Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week.
read more
One Piece
Episode 697
by Sam Leach,
Well, there were basically zero expectations that last week's production values would carry over for two episodes in a row, and here we inevitably are with a perfectly average episode. Animation is limited, as in most of the episode is a series of still images, but thankfully nothing ever really goes off model nor do any of the scenes really push the animation to begin with. Like I said, perfectly average. Neither good nor detrimental.
The bulk of this episode revolves around the return of Sugar, Doflamingo's child-formed henchman who was previously responsible for turning large chunks of Dressrosa's population into living toys and forcing them to be forgotten by their loved ones. Luffy and Law are merely feet away from their rematch with Doflamingo, but one more drawn out conflict awaits them as Sugar tries to turn the two of them into toys using her Devil Fruit powers.
This episode very much borrows from the DBZ school of logic where we kind of have to assume that what we are seeing is the super dramatic slow-mo version of events, since really not a lot happens for 90% of the run time beyond Sugar walking slowly up to our heroes, Luffy and Law just standing there confused (Law really should recognize Sugar as a member of Doflamingo's crew) and Usopp and Viola watching them from a far distance, preparing Usopp's big sniper attack to disengage Sugar.
The big kicker here is that on top of using Viola's “all seeing eye” powers, Usopp discovers another supernatural means of honing his sniper skills. This episode marks the very first implication that Usopp has Observation Haki, the ability to see and sense spiritual energy. This kind of power is usually reserved for stronger guys like Luffy, so the fact that Usopp, the notorious weakling of the Straw Hats, has hints of the power is pretty exciting for fans of the long nosed marksman.
Usopp's been through some tough times in the Dressrosa arc, so this episode's primary purpose is to finally give him a big win moment. He was the one who beat Sugar earlier on, kicking off all the chaos seen in the country to this moment, but it was a pathetic victory that kind of happened on accident. This time, Usopp successfully snipes Sugar, firing a “doll” of sorts that mimics the terrifying face he made earlier that shocked Sugar into unconsciousness to begin with. It's a win, but kind of a joke of a win that repeats a gag that was funnier the first time.
Really, the most exciting thing to happen this episode is when things kick back into high gear and Luffy and Law are immediately barging in on Doflamingo in person once again. It's cathartic to know that the final battle is really here and really about to begin (taking into account that there's no way it's going to be a short battle.) The scene is accompanied with a great music track from the Strong World score, which definitely got my blood pumping. Luffy and Law versus Doflamingo and Trebol. Super average episode, but hey, it's a marathon, not a sprint.
i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!- is a movie best described as having big Saturday morning cartoon energy when it comes to its catchy high notes and off-key attempt at deeper storytelling.― Admittedly, when I walked into Anime Central to review i☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!-, I envisioned the film as the typical fare of idol dancing via 3D models in dizzyingly pastel-rich environments with little to ...
Come celebrate the 25th anniversary of One Piece with this special orchestra concert!― Come celebrate the 25th anniversary of One Piece with this special orchestra concert! The most memorable moments of the beloved TV series will be projected on a giant screen to the sound of a 50-musician orchestra! In only a few weeks, the ONE PIECE Music Symphony 25 th Anniversary Tour will premiere in the US on...
Manga's final chapter scheduled for June 26― This year's 25th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine announced on Wednesday that Hiro Mashima's Edens Zero manga will end five chapters. The magazine's 30th issue will publish the manga's final chapter on June 26. The manga entered its final arc in December 2022. Mashima (Fairy Tail, Rave Master) launched the manga in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in June...
Narrative dissonance aside, the heart of My Oni Girl still shines through its jumbled ending: that folks should speak their minds even when it hurts.― Upon first glance, My Oni Girl has all the hallmarks of a Studio Ghibli-inspired romp. You've got a globe-trodding adventure with odd-couple protagonists, a myriad of wonderfully drawn vistas, titular mouthwatering glamour shots of Japanese delicacies...
Ahead of the Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction TV anime premiere, Rebecca Silverman looks at its creator's stark, and sometimes depressing, manga work.― Inio Asano may be one of the creators whose works don't allow for middle-ground opinions. There's something in the reactions to his work that smacks of “love it or hate it,” with readers either fully embracing his dark, psychological style of s...
Furuya acknowledged threatening to hurt fan in argument, causing her to have abortion― On his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, voice actor Tōru Furuya acknowledged a recent report by the Weekly Bunshun magazine regarding an affair he had with a fan. Weekly Bunshun interviewed him for the article. Furuya admitted that he had been in a relationship with a female fan for four and a half years...
Manga about half human, half chimpanzee boy launched in 2020― TOHO Animation announced on Wednesday that Shun Umezawa's The Darwin Incident (Darwin Jihen manga will get a television anime adaptation. A new official Twitter account opened and unveiled a teaser visual: Original creator Umezawa shared an illustration to commemorate the announcement: TOHO Animation had teased on its X (formerly Twitter)...
The book feels like a deliberate combo of SAO, Log Horizon, and Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town, and that works better than you might expect.― If this story feels familiar, that's on purpose. In their afterword, author Nagawasabi64 says that they've noticed that the "trapped in a VRMMORPG" genre made popular by SAO has fallen out of favor, which made them want to ...
There's no question that Go! Go! Loser Ranger! is a dark deconstruction of Super Sentai/Power Rangers in anime form—but is that all it is? Chris and Lucas dive in to find out.― There's no question that Go! Go! Loser Ranger! is a dark deconstruction of Super Sentai/Power Rangers in anime form—but is that all it is? Chris and Lucas dive in to find out. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by ...
Umezu voiced Diamante in One Piece, Ian Vashti in Gundam 00 2nd Season― Voice talent company 81 Produce announced on Tuesday that voice actor Hideyuki Umezu died on May 17 due to interstitial pneumonia. He was 68. A funeral ceremony was held by relatives. Umezu was born on July 24, 1955 in Aichi Prefecture. Umezu voiced the characters of Diamante in One Piece, Ian Vashti in Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Sec...
This is a good series to check out if you like more bite with your vampire romances.― Going into Bloody Sweet, I expected to find a fluffy rom-com about a girl and the vampire she accidentally gets attached to. Instead, I found a story about a bullied high school girl whose bullies are smart enough to evade all of the checks and balances the school has put in place. When Naerim accidentally awakens ...
In our brand-new column, Lynzee Loveridge comes clean about her backlog, starting with one of the most popular anime ever. Use this space here for critical finger-wagging and exclamations of disbelief.― I have a secret. A no-good, embarrassing, shame-inducing secret. I'm the executive editor at Anime News Network but there are, in fact, anime I have not watched. Not just forgettable mid-tier season...
Chiu shares how she brought the SEA simulcast service to the forefront after founding it at 17 years old.― Over the past six years, many streaming and simulcast services have catered to otaku in Asia, offering simulcasts of seasonal anime and theatrical anime screenings. One such service is Ani-One Asia, a Hong Kong-based Medialink Group brand that offers a competitive lineup of simulcasts every se...