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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2017 14:40:47 GMT -5
Episode 87: "Vs. Wapol's Corps! The Power Of The Munch-Munch Fruit!"
Goodbye, Robson! You may not have mattered much, but you were easily the nicest of Wapol's corps.
Now the fight part of the Drum Island Arc begins with a...middling episode to be honest. It does not help in that regard that a large part of the first act is taken up by a flashback to events we saw in the very last episode already (and without "Ave Maria" playing, it kinda loses a lot of the gravitas). And the fight itself in this one is also weak (consisting of perhaps 4 connecting hits in total in the whole episode) which to me shows again that Wapol as well as his field commanders are not the most exciting antagonists. Though I admit I like the Munch Munch power in itself for what it can actually do (like the Munch Munch House transformation) and the Chess/Marimo fusion actually looks a bit like a threat.
Humor is what's keeping this one from being poor (seriously, Dr. Kureha hitting anyone who refers to her as an old lady is a running gag that I love no matter how many repetitions it has + Luffy's slow reactions as well as Sanji and Chopper trying to get rid of Marimo's afros). And the final scene with Luffy protecting Hiriluk's pirate flag is pretty epic as well.
All in all, a thumbs-in-the-middle episode.
Manga Differences: -OK, now I can finally talk about one of the big changes in this arc. Originally, Chopper's past appeared in the manga in between two panels of first Luffy about to hit Wapol for the first time and second, him hitting it. In the manga version, Kureha never told Nami and Sanji about Chopper's past but this should probably not be any big problem. Otherwise, no major differences to report here.
Until tomorrow, lads!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2017 14:42:41 GMT -5
Episode 88: "Zoan-type Devil Fruit! Chopper's Seven-form Transformation!"
Chopper's not only cute, but deadly!
Now this fight is more like it, showing that Chopper is a pretty capable fighter. We not only get an introduction to the three normal transformations possible with a Zoan-type devil fruit, but already get an evolution of it through Chopper's Rumble Ball. The fight itself is pretty well done, especially since Chessmarimo is a more interesting fighter than their individual parts previously. The episode also does not miss out on humor with Sanji getting incapacitated by Dr. Kureha and Luffy's child-like adoration for the cool stuff Chopper does. It also does not hurt Sanji IMHO to be written out of the fight like this since he has been shown to be a capable fighter lots of times previously (even in this arc with his fight against the Lapins) and, thus, he does not get Yamcha'd.
We also finally get to see what happens down there in Big Horn with some funny moments with Usopp, but also seeing how Hiriluk's actions moved some other people besides Chopper.
All in all, a pretty good recovery after the last meh one.
Manga Differences: -The whole obsession with Luffy expecting a beam coming from Chopper's Brain Point transformation did not come in the manga (although it would later actually find its way into the manga). -Nami waking up and getting ready to escape from the castle was anime-only as well. -Dalton waking up also was anime-only.
See you ashita!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2017 16:24:11 GMT -5
Episode 89: "When The Kingdom's Rule Ends! The Flag Of Faith Flies Forever!"
"King Wapol's Blasting Off Again!"
And so endeth the fighting portion of the Drum Island Arc. Not as good as last episode (only really three connecting hits to be counted) and it probably would have been a better fight if they did give Wapol a chance to munch up on all those weapons in his weaponry. As it is, it just re-emphasized his status as the weakest main villain of the series so far (although his Munch-Munch Power is still a pretty nifty Devil Power).
Another major focus in this one is Dalton and his views on government needing a heart to rule wisely. Interesting outlook...I wonder where he got that from...
Besides those elements, there was some humorous stuff thrown in here (Nami and Luffy arguing about the latter ruining her jacket, Usopp's antics, the end with Chopper getting chased by Luffy again) that helped this episode a bit.
So, all in all, still a good one, though not as good as the previous episode.
Manga Differences:
-The short interaction between Nami and Sanji was anime-filler. -The first Chopper/Kureha interaction was also anime-only.
