breed. I hope you slowly drown at sea.
Yeah, with this episode our short filler foray comes to a close with Law being the one who has figured out the weak point of Breed's power: if you cannot hear his commands, it is completely ineffective. While I wonder where Law procured ear plugs all of a sudden (I mean he is a surgeon but does he always have ear plugs for ear plug emergencies? Although perhaps he uses them to sleep.), at least it is kind of a good solution to this problem. And at least the fight is wrapped up quickly although I find it hard to believe that using one's power on oneself suddenly turns you into a behemoth like that. The other sea creatures help and Luffy gets one final punch of hatred against Breed and sends him to Kingdom Come.
Afterwards, we have a sweet wrap-up with Luffy saying goodbye to the Kung Fu Dugong and his crew which was basically the whole highlight of this mini-filler because the other stuff was so depressing (at least we didn't get a scene where the other Straw Hat members laughed at Chopper in his outfit). Last, we re-enter manga-based territory by morning with the announcement that Doflamingo has resigned as warlord as well as Kid/Apoo/Hawkins forming an alliance as well which sends shockwaves throughout the world. Guess we will find out after the next call how the negotiation will proceed.
Another decent episode.
Manga Differences: -All filler material until they take a turn at reading the morning newspaper from where we re-enter manga-based content.
Until the day that follows today!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2019 10:06:27 GMT -5
Episode 629: "Startling! The Big News Shakes Up The New World!"
And so the Punk Hazard Arc ends with a shake-up...
But first, new opening time!
A good opening IMHO. I like the little story it tells in the first part with some Straw Hats going after a golden beetle and how it develops into them coming across the marines and them finally coming across Blackbeard and his crew. I also dig that this is the first opening with spoken lines within the opening which is kinda neat. Sure, in the latter part it becomes the action-packed spoiler scenes we are used to from these openings (at least for those who have not followed the manga at this point) but all in all it is a pretty good opening. And I love the outfits of the Straw Hats in this one (although some might say that they would be better called "The Rainbow Connection" in them).
Yeah, this episode is basically a "Calm Before The Storm" type episode. The Straw Hats and Law finalize their negotiation with Doflamingo by agreeing to go to Green Bit near Dressrosa to hand over Caesar. We get some more info about how Kin'emon and Momonosuke got separated from their kinsman who is held captive on Dressrosa and also learn about a mysterious place called Zou where they (Kin'emon, Momonosuke as well as two other samurai) wanted to go (and it seems Law's crew is there as well). I wonder if we will ever see this mysterious Zou. Besides that we get some funny moments (Luffy thinking that Doflamingo wants to entice him with meat, Luffy mishearing the island as "Dressroba" leading to one of Robin's hilarious imagine bubbles and Law finally getting caught up in the Straw Hats' laid-back attitude in a funny moment).
Meanwhile in the rest of the world everybody is on edge about this news which was brought by a strange investigative journalist called Absa (and one guess after seeing the ship who he is. I guess he does have more interests than peeping on women and searching for a bride). In the marine headquarters, we do get an overview of the current warlords with one surprising addition in Buggy (the hell?) and one other member that we do not know about yet. There is also mention of a strange man named Fujitora though we do not know who that is yet.
At the same time, a meeting takes place between Doflamingo and his field commanders: Trébol, a slimy and disgusting old man who gives off the "lures children in with candy" vibe; Diamante, a guy whom you have to ask five times to get him to agree to something; and an unnamed guy with a pretty muscular, Franky-like build. I do wonder what's with the card game motif on display here (if they are silly enough, I might call Doflamingo's pirate crew the JAKQ crew). Jokes aside, the meeting reveals what Doflamingo wants to use to lure Luffy in: the devil fruit containing the power of his dead brother, the Flare-Flare fruit. Definitely an enticing object for Luffy.
At the end they finally arrive at Dressrosa, putting the Punk Hazard Arc behind them and getting ready for the new arc: the Dressrosa Arc.
