Anime: Marineford Arc- Episode 462

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First Thoughts

This was a great follow-up to last week’s great hoard of insightful information in my opinion. About halfway thru the episode we finally, after ages and ages, get to see the action begin as well! I was so happy and excited when it began finally. I must admit though, as long as they keep the bad animation to a minimum, the animators could really do wonders with this huge scene. Of course, I noticed them using some cheaper animation for a lot of parts, and this is becoming more and more common, but I figure that as long as it is used in moderation, it is alright.

Anyway, they really got through a lot of the plot here. A brief few scenes from Ace’s flashbacks last episode near the beginning, a huge revelation as to Whitebeards extraordinary powers, and one step closer to having Luffy and the escapees arrive at the battle, all in one go! A great episode. I must admit though, I am still very unsure as to when exactly Luffy and them will arrive. The procession has been strange, so I am very in the dark as to a time-episode estimation. The ending to this episode was great, the action between fighters was really exciting. The first big battle we’ve seen since Thriller Bark, and even there is was really just zombies. All-in-all, I was expecting a lot, and I received it.


Summary

Whitebeard’s power throws the ocean into disarray, and Luffy’s rag-tag crew is blown away quite literally by the force of the blast. As the two great forces of Marines and pirates stand off for a bit longer, Whitebeard’s plan is already in motion. As Luffy’s ship stops and they realize that their salvation of getting to Marineford quickly has arrived in an unexpected and unexplainable manner, Whitebeard’s tactic is revealed.

His tremor from earlier created a great tsunami, though Aokiji stops it in its tracks by making the first move by the Marines. Freezing the waves before they crash down on the Marine HQ, he also freezes the bay, allowing all fighters to walk on the ice and proceed in hand-to-hand combat. Aokiji is the only Admiral to act so far, though almost all of the Vice-Admirals begin their advance upon the invading pirate ships.

Garp has yet to make a move, though many others on both sides are highlighted as the action surrounds both sides. Whitebeard stands firm on the bow of his ship as Sengoku keeps his position next to Ace on the execution platform.

Thoughts

Well, that opening is getting better and better each time. I really need to stop ranting about that though.

You can easily understand why this episode is called “The Man With the Power to Destroy the World”. If he really wanted to, Whitebeard could cause huge tremors in the earth’s surface and wreck havoc with tectonic plates and such, volcanic activity, or even just tons of tsunamis. Intense stuff. Good thing that Eneru doesn’t have this power, huh?

The beginning highlights a few select scenes from the flashback last episode, and that is very important and well done. For some reason, I just find myself really enjoying scenes where they make the stars really show in the night sky for scenes.

This next flashback makes me sad. The music is great, of course. It is music that is used a lot for serious, soon-to-be-sad scenes, which is really strange to be associated with One Piece in the general outlook on the series. Marco seems to be that kind of nice, eldest-brother kind of guy in Whitebeard’s crew. Of course, you would get that impression since he leads the 1st division. Still, this scene makes me wonder what would happen to this great, large “family” if Whitebeard were ever to pass on.

Obviously, he is rather old, and not in the best of health. He has had those tubes in him for years now, and it seems as though this could possibly be his last battle. I have not a clue if this is true, but what would happen if he died? Would this huge, famous crew that he holds as dearly to him as a great family fall apart? Already it has been seen that Teach betrayed them by killing Thatch, and now Ace has been caught by the Marines.

I just really hope that Whitebeard is not planning to have this be a kamikaze mission to save Ace. That would be foolish…but anyway, we have no idea what will occur after this battle, so it is easiest and best to just take it in stride right now. What happens happens, and there is no turning back now.

Ace looks so torn here, between hating wanting a father, and wanting someone to really care about him like that. One can understand, somewhat, his hatred for his blood father. He doesn’t understand, as no one of us fans do either, what Roger did. The feeling, this mood is so deep and complex, so unlike Luffy’s happy-go-lucky outlook on life. It is really an interesting idea to imagine what may have happened had Luffy not been sent to grow up with Ace for those years. Most likely, lots of Luffy’s naturally fun antics and habits just rubbed off onto Ace, and that may have saved him from becoming very sad and world-hating.

This is just one of those rare, mainly serious episodes that I just love about One Piece. All of the insanity seems to just halt in anticipation of episodes like these. They are wonderful for me to watch.

Um…what? I am rather confused…I must have missed something, because I don’t get why Whitebeard would say that he asked Ace to leave, when he really did not. Is he saying that to take the blame upon himself? Perhaps it is just…well, honestly I don’t know. I really must have missed some great, deep connection thing that occurred. Oops.

Still…as amazing their dedication is to save Ace, all of those people…they are willing to give up their lives to save this young man. That really is, taking it seriously, a huge commitment. Most of them will not live through this day, and many others will get captured by the enemy. All for Ace, their comrade. This amazing vow, coming together all for a friend, is the center-point of this series.

