Another week, another incredible One-Piece episode. Episode 1072 marches to the same drum as 1071 and delivers many of the same joys and thrills, but with its particular spin on the formula.
The majority of our runtime this week involves Luffy engaging in what can only be described as hijinks. It's a medley of shenanigans, tomfoolery, and outright silliness at every turn. You might find yourself thinking, “Surely Kaido doesn't swallow Luffy whole only for Luffy to puff up like a balloon in his stomach and give him indigestion.” You're mistaken there, my friend. “And after that,” you might continue, “he certainly would never use Kaido like a massive jump rope in midair, all the while giggling.” I'm afraid that's another misconception. The lad's behavior is goofy, the drums are beating, and Luffy takes Kaido through a parade of cartoonish goofball antics.
For myself, this was a non-stop delight. Same as last week, I can't get enough of this stuff. I sharpened my teeth on the comedic shorts from the likes of Tex Avery and Chuck Jones, and I've always lamented that the Looney Tunes have largely fallen out of public consciousness. Witnessing (and hearing! Shout out to the continued excellent sound design) Luffy being reborn and empowered with all the screwball delight of those old cartoons is such a treat. I'm sure you all have your favorite bits – I'm quite partial to Luffy having to reach out and grab his expression out of midair and shove it back into his face – and there's plenty to choose from.
That's not to say that 1072 is solely a nostalgic look back, though; there are many lovely modern techniques in the mix as well. The beautiful sequence of Luffy getting in touch with the drums of his heartbeat as colorful splashes of energy burst all around him is truly a sight to behold, with a water-like sense of movement in place and delicate linework. I've always been quite fond of the part where Luffy gets struck by Kaido's bat, and not just because his face is imprinted with the spikes of the bat, but also due to the way it rotates along with the club arc; Kaido's swing is at an interesting angle relative to the camera's POV, and it turns along an odd axis that I am certain was a pain to animate.
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...
James and Lynzee reflect on the end of Solo Leveling and whether its worldbuilding is worth its edgy turn. PLUS: The big monsters of Kaiju No. 8, & court intrigue in Yatagarasu!― Will You Watch Solo Leveling Season 2? James and Lynzee reflect on the end of Solo Leveling and whether its worldbuilding is worth its edgy turn. PLUS: The big monsters of Kaiju No 8, court intrigue in Yatagarasu, and a li...
