Anime: Friends' Whereabouts Arc- Episode 454

Do not feed the giant plushy-looking chicks, even if you are a doctor. Go to OnePieceOfficial.com if you want to feed the cheepers or watch new episodes of One Piece! (Okay, so you really cannot feed the chickies…aw.)

First Thoughts

Here we have another addition to the little ‘catch-up with friends activities involving single-scene panels’ Toei seems to be so fond of recently. They still are doing a remarkably good job with them too. It makes me interested in Robin’s meeting with the revolutionaries here soon. This time though, it is the rather entertaining island that Chopper has been sent to and, of course, the inevitable Okama paradise that Sanji has been unfortunate enough to land on. Honestly, I dreaded watching this episode, if only for the torture of having to watch poor Sanji be humiliated in this fashion.

Oh, and I’m the guest blogger-person that Mikey was talking about last week. He’s having too much fun at AKon to be here right now, so to prevent any accidental mistakes within the Anime review today and to keep everything running half-way smoothly, I am taking over!

Oh, and I am commonly known to the web as Sora Tayuya. I will try and keep everything as ‘normal’ as possible, so enjoy!


Summary
Sanji is attempting to survive and keep (some of) his dignity on the Okama paradise Kamabakka Kingdom, where Okamas are trying to make him see his “true” self. The Okama stand-in “Queen” soon catches Sanji in his…erm…her? palace and challenges him to a fight. Sanji ends up becoming aware of his “true” self and running thru the waves with the others, Okama style.

Chopper’s dangerous adventure on Birdie Kingdom continues, and we learn that he’s made a new friend: one of the giant Birdie’s chicks. He asks the chickie if she will fly him to Shabondy Archigapolgo when she learns to fly. They get chased by hunters later, but the chick is returned to her mother, while Chopper gets caught in still more cross-fire of the islanders and birds. He realizes with comic fear that the bird will take a long time to grow up and learn how to fly, ending the episode with his pleas to have his nakama come save him.

Thoughts
Not much got done by way of Luffy’s part again, but at least this time he had a speaking role! That was a start. Also, it was centralized around once again making the severity of the up-and-coming Whitebeard War known. Jimbei seems to have just explained how complex Marineford’s defences are, not even to mention that almost all of their top-ranking people are there and the Shichibukai.

Not fun, but, Luffy does have (technically) two Shichibukai on his side. Well, sorta, since Crocodile is probably just going to go after Whitebeard and now that Jimbei is against the Government, they will probably take away his title of Warlord of the Sea. So, two ex-Shichibukai on his team seems better than none however, no?

I rather liked this image of the marine force shown ahead of the band of escapees; it presented an air of intenseness to the beginning scene. I think that unlike the parts before when we had a Friend’s Whereabouts Arc and Luffy was more humorous, I think that now that we are nearing the actual battle that Luffy is going to be the more serious part with the crew’s antics being there to liven the mood somewhat. Well, that’s my theory anyhow.

Jimbei should really know by now, however, that a full out war is quite inevitable. He is probably just saying that to either comfort Luffy or mostly to try and reassure himself.

Now we have the well dreaded and torturous part of the episode: Sanji’s little adventure on the Okama Kingdom. Ugg. I really dreaded watching this episode just for this reason. It is just simply painful to watch poor Sanji go through this.

Jeez, everything really is just drenched in either pink or lilac, huh? It makes me wonder about how that is even possible with a purple sea, purple/pink grass, dirt, and even the sun for pete’s sake! Man, maybe the whole island is just covered in poisonous fumes that makes everyone see pink or something. That would explain a lot, actually…

And oh man does Sanji look horrible. He looks like he…well…it looks like he got beaten up by Okamas and run down in a girly fashion. There is really no other way to describe the absolute slap-stick insanity on his face. I will be saying this a lot today: Poor Sanji.

It is just me, or when all of the man/girls are crying out to Sanji “Wait!” does the crazed eye and the nasty tongue flapping around look a little less than pleasant? Oh gosh, if someone was trying to capture the udder creepiness of this entire part, they excelled to an A score, unfortunately. Man, this is so painful to watch. Yet, somehow it is really entertaining, to a certain degree.