A good episode definitely.
Manga Differences: -The whole bit where the picture of Buggy comes to life and does a short talk about himself is anime-added content. The manga just shows us the picture of Buggy without anything else. -Doflamingo asking Baby 5 to call Trebol to him is also anime filler. The manga sets in when Baby 5 is already outside looking for Trebol. -Otherwise, the usual scene extensions.
Until 'morrow!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2019 9:48:39 GMT -5
Episode 630: "Explore! A Kingdom Of Love And Passion - Dressrosa!"
What a coincidence considering Toy Story 4 is currently coming out...
And so we start the Dressrosa Arc, an arc I once thought was the longest arc to date but is actually shorter than the Summit War Arc (117 episodes to the Summit War's 132). I admit it probably depends on what you count as going into an arc (for example, you could separate the East Blue arc into four separate arcs) but as for the counting by Crunchyroll, this arc is not the longest to date.
And it begins with a bit of an introductory episode towards Dressrosa which is heavily inspired by Spain what with its female Flamenco inspired dances and dresses as well as its place names (Acacia for example). But the most surprising part are the living toys found around the island who live normally alongside the humans and appear to live everyday lives. Watzupwitdat? I hope we find out the reason for this.
As far as the Straw Hats are concerned, they divide themselves into three groups: the Factory Destroying Group (Luffy, Zoro, Kin'emon, Franky), the Sunny Guarding Group (Momonosuke, Nami, Chopper, Brook) and the Caesar Hand-Over Group (Law, Usopp, Robin). Technically, Sanji was a member of the Sunny Guarding Group but after smelling food & women, he goes with the Factory Destroying Group instead. The latter group also dons disguises including old man beards for some strange reason (though it made me chuckle that Luffy's beard along with his Hawaii shirt that he dons makes him look a bit like Dragonball's Turtle Hermit).
Otherwise, we also meet a strange blind man decked in royal purple who is really good at gambling using only his hearing to win at roulette until he gets screwed over by some members of the Doflamingo family. For some strange reason, whether or not this old man will win his final roulette round is the cliffhanger of this episode. Why should we care whether this old man wins this gamble? We don't even know him that well!
Still a good episode.
Manga Differences: -The first few scenes involving the blind man (him walking through the streets, him going down the stairs past Zoro asking him where there is a gambling den nearby while Zoro has his sword ready, him actually winning at roulette and getting complimented by his fellow gamblers) are anime-added content. In the manga, we don't actually meet him until Luffy hears the commotion and we go to the moment where he has already been screwed several times by Doflamingo's men. -Otherwise the usual scene extensions.
See you all tomorrow!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 11, 2019 10:00:33 GMT -5
Episode 631: "Full Of Enthusiasm! The Corrida Colosseum!"
Izuru Kira: "Hey, that's my attack!"
So Luffy decides to help the old man in need by spilling the beans about the Doflamingo members's deception to him. Afterwards we learn that this old man is nobody to take lightly since he manages to subdue all of them with a strange technique that looks like his sword slashes make them heavier, causing them to fall right through the floor of the restaurant. But what kind of power it is, we don't know yet since the old man disappears without giving away his identity...but I would bet that we have not seen the last of him.
In more important matters, Zoro's Shusui sword gets stolen by what the inhabitants of Dressrosa refer to as "fairies" who apparently always steal stuff from time to time...but they have not yet met Zoro who is of course adamant in getting his sword back (followed by Sanji who does not want him to get lost and Kin'emon who is also keen on not letting the Shusui sword disappear since he wants to challenge Zoro to a fight for it). Strangely enough, Zoro is able to follow the fairy pretty closely despite his total lack of sense of direction. I guess when it comes to swords, he is very good at detecting suddenly.
