New anime, only at OnePieceOfficial.com. Be
there, or be square, like Franky’s biceps.
First
Thoughts
It is very exciting to see the first animated
post-time skip fight. Not only will the
crew be able to truly show off their superior abilities, but Hody’s little
declaration will not endear him to Luffy.
On a personal note, I have decided to read
from chapter 610 through the current chapter in the manga. For this review
however, I stopped reading when I reached the events of this episode. I am very
excited to see the result of the several surprises I’ve read today, and
animated to boot!
Thoughts
Infiltrate the Plaza: The
Crew’s Strategy
Jinbei should have explained himself better, but at least Luffy
listened after his tirade about meat.
This flashback is quite interesting, as I’m quite sure that
Shirahoshi’s announcement caused the mer-people and fish-people to support Luffy’s
crew over Hody’s. Jinbei’s original plan may have worked, but Shirahoshi’s
information was a surefire way to assure the loyalty of the people to Luffy’s
cause.
The Humor Never Ceases
Brook is still at it with the princess. Perhaps Brook gets his
enthusiasm from the fact that he has no blood or nose to give him nosebleeds
like Sanji.
Brook Denied
Nami takes the appropriate action, so all is well.
Flashback: How the Boys
Were Saved
We now cut to the escape and rescue of Brook, Zoro, and Usopp. Brook’s new-found ability is pretty cool, though when I first saw it, I freaked out like
the characters in the show. Then I wanted to smack him for being a pervert.
The Crew’s Joyous Reunion
It is a good sign that the Straw Hats aren’t worried about their
eminent battle at all, and that makes me all the more excited to see their new
powers in a full-scale battle.
I agree with Luffy and the rest that Shirahoshi has great
strength of character. It is always best to fight prejudice through non-violent
methods.
Hody Jones: Racist and
Jerk
This Energy Steroid could suddenly destroy Hody’s body. If it
does destroy his body, that would promote anti-steroid behavior.
Hody’s plan is disgusting, and if the Straw Hat pirates weren’t
there, people could die. Also, Hody is no different than those he hates, because
he coerces people who are weaker than him. That is wrong, and that is why
people hate others who do that.
10 vs. 100,000
Even as this tremendous catastrophe sets into motion around
them, 10 vs. 100,000, the crew all remain unconcerned.
OHKO
Luffy took care of the problem without lifting a finger. 1 vs. 50,000
Final
Thoughts
Overall, this was a solid
episode. Nothing was lacking in the animation, and the plot is magnificent as
usual. Luffy’s power was finally revealed to the crew, and it is impressive. Hody
is unnerved, and with good reason. If there is one thing people should never do
in the world of One Piece, it is claim to be the future “King of the Pirates”
in front of Luffy.
Preview
*Fun Fact: my first anime review for this blog was episode 454, so it was my great honor to do the review and be on-board one hundred episodes later! Thanks for coming back after such a long time away from anime reviews! Hope everyone still enjoys them as they did before, and come back next week for more discussion on all things One Piece!
One hundred episodes later, congrats.
ReplyDeleteIf I may, I wish to recap on a few things that happened just before this episode. The first being that the build up to this upcoming fight was incredibly painful. As much as I understood Jimbe's intentions for keeping Luffy from fighting Hody, it was still annoying, because we all know Luffy was never going to just sit around with a third of his crew captured. Plus, it turns out all the people of Fishman Island were all calling for his help anyway, thus making all of Jimbe's efforts completely mute.
Though I will say it was funny when Nami first mentioned how they all knew that Luffy wouldn't follow the supposed plan, and that they counted on it: So... basically what she's saying is... their "plan" was for things "not to go according to plan"...?
However, what frustrated me even more than Jimbe and all his stalling was the subplot of Shirahoshi knowing this whole time that Hody was behind Otohime's death. GOD where do I even begin? For one, this is the one and only time where the things Hody says are 100% true. I don't care how you dress it up, her actions were the definition of idiotic, to the point where I'm willing to say her actions (or rather "inactions") were the absolute DUMBEST thing that anyone has ever done in the history of One Piece (and given the status quo of half the main characters of this show, that's saying a lot). This man killed her Mother, a woman who did nothing but look out for the well being of her people, and she stood idly by for years as her murderer roamed free planing this coup that threatened the lives of her family and the entire kingdom.
And what was her reason for not saying anything? Because her mother's dying words were to not harbor hatred for whoever murdered her. Okay, that's cute and all sweetheart, but this is NOT about hatred or revenge. This is about justice, and fulfilling your one duty as Princess of your people: to protect them. Hody commited a crime. Hody should have been put on trial and subsequently punished for said crime. There's nothing hateful or discriminative about it. It's just cold hard facts of law.
And then everyone commends her for being admirable for carrying that burden and how "brave" she was. NO SHE WASN'T YOU MORONS! She failed to speak up when it was her time to do so, and because of that, it lead to every misfortune that has transpired her her father, her brothers, and her entire kingdom for this whole arc.
I just can't get over it. Seriously! ALL OF THIS could have been avoided if she had just spoken up. And she didn't. How dare she call herself a Princess of Fishmen Island.
I'm sorry Oda, but for creating a series that has such a wide variety of strong, clever, independent, competent female characters, Shirahoshi, since we met her, has been one big, fat, gigantic, whale of a step backwards.
Alright, I swear I'm done ranting about that. The good news is NONE OF THAT CRAP is in this episode or those to follow. Rather, this is the portion of the arc where Luffy and the straw hats get ready to play clean-up (when you get down to it, that's pretty much what they're doing: cleaning this huge mess that none of the proper authorities could handle themselves), with this episode ending with one of the most epic if-not cliched lines ever.
"THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE PIRATE KING!"
Oh Luffy. How do you get away with using such overused lines, yet still manage to make them seem so freaking badass?
Sorry about the rant earlier Sora. Truth be told, I'm seriously looking forward to the next few episodes. It's gonna get really good from here on out.