See you all tomorrow!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2017 8:33:59 GMT -5
Episode 90: "Hiriluk's Cherry Blossoms! Miracle In The Drum Rockies!" Woohoo, the Straw Hat Family continues to grow. As that opening statement implies, this marks the episode where Chopper becomes a part of the crew although I get neither in the manga nor in the anime why Luffy's "Shut up! Let's go!" was so poignant that it convinced Chopper to go with them (especially after he made such a big counterargument just before that). Oh well, only a minor nitpick. Compared to previous arc wrap-ups, this one is a bit more "action" packed considering Chopper's flight from Dr. Kureha and Sanji being "treated" by Dr. Kureha for his low back pain. Then again, the actual final wrap-up is next episode, so you could give it some slack. Besides some humor, this episode is really good with emotion especially the final scene where we finally see how Hiriluk managed to create something to make cherry blossoms bloom on a winter island. Adding to that Dr. Kureha saying goodbye to her reindeer assistant and Chopper howling at the Drum Rockie "Cherry Tree" and you have one pretty touching episode. Slowing the episode down a bit are flashbacks, either orally or visually, to stuff that we just saw a few episodes ago but it does not matter too much. All in all, a pretty good episode. Manga differences: -Zoro remembering when he met Dr. Kureha in the woods in an earlier episode and their interaction was anime-filler again. -Luffy chasing Chopper around was also anime-filler. -All the scenes in the arsenal room are anime-filler (in the manga we never see that arsenal room) -Chopper and Dr. Kureha coming across the villagers bringing the cannons outside during their chase scene was also anime filler. Tomorrow will be another day off for reading Manga Volume 21, so see you on Saturday!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2017 7:57:23 GMT -5
Episode 91: "Goodbye Drum Island! I'm Going Out To Sea!"
I think it was this episode where I got annoyed with "Believe" as the opening since it never took into consideration any updates that went on in the meantime. We have had Vivi as a new addition to the crew as well as now Chopper, we are entering Alabasta which could provide some good scenery for an opening as well as new members of Baroque Works that could get featured in an opening. But no, we are still stuck with this opening where the "spoiler pic" still end with the Little Garden Arc and we are only shown 5 crew members. So annoying.
Anyway, this episode ends the Drum Island Arc which was a good arc all in all. Interesting locale, good characters...only downside was the pretty weak villains. But one cannot have everything.
Most interesting about this episode is a lot of foreshadowing that happens here: We get our first glimpse at Marie Jois, the capital of the world; the World Summit aka Reverie where all the important leaders of the various kingdoms assemble; that the pirate king's name is not Gold Roger but actually Gol D. Roger, similar to Monkey D. Luffy, with Dr. Kureha also mentioning something called the Will of D. Considering that Dr. Kureha is 139 years old, she is actually the one character who lived through the whole period that is mentioned down the line. Wondering if that will be brought up in the far future.
We also learn that somebody called Ace visited Drum Island and looked for the before-mentioned Blackbeard and who also seems to know Luffy. Wonder who that is.
OK, here is something that does not quite fit into Manga Differences, therefore I mention it here: -Originally, the whole event at the World Summit got told in the manga during the recounting of Chopper's past. Basically, Dalton sat with Chess and Marimo in the past (part of that scene was shown in the episode before the last one although it was cut from how it was in the manga) and recounted that episode to them. Here, we see it while Dalton talks with Dr. Kureha about his future plans.
Oh and Chopper can talk to animals. Neat ability that should come in handy.
That was it for the first act, now for the second act:
We finally meet face-to-face the second major role of Kazuki Yao after Jango from the Black Cat Pirates: Mr. 2 Bon Clay (who we only saw glimpses of in his first appearance). I can imagine him being considered quite a controversial character back then and nowadays, still, he is a pretty entertaining character and Kazuki Yao gives it his all with this role, making it a joy to watch. Though we will get a bit more about him in the next episode.
Through Vivi, we finally learn a bit about how Baroque Works is structured (the ranks and duties of the agents as well as their subordinates). Though it would have been nice in the anime to not make the as-of-yet unknown agents clearly visible since I imagine a lot of the anime watchers don't follow the manga and vice-versa.
Trivia: It is quite clear that the male agents have codenames by number while the female agents have names by days or holidays. In the case of Mr. 2 Bon Clay, he does not have a female partner since he can fulfil both genders. The Bon Clay refers to one of the highest days in the Obon Festival in Japan in August, so he does have a holiday assigned to him. In the case of Mr. 1's partner, Miss Doublefinger, her name refers to January 1st because when you put the two index fingers together it is 1 and 1 (and January 1st is among the biggest holidays in Japan).
So, all in all, lots of information but it still flies by pretty entertaining and makes for a good wrap-up to the Drum Island Arc. Good ep.