Luffy and Franky meanwhile interrogate a member of the Doflamingo family who got taken out by the old man and finally learn that Doflamingo has gotten his hands on Ace's fruit and has decided to put it forward as a prize for a fight at the Corrida Colosseum with the winner getting it. How will Luffy act next? And who is that strange one-legged toy soldier we focused on at the end for a bit (whose voice I remember as the same VA who is the second voice of Kogoro Mori in Case Closed...certainly nice to hear him in another anime)? Questions among questions...
A decent episode mainly due to the scene with the old man subduing the family members being a bit too long for my tastes.
Manga Differences: -The scene where the old man takes out the family members is much longer in the anime. The manga basically only has him pull his sword, attacking and then the floor crashing down in a few panels. Certainly not as long as in the anime version. -Sanji and Kin'emon losing Zoro is anime-added content. By that I mean that they do lose him in the manga as well, but we don't actually see how they got distracted. In the manga, after they have run off, the next time we see them they are already separated. -The usual scene extensions.
Laddies, I shall see you tomorrow!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2019 9:42:20 GMT -5
Episode 632: "A Dangerous Love! The Dancer Girl - Violet!"
...Was...Was one of the Doflamingo fighters at the colosseum dressed like a baby?...I must have imagined it.
The main focus of this one is on Sanji meeting a dancer girl named Violet. I guess she looks decent but those thick lips turn me off for some reason (at least she is not wearing lipstick). We get some inane Sanji lovey-dovey stuff that seems awfully uninspired (or perhaps this is because I am far more interested in Zoro chasing the fairy or what Luffy's up to than whether Sanji manages to woo this girl). Sadly, this takes up most of the episode's runtime. But I have to admit that Violet is a pretty good dancer with the animation being really good.
Otherwise, Zoro and Kin'emon continue separately from each other chasing for the fairy while Luffy makes the decision to participate in this fight to win his late brother's Flare-Flare fruit back. In front of the colosseum, they meet the one-legged toy soldier who is hunted by the local police for some reason and who is kinda hard to figure out. I wonder if he will become important later on.
Nothing much else to say here, the very definition of a decent-to-meh episode.
Manga Differences: -Sanji "taking over" a restaurant on break to cook something for Violet is all anime filler. Following Violet's request to Sanji to kill a man, we don't see them again until Sanji defeats an opponent in the manga. -The Kin'emon scenes during the chase (incl. a scene where he is tempted by a fruit seller) are also anime-added content. In the manga, we don't see him again until he gets confronted by the Doflamingo hitmen. -Otherwise, the usual scene extensions.
Until 'morrow!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2019 16:09:02 GMT -5
Episode 633: "A Formidable, Unknown Warrior! Here Comes Lucy!"
Just when you thought that "Guy Incognito" is the worst disguise name one could think of...
So, Luffy in his great disguise has registered himself for the tournament where he makes quite a name for himself immediately upon arrival by taking out a veteran of the Colosseum who tried to start shit with him for being too tiny. Luckily, Luffy is saved from immediate disqualification (I guess Goku was lucky that the first guy talking shit to him waited until the actual match instead of doing it before) by having a group of three speak up for him which leads to the introduction of, I guess, some of the more prominent fighters in the fight up ahead:
-The trio of Sai, Boo and Don Chinjao. Only notable stuff is Sai being very bad at taking gratitude which turns from embarrassingly declining to downright hostile demanding of taking back that gratitude as well as Don Chinjao kinda looking like your average Shaw Brothers martial arts film final boss. -The Funk Brothers (no, not Dory and Terry) who resemble a boxer and his manager and Dagama...who eerily looks like Dr. Eggman (did he accidentally cross dimensions?) and who seems to work more with his mind than with brute strength. He also tells us the format of the tournament (4 blocks with participants battle royal rules deciding one winner, the winners will then fight with the introduced members of the Doflamingo family over the Flare-Flare Fruit). -We also see a character we have not seen since all the way back in the Sky Island Arc, Bellamy the Hyena. What is he doing here?
