I won't lie folks, this episode was probably a low point for the anime adaptation of the Wano arc. I feel like in spite of Wano's length, there has consistently been something engaging to the material in both the manga and the anime. There has certainly been fatigue in the past – hard not to experience it at least on occasion, given that we are years into it at this point – but this week's episode was one of the first times I truly felt like there was nothing added.
I suppose that's not entirely true. We do get introduced to Bao Huang, a character who boasts a wonderfully distinctive character design without being quite as ridiculously over the top as some of the beast pirates have been. She plays a critical role in Wano due to her powers, but other than showing up and looking neat, she does not do all that much in this episode.
Not much happening is the theme for episode 985 in general. Kaido and the Tobi Roppo talk for a little while, but there's really no tension or comedy to the scene. Luffy and Zoro both wandering the floor and talking to beast pirates goons while getting upset about the plight of Wano's people is good, but feels very repetitive. It honestly struck me as a bit of a start/stop with the emotional build-up; I felt like their righteous anger at the situation was already boiling at the end of 984. Did we really need another episode dedicated to spilled red bean soup and Tama flashbacks so soon? I can't recall how long this sequence played out in the manga, but this episode sure made it feel longer.
I truly feel bad for not enjoying an episode like this. Wano has been such a consistent delight up until now, and every week it has met or exceeded my expectations. Perhaps the team needed to draw out this week's events to be able to prep for upcoming events, and given the incredible quality of other recent episodes I can see that being a real possibility. That said, what's here is not much and I'm not sure what it adds to Wano outside of more runtime.
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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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