Every time I think I'm about to fall out of love with Wano, another episode pulls me right back in. This week's episode nails scene after scene, cut after cut, in an absolute tour de force of weekly television. The entire Toei team – as well as director Ryōsuke Tanaka – deserve their kudos here.
In short, Episode 1033 is a visual feast. It's clear that the visual issues of last week's episode were due to corners being cut to save time/energy/etc for this episode because wow it is jaw-dropping. Wano is a very long arc, so I end up going through cycles and worry that I end up saying the same things over and over again. But I think it's a testament to the sheer number of high-quality episodes that I have to repeat once again that this is film-quality animation produced as weekly television. It keeps setting high water marks and exceeding them time after time.
Which segment was your favorite will probably vary, but there's no doubt we all have a lot to choose from this week. The big standouts are the Kaido and Luffy battle, Eustass breaking away from the goons, and Big Mom taking out Ulti. What I like about this is the visual range displayed in these different sections. The Kaido and Kid sections both use lighter line work along with these push-ins that reveal constantly rolling muscle and skin detail in a way that aims at realism then blows out through the other side with a gaping, exaggerated exit wound. On the other end, Big Mom's fight adheres closer to the standard look of the show, just with a higher-than-average visual fidelity and bright popping colors and lighting effects – essentially a sterling episode of action television, in keeping with the tone of the scene. The shots of Ulti getting, well, shot are particularly excellent, with black and white hit frames that veer into the surreal and existential.
Even the character bits all land this episode. The battle between Kaido and Luffy genuinely feels like two titans battling it out on the roof of the world. Sanji and Zoro are back to their usual comedic bickering and it really is the best mode of them to be in. Law gets to show off his medical pedigree, Kid glares at a grenade mid-flight, and Zeus cries sad pathetic puddles. Episode 1033 is one of the best episodes of one of the longest-running series of all time – and that's a feather in anybody's cap.
Here we have a from-the-ground-up remake, but does this beloved classic still hold up in a modern sense, or is that praise just nostalgia talking?― It's nice when Nintendo surprises us with a remaster or re-release of one of their more difficult-to-obtain games. The original Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door for the Nintendo GameCube is a classic for many. However, since the game was never re-rele...
Miles Atherton crunched Netflix's latest numbers for some surprising anime discoveries, from the popularity of My Happy Marriage to the One Piece juggernaut.― Since the advent of streaming, it's been notoriously difficult to gauge how popular a specific anime is with international audiences, both for publishers looking to make informed decisions for a market that generates most of its revenue outsi...
With seven full routes and one mini-route with a character from the previous game, if you enjoyed Cupid Paradise, Sweet & Spicy Darling is worth playing.― The first order of business is this: if you haven't played the original Cupid Parasite otome game, there isn't much point in picking up Sweet & Spicy Darling. There is one new route for this sequel, but even that relies on you knowing the backgrou...
With the release of Dead Dead Demon's Dededededestruction, Nick and Steve take a look at it and some other manga that were thought to be "unadaptable"—and see if that was truly the case.― With the release of Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction, Nick and Steve take a look at it and some other manga that were thought to be "unadaptable"—and see if that was truly the case. Disclaimer: The views and...
LiSA performs 'Black Box' opening theme― The official website for NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a, the television anime of Square Enix and Platinum Games' NieR:Automata action role-playing game, started streaming its "promotion file 11" on Tuesday. The video previews the opening theme song "Black Box" by LiSA, and reveals the premiere of the anime's second cours (quarter of year) in July. (The video below re...
When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad.― When even the author says this story will hurt, you know it will be bad. That's assuming, of course, that you weren't prepared for it going in. The fate of Astrea Familia is well-known to readers and viewers (and players) of the various Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon iterations, and the most recent season of ...
The documentary was full of cool tidbits about the 82-year-old producer and the anime he's worked on—including Ninja Scroll, Pluto, and In This Corner of the World.― Late last month, Japanese television network NHK put out a documentary on anime producer Masao Maruyama as part of their Anime Manga Explosion series. In it, the show delves into the now 82-year-old producer's life, philosophies, and so...
Masaki Watanabe directs anime at TMS Entertainment― Shueisha announced on Monday in its first "Jump Press" video that Yuuto Suzuki's Sakamoto Days manga will get a television anime series in January 2025 starring Tomokazu Sugita as Taro Sakamoto. The video also revealed the main staff. Masaki Watanabe (KADO - The Right Answer, Bartender, several Battle Spirits anime) is directing the anime at TMS En...
This is where the series earns its place in anime history, setting a precedent that other magical girl shows will follow.― It's a moment of magical girl history, right there on the screen: in episode forty-six of Fairy Princess Minky Momo's original 1982-83 television series, Momo is hit by a truck and dies. Even putting aside the question of whether or not this is Truck-kun's first victim, this is ...
Teaser video streamed― Bandai Namco Filmworks announced on Saturday that the Ghost in the Shell franchise is getting a new television anime series in 2026. Science Saru will produce the anime, which is tentatively titled Kōkaku Kidōtai (The Ghost in the Shell). Bandai Namco Filmworks, Kodansha, Science Saru, and Production I.G are on the production committee for the series. Bandai Namco Filmworks al...