The big bombastic punches are flying, and if you aren't buckled up folks you better strap in cause there's a lot of screen-shaking hits.
I think the overall episode is solid. There's a bunch of wailing on Kaido as this giant punching (or swording?) bag, but there's a strong sense of Kaido's near limitless invulnerability. You can see it in Luffy's eyes as he throws everything he has into punch after punch, coming away short of breath while Kaido raises again and again from the smoke. Kaido is not the smartest or even flashiest villain Luffy and company have ever fought but his absurd endurance makes him one of (if not the) deadliest.
Even Zoro, Kid, Law, and Killer cannot seem to tip the scales (fnarf) in a meaningful way. This is saying something especially given how quickly Zoro tends to dispatch enemies post-timeskip.
All the visual flourishes in the episode are in the solid to great territory. Lots of wonderful energy and smoke effects as to be expected, but all done with a keen eye to scale. The sense of Kaido's size comes through really well in the framing of certain shots and how slow he moves relative to Luffy's attacks. He is less a flying floe and more a floating one, gently bobbing in the air under the barrage of punches Luffy is delivering. This good direction - coupled with the strong, ominous orchestral music - gives it all the air of a kaiju film, and that's precisely the tone that should be struck with Kaido and Big Mom on the field.
Other subtler visual touches are much appreciated too. I love the juxtaposition of the CP-0 leader's eyes and the Go pieces on the table with those rhythmic snap zooms for tension. The POV shot of Zoro helicotpering up the front of Kaido is great too, really giving us a sense of what it must be like to fight Kaido in this form for the average human (or, at least average in height - Zoro is beyond average).
Creator Negi Haruba drafts story for new anime, light novel― "The Quintessential Quintuplets 5th Anniversary Event in Yokohama Arena" announced on Sunday that Negi Haruba's The Quintessential Quintuplets (Gotōbun no Hanayome) romantic comedy manga is inspiring a new anime, Gotōbun no Hanayome*. Haruba personally drafted the original story concept and is supervising all aspects of the anime, which re...
Yostar reveals teaser, key visual, official website― The staff for the Arknights mobile game and its tie-in franchise announced on Saturday in a new teaser trailer that the Arknights: Rise from Ember anime is now in production. The staff also launched an official website for the anime and released a key visual. The game is set in a fantasy world called Terra with modern science-fiction motifs. Terra...
Makes Nagi an even more interesting and nuanced character, but the last 10 minutes almost upends the film's otherwise interesting plot.― BLUELOCK THE MOVIE -EPISODE NAGI- is a retelling of the early events of BLUELOCK through the eyes of Nagi and Mikage. However, that's not to say this is a recap or compilation film. Rather, a good 70% of the film is newly animated footage as the story follows their...
Following Poupelle of Chimney Town, Nishino tackles addiction in his new stop-motion anime short film.― In advance of the U.S. premiere of the new stop-motion animated short film Bottle George, Anime News Network sat down with writer Akihiro Nishino and chatted not only about the film and its creation but also its deeper message and how it connects to Nishino's past. While now well-known as a childr...
From Classroom for Heroes to Management of a Novice Alchemist, we have reviews of the newest light novels in our guide!― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2024 Light Novel Guide, the companion to our ongoing manga guide! This season, we have 20 novels with reviews in the guide for you to browse. Every included novel was published in March or April or will be released in May. This guide focuses...
SAND LAND is a curious game that combines an eclectic set of gameplay features into a well-realized package that, despite its flaws, is perfectly solid and more than the sum of its parts.― SAND LAND is a curious game that combines an eclectic set of gameplay features into a well-realized package that, despite its flaws, is perfectly solid and more than the sum of its parts. Going into this one, all ...
Atlus reveals its big new game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, amid the recent exit of Shin Megami Tensei artist Kazuma Kaneko. PLUS: A Golden Axe comedy series and Pokémon Go models get a makeover.― Welcome back, folks! As you probably noticed, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes came out earlier this week. It's a fun time, as you could see in my review of it. It's come to my attention that there are some per...
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes promises to revive the Suikoden series in everything but name, but what's so great about Suikoden that it's worth reviving? Well, read on…― It's 1996, and the PlayStation is just starting to take over the game industry. It has many genres covered: racing, fighting, action, sports, puzzles, train-conducting, deep-sea diving, fire-fighting, and so forth. But what abou...
Some of Shonen Jump's biggest manga hits are approaching their end. Does the magazine have new heavy-hitters lined up to take up the mantle?― Some of Shonen Jump's biggest manga hits are approaching their end. Does the magazine have new heavy-hitters lined up to take up the mantle? Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Netwo...