Manga Differences: -The first tries of the crew to engage Chopper in having fun was anime-only. -The part of Dalton's talk with Dr. Kureha about his future plans was also anime-only -During the flashback to the World Summit, Chess and Marimo attended King Wapol as well while in the manga only Dalton accompanied him (or was the only one visible). Perhaps because of this change, the anime makers decided to not do it like in the manga since Chess and Marimo witnessed the incident with Vivi first hand. -Various scenes during the World Summit flashback (Wapol and his entourage wandering around complaining about having to attend this event, meeting King Cobra before the Reverie, Wapol and Crew seeing Vivi and approaching her to enact his petty revenge). -The whole episode with Luffy and the Giant Seagull and its aftermath was also anime filler only.
See you all tomorrow!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2017 13:24:23 GMT -5
Episode 92: "Alabasta's Hero And A Ballerina On The Ship"
I wonder who would win in a eating contest: Goku or Luffy?
This one is more of a quiet variety, with more focus on humor. The crew meets Mr. 2 on his way back to Alabasta, hoping to find Mr. 3 and assassinate him, and befriend him because they think he's a swell guy. Sadly, because Vivi is a bit of puddinghead, they realize too late who actually boarded them. The scenes with Mr. 2 and the crew are decent (though I kinda dislike Kazuki Yao's voice acting for Mr. 2. I know it's supposed to be overdramatic and over the top, but its kinda cringeworthy) and we learn what kind of power he has: The Mime Mime Fruit.
In the other section mentioned by the title, we see Crocodile for the first time in action, saving a village from other pirates. This is also where we see him in full for the first time (or it would be if the fourth ending did not already reveal his face) and get a glimpse at his power although we do not yet know what kind of power it is. Leaving it in a bit of mystery.
Speaking of people being revealed before their actual appearance in the corresponding manga-to-anime-episode...although we do not know their names yet, in last episode's flashback and this one we see two of the highest-ranking field commanders in Alabasta: Chaka and Peruh (though it is only Chaka that speaks). But we will come to them when it is time.
All in all, this is a decent episode. It has enough humor outside the Mr. 2 appearance to make it entertaining and the first appearance of Crocodile also makes it interesting. It's good.
Manga differences: -The pirates stabbing Crocodile to which he does not seem fazed is anime-only. In the manga, he defeats the pirates from atop the building he stands on. -All the scenes with the Alabasta soldiers are anime-only. Only manga part is the report to the king.
Tomorrow will be the next one!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2017 14:39:31 GMT -5
Episode 93: "Off To The Desert Kingdom! The Rain-Summoning Powder And The Rebel Army!"
After more than 25 episodes, we have finally arrived in the Alabasta Kingdom! And to celebrate...we get an episode that's 95% filler.
Ok, instead of manga differences, let's just count the stuff that was actually taken from the manga:
-The crew finding Mr. 3's ship. -The first dialogue between Koza and his subordinate. -The crew's reaction to their new clothes and Chopper's reaction to perfume during it (until Vivi makes her speech)
Everything else was filler and it was mostly pretty meh. While the anime already introduces stuff here that would later come up in the manga (Rebel leader Koza, the city of Katorea, the Dance Powder, Brow the camel [though with him I certainly ask myself how he ended up with the crew in the anime now given his location here]), for the most part, it is just a plodding episode. Luffy's encounter with the Dance Powder guy is not exciting, Chopper getting "kidnapped" felt like a big waste of time to pad out the episode and some of the dialogue felt like it went on and on and on and on.
Only good addition was Vivi bringing up something that the manga never brought up: technically, Igaram only asked them to bring Vivi safely to Alabasta which they did this episode so they have no obligation to help her further. The dialogue between the crew and Vivi as well as Vivi later in the episode asking them from the heart to help her was really touching and saved this episode from being a real big fat waste of time.
Next episode should be good though so let's look forward to that tomorrow.