Okay Sanji, what really IS a “normal” Okama then? You tell me. That amused me so very much. But, then the only real serious part of the episode is the part with the Vivre card, so that was a very welcome relief. Sanji looks so desolate and a strange mixture of depressed, horrified, and comic that I couldn’t help but want to give him a hug (which he would probably have welcomed a lot, me being a girl and all).

Does anyone else think that it is just a little bit wrong that the “Queen” is plotting to turn Sanji into an Okama? But, I am a tinsy bit curious to see just who this other Queen person is. Now that I think about it, it is a really good thing that Ivankov is not there right now, considering it sounded like he/she is used to just turning people from girls to dudes and vice-versa all the time back when he/she still ruled the island. That wouldn’t sit well with our cook, would it?

Wow, Sanji looks absolutely desperate. And I agree with Sanji: why in heck would anybody just wait for those random Okamas to catch up? I really wouldn’t have run into the disturbing looking castle made of pink and hearts, if I were Sanji. Maybe he just didn’t see it because he was running so hard? I don’t know.

So, the plan is to just chase Sanji into the castle and tell him that he can leave if he defeats the queen? Okay…not that great of a plan if you ask me, but they’re not asking me, so oh well. It was nice to hear that they still considered Ivankov their “Queen” even while he/she is gone. Well, you can’t really hate an Okama who can literally do what they all wanted to do in the first place: become the opposite gender. Different strokes for different blokes, I suppose.

Running thru hallways of a creepy pink building, being chased by Okamas with nets, and a random person does randomly falls from the ceiling? Not a fun day Sanji, though he totally doesn’t need me telling him that. That fall is horrible though, isn’t he under enough torture already?

That Queen-dude…wow, isn’t there even one sorta normal-looking dude under all of that Okama-ness!? All of them have faces that look like they got implants or facelifts.

Why does this ‘costume’ sound like a well-devised plot to attempt and get Sanji to discover his “inner Okama” self? Funny how it all turns out.

Okay, at this part I seriously had to pause the video and just point and laugh hysterically for a good 5 minutes. How can you not find this humiliating and hysterical at the same time? Of course, the inner good person in me actually felt really bad for Sanji. Really, really deep inside me.

The worst part about this scene is that Sanji actually kinda…well, looks pretty. It is a horrible thing, I know, but still…lipstick doesn’t look that bad on him…ha, I mean, at least it looks better on him than me! And That really is a sad fact.

I just thought about it though, but shouldn’t guys shave their legs? I mean, if the Okama’s want to find “their inner maiden”, then wouldn’t waxing be okay? It would certainly save me a few nauseated moments that I could live without.

New-Kama Kempo…hey, I just remembered that that is Bon Clay’s fighting style. Weird that Sanji didn’t recall that…but he does have a lot on his mind right now. To me, it just doesn’t look like he’s taking this fight too seriously. Either he’s way underestimating the opponent, or it is just the old fashioned thing that he isn’t fighting to protect someone or something. That is normally where they get their strength from. Either way, it is too bad how much he is sucking at fighting this “Queen”. Oh, “stand-in Queen”, my bad.

That is so strange and perverted, not-Queen dude. Plus, I give Sanji this point because men aren’t used to having people stare at their underwear like that, so that is a normal reaction to him. The freaks are just preying on his in-stability is all.

The entire thing gets so horrible from here, I couldn’t believe that I could even manage through to Chopper’s part! I cringed, hid, and was so horrified and embarrassed to see Sanji act like that and be treated like that…ugg…I just visibly shuddered there. That was so weird. But, we finally get to see a Bishonen Sanji. Sort of.

Bishonen Sanji?

This scene at the end…oh gosh. Poor Sanji. He has finally given in. Oh gosh…little can save him now. Hair extensions? He is really not the goldilocks type, even if Zoro once teased him about it (If my memory does not fail me). Oh goodness. It cannot just be me who feels like this is horribly wrong, right? Plus, what type of lady runs around with all of that nasty make up one and a cigarette like that?