This does not faze Luffy at all who has the time of his life looking at the armors and helmets he is allowed to wear, hearkening back to earlier appearances of this particular interest of Luffy.
Otherwise, nothing much happens. We continue watching Sanji and Violet have their uninteresting side adventure together and Kin'emon and Zoro being lost in the city. Only notable part is Franky getting into a conversation with the toy soldier regarding where he could find high-ranking members of the Doflamingo family. I wonder if this toy soldier might know more than he lets on?
Finally, Luffy (or rather, Lucy) meets another participant in the fight, a guy named Cavendish. But more on him tomorrow...
Another decent episode.
Manga Differences: -The interaction between Franky and the toy soldier is anime-added content. Following punching Luffy on the head for almost registering under his real name, we don't see Franky again until he watched the fight from the stands in the Colosseum. -All the scenes with Sanji, Violet, Zoro and Kin'emon in this ep are also anime filler scenes. -The fight scenes in Block A shown are also anime only. From Block A, we only join after the winner has already been decided. -The usual scene extensions.
See y'all tomorrow!
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Johnny B. Decent
Patti Mayonnaise
Had one once
Everybody's Favorite Arizonian.
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Post by Johnny B. Decent on Jul 13, 2019 23:10:41 GMT -5
Oh shit, you made it to Dressrosa? Well, MD, this is it. If you make it past this, you can make it all the way to one day being right on an episode as it premiers. Because if you can recap every Dressrosa episode, ain't nothing else can stop you.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2019 16:12:50 GMT -5
Johnny B. Decent, thank you for the kind message. I can see a problem with the Dressrosa Arc, unlike the other longer arcs like the Water 7 or the Summit War arcs, that it takes place basically in the same location for its 117 episode run. And while I have not heard much feedback on it, perhaps this arc is to the second half of One Piece (so far) what the Sky Island Arc was to the first half? I'll just have to find out. Episode 634: "A Pirate Noble! Cavendish!" Uhm, I am sorry but Cavendish...? The audition room for the shojo animes is that way, you accidentally came into the shonen anime section. So, we meet Cavendish of the White Horse who makes all the girls swoon in a manner that Sanji would probably beat the blond out of his hair out of jealousy. Cavendish really hits all the shojo anime protagonist hitpoints like being goodlooking, having his flashback frames adorned by flowers etc....but I cannot help but find him oddly charming. Be it that he does the same angry facials after being ignored by Luffy as everyone else does or that he actually eats the rose he carrying...he displays some odd quirks that I find really likable about him. It is also neat that he has such a high bounty and is apparently very successful on the high seas despite not having a Devil Fruit power. Ok, him wanting to kill Luffy and all other rookies from the Worst Generation from stealing his spotlight is not that good but not everyone's perfect. Luffy also meets another participant: a female swordsfighter named Rebecca who is a real cutie with a hot outfit. Nothing much we learn about her except that she adores the statue of a legendary gladiator named Kyros and that the other gladiators look at her funny. I wonder what that is all about. Besides Franky being lead away by the Toy Soldier who really does seem to know more than he lets on, we get the winner of the first block who is none other than Jesus Burgess, one of the members of the Blackbeard Pirates (the least interesting member no less). The marines also move out with one vice admiral who participates incognito in the tournament and we finally learn that the blind old man that we met is none other...than the new admiral of the Marines, Fujitora (also known as Issho...I guess just like Kuzan is the real name of Aokiji), who appears to be a man of integrity, caring more about the number of people who need to be saved than the number of enemies. And he and his marines move out towards...Green Bit, the place where the handover of Caesar will take place. It appears to be getting serious. At the end, Luffy also meets an old acquaintance...of which we will learn the consequences next episode. Another decent episode here. Manga Differences: -We actually see more of the final fights in Block A with Jesus finishing off the final participants. As mentioned before, in the manga we only go to Block A when it has already concluded. -Besides that, only the usual scene extensions. Later, laddies!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2019 9:33:59 GMT -5
Episode 635: "The Fateful Reunion! Bellamy The Hyena!"
