Anime: Post Marineford Arc- Episode 500

Don't be a creepy loser! Watch One Piece on OnePieceOfficial.com. Over 300 episodes to watch!

Thoughts
Well here we are. At big episode 500. Nothing super special but except that we finally return canon. Kind of strange to say that we are back to canon after having a few filler episodes. Then again this has been an amazing well done flashback so far. The anime has once again taken the material that Oda has provided and animated it nicely.

Along with coming back to canon we also see many creepy and disgusting people that came from within the mind of Oda. It is episodes like these where I wonder if Oda is trying to make a statement about society in his 'simple' boys manga.

Summary
(Flashback)

Bluejam and Sabo's dad force Sabo to return back home.

Luffy and Ace help Bluejam deliver crates to certain locations in the Gray Terminal.

Sabo discovers the plot to burn everything and body within the Gray Terminal before the arrival of the Celestial Dragons.

Thoughts

 

Looks like a storm is brewing even though there is one happening right now. Either way the boys are acting just like boys and having fun. Nice to see this one last fun moment before what happens later on in the episode. Ace, Luffy and Sabo all look as if they are having fun even though Luffy was blown away for awhile. haha

Personally though, I wonder how the kids handle snow and other weather conditions that they have to face. When you think about it windows are really nice to have since they help keep out rain, wind and snow. Then again maybe there were no unbroken windows in the Gray Terminal. Nobody throws away a perfectly good window. Right? At least I don't.

And here is your obligatory cute little kid picture. Enjoy it because I don't think we be having one of these for awhile seeing where we are going after this episode.

 

The most terrifying duo, Sabo's dad and Bad Teeth Bluejam

I take that back. Luffy being dizzy has kind of out cute that last image. Still Ace has some major balls for some little kid. They just came out of a barrel while rolling down in it. Either it was big enough for Ace to run down along with it or that kid got balls of steel. That is something that you won't see no adult do. Then again most adults can't fit in a barrel. At the same time most kids tend not to do so well against adults. Still that shouldn't matter seeing that most of Bluejam guys don't seem competent enough to hold a gun much less think.

"What do you mean 'give him back'? Sabo is my son."
-Sabo's Dad

With that line and a gun shot things in this flashback got serious. No more fun and games. The adults has finally made their move on the kids and they mean business. It seems like Sabo has to make a choice. Either go back with daddy or see his 'brothers' get hurt. A decision that no friend wants to make since it is going to get painful in some form or way.

 

There are times when I praise the anime but I am going to bring up something. Sabo just mention that he doesn't want them to hurt Ace and Luffy, his 'brothers'. Still a few episode ago they renounced their brotherhood. This was all filler but I was hoping they would resolve this little thing before this moment. Either Toei expect us to have forgotten this little fact or this was resolved just now or will be resolved in another episode.

Maybe Sabo calling Ace and Luffy his brothers was the resolution proving that he still see Ace and Luffy as that. This then brings the two other kids upon the realization that they are still brothers. Personally I wanted some sort of big hug fest where the kids come together and redeclared and make up their bonds. If this is it then whatever but bad move on Toei for not closing up this little subplot.

"You understand when you get older."
-Bluejam

This flashback is beginning to look like a 'kid vs adults' thing. Ace, Luffy and Sabo are constantly pitted against adults who are trying to force them to 'grow up'. Bluejam is looking down at Ace and Sabo saying that they don't understand and won't until they grow up even though both kids have seen some very adult things already. This surely will lead to something later on during this flashback.

Growing up sucks. We should stop doing that. Too bad it can't be stopped.

Okay....I stop declaring images as the cutest of the episode. I know surely somebody found Luffy with a crate on his head cute and is (or has) made this screencap their desktop image.

Looks like something is up and it most likely have something to do with that deal that Sabo's dad made with Bluejam a few episodes before. This surely can't be good seeing that Sabo's dad was so bent on trying to find Sabo. Also must be important seeing that Bluejam wants Ace and Luffy's help in doing something. Means that he needs to do this task as fast as he can.

 

Damn...This lady is scary looking...

This flashback and episode surely is doing a good job in showing that most of the adults in Goa Kingdom are bad people already. You have Sabo's dad trying to force Sabo to claim that it was Ace and Luffy's doing for all the bad things that Sabo did while with them. What is worse is that Sabo's dad then pays off the cop which shows that the cops in Goa are corrupted. Then you have Sabo's mom (Which on face value already has things wrong...with her face) who clearly is faking her concern about Sabo.

What is even worse is that Sabo's parents even adopted another kid incase something happen to Sabo or if Sabo didn't react their expectations. That itself is disgusting to hear. How can somebody's own parents do something such has having no faith in their kid that they deliberately have another one just to at least have one successful one.

Oda is clearly doing something here with the adults. Is he trying to show us that there is something currently wrong with adults and how children are being raised?

 

You know....When Sabo was grabbing Stelly I said, "Looks who stupid now."

Really kid....You expected somebody who spent at least a year in the slumps not to beat you up after trash talking them? Common sense much Stelly? Either way the kid got what he deserved but a bit more would have been fine. Maybe a punch to the face or something.

Now we know why Sabo's dad was so dead bent on getting him back. Apparently good old dad wanted Sabo back before the fire came so he won't use a son. Doubt it was because he actually cared for Sabo and more for the whole prestige of the family. Bet it doesn't look good if your son is missing and most likely died in a fire. Still in the end it all has to do with the Celestial Dragons. Looks like their fame reaches as far as the East Blue but then we knew that already with where Robin is currently.

Now just stare at the face. Take a long deep look into it and don't blink. Click on the image if you have to and just stare at Stelly's face.

Creepy as heck isn't it?

Stelly's face was mess up looking already mess up looking already. Add the shading and creepy smile then you got something that is a completely different level.

On a more intellectual level, it is amazing to see that even the kids don't even see the people living in Gray Terminal as people. Stelly literally just called them all 'burnables' as if they were things. That everything within the area that is outside of the kingdom walls are just things that need to be burn. Trash. How can this one kid and most likely others even be raised this way is a feat that is hard to believe.

Let the kids with nothing are the ones who act more human. Guessing it is one of these lessons where the poor are the ones that have everything while the rich are the ones that are the poorest. Or something like that. haha

 

The episode ends and so does the 'calm before the storm'. Creepy how everybody is willing going with the plan to kill hundreds of people with no remorse. Even the old man with the dog recognized Sabo as a caring person but he doesn't say anything to comfort him. All he does is tell Sabo the 'truth' that the people in High Town knows.

That little girl with orange hair? She knows too but doesn't feel anything. She looks no older then Sabo and is perfectly fine with what is going to happen. She stays quiet and doesn't even add to the conversation. Just there to make her mom happy I bet. In honestly she making her king happy as well. Goa seems to have a king that is inconsiderate as the likes of Wapol.

The winds are blowing but will change be happening? Who knows but surely this flashback is going to get dark pretty fast.

Preview

Not much can be drawn from a three second preview but things surely do look grim. Sabo is trying to get to the Gray Terminal but is being stopped while Ace and Luffy are in the middle of a fire. Things are getting hot and there isn't much the kids can do. Wonder how they will get out of this predicament.

Next Episode: The Flames Are Lit! The Gray Terminal's Crisis!

Next episode is going to be awesome. I can just feel it.