What did you just say? Is it about my face? Oh no, it is just this great episode at OnePieceOfficial.com. Silly me.
First Thoughts
This episode ended up being quite excellent. It spotlighted a wide variety of characters, and conveyed a lot of information that was very interesting to hear. Not a lot of time was spent in any one location either, so I did not have to worry all that much about being immersed in a (bleh) pink landscape as much as I had initially imagined. Still, this was a fantastic episode, and I loved it. Every moment of the episode was incredible fun, and there was never a dull moment. This was an awesome episode through and through, especially involving the depiction of the ending. It was an instant classic.
Summary
Buggy finally reunites with his old crew and they interact with Buggy’s new followers of escaped convicts. Alvida tells Buggy they are indeed all tough pirates with high bounties. Alvida also tells Buggy about the latest news involving Straw Hat. Buggy comes to a strange conclusion about Luffy’s recent actions, just as Mr. Three runs in with more shocking news.
Cutting to the Sabaody Archipelago in Grove 44, the Thousand Sunny is in great danger from pirates and scavengers who attempt to steal the ship. However, the Sunny is protected by the Flying Fish Riders. The gang in front of the Sunny suddenly receives a surprise visit from Bartholomew Kuma. Although Shakky tells them that he is on their side, everyone is anxious as Kuma remains silent.
The news of Luffy’s latest feat at Marineford reaches all corners of the world: from Alabasta to the East Blue . Crocodile and Daz Bones also hear of Straw Hat’s daring return to the site of the battle, and Crocodile decides to return to the New World.
Dadan pays tribute to the departed Ace by visiting the boys’ old fort in the woods, telling him that he “saved his own little brother”. Luffy, Rayleigh, and Jinbei try to relax on the voyage back to Kuja but the female warriors’ are curious to see if all men stretch like Luffy, so they pinch the three men extensively. Rayleigh ends the scene explaining his lack of concern about Luffy’s message, and the chance it will reach his crew members.
Each of the crew suddenly understands the intent behind Luffy’s actions; all are relived that they understand his cryptic message. All except Zoro, who strains to understand as the episode ends.
Thoughts
Reunited with his Crew: Buggy’s Triumphant Return!
What. The. Heck. I was so not expecting this. Did not imagine that this was going to occur, though I must say it is really amusing to see; Buggy’s old crew mingling with his new crew? This is going to be interesting. Aww! So sweet! It is actually making me clutch my chest in joy~
I hit my face against the wall so often at this moment it quickly lost its humor as my face went numb. Of course, I can never resist this particular face /:
Huh? How could Rayleigh be Luffy’s uncle? I think Buggy is imagining too much right now, unless he (actually) knows something I don’t know. Oh! Mr. San is still with Buggy! That is cool. I wasn’t sure where he got off too. If I remember correctly, I think I know what the government’s letter is about.
Left Behind: A Danger to the Sunny Go in Sabaody!
Oh, the Sunny! I hope it /she will be okay, but of course, my (cough evil) friend told me all about what is going to happen to the Sunny. It still doesn’t make me feel better though, because I have not seen it for myself yet!
Oh! I did not realize that Keimi, Pappug, and Hatchi were still on Sabaody. Ooh, and the Flying Fish Riders are going to protect the Sunny? That is cool! Yay! Well…I hope they are going to protect it…
Oh goody, they will.
Man, Duval finally gets a girl to notice him, and he not only messes it up (as usual), but Keimi is oblivious. How awesome!
Kuma!? No, he isn’t saying anything and that is a bad sign. Shakky knows some of the truth about Kuma’s past, luckily, but no one knows the full story yet. I know enough to get myself by, but I ignored some spoilers, so even I am in the dark on this one.
In the Sands of Alabasta: Vivi’s Reaction.
I never knew that Alabasta was on Sandy Island. Huh, you learn something new every day. I should have expected it of course, but I never thought about it because the country is so huge.
I don’t think we’ve seen Alabasta for a while, huh? This is really weird to watch. I just haven’t seen any new footage of Alabasta in such a long time, haha, this is fun!
The News Spreads across the World
“Meanwhile in some city in some country in the Grand Line.” Wow, what a way to be descriptive narrator. Thanks for the stunning imagery there.
OH! Crocodile! Well, that was unexpected, though interesting.
So the folks in Windmill Village hear about Luffy. That is good, it made Makino happy, and Zoro’s dojo hears the latest as well. That is nice. Each hometown receives news about the crew’s exploits. That is excellent.
Hancock collapsed from heart-fluttering a while ago, so the rest of the Kuja warriors decide to pinch the men’s bodies for a while? Nice use of time, ladies. It always amuses me now, this island.
Ahhhh!? Now they are pinching Rayleigh too!? Well…I guess it is good that they can learn that all men's bodies are not made of rubber like Luffy’s, but that is still weird!
What Rayleigh said is interesting. I understand Luffy’s message, but I wasn’t sure how the crew understood it. My (cough, very evil) friend with the spoilers is gods-awful at predicting what things mean or how they work; he had no clue and did not care (heartless fool). I like what Rayleigh is saying though.