Well, he sure seems happier than the last time we saw him.
This episode is more like a collection of scenes (which is fitting considering the episode does divide itself into "Scene 1", "Scene 2", "Scene 3" etc.) so we can tackle them one by one:
-At the colosseum, we have the titular reunion and, well, at least Bellamy is not as much of a condescending jerk as he once was (and as emphasized by the flashback to the Sky Island Arc we get) though he is still pretty arrogant. He also mentions having been to the Sky Island in the meantime though we don't find out what he did there (though I hope the Skypieans were strong enough to repel him). At another part of the colosseum, we meet another participant in the fight called Bartolomeo who looks like the most edgiest character ever put in anime (only misses the dark hair and teardrop tattoo) but who seems pretty strong, managing to take out the marine soldier who overcame his subordinate without a sweat and entering his block without any blemish at all. We shall see what he's got.
-We get our first look at the Caesar Handover Team who sit leisurely at a cafe before crossing the bridge to Green Bit which is apparently not a very safe trip. We also get an appearance from members of CP0 which is basically the highest secret organization in the Marine ranks (even higher than CP even). I guess the Marines are pulling out all the stops here.
-We also get to the Sunny Security Team which is basically the comedic highlight of this ep, seeing them all playing Shogun (with Brook still incensed that Nami lets Momonosuke sit on her lap). But things turn serious when someone is in the men's dormitory and is angry at something. When they open the door....it looks like somebody opened the door to Dementia 5. The hell?
-Otherwise, Zoro seems to finally have captured the fairy whom we hear for the first time (it is certainly high-pitched enough for a fairy) while Sanji and Violet continue to slog through their boring-ass romance.
I guess next time we will see a fight in full at the colosseum in Block B. Will be interesting I am certain.
A good episode mostly for the change of scenery more or less.
Manga Differences: -We get reveals of Bartolomeo's face far earlier in the anime compared to the manga. The interactions he has with the Navy posing as a competior are also anime-added content for the most part. We finally get to see Bartolomeo's face when he enters the arena to fight in Block B. -The scene with Brook and Chopper opening the door and seeing...whatever it is that is there, is anime filler. The manga cuts off before they open the door. -The whole Sanji-Violet scene except Sanji taking out the sniper in impressive fashion is anime-only. -The usual scene extensions.
After a long time without a break, tomorrow will be a break for Manga Volume 73 so see you all on Wednesday!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2019 10:36:31 GMT -5
Episode 636: "A Super Rookie! Bartolomeo The Cannibal!"
With those razor-sharp teeth, I don't doubt that he would have any problem eating another human being.
Unlike the last episode with its constant scene changes, we stay in one spot this time: watching the first round match in Block B being started. Much of the focus is on Bartolomeo at first, who is quite the disrespectful little shit with no regard about manners or respect towards anyone. Definitely explains why he is so reviled all over the sea. Otherwise Cavendish provides us with some information about the most promising participants in Block B: among them Dagama (the Dr. Eggman look-a-like) who is the tactician for the Kingdom of Prodence where King Elizabello II, another participant in the same block, reigns. The latter looks less like a real king but more like a king in the Jerry Lawler or Harley Race sense (though with more muscles) and we also get to know that he has one special technique (after hearing what it is, I suddenly want a fight between him and Saitama to determine who is the true One Punch Man).
Otherwise, only Bellamy is really notable among the other participants with a big chance to win (others like Tank Lepanto, Blue Jeely, Abdullah and Jeet don't really look all that interesting). And so the fight begins with the only notable goings-on being the teamwork used by Dagama to allow his king enough time to prepare his one-inch punch, Bellamy showing off some impressive moves with his spring-spring fruit powers, a mysterious sword fighter named Ricky...and Bartolomeo casually taking a nap, seemingly unconcerned about everything that happens.