Now, the only problem is…the person is not Luffy. It is not Luffy who is directly there, and that bodes badly for these people currently involved in the fight. Because Luffy is that kind of rare soul that has that particular “power” over others (not counting his Haki), if he is not here initially and one of the most determined, then I have a really, really bad feeling about the events. Don’t mind me, I just have notions like this all the time about plot. I am really good at reading the plot and flow of a story, so I can often times tell or predict what is going to happen. This though…this mood is unsettling. Especially the serious air to it. Very worrisome…

Gosh, man, Moria looks positively demented! Dude, look at how freakish he looks! His excitement has sky-rocketed Way out of self-control. This is why Doflamingo is so much better than Moria in my book: surprisingly, he is way less freakish than the zombie-dude. Is ranting more than Doflamingo, which is really amazing. Dude, stop ranting or else your eyes will pop out of your mis-shapened head! Seriously, he is just going on and on like a 3 year old in a room full of candy or like me on this post! Haha.

Dude…put that thing away! Shudder…yet, the evil-ness is getting to me…

Doflamingo’s awesomeness is so great today. Creepy, and amazing. Very disturbing, but I won’t touch on that right now, haha.

Hm, I wonder. So it seems as though Mihawk doesn’t really care, like a few of the Warlords. I like his take on things, but will he act today? Probably, since there will no doubt be expert swordsman somewhere on the field who he will want to spar with, if only for a moment or two. I wonder what he wants to do…

Obviously Hancock is thinking about Luffy right now, and I like how maybe Luffy could even get her to think that not all men are terrible. Though…haha! Never mind. That would be terrible of me, being a girl and all. Well, I can see what Hancock’s agenda is during this fight. Just hating men like normal and attacking anyone who irritates her. Then helping Luffy any way she can. Which will be Very amusing I’m sure…

And now…strange. The water is receding…and now the funny comes back into play with Luffy’s little “crew”. This entire scene, from the being blow backwards to the suddenly being thrust forward is hysterical. Buggy is being…Buggy, Mr. Three is surprisingly being intelligent, Luffy is awesome, and Crocodile and Mr. 1 are just hanging out doing nothing. I love how Croc and Daz Bones are just doing absolutely nothing. Really, they are the only really serious people on this ship (besides Jimbei of course). Their expressions just say “I don’t care, but if you touch me you will be dead”. I love that freakish, seriousness. This is so fun…

I’ve noticed that the animation is really good as well. Not a huge amount of bad animation either, only minor parts of it.

Oh Buggy…I just really want to slap him right now. And poor San (Mr. Three, I love calling him “San”), he is being abused. Though…he totally deserves it.

Well, since Jimbei is good friends with Whitebeard, he must know what the old man is up to then. Even I didn’t realize what Whitebeard planned to do here, it really surprised me. I am glad that Jimbei is such a knowledgeable character, though that worries me too. It seems as though in this world, the serious, intelligent, and competent people are always put down and lose their power or are killed by the government or someone. I hope Jimbei is going to survive this war…

I just want to slap Buggy So Much right now…sigh…really Buggy, really? This entire scene with Buggy making fun of everyone was really too much for me to handle. The funny…the funny…

I just really love this little theme music Buggy seems to have when he is having a “Buggy Moment” as I will dub them. It is so incredible amusing. If one thing is for sure, Buggy shall NOT be one to perish at Marineford. Heck, he will probably not even be injured. He is worse than Usopp for telling lies! One: he is evil. Two: he actually gets dedicated followers for no reason. Man, he should get a Facebook. He could get so many fans... Haha!

‘Oh yeah, whatever. There will just be a miracle or something.’ And Bam. A seeming “miracle”. Wow Buggy, wow. I must admit, he has this strangest premonitions for luck. The only thing is, as long as he still is aware that the things he says are lies, he can make this weird streak of awesomeness work. The moment he forgets that he is Not as great as all of these morons think he is, is the moment that he will be kicked out of “leadership”.

Jeez, these dudes are so gullible! They even GIVE him lines to use, and they supply him with reasons for his supposed “awesomeness”. Only Mr. Three is keeping his intelligence here among the prisoners. I don’t think that the Okama people count, they aren’t listening to Buggy, thankfully…

And Crocodile just hasn’t moved at all, is just sitting there in his “I’m better than all of you termites don’t touch me” position. That is rather impressive…

You gotta love this face.

I have decided that Buggy is my new Hate-Love character. I cannot help myself, I love to hate him in the least hateful manner of all of the people I hate in this series. Wow…that was odd.

Buggy is a fool, but you gotta love him. He really knows how to mooch a crowd of scary villains (all of which, of course, are much less intelligent). He really can give a pep talk like no one else. He would be great at rallies…

I love this over-the-shoulder ‘WTH’ look.

And now we are back to the events at Marineford. Or should I say, the “soon-to-be events”, as they have not begun yet. The only way I can even possibly believe that neither side has made the first strike yet is because the Marines want to see what the pirates will do and the pirates are setting up a plan. That is the only way their stand-off could last as long as it has been.

Ah, the water level is rising again. I bet that I know what Whitebeard did now…yep. A giant tsunami, nice. Dang, beeps. Akainu just looks peeved, that Beep Kizaru looks amused, the sadist. Aokiji actually looks human right now, good for him. I like everyone’s reactions. Very realistic.