Until then!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 14:33:58 GMT -5
Episode 94: "The Heroes' Reunion! His Name Is Fire Fist Ace!" Nami is really hot in her bellydancer outfit. Too bad, it will be covered up for a long while afterwards... While the start of this episode is again filler to a large part, it eventually quickly goes right into manga-based territory again. Luffy's brother Ace is a fun character, having some weird ticks like his brother (who in their right mind falls asleep while eating) and also appearing to be a very cool fighter as evidenced by his Flare-Flare Power allowing him to turn his body into fire. Really looking forward how their brotherly interactions look like. Otherwise, this episode is at least better than the last episode with even the filler content being good (loving Chopper and Usopp falling for the Golden Apple swindler and Zoro's reaction to seeing Tashigi). The manga-based content also places this episode more on the fun spectrum with the scenes in the restaurant and Luffy bringing his crew into danger accidentally. A bit of action is also included with Luffy having to evade Smoker and the Marines but as mentioned this episode is more about fun. Therefore, a pretty good episode. Very nice. Manga differences: -The whole first part of the episode until we go to Ace having fallen asleep in the restaurant is anime-filler (The whole bit with the Golden Apple crook, Luffy's crew noticing Ace looking for Luffy, Zoro noticing Tashigi, Luffy wandering around the desert for a bit) See you tomorrow, lads!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 15, 2017 15:06:07 GMT -5
Episode 95: "Luffy And Ace! Hot Emotions And Brotherly Bonds!"
Darn, he grilled five ships in one fell swoop! ACE IS DA MAN!
Again an episode where about 90% of it is filler stuff but since most of it is based on Luffy and Ace interacting, it is good stuff. Considering what happens when they meet next time, it is just nice seeing them having a good time together, like two peas in a pod. Their dialogue is really entertaining and just leaves you with a smile.
Otherwise, this episode is a good mixture of humor and action. Most of the humor derives from Luffy's crew reacting to him getting lost again while the two brothers fighting off Baroque Works's Billions (including the above mentioned scene where Ace truly shows off the power of his Flare-Flare Fruit) provide the action. Also included is a really cool showdown between Ace and Smoker that looks like a flame pillar battling a smoke tornado (has to be seen to be truly described).
Just like the episode before the last one, I just list some big parts of what actually was in the manga since most of the episode was filler: -Billions killing Mr. 11 (although that big fat Billion with the sword is an anime-only character) -Tashigi and Smoker discussing their next course of action (interesting to note that the anime sets up why Smoker shows up several episodes later: Luffy let it slip during their chase that he is here to beat Crocodile up which brings Smoker to go the city where Crocodile resides). -Some of the dialogue between Luffy and Ace is from the anime but it gets split up between the anime-only meet-up in the city and the Going Merry (originally all the dialogue took place aboard the Going Merry)
The Luffy-Ace interaction certainly makes this one of the better filler episodes, so I am cool with it.
Until tomorrow!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2017 15:02:37 GMT -5
Episode 96: "Erumalu, The City Of Green, And The Kung Fu Dugongs"
Almost forgot...since arriving in Alabasta we have gotten a short of pre-episode narration bringing us up to task and also showing us a map where the Straw Hats currently are. That is...kinda helpful, I guess?
Now we are about 50/50 as far as manga and filler content are for this episode, so we are going with manga differences for this one.
That episode is more of a quiet exposition episode where we learn how Crocodile managed to rile up the citizens against Vivi's father by using the strange powder that Luffy encountered a few episodes ago (and of course, nobody believes him that he encountered it before). But what it keeps it from getting boring is Misa Watanabe's wonderful voice acting as Vivi (especially the scene where she encounters the skeleton of an inhabitant of Erumalu) and also the interaction of the crew commenting on Vivi's revelations. And the downfall of Erumalu is certainly heartwrenching.
In the other part mentioned in the title, we encounter Dugongs that practice Kung Fu. Uhm, OK. That one is more for the comedy (and I just love the filler scene of Nami and Vivi feeling sad of leaving those cute Dugongs behind) which is pretty decent.
All in all, this episode has a good mix of all (well, except action really but sometimes you need a break) and is nice watching.
Manga Differences: -The opening scene with the King in Alubarna. -The scenes on the Going Merry before Vivi entrusts Karoo with his mission. -Luffy and Co. enduring a sandstorm in Erumalu (which is actually a nice piece of foreshadowing for a filler part) -Some extended scenes of various manga-related scenes (like the scene with Crocodile and Ms. All Sunday and some of the conversation about Dance Powder between the crew).
Oh and just to be safe but it goes without saying: Ace was never a part of this in the manga (but more on that in a few episodes).
See you 'morrow!