I wonder which guy it is that Rayleigh believes is a bit ‘dull’. Huh, that describes most of Luffy’s crew (minus the girls). Hahaha! (My guess would be Zoro.)
Back to the adorable chibi guy that is Chopper. Yay!
I believe I am correct in saying that Robin had no difficulty in understanding Luffy’s message at all. Also, I believe this is the best glimpse we have gotten of the mysterious revolutionary’s face. He is rather cute.
Well, Sanji has a short scene today. That is good. What is also good is that he seems to be faithful to his ‘manliness.’ Be strong Sanji, be strong.
And Usopp is still fat. Dang, I hope he burns that off soon. It makes me feel self conscious, you know? Hahaha!
This is a beautiful island. Seriously, it makes me happy every time I look at it. Everyone there is really nice, so Nami should be nicer to them! They are really sweet, and I don’t want to have to use the tag ‘abusing old men’ too much, haha!
He is not an "old" man. He says ‘oi’ too much. He is an "Oi” man. Haha. But really, Nami’s eyes look really cool in this screenshot. I like it.
Oh boy. Here comes Franky’s. Franky’s and Brooke’s are going to be interesting, because they are still in trouble. I am really curious as to the state Franky is in right now…mostly because last time we saw him he had just blown himself (and the entire home laboratory of Dr. Vegapunk) up in a huge, fiery ball. It was very depressing. So much lost work…
Oh Franky, well, it is just as I feared, except more humorous. I don’t particularly see anything funny about this, but the comedic music is playing, so I suppose the people in charge think this is humorous.
I disagree.
I can’t even bear to take a screenshot of his whole face. Quite frankly, Franky looks creepy without his face. I mean, I know he said he rebuilt most of himself from the train incident but it is still really weird (to say the least) to see him like this. He does not seem to mind, as shown by his complete ignorance of the fact that his face is gone and that the comedic music is playing. I am still really miffed about him destroying Vegapunk’s laboratory. Oh Franky…well, this certainly explains a lot. (I have spoilers describing the appearances of the Straw Hats when they finally do re-group, so now I know why Franky is the way he is going to be)
Aww, poor Brooke. I really hope his situation gets better soon (because I know the final result, at least), but for now it is luckily the music suggests a level-headed tone rather then a sad one, so that sounds good, at least. It is funny however, (yet sad at the same time, given his predicament) to hear him get offended at a remark that “he has no eyes, so how can he read?” It is strange to hear such a thing.
Of course, I just noticed that other than having more than one joint in their arms, the folks in the crowd look rather normal. It is refreshing to see two-jointed folks who aren’t wearing freaky orange jumpsuits and being bullies. Like Scratchman Apoo. Glad to see that all folks with two-joints are not necessarily jerks like him.
Haha, Brooke is a boring sideshow attraction, good for him.
I really like Perona. I don’t know why, but Zoro just seems to attract loud-mouthed, annoying females. Particularly if they have pink hair, haha!
I absolutely adore this scene. It is hysterical! I was holding my sides and crying with laughter when this scene played out! My gods, this is the most animated I have seen the man in ages. Maybe in a full 200 episodes! This is great!
Oh yeah. Old man Rayleigh was talking about Zoro when he was worried about “the dull one”. No questions there. I like how Zoro’s burst of energy hurt his body enough that Perona has to hold the newspaper out while he just lays flat on his back, unable to move. That situation combined with the appropriate background music is hilarious. This may be my favorite scene of the whole episode, and this is a fantastic episode.
Brain Strain
Grunting, sweating, straining, and trying to figure out the message, and then the ‘I give up’ sigh/grunt at the end. Awesome Zoro, awesome.
PreviewLate Post, no need
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Thanks to all the kind readers who keep sticking around after each one of our Posts! Keep heading back not only to our blog, but OnePieceOfficial.com as well, remember! Thanks again~
Oh good, so I'm not the only one who thought Buggy revealing Reyleigh to be Luffy's uncle to be a bit hoaky, especially considering that Rayleigh looks older than Luffy's Grandpa. If Buggy said he was Luffy's great uncle (making him Garps older brother or something) that I might have been able to believe. There's always the off chance that he is Luffy's Uncle from his Mother's side of the family, but I'm not buying it.
ReplyDeleteI mean even if we kicked all logic out the door, and somehow the show managed to rationalize that relation between the two, well... way to drop a big reveal like that without any build-up to it at all. Basically, all this episode is is jumping from person to person, and them saying their own version of essentially the same thing: "Hey! Look what Luffy did." "Hey! Look what Luffy did." "Hey! Look what Luffy did....oh, by the way, Reyleigh's his uncle." Oooookay? Thanks Buggy, I guess.
Moving on.
I do agree that it is neat to see Alabasta again, but this time in the HD Format. It turned out really beautifully. Likewise for the Princess herself. I'll admit it took a little getting use to seeing her in this new style, but truth be told, Vivi always looks wonderful. Then again, she is my very first, and still greatest, One Piece crush.