Sanji has gone to the Okama side.

Oda must really be living the old joke of “your God is looking down and laughing at his handiwork”. Oda is in hysterics, no doubt, at his little twist on things.

As worried as I am for Sanji’s sanity and other matters, I still wonder how in the world he could ever recover from this? The only thing that I could come up with is perhaps if Nami could come and save him, then he would almost immediately snap out of it. It wouldn’t be as funny with Robin, she would take it too seriously. Will we ever see gentleman, food loving, kick-butt action Sanji we all know and adore again? Ok, well maybe the fan-girls adore him, but most of us just like him for his wicked skill in the kitchen or dicing up enemies. Will he ever recover his previous awesomeness? Only the amazing Oda-sama can tell. …unless he’s punishing Sanji or something. That is my theory.

End of Sanji’s part, finally. My final thought on this part of the episode is one word: Zoro. Can you just see Zoro finding a shot of Sanji acting like that? He would never, and I mean never, let him off the hook. I am looking forward to that day. Speaking of Zoro…imagine Zoro on Peachy Island. Ouch. 5 bucks says that he kills everyone and that they cannot get him to become an Okama. Sanji on the other hand…he is a ladies man, and a ladies man requires that you are sometimes very girly to make women like you. He so had this coming.



Onto Chopper. I am looking forward to this, considering I am a lover of all things round, cute, and plushie, this part of the episode was made for me! …was I a little too girly there? Yes, I think so. Well, you cannot blame me: Not only is Chopper in here, but this amazing giant chick-thing from the preview. This will be interesting…

Most adorable pic of the entire episode.

Oh wow. It is so incredible hard to stay professional here and not exclaim loudly about the absolute cuteness of this giant puff-ball cheeper. Oh goodness. It glows; do chicks normally do that? Apparently in One Piece they do! Maybe my parents will let me get one of those for my birthday…

Gosh! Every time it moves it is adorable! …this leads me to believe that something strange, weird, or bad will happen involving this little guy. I hope not.

Very sweet how Chopper sprung into doctor-mode to take care of the poor baby. It is good, I suppose, for him to keep working as so not to lose his touch or anything. Plus, this island is so far behind in technology and modern workings that having a doctor there can’t be that bad of a thing. Even if the doctor is fuzzy, made of tasty meat, and is determined not to be called a tanuki!

Still, it makes me wonder just why Chopper was randomly mixing a stomach cure. Unless he just likes to keep some on hand, which is the only thing that makes sense. I mean, the only reason he would use something like that was if after one of the natives ate him, that they got a stomach illness and had to use that medicine. Not cool.

It might just be me, but I thought that the scenery was really beautifully drawn on Birdie Kingdom during the duration of the episode. Either it was really good, or the previous pink and lilac is making my head go more nuts that I thought.

How do you tell if the chick is a girl or a boy? My guess had been girl because of the eyes, but hey, never judge a doctor! They must always be right, right? They are, after all, doctors. But, picking up that chick must have been so fun. Gosh, it probably was like picking up a giant ball of fluff. That cheeped. Aww.

Huh. It seems that the common theme this Arc-around will be the Vivre card. It may honestly be the only peace that any of the Strawhats get from their harrowing adventures. But still Chopper…do you realize how long it could take a chick like that to grow up?

Chopper has a very entertaining, yet rather unrealistic plan.

It is really touching, Chopper’s plan. It makes me sad that it is horribly unrealistic. Unless this type of bird grows up ridiculously fast depending on how much food it eats, however. Oda may do that.

The irony of this is funny. Really, Chopper?

Aw, the chick had to learn to play from somewhere, right? Using Chopper as a push-toy is way better than using him as a chew-toy, and I bet that he’d agree with me.

This scene with Chopper snuggling up to the chickie is just another reason why I am loving this episode. I suppose that they had to put Chopper’s cuteness in here to even out Sanji’s embarrassment and humiliation, or else no-one would watch the episode, no doubt. I have to resist myself from putting every scene of the giant chickie in this review. Darn it…it’s so hard to resist!

