One Piece Ep 1158 Review
When you look at Monkey D. Luffy, you probably think that he’s the last person you’d think of when describing a god. That only made the big reveal during the climax of the Wano Country Arc, that his Devil Fruit was, in fact, the embodiment of a Sun God called Nika, all the more insane! And when Vegapunk dropped even more lore about how the last person with Luffy’s Devil Fruit, Joy Boy, was the first pirate, I started calling Luffy the second coming of Pirate Jesus. I have no regrets about that whatsoever, as despite everything, Luffy does have messianic qualities. More importantly, though, the Sun God and Warrior of Liberation is someone very important to the culture of Elbaph. Which only made it even more confusing for me when we learned the land Luffy was stuck in was ruled by someone called the Sun God.
Yeah, this whole place was pretty much fake, and we knew it.
Gulliver’s Travels Much?
After coming to in this Blocky, LEGO-like Kingdom, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji need to find a way out while avoiding the giant animals. As they’re doing so, they’re met by a man who’s dressed like a biker, but using a grasshopper like a Harley.
I’ve seen a lot of strange things in One Piece, but will Oda ever cease to amaze me?
At any rate, the fact that the man is the same size as them confirms that its inhabitants are normal humans. What’s more, the stranger claims that this whole place is ruled over by the “Sun God,” and that the animals are his divine servants. Which only makes it even funny to know that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji already killed and ate one of them (a rabbit)! It gets even funnier, though, when the local points them in one direction, says it’s guarded by vicious warriors, and that no one has come back alive. The look on Luffy’s face is all his crew needs to know what he’s going to do. Sure enough, the idiot runs towards the danger.
Admitedly, this whole thing is as dragged out as the last episode, but the beauty about One Piece is that its characters make it entertaining to watch. I sometimes go back and rewatch clips of filler episodes just so I can see the silly antics the characters get up to, and it’s almost always worth it! Plus, Luffy’s recklessness does lead them to discover the truth about the Block Kingdom. The whole thing is actually a massive diorama inside of an equally massive room that’s filled with homemade costumes, clothes, and…hold up? Is that Chopper chained up?!?
Who’s the Dummy Who Tried to Nab the Straw Hats?
So, if it isn’t obvious by now, Luffy and the others were somehow abducted by a Giant and trapped inside this giant diorama made out of LEGOs. On the one hand, I have to respect their captor for the amount of dedication they put into their fake world, what with the detailed buildings, handmade clothing, and wildlife they added. Plus, if a Giant did this, then that can only mean one thing: they’ve somehow already made it to Elbaph! On the other hand, though, they have been holding people captive so they can roleplay as a god and made the mistake of trying to take Luffy captive. So, what happens next is all their fault.
One of the great things about One Piece in recent years is that it’s animation has continually grown and improved for the better, with everything become way cooler to look at. This especially extends to the combat sequences, such as when the Straw Hats start fighting more of the animals trying to keep them captive. But we all know how that song and dance goes.
Unfortunately, it also ends with them setting the room on fire, which ends up attracting the attention of their captor. And like the Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, they are pissed by the humans who have wrecked their stuff. The episode itself ends with the Straw Hats having to hightail back through the diorama to the window on the other side so they can escape, but the Giant is in hot pursuit, rambling about how great this chaos is to their world. I don’t know; it’s weird!
It might be because I watched the first three episodes back-to-back-to-back, but it was hard to notice the pacing problems at times. I’m just enjoying the ride, and hopefully, everyone else will. Plus, the OP and ED are pretty fun this season. Manga readers are going to recognize a lot from the OP! Hopefully, though, by the time the next episode ends, the Straw Hats will be out of the diorama and onto Elbaph proper. Anime-only people have waited too long as it is to see the place, and it is everything we could hope!
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