I found it kind of ironic that she was the very first person to figure out what Luffy's message meant. I love the girl to death, I really do, but to be perfectly honest with myself, when she was part of the crew in season 2, Vivi struck me as... well not exactly Vegapunck. For a while, she was just another one of the ideots. There are two big events that brought me this conclusion. The first being in Whisky Peak, where she was like, "I cannot tell you that the boss of the Baroque Works is Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. (Gasp!) OMG! Did I just tell you EXACTLY what I wasn't suppose to tell you?"
The second being when they finally get to Alabasta, and they are traversing through the desert. The run into Obstacle after obstacle after dangerous obstacle, and EVERY single time, Vivi was like "Sorry guys. I forgot to warn you about the dangers of the desert. Like sandstorms... and the quicksand...and the giant scorpions...and the decieteful birds that steal your stuff."
She almost started to feel like a female Luffy at one point (a feeling only hightened by the dream sequence of her saying she'll be Queen of the Pirates.)As sad as this may sound, I had this vision in my head of a brocken spirited Luffy running into Vivi after the war, and her beating him up while saying essentially the same things he said to her back in Alabasta: "People die, Luffy. Quit being so naiive thinking you can save everyone." etc etc. Of course, I don't really think Vivi would actually say those things. She's too kind. I just couldn't help thinking the situation was ironic.
Vivi tangent aside.
You know what seeing Crocodile again reminded me of? I still want to know what that secret is about him that made him so afraid of Ivan. I honestly have no clue what it could be. What, did he use to be a girl, or was he part of the revolutionary or something, I have no idea.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteAs for the straw hat's discovering the meaning, I'm glad they managed to fit them all in and made them tight and well timed. Though it still drives me up the walls that Nami has to find something to ***** and moan about every single one of her episodes. Franky, I know your upset about it Sora, but I can't help but feel that if getting rid of the factory means the prevention of more weapons of mass destruction falling into he hands of the World Government and escalating the violence even more, than I'm knock Franky for it. Especially if it leads to one of the most epic face shots ever. I didn't find weird, I thought it was pretty cool. Like Terminator.
Zoro, excellent kudos on all his reactions, and you are very right. Although I will say I too have grown to like Perona, and it's just been frustrating to see Zoro, a character that I generally respect at ton, act like a complete dick to her for no real reason other than they were once enemies. But that can't be it. He was enemies with Hachi, but got over that just fine, so what?
Okay, so she's a little obnoxious, I get that, and he just wants to focus on getting back to Sabaody ASAP, I get that too, but really, she's just a lonely little girl who just lost all her friends and family and wants a little attention. A simple "Thank you for treating my woonds," would sufice.
Though this may just stem from my theory that Zoro is just insecure around women in general. It's like ever since that incident with Kuina, he's had this barrier around him that prevents him from expressing any hint of intamacy with anyone, even if it's just as a friend. Even back in Alabasta, he was the only guy in the bath house who did not peek at Nami and Vivi, and no, I don't think that was an accident.
Well that's all for today. Excellent as always.
@Gus
ReplyDeleteRemember: Zoro. Hates. Girls. It could be because they are often playing the part of "oh, I am a girl, and I am weak. I am a female, and cannot be as strong as a guy." Which reminds him of Kuina (so glad to see you thought of that too~). Which makes him depressed. Not to sound sexist at all, but I hear that makes a lot of dudes want to avoid their feelings, so they get all defensive about it. Apparently, Zoro gets defensive by ignoring it or being exceptionally rude to women. Especially Perona, who constantly is whining and complaining and being exceptionally girly. I like her just fine, but hey, I am just that kind of person. Haha.
Of course, you bring up such an excellent point: Zoro may be a lot more insecure with women than he is with other people. The problem is, he sees folks like people, not really gender-dependent. He doesn't act differently around women than he would men (which would explain the bath house in Alabasta. He wouldn't peek in the men's bath house, so why should he the women's? That is the Logic of Zoro). I like this; it shows that he is rating someone on who they are and how they act, rather than their outward appearance or petty interests. Back to Kuina with this - Kuina wanted to be a man, because she realized she could never be as strong as one, so she acted and worked just as hard as a guy. Zoro respected this, and even more so after she was killed.
That and he has probably spent years and years training and hardening his focus away from anyone besides training acquaintances or partners (like bounty hunters), and I don't see a lot of girls in those positions. He probably isn't used to dealing with girls acting...girly. Kuina certainly never acted like that, and she is the only girl he every got along with really well. (He gets along with Robin semi-decently, and nothing ever really occurred between him and Vivi, but he and Nami have a mutual disagreement constantly going on).
Oh, I absolutely believe with all of my heart that Crocodile used to be or was embarrassingly turned into a female at some point. Iva-chan just has that feel to him.
Aww~ Shut up, don't praise me, you jerk~! *Dances with squiggly legs like Chopper*
Zoro would be so much happier in the Avatar universe where 90% of the leading ladies are badasses.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, how much you want to bet Toph Bei Fong would be like his best friend?