One Piece ELbaph

THIS IS…DESPICABLE!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , ,

One Piece Episode 1177 Review

Guys, I don’t know how Oda does it. I have no clue how he is able to create villains that are so rotten, vile, and despicable that their very existence offends me. But he just keeps doing it over and over and it works so well at angering me! Which only makes it more entertaining when they go down. But this? SOMMERS is in a class all his own when it comes to how much I hate him. And this episode reminded me of it!

BAD! THINGS! HAPPEN!

So, as seems to be the norm for this arc now, things just get worse. We saw Saul, poor Saul, get maimed by Sommers thorns, in the last episode. And this episode opens up with him getting stabbed in the foot. It’s like stepping on a LEGO but ten times worse.

This entire episode serves as a reminder of just how bad things are going to get from here on out, and honestly, I both love and hate it. And for good reason. It only makes their inevitable defeat all the more cathartic. But this arc really tries my patience, especially considering how likely it is that we will not see the comeback until next year.

Half the Straw Hats are Captured!

Oh, and just to remind you guys of how bad things are, not only has Collun been captured, but now Brook, Jinbei, Nami, and Usopp are prisoners. The only solace I get is from knowing that this just guarantees that Luffy is going to kick all their asses. Then again, the act of kidnapping children is considered a capital offense in the eyes of the Straw Hats, so they were already going to do that. This just adds fuel to the fire.

What is most surprising, though, is something that I had almost forgotten about: Gunko’s fixation on Brook.

Yeah, Brook Knows Gunko

Now, the thing about Oda is that he tends to be great at foreshadowing. A random name he drops or a character’s habit can end up being an important plot device in the future. And if you recall, Gunko is a fan of Brook. So she tries to make him her slave and write songs for her forever like a yandere fan. But that’s not what’s interesting. It’s the way Brook reacts.

If you know Brook, then you know how he hits on women as much as Sanji does. It’s like his most well-known bit besides his bone jokes. So, and this was something I actually forgot, when Brook speaks to Gunko, he doesn’t make any jokes. He doesn’t ask to see her panties. Nothing; just dead seriousness. THAT is a red flag that something is wrong.

It would be some time until we learn the truth about the connection between Brook and Gunko, and trust me, it’s a tearjerker. But I really liked how the anime foreshadows it here. When Brook says that one thing that makes Gunko have a panic attack, you can tell that there’s more to her than meets the eye.

SOMMERS MUST DIE!!!!

Sommers, on the other hand, has nothing else to him; just pure, sadistic malice and cruelty.

So, by this point, the kids have woken up and realize that they are in trouble. The giant monsters is enough of a warning sign. But what Sommers does next is just pure evil. He has Qillingham broadcast everything to the island, list off the names of the kids being held hostage, and just enjoys seeing the despair on the parents’ faces.

But then, he gives them a choice that offends me to the core of my being: ordering them to burn down the school and library. The library where all the books from Ohara have remained safe for almost 3 decades.

Now, I couldn’t really care about the school, since I hate homework. But a library? When I was a kid, o spent most of my free time at our school libraries. It was my refuge, my safe space! And if Interntational Law didn’t already consider it, I would consider the destruction of libraries to be a war crime.

Now imagine how Robin must feel.

TARGET: SOMMERS. OBJECTIVE: EXTERMINATE!

Robin had to watch as the World Government destroyed her home of Ohara as a little kid. She couldn’t stop it from happening. But she will be damned if she lets history repeat itself! I was all in on Robin’s decision to join the fight. It’s time to go full gangster on these monsters!

Man, this anime is so good! I love One Piece so much! And I’m pretty sure it’s already out by now, but I hope that that crossover happy meal with SpongeBob is doing well!

I Give “A Despicable Hostage Game – Sommers’s Brazen Demands” a 4/5

The Legend of Love, Scopper Gaban!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , ,

One Piece Chapter 1169 Review

I’m going to be honest with you: I had no clue that Toei was going to be airing all the episodes of One Piece this year back-to-back. I genuinely thought that we would be waiting until the fall for the show to kick back up, but I’m not complaining. It won’t be long now until the Elbaph arc really begins in earnest. But before that can happen, the story needs to add a few more players to the board. And on the side of the pirates, we’re getting an absolute legend. Not only is this man one of the most famous in the entire world, but he’s also a legend of the art of love.

The Legend is Here!

So, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami are still looking for the key to Loki’s chains, with the group being on the fence about what to do afterward. To be honest, I wasn’t that worried in the manga. If Loki tried anything, Luffy would just kick his ass. Heck, Luffy even says that’s what he’ll do in this episode. The real concern is how Elbaph would take it. Unfortunately, any attempts by the group to fly under the radar are gone, as they’ve been found out by someone: Ripley’s husband and the father of Colon. Though, it should be his real name that should be more, and for good reason, as we get a story from the Giants that exposits why he’s so important.

In the days of the Roger Pirates, there were three men who were the pillars of the entire crew; their equivalent of the Monster Trio of Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Roger’s right-hand man was Rayleigh, but his left was a man named Scopper Gaban, and he was every bit as strong as the others. Once, when Roger was sick and resting at a hospital, hundreds of pirates showed up trying to take him out. In response, Gaban walked out of the building, axe in hand, and proceeded to single-handledly run all their fades! None of them got near Roger! And after the Roger Pirates disbanded, he settled in Elbaph, where he all but married Ripley and they had Colon. And now, that man was sitting in the ruins of Aurust Castle waiting for Luffy to show up to see what he would do.

I was absolutely floored when Gaban was introduced. He had been teased about years ago in the cover stories as this mystery man who met with Crocus, this guy who briefly sailed with Roger as his doctor. Most fans were convinced that he was another member of the Roger Pirates, and we were right! We only know a little about the lives of Roger’s old crew even after all this time, so seeing Gaban was like meeting pirate royalty. Also, I couldn’t help but respect him for managing to get someone as nice as Ripley as his wife. Though I do think that one day, Oda has to explain how the technical aspects work. Otherwise, fans are going to be making weird assumptions.

Luffy Beating Loki=Being on Shanks’ Level?

At any rate, Gaban wants to ask Luffy what he intends to do about Loki, testing him. He even points out that the only reason he got captured was because Shanks had to step in and do it when the Giants couldn’t. Of course, I took it, and Luffy probably took, to mean that if he managed to beat Loki, he’d be on Shanks’ level. Which is something that has both been a goal of his as well as a necessity if Luffy wants to become King of the Pirates. So, he gives Luffy a challenge: if he can beat him in a fight, he’ll hand over the key. So, bet!

Luffy is going to need to get stronger sooner rather than later, especially since Elbaph is about to be in danger from the God’s Knights. If he can stand on the same level as Roger’s number three, then I like the odds. That, and I wanna see how he measures up to a living legend. This next episode should be fun.  

I Give “The Legend Lurking in Elbaph – The Identity of the Mountain-Eater” a 4/5