Finally, while watching the fight, Luffy suddenly gets his disguise compromised by Don Chinjao in front of Cavendish. And Don Chinjao seems angry with Luffy's grandpa of all men. What is that all about?
A good episode mostly for the well-animated fight scenes.
Manga Differences: -Nothing that notable I remember, so just the usual scene extensions. *Something I realized recently is that the episode summaries on the One Piece Wiki list all the differences from the manga to the anime. I could sidestep some work by just copy and pasting the information here but I will not do it since I like to do it from memory.
Until 'morrow!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2019 10:14:57 GMT -5
Episode 637: "Big Names Duke It Out! The Heated Block B Battle!"
Don Chinjao seems like the type of guy who was always a bit ahead of the curve.
So yeah, Luffy's cover gets blown by Don Chinjao who seems to have a grudge against his family for something Garp did which, in turn, leads Cavendish to also turn against Luffy, leading to mass confusion. We learn that Don Chinjao seems to use his head a lot for attacks and he does have a really hard head that would make many a Samoan wrestler proud, being able to not be terribly bothered by Luffy's punch or Cavendish's sword. An interruption by the colosseum postpones this encounter until later, however.
Meanwhile, things continue to get heated in Block B. I really like how we have now stayed in one place in the last episode and this one which gives a bit more of a focus (and also spares us some inane Sanji/Violet scenes). Bellamy continues to give an impressive showing, taking out some of the tougher opponents like Abdullah and Jeet (which are apparently based on famous wrestlers Abdullah The Butcher and Tiger Jeet Singh according to Oda-sensei himself), and the mysterious sword fighter named Ricky also continues to give a splendid performance. Among the competitors is another interesting fellow, a fishman named Hack, who is far from a hack as a fighter, using fishman karate as well (and it always feels good when a racist gets knocked right the f out). Otherwise, we get some impressive fight scenes but nothing terribly remarkable...
...until the end when Bartolomeo takes a piss, pissing the crowd right off. Hack tries to punch the living piss out of Bartolomeo...but breaks his hand when attacking him. What exactly is Bartolomeo's power?
A good episode overall mainly for the end and the Luffy/Cavendish/Chinjao portion.
Manga Differences: -Again nothing that notable besides the usual scene extensions.
See you all the day following today!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2019 9:55:24 GMT -5
Episode 638: "A Deadly Blow! The Astonishing King Punch!"
Have to say, if Blue Gilly should ever go into a pro wrestling career, he can adapt Stacy Keibler's old theme: "He's got legs, knows how to use 'em..."
And so the fight in Block B comes to a close with Hack being eliminated after having his hand crushed by whatever it was that Bartolomeo was doing as well as the gladiator Ricky being eliminated, too (who seems to have a grudge against Doflamingo for some reason). With Dagama betraying his allies and getting betrayed in turn by Blue Gilly, everything seems lost for King Elizabello II...when he is ready to unleash his King Punch on them (it probably helps him that Blue Gilly and the other fighters stand around like total jockasses as if they want him to be ready to punch them). His punch is definitely impressive and takes out almost all the remaining fighters including Bellamy...except for Bartolomeo whom we now learn has eaten the Barrier-Barrier Fruit making him able to become One Piece's version of Mr. Mime by creating barriers. And with Elisabello having used up all he was good for, Bartolomeo easily wins this block (we also learn that he wants to dedicate the fruit to a certain man...but who could that be?).
Meanwhile, we learn that the toy soldier seems to know a bit more about Dressrosa than anyone else, mentioning an operation to attack the SMILE factory as well as rescue the workers there (which makes it a bit more difficult to the Straw Hats since they cannot just barge in and destroy everything). Just who is this mysterious toy?
A good episode here.
Manga Differences: -The first scene with Franky and the toy soldier where the soldier remains quiet at first and Franky threatens to leave before the toy soldier comes clean is anime-filler. The second scene in this episode is where we go into manga-based content. -Otherwise, the usual scene extensions.
Until later, laddies!
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