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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 Nov 16, 2017 18:45:58 GMT -5
The first real big arc. If you can do this, MD, I think you can go all the way.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2017 11:17:27 GMT -5
Thanks, S.C. Amigo. I do not plan on stopping anytime soon.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2017 15:20:27 GMT -5
Episode 97: "Adventure In The Country Of Sand! The Monsters That Live In The Scorching Land!"
Did Vivi forget to mention that she is very good at forgetting things to mention?
While we now enter a pretty large filler part (well, for the most part), at least it kinda makes sense here since the trek from Erumalu to Yuba offers plenty of opportunity to waste some time to catch up to the manga.
In that regard, it is a very good filler episode since it is mostly contained on the crew and their interaction: one of the main reasons why I like One Piece so much. Plenty of humor (the running gag of Vivi forgetting to mention certain dangers in the desert, the male characters reaction to Lashes [aka the camel I formerly referred to as Brow]) but also a few nice character moments (like Ace's and Vivi's talk about Luffy and the crew).
It also adds a bit of action to the mix like Luffy having to fend off those desert plants and the Monster Trio (Luffy, Zoro, Sanji) defeating a Sandora Dragon. Not to mention Ace getting a chance to show off his awesome power as well.
This episode also introduces Lashes proper to the series, a pretty minor but fun character despite him being just a pervy camel. At least he has a good taste in luggage. Though one wonders how he ended up here when he was all the way in Katorea a few episodes ago...the power of filleritis, maybe?
Again, we have an episode that is about 50/50 in terms of manga vs. filler content, so again with the manga differences: -The night camp and the morning scenes until they are on their way after the sandstorm is filler. -Luffy following the birds deep into the desert, getting eaten by a plant, freeing himself, freeing Lashes from a plant and them encountering the first Sandora Dragon is anime-only (in the manga, we see Luffy running off to chase the birds and one-two panels later, he already runs back with Lashes followed by that dragon; that is also the first time we encounter Lashes in the manga) -Ace defeating the second Sandora Dragon is also filler (might as well call every scene having Ace in it that)
Until tomorrow, lads!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2017 4:58:24 GMT -5
Episode 98: "Enter The Desert Pirates! The Men Who Live Freely!" The Men Who Live Freely? Will this be a cameo by Captain Harlock!? ...I guess not. This is a filler episode done right in my book. It has the right mixture of action and humor, but most importantly, it has emotion and feels like it enhances the experience of the arc overall. The highlight of this episode is the heart-to-heart between Vivi and Rasa, the female field commander of the Desert Pirates. The picture composition, the voice acting...it hits you right in the heart and gives you another glimpse into how this conflict in Alabasta affects the population and how hard it is for a government to keep focus on all of its cities and how words honestly spoken might lead to broken promises down the road. And the good thing here is...we never get a happy resolution for it. Rasa will continue to hold resentment for Vivi and her father for not keeping their promise and making her suffer for all those years and Vivi, despite her sincere apologies, gets another nail in her coffin seeing how that conflict has turned her country to a muck of desolation. Finally, the makers had the common sense to keep Luffy silent since in that case, his antics would have ruined that scene. The episode introduces also some cool, although not highly original concepts, like the sand ship and the sand sleds. The leader of the Desert Pirates is a jovial fellow and fun. The humor is also pretty fun (the males in the group having no qualms about Lashes getting eaten by the pirates, the whole scene with the desert bandits including the giant dung beetle, Luffy hallucinating from drinking mezcal cactus juice) and the little bit of action top-notch. Only downside are the scenes with Ace who basically gets separated from the group and has his own adventure during the episode. Considering what the crew did in this one, it does not make any lick of sense why they had to separate Ace here and it kinda shows the problem about inserting a character that was not here originally into a part taken from the manga. The only interesting part (the fight with a giant scorpion) was not shown and the rest is pretty forgettable. Might as well kept him with the rest of the crew. Still, this is a fine filler episode and worth checking out. Even think they should have made the stuff with the Desert Pirates a 2-parter. Only thing taken from the manga was Luffy and the mezcal cactus including Chopper tranquilizing him. All other was anime filler. Mata ashita!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2017 4:25:06 GMT -5
Episode 99: "False Fortitude! Camu, Rebel Soldier At Heart!"
After having them somewhere here and there, this is the first episode in this part of the arc that features 100% filler material...okay, except those two still shots at the end.
Here we have another episode that could have been majorly annoying and cringeworthy...but somehow the anime makers made a real good episode out of it. There were many ways the crew could have gone about this including the old "Liar Revealed" trope.
