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One Piece Chapter 976 Review/Recap

Last week, One Piece took a vacation as the Alliance finally assembled for the final battle. 5,400 pirates, Minks, ninja, samurai and Yakuza all poised to take down Kaido, Big Mom and Orochi. However, the Straw Hats roster is not yet complete with one member missing. Until now that is.

Recap

Though the Alliance is now assembled and ready to head to Onigashima, there’s a more immediate problem. The traitorous Kanjuro still has Momonosuke hostage, and plans to warn tell Orochi everything. Despite everyone’s best efforts, nothing can stop Kanjuro from escaping. So Momonosuke tells everyone to not worry about him. He’ll get out of this on his own. Impressed, Luffy tells him to survive and he will rescue him since they’re friends.

The remaining Beast Pirates, though, have other ideas. Using long range cannons made in Wano’s factories, they begin to pick off the fleet one by one. However, when all seems lost, a massive burst of water sinks the enemy ship! Who is responsible for this save? None other than the Straw Hat’s newest crewmember, Jinbei the Sea Knight! At long last, the Straw Hat roster is now complete!

Review

I was hoping that the Alliance would be able to save Momonosuke before Kanjuro escaped. So much for that, I suppose! Just as bad, Kanjuro will warn the Yonko and Orochi of the coming battle. As a result, the Alliance loses the element of surprise they once had.

Am I worried about that or Momonosuke? No, not really. The Alliance may be outnumbered, but I have a feeling they outclass the enemy force. That, and I know that when Luffy says he’s going to save someone, they’re as good as saved. Especially if he calls them his friend.

On another note: Emperor Carnage, I tip my hat to you! Jinbei showed up just like you said he would! For the first time since the Dressrosa Arc, the Straw Hat Pirates roster is full. And as we’ve seen many times before, when the Straw Hats all fight together, they can topple armies. Bring it on, Kaido. You should have killed Luffy when you had the chance!

I Give “Allow Me to Introduce Myself” a 3.5/5. Big setup, slow start, Classic Oda Introduction

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DuckTales! Season 3, Episode 2 Review

Well, we only just started it, but I think I already have my favorite episode for the third season of DuckTales. At the least, it’s going in my top five list. At its heart, the show’s been about two things: family and adventures. The show does great at balancing the two, but what happens when they clash? What happens is we get a hilarious but heartfelt parody of 90s sitcoms named after a part of the Donald Duck mythos fans to want to forget about: Quack Pack.

Quack Pack

From the very start, the episode doesn’t bother hiding that something’s off. And if the new clothes didn’t tip us off, it was everyone’s personalities. Each member of the Duck family had their biggest personality traits cranked up to 11, which managed to be both hilarious and cringe at once. That, and Donald’s voiced once again by Don Cheadle.

As it turns out, during one of their family adventures, Donald finally cracked and wished they could deal with normal family problems. That wish got granted by a genie in a lamp; thus, everyone’s trapped in a 90s sitcom. When the family calls him out on making such a wish, though, Donald fires back and says what he’s been wanting to. That he doesn’t want to always go on crazy adventures and just wants a normal life. It’s a pretty empowering moment for the character, and we know that he makes a good point. Their lives are not what many would consider normal. He’d rather stay in the “Quack Pack” than leave the illusion.

Goofy’s Words of Wisdom

As crazy as all this is, that’s nothing compared to the episode’s surprise guest star, Goofy. When the show writers announced that Goofy would appear in season three of the show, fans flipped out. Like the Duck family, Goofy and his son Max were stars of their own 90s cartoon, the Goof Troop. That show led to A Goofy Movie and An Extremely Goofy Movie, the former of which I have vague but fond memories of. 

While Goofy spends most of his time being his lovable self, when it comes down to it, he ends up giving Donald the words of wisdom he needs the most: that the idea of a “normal family” is different for everyone and they won’t all be the same. What’s normal for one family may be weird for another. It’s a genuinely sweet moment that I think everyone can take a page from in an age where the idea of a “traditional family” is getting replaced by a non-traditional one. 