From here on, the amazing action begins. Now, the true fun starts, so long as they don’t spend 10 episodes detailing one fight. They had better not do that, and they don’t have time to do that either. So much is going on…if they showed every fight in 10 episodes each, we would be sitting here for years upon years.

This part of the episode, right before the half-way point, is the true beginning of the end. The waves going from cartoonish to almost painted-realism are like symbols that the fight is becoming a reality instead of the idea everyone has had on it before now. I really like that wave-symbolism. This is where the true fight…begins!~

Who needs a Mizu Mizu no Mi user (Water Water Fruit) when you have the power of the Tremor Tremor Fruit at your fingertips? I know that a Water Water Fruit is always hinted at by fans, but this power Whitebeard has is way better than that! The looks on the Marines faces…ha!

Aokiji…awesomeness! He is my favorite Admiral (he is my ONLY favorite). This attack was split-second, and amazing. The only issue I can see with Aokiji…if he ever decides to help out Luffy and them (like Garp might), Akainu could easily kill him. Which is what I am afraid of. Technically, Aokiji is like the weakest of the Admirals. I can’t even think of something that could stop Akainu, but there are rumors that possibly the Yami Yami no Mi’s power (Blackbeard) could defeat Kizaru’s light powers. Aokiji though…he is the only Admiral I really have hopes for, but am still worried about.

I like how Coby and his friend who’s name I never remember are just petrified and relieved at Aokiji’s save. Sometimes, it does have its perks to be in the Marines. Like, you don’t have to fight That guy.

You know, I think I just realized another reason why I decided to like Aokiji when he was originally introduced. He is an Ice-man, and I love the cold weather. So, that may be why I really like him and not any of the other Admirals. Strange thought, but hey, it is as life works.

This is so epic.

And the attack begins. Each side has officially made its first move, although I think that fruit powers are kinda cheating, and now the official attack is on. I’m glad to see this, this is wonderful, joyous progress. I really hope that they can get the fighting in well.

I don’t know why, but the first time I watched this episode, I thought that the battle scene wasn’t done well. I must have been weird on something, because now that I re-watched the episode again, this fight scene is great! Not fantastic by a ways, but still great none-the-less!

Oh, so now Tashigi was nice enough to give me the swordsman’s name. Awesome, his name is Vista. I bet that he will want to go after Mihawk. This hopefully will want Mihawk to fight…

Oh, and Tashigi needs to get her head in the game. Smoker’s got his hands full out here too you know, so be on your toes, or else you may lose them, haha.

Ooooh! And the very impressive Vice-Admirals join the fray! I must admit, as much as the Marines irk me, I really like how terrifying the Vices are. If the current Admirals did not have Devil fruit powers, I bet that any of these men and women would be huge competition for any of the Admirals positions.

Really dudes? I don’t think so. This old lady’s got some spark left in her yet.

Awesome! So now I can figure out her name for the first time, Tsuru. Awesome. This lady is so cool. Haha, I bet she gave Garp a hard time in their younger days! I bet that these dudes were being serious and polite and everything, but really guys, really? I seriously doubt that she would be a Vice-Admiral if all she would do is sit back and let the younger people do the work.

Oh! Surprisingly, the one Warlord expected to not participate in this round is the first to make his move out onto the field. (I feel like a television announcer for sports right now) Dracule “Hawkeye” Mihawk, assumed to be the greatest swordsman in the seas usually does not partake in the Marine’s affairs, but today it seems as though he shall be making a stand against the famous ‘strongest man on the seas’.

Ah, and the legendary swordsman poses a beautifully thought-out question. No one ever really thinks about questions like these, and this is why I really like this character.

Ah, I see I was right about Vista being hopeful to cross blades with Hawkeye. It is every swordsman’s dream to do so, after all. I hope that they can have a battle, even though I know that Vista would lose.

This is a wonderful moment here, as Tashigi describes the Black Blade that is called Night. One of the 12 greatest swords in the world…woah. Very impressive, and expected to be owned by the greatest swordsman in the world.

“Night”, the Black Blade.

The ending here is wonderful. It leaves off on an interesting place, did the attack hit Whitebeard or his ship? Most likely not, because Whitebeard is awesome that way, but we won’t know until next week, I suppose.

A wonderful episode, and I am looking forward to more action even next week!

Preview

Oh boy, a lot of action now! Well, most of the commanders will be showing their powers here, and the battle will really begin to get heated, literally. Akainu is gonna unleash is true power, which shall be the first official seeing of this amazingly fierce power.

Looks like Kizaru is gonna join the brawl as well. Whitebeard doesn’t look like much occurred because of Mihawk’s attack, but still, you never know. This is gonna be epic to a whole new level! This pic of Marco...looks totally wicked! It looks like he has blue wings of fire. Even the lighting is done really well on that pic. Now, on Akainu, he must not like his face or something, because this is even the first time we've seen his eyes, right?

Next Episode: Burn Everything To Ash! Admiral Akainu’s Ability!


Stay tuned 'til next time to read more on his superb arc of the ages!