What makes this episode work is the plan made by Vivi regarding the fake rebel soldiers. It would have been easy to reveal them as impostors but she acknowledged that their presence caused bandits to avoid that village they stayed in, making it a safe haven compared to the other cities that got abandoned due to her government's unintentional disregard of the smaller villages. This is a really nice grey area they went into, showing that even impersonation sometimes can lead to a good situation.
Still, she wanted to test their hearts to see if they were willing to protect the village. And that scene was also pretty good when Camu and his pals, despite knowing that they were gonna get trounced, grew a backbone and decided to rather die as heroes than running away like cowards, thus deeming themselves worthy in Vivi's eyes to continue their facade of being rebel soldiers.
Aside from this, the rest of the episode was decent. Camu and his pals get points for their backbone, but were not that interesting as characters. Some good humor (like Luffy and Chopper actually believing Camu's lie of there being 100 million rebel soldiers in the village or Camu & Crew being unwittingly foiled from escaping by the villagers) and also a sweet little scene at the beginning where Vivi and Rasa waved goodbye to each other.
Therefore, a rather good episode here, no problems with it.
Tomorrow will be a break to read Manga Volume 22, so see you all on Tuesday!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2017 14:33:43 GMT -5
Episode 100: "Rebel Warrior Koza! The Dream Vowed To Vivi!" Episode 100! Normally a number for joy...but considering I am not even close to having made it to the half-way point... In this episode, we take a look back at Vivi's childhood and how she interacted with the boy who would become the rebel leader, Koza. The flashback is pretty...meh. Have to say, I liked seeing the antics of King Cobra and Igaram (and the grown-ups in general more) than what Vivi and Koza were up to. I dunno why exactly, but the scenes with Vivi and Koza did really nothing for me. Perhaps because the three villains here were quality examples of dull henchmen. Or perhaps that aside from "Yeah, they got into fights with each other" and "Koza saved Vivi once", we learn nothing about their relationship at all or at least, why they made such an impression on each other. They should have perhaps replaced the scenes with the adults with more scenes of Vivi and Koza interacting so that it did not feel dull as dishwater most of the time. In the present, we do not get much interesting stuff from the filler material either. Fighting about water and the guys frying a giant scorpion and eating it...nothing more and done not very interesting. So yeah, not a very good ep this time around. Manga differences: -Originally, the flashback was shown when the gang met Toto in Yuba while here in the anime it occurs much earlier. -Chaka and Pell are shown in silhouette here like it was in the manga...although we have now seen them several times in the anime, d'oh! -All the scenes in the present are filler material in this one. Till 'morrow!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2017 16:11:14 GMT -5
Episode 101: "Showdown In A Heat Haze! Ace Vs. The Gallant Scorpion!"
Well, it's now time to say goodbye to Ace for now. Unfortunately, he had to go out on a very blah episode.
There is just nothing really remarkable about this one. Scorpion is pretty run-of-the-mill as a character, his sons Chip and Dip (so close to calling him Dale...) are uninteresting and the whole conflict seemed like I have it seen a few times done better before in this series (even as far as filler goes as the whole "Daddy The Parent" story during the Loguetown Arc was far better). Combine it with the Straw Hat Crew not doing much of note in this one, leading to this one being very bare of quality humor. And the action is also nothing to write home about (although as always it is cool seeing Ace's fire powers in action).
Only notable thing here is the only scene brought over from the manga: When Ace says goodbye and leaves Luffy with a simple piece of paper that has nothing written on it but which apparently will bring them together one day. Strange.
So yeah, really among the bottom of the barrel as far as filler eps go but at least it was not on the same level as some DBZ, Naruto or Bleach filler eps.
As mentioned above, the scene with Ace's farewell was the only thing this episode had for actual manga content. Of course in the manga, Ace did this on the Going Merry and not in the midst of the desert.
So long Ace, hopefully when next time you and Luffy meet you will have as much fun as this time.