Morning…ah, how pretty! It almost makes me forget that this island is infested with the equivalents of cave-people and tyrannical birds. Almost.

Chopper must have been dreaming about his nakama again. It makes me sad for him, aw. And the birdie is gone. That is bad, with hungry hunters around. Yup, very bad. I like how Chopper just runs smack into her, and it is very cute how they hug. Yup, a lot of cuteness in this episode. They had to make up for all of the perversion above somehow, right?

How do you miss a bird that size anyway? Those hunters must be really stupid if they cannot even see a 6-foot-tall giant white chick. Wow. Anyways, you just know that the parents are coming. It is very easy to see: edge of cliff, the hunters telling them to give up, open air shot. Very classic scene elements right there. And how precisely are they going to ‘shoo them away’? Yup, not very bright.

Whoops.

Uh…Chopper, I don’t think that they are there to save you. They came for the baby, as they proceed to show. I like how they have the triumphant music, then it just stops and it rolls our little Chopper chibi away like before. That way highly amusing, and totally coming, but Chopper did not deserve that.

I didn’t think that they could add any more cuteness to this episode, but once again One Piece proved me wrong. They got Chopper into Guard Point, his well known cutest form. One great ball of fur, and one great ball of feathers. How can you get much cuter than this?

Too much cute.

Oh, so now he understands how long the baby’s growing up will take? Nice. Why do I get the feeling that no matter how much the birds fight with the islanders, that Chopper is gonna be the only one getting hit with the cross-fire? Aw. And so ends the episode with Chopper’s desperate yet comic pleas for Luffy to come and save him.

How can he get off the island other than by bird, though? I really cannot see how…but I suppose that a few of the Strawhats are just in situations where they actually need others to come and get them. Zoro, for example, and unless Sanji can get his act together, him too. Chopper, and Usopp probably. Nami can take care of herself, and Brooke seems okay. Robin can probably handle herself fine; she is a world-class assassin and escapee after all. Franky is totally fine, heck, he may want to stay a little longer like Nami just to learn more!

Honestly, I am very hopeful that these little adventures that the Strawhats are on will mean something important (at least for some of them). Like, Nami for instance. She can learn a lot about other sky islands and weather. Robin can learn a lot and do a lot for the prisoners on that horrible island. And especially Franky; I have high hopes for him to reveal some of Vegapunk’s secrets.

Oh well, all and all, a very (surprisingly) good episode. I was worried about Sanji’s parts, but…well, heck, I still am freaked about Sanji’s part, but Chopper’s was great. So…much…cuteness! I was very happy that there was none to little of the cheap animation that is becoming a little more common in One Piece for high action scenes.

Preview
Sweet, it looks like we get the chance to see Robin’s part and Usopp’s. I’m not so interested in Usopp’s part, but Robin’s is very interesting. However, I was really, and I mean really, disappointed with this preview. It looks like practically the whole episode is going to be that sloppy animation that the previous Friend’s Whereabouts Arc had. That was horrible drawing, and this looks equally horrid. Darn it.

So here is Usopp, obviously trying to show off to the Heracles dude or something. I wonder what will happen…

Woah, Robin, a little too much cleavage, huh? I think that I’ll choose not to put that pick here…

And it looks like that little girl Robin befriended is going to help her out somewhat. I am eager to see this episode, even with the bad animation. I want to see the Revolutionary Army come and help Robin out, it will be very interesting and nice for the prisoners. Robin's section of this arc is very sad, and she must feel just like before on other crews she had been on. This must be a real struggle for her, but she is used to it by now. 20 years of living with a world that hates you does prepare you for life, I suppose, if only in a cruel, heartbroken manner.

Next Episode: The Friends’ Whereabouts! The Revolutionary Army and the Trap of the Forest of Gluttony!


If you like reading about One Piece after watching it, or are just too lazy to watch it and want to hear what the gist of it was, come back next time for another (hopefully) great review!