That, plus it’s Goofy. Believe it or not, the guy can be very wise at times.

The 90s Meta-Humor and Jabbing at the Quack Pack

Since its inception, the reboot of DuckTales has drawn on every source of inspiration available to it. Whether that be the DuckTales comics, the video games, or even the original cartoon itself, however, it’s also given shout-outs to all the Disney Afternoon shows of the 90s as a sort of meta-mythology joke. Of all the episodes thus far, though, I think “Quack Pack” may be the most meta.

Firstly, the name itself is a callback to Quack Pack, a short-lived cartoon from 1996 that seemed to be a spiritual successor to the original DuckTales. Only this time, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were all teenagers. Needless to say, the show didn’t last past season one. It’s a nice shout-out to a forgotten chapter in the franchise, though.

Secondly, there’s Gene himself. He first appeared in the 1990 DuckTales movie, where he befriended the Duck family, and to see him return after thirty years is enough to make hardcore fans squeal. Gene even mentions that the last time he was out was in 1990.

Finally, can we all acknowledge what Goofy’s presence in the show means? That Max Goof and his girlfriend Roxanne also exist in the reboot universe! HOW AWESOME IS THAT? It pretty much solidifies the DuckTales reboot as being a shared universe for the Disney Afternoon shows.

The long and short of it is, I thought this episode was awesome. It was amazingly well written, hilarious, and a thoughtful and a tribute to the cartoons a lot of the show’s writers probably grew up on. If this is what we can expect from the rest of the season, then I think we’ll be in for an amazing ride.

I Give “Quack Pack” A 4.5/5

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DuckTales Season 3, Episode 1 Review

Here’s another positive thing that we have to look forward to this Spring: a new season of DuckTales! If you’ve been following my blog, then you’ll know that I think the reboot of DuckTales! is one of the best cartoons in recent years. It’s both nostalgic due to its art style and call backs to the Disney Afternoon shows, while also being modern and original. Given all we’ve learned, this looks to be the show’s most ambitious season yet!

From this moment going forward, I’m abandoning the “Recap/Review” formula I use for cartoons. I’ll be using it for anime and manga, but not other cartoons.

Huey’s Time to Shine

Each season of the show has had a different member of the triplets undergo an important character arc. Dewey’s was learning the truth about what happened to his mom. Louie tried to figure out his role in the family and learned a lesson on humility. By that logic, this season will see Huey get center stage. He certainly does in the premiere where he has to come to terms with that he can’t always be the best.

If you know Huey in the reboot, then you know that being the best Junior Woodchuck he can be means a lot to him. So when he learns that both he and Violet have to compete to see who becomes a Senior Woodchuck, he’s visibly shaken. When she continually proves to be a better Woodchuck, Huey briefly abandons his teachings to win, an action that he regrets.

Fortunately, Violet’s there to give him a valuable lesson. She’s already tried to make Senior Woodchuck three times, only to fail. But failure can give birth to success, a lesson that Huey seems to take to heart as he gracefully concedes defeat. It’s an important life lesson for kids to know that, while they may fail, they can still learn and grow from it.

Dewey and the Dancing Bird

Meanwhile, Scrooge tries to take the rest of the family on a treasure hunt using a map left by his hero and legendary Woodchuck, Isabella Finch. Only, the rest of the family’s uninterested in following a map when their entire thing is to explore the uncharted. Plus, they’re more focused on this weird, colorful bird that Dewey starts dancing with.

Ultimately, Scrooge learns an important lesson: you can look up to your heroes, but you shouldn’t try and copy what they do all the time. Plus, that bird ends up leading them on the right path, anyway. Turns out it’s a descendant of Finch’s pet bird that serves as the Woodchuck’s mascot.