Later days!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2017 15:28:45 GMT -5
Episode 102: "Ruins And Lost Ways! Vivi, Her Friends And the Country's Form!" After two rather lacking episodes...we end the filler part of the Alabasta arc with a really strong episode that even has no action in it. Personally, what makes the episode really good is the character interaction and the dialogues. We have a nice dialogue between the oldest (Zoro) and the newest (Chopper) crew member about why they are with Luffy or in a pirate group at all with mostly Zoro talking about why it suits him following Luffy and giving Chopper a better understanding of what it is like being in this particular pirate crew. In another vein, we get another thought-provoking interaction with Vivi mulling about what exactly is a country and taking from it her determination to save her country from Crocodile. And later on, Nami chimes in with explaining to Vivi why she has complete faith in her crew mates and Luffy, taking us back to a vital point in the Arlong Arc. All these character interactions are well written and suck you right into them and help putting this episode on a higher plane than the two previous ones. We also find a sort of hint to an item that will get important later on (though I wonder if a certain character that is interested in that stuff ever came across that one...). Otherwise the episode also has lots of humor mostly in the Luffy, Zoro, Chopper scenes though my one nitpick with this one is that Luffy comes across as a bit too annoying here. But otherwise this episode is pretty good and gets one right into the groove of the manga content following in the next eps. Can hardly wait! No manga scenes here. Episode was 100% filler. Tomorrow will be another break for One Piece Movie No. 3, so see you on Saturday!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2017 1:22:05 GMT -5
Episode 103: "Spider's Café At 8 O' Clock! The Enemy Leaders Gather!"
Wonder how it would have turned out if they met in Rick's Café instead?
This episode basically consists of two parts. In the first one we meet the rest of Baroque Works's field commanders aka the guys the Straw Hats are gonna beat up. My opinion on them:
Ms. Merry Christmas: Annoying, please get defeated already. Mr. 4: Being slow is not that funny. Mr. 1: He's an interesting, fearsome field commander. Liking him the best. Ms. Doublefinger: Nami and Vivi are more beautiful than her. Not seeing anything special about her yet.
But yeah, the whole scene with the enemy leaders gathering is definitely not an ordinary and seems to be a recurring motive in One Piece over the whole series (all field commanders having at least one meeting in an arc). Otherwise, this particular scene is run-of-the-middle ground and at this point, Mr. 2 is not that entertaining to make it that more watchable. Most memorable was the Crunchyroll subtitles completely missing that he and his subordinates chanted "Okama Way" (which in CR subtitles comes out as "Oh, come my way").
In the other part of the episode, the Straw Hat Crew finally arrive at Yuba and meet Toto, Koza's father, who went on a diet in the meantime apparently. That scene is better because the music, voice acting and picture composition make you really feel Toto's desperation about the whole situation of the country and you feel lifted up when Vivi finally gives him a handkerchief and assures him that she will stop the rebellion. Definitely a good scene.
So, it all balances out to a middle-ranking episode.
Manga differences: -Bits and parts of the first scene with Luffy and friends before they reach Yuba. -Mr. 2 and his procession to the Café was way longer than it was in the manga. -The flashbacks to Vivi's and Koza's farewell. -Of course, Nami's sewing Ace's paper into Luffy's hat happened still on the ship in the original. -The final scene with Koza was anime filler only.
Until tomorrow!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2017 9:13:59 GMT -5
Episode 104: "Luffy vs. Vivi! The Tearful Vow To Put Friends On The Line!"
Well, so long to you, Mr. 3! Sorry you had your last croc that way.
Again, we get an episode that consists of a Straw Hat part and a Baroque Works part.
The Baroque Works part works better this time around because Crocodile adds an element of menace and fear to the whole operation (largely due to Ryuzaburo Otomo's awesome voice work as Crocodile). Not to mention him getting rid of Mr. 3 with his still undefined powers that seem to consist of drying beings out for the most part. All in all, because the whole Baroque Works segment is less played for laughs and more for the seriousness, it works better here compared to the previous episode.
The Straw Hat part is also not too shabby either, having a good balance of fun (the pillow fight) and drama (the confrontation between Luffy and Vivi). The interaction between Toto and Luffy was also a sweet moment and sets up a key moment in a few episodes' time.
All in all, a good episode here.
Manga differences: -In the manga, the whole scene when Toto finds the sleeping Luffy in the hole and brings him to rest in a hut was silent while Toto has some lines in the anime version. -While Mr. 4 had an indifferent reaction in the manga to Crocodile's proclamation that Mr. 4 is stronger than Mr. 3, in the anime he just looks as terrified as the others (due to Crocodile's brutal handling of Mr. 3). -Some scene extensions here and there.
See you all tomorrow!
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