Roger and crew finally arrive at the land of Wano. Sadly, Toki collapses from illness; the length of their journey has begun to take its toll. Everyone onboard advises Oden that Toki should stay at Wano rather than continue travelling. Oden wants to stay behind, but Toki tells him to push on with his journey. When they arrive at Wano's shores, the Akazaya Nine greet them and find that Oden is married and with children. Toki and the children stay behind under the Akazaya Nine's care while Oden returns to sea with a copy of Wano's poneglyph.
With Oden back on Roger's crew, they set out once again. They visit Zou and find the last Road Poneglyph. They are closing in on the last pieces of the puzzle, but in the background Roger's health continues to worsen. He manages to keep going, but then Buggy falls ill and will not make it to the last island, prompting Shanks to get off the ship with him to ensure that he can recover. Finally, after years of searching, Roger and crew arrive at the island with the One Piece...and break into roaring laughter upon seeing it. Thus, Roger decides to name the island Laugh Tale and the episode draws to a close.
A legendary moment in a legendary series.
So much happens in this episode, but it's hard to talk about anything other than this: Roger found the One Piece, and Roger laughed.
The image of Gol D Roger finding the One Piece and breaking out into laughter is the perfect encapsulation of this series as a whole. Not only is it a brilliant bit of writing in-universe, it works even better as a metatextual statement. For many of its fans, One Piece has always been propelled by a joyful energy—In this land of walking elephant islands and talking cat ninjas, of rubber-armed pirate youths and sword-wielding giraffe assassins, you can't help but laugh. Eiichiro Oda's work has brought happiness to many people around the world for over twenty years, and I think it's wonderful that we get to witness this event where the man who began the series with his promise of a quest during his brutal execution gets this moment of pure levity and victory.
The anime does this moment immense justice. From the soft music and shojo-esque clouds of sparkling soft lighting to the shared laughter of the entire crew, every aspect of this episode is handled with a loving care that solidifies this as a terrific animated adaption of a terrific manga. What a gift this series has been to us all. What a welcome uplifting moment before the dark events that are to come...
Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf.― Steve and Chris compare some of the highs and lows of an anime studio change-up, from Attack on Titan and One-Punch Man to Spice and Wolf. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.S...
You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable.― You've probably read some version of this story before, but I doubt that you've ever seen it be this adorable. You and I Are Polar Opposites is based on the tried-and-true formula of a thousand romantic comedies: Suzuki is a popular girl, and Tani is the class nerd. She's bright and perky,...
Crunchyroll to stream upcoming anime― Aniplex and Crunchyroll announced on Wednesday that the late manga creator Hisaya Nakajo's Hana-Kimi manga is inspiring an anime. In addition, Crunchyroll announced that it will stream the anime when it premieres in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East, the CIS, and India. The announcement did not reveal the deb...
James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film!― Could There Be More Evangelion on the Horizon? James and Lynzee look into Hideaki Anno's latest hint that there might be more Evangelion after the last movie and news on the Lord of the Rings anime film! Plus, we catch up with Kafka and the Ka...
Grant Jones dives into the wild world of giant monsters and how Kaiju No. 8 builds on their legacy.― Kaiju No. 8 is a series that wears its influences on its sleeves. As the first word in its title suggests, it comes from a long line of works in the kaiju genre, using giant monsters and burning skylines as a backdrop to tell stories. While many likely know kaiju in a passing sense, it may help to h...
This steamy manga's appeal is going to depend on how much you can stomach a female protagonist who kicks off the romance by assaulting her former fiance.― This is a tricky one. Before You Discard Me, I Shall Have My Way with You is, to all appearances, a story that opens with a sexual assault. Agnès has been betrothed to Crown Prince Lucilleur since childhood, and she's been in love with him just as...
Japanese studio to handle production slated for broadcast, streaming globally― Kadokawa and Singaporean game developer and publisher Garena announced on Monday that they are co-producing an anime adaptation of Garena's Garena Free Fire battle royale shooting game, with a Japanese studio handling the animation. Kadokawa's Kadokawa Qingyu subsidiary is the production manager. The anime is planned to b...
Healer Nanna's powers have one very unique caveat: she has to have sex with the person to heal them. See why Rebecca Silverman calls it "a cute story, decently racy, and generally good, fluffy fun."― One of the fun things about Seven Seas' Steamship line of racy manga aimed at a female audience is finding which romance tropes are prevalent in any given release. While every genre has its tropes and s...
Director adds that there are no definite plans, but it would be helmed by "someone other than himself"― In a recent interview with The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, director Hideaki Anno acknowledged that "there may be plans" for more in the Evangelion anime franchise, but possibly with "someone other than [himself]" at the helm, who would receive a high degree of freedom. He added that there are no defi...
What's the perfect recipe for waifu supremacy? Lucas and Nick look at fan-favorites from Yu Yu Hakusho to Spice & Wolf.― What's the perfect recipe for waifu supremacy? Lucas and Nick look at fan-favorites from Yu Yu Hakusho to Spice & Wolf. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the s...
Train to the End of the World and Voice Actor Radio are getting a lot of love these last few weeks! Discover which other series stand out in our weekly user rankings!― Let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season,
based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind that these rankings...
Crystal Kay previously sang themes for 2004's Fullmetal Alchemist and Nodame Cantabile― Recently, Anime News Network was able to sit down with singer-songwriter Crystal Kay and talk about not only her involvement with anime over the years but also what it was like to grow up in Japan as the child of a Korean-Japanese mother and an African-American father. Anime fans likely know of Crystal Kay throug...
The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well.― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
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