A Good Segue to New Season

So, this first episode was not my favorite by far. If I’m being honest, I lost interest about halfway through the whole thing. However, this does set the show up for the main plot of the season. As it turns out, the treasure of Isabella Finch is her adventuring journal, complete with a list of mysteries that she could never solve! So Scrooge and the Duck family decide to solve these mysteries for themselves!

However, they’re not the only ones interested. At the end of last season, we learned of the existence of F.O.W.L., a crime syndicate that sees the heroes escapades as threats to their power. They spy on the family and decide to beat them to these ancient treasures and artifacts.

With that, we’ve got our plot for the new season of DuckTales!, and it sounds like it’s going to be the most entertaining one yet! I’m giddy with excitement just thinking about it!

So, this season opener wasn’t a very memorable one for me, but considering how fun even the worst episodes of this show can be, I’m going to give it a pass. Here’s to another season of unbelievable adventures!

I Give “Challenge Of The Senior Junior Woodchucks” A 3/5

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Stray Observations

• Did you see how Della’s now a part of the introduction to the show? She’s really here to stay!

• Can we all just acknowledge the reveal that Violet has two dads? I love the fact that we’ve gotten to the point where kid’s shows can casually have same-sex couples. Love knows no bounds!
• According to the show’s staff, Violet’s dad’s adopted Lena some time ago.

My Hero Academia Season 4, Episode 25 Review/Recap

Well, folks, here we are at the end of this season of My Hero Academia, and what a season it’s been! In a world without the Symbol of Peace, All Might, society’s more on edge than ever. As a result, Deku and his classmates have had to step up far sooner than they would otherwise. Which led to one of the biggest anime moments of 2019 when Deku beat down the evil Overhaul to save Eri, a girl with the power to rewind people.

Things have been low-key since Overhaul’s defeat, with the show focusing on the students. Yet in the penultimate episode, we saw the Pro Heroes return to the spotlight, now lead by Endeavor. He’s always wanted to be the Symbol of Peace (or at least No. 1), and when a deadly new Nomu attacks, he has his chance to prove himself. He. Does not. Waste it.

Recap

As Hawks works to evacuate all the civilians in the area and provide aid to Endeavor, the fiery hero throws everything he has at the Nomu. To everyone’s horror, though, this Nomu can not only regenerate, but is smart enough to come up with plans to fight Endeavor, putting him on the defensive. It turns out, if he uses his fire powers too often, they’ll eventually overheat. As a result, the Nomu manages to briefly overwhelm him. All across Japan, people watching fear that there’s no more Symbol of Peace.

However, Endeavor gets a second wind, as the Nomu reminds him of how he used to be: someone who kept trying to attain more power (or something). Bottom line, he wants to prove that he’s trying to change for the better, and after forcing the Nomu high into the sky, manages to burn him into ash. When the dust settles, Endeavor proudly stands with his fist in the air, having earned his place as the new Symbol of Peace.

Review

Studio BONES manages to create some of the most action-packed fight scenes in modern anime, as this season of MHA proves. Watching Endeavor go toe to toe with the Nomu was the best fight the anime has seen since Deku’s glorious beatdown of Overhaul. The animation was superb, the emotional stakes were high, and when the dust settles, you can’t help but want to cheer for Endeavor.

Yes, I know that Endeavor has been a horrible father and an overall jerk in the past. Though, to be fair, a lot of heroes in Shonen anime start out like that! Piccolo, Vegeta, Gaara, and more. The point is that he’s trying to change and make things right. Why else would he visit his wife in the hospital and give her the flowers she said she liked?

Endeavor’s more than proven himself as the Symbol of Peace. He can take things from here until Class 1-A graduates.

In the meantime, though, we have confirmation that there’s going to be a Season Five, and based on the post-credits, things are about to getting crazy with Midoriya. Those who read the manga will know what’s coming, but for the anime only people, my lips are sealed. I will say this, though: we’re going to learn more about One for All and it’s past in the next season, and it’s going to be awesome. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “His Start” a Solid 4/5.

See You Next Season! Stay Safe From the Virus!

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