One Piece Chapter 1183 Review/Recap
Well, well, well, it looks as though Oda has finally decided to address the elephant in the room. Ever since we learned that Brook knew Gunko, or as he calls her, Shuri, fans have been wondering what their history is. Given how bitterly he talks about it, it must have ended badly from his perspective. But the fact that Gunko was able to briefly resist Imu’s control means that there must be more to what happened than Brook knows. Well, it looks like we’re about to find out, as we’re getting another flashback. In an arc that has already given us a flashback. And a flashback in a flashback.
This is a little concerning, from a narrative perspective.
Recap
The fights against Imu and the God’s Knights continue. Loki is amazed that Imu is still standing, while Imu declares that he will erase Loki and Luffy as the two continue to clash. Meanwhile, the parents of the Giant children get ready to stand against Killingham and Zaza. They refuse to let their children be taken from them!
Elsewhere, the other Straw Hats ask Broom what the deal is between him and Gunko, or rather, Shuri. He acknowledges that she looks like someone from his past that he never wanted to see again. At the same time, though, she was the one who let them go free. Deciding that they should know the story before dealing with the frozen Gunko, Brook begins to tell his story about his homeland.
Seventy years ago, in the West Blue, there was the kingdom of music and instrument makers, Esperia. In those days, Brook was the young captain of the country’s Battle Raider Corps and a close friend of the king, Leuven. He also had a crush on the Queen and former captain of the Royal Guard, Queen Candel, much to Leuven’s dismay. Even more important, Brook liked to dote on their young daughter, Princess Shuri, who said she wanted to marry Brook when she got older. Those were good times.
Review
Well, that was interesting. I think that this is the second time that One Piece revisited the backstory of one of the Straw Hats to flesh it out more, with Sanji being the first. I don’t mind it all that much, as I like well-developed characters. Like I said, though, I do find it concerning that Oda is giving us another extended flashback in this arc. Considering how much time we spent on the stories of Harald, Loki, and Rocks, I’m worried some fans are going to complain about the pacing issues.
That being said, the beginning of this flashback gave us a mixture of things that we should have already figured out, as well as some new information. We already knew that Brook knew Gunko back when she was called Shuri. We knew that the two were close, enough that Gunko has a subconscious fondness for Brook’s music to this day. And we knew that something must have happened that made Brook hate her up til now. And I think I can already piece together how things turned out: Shuri and her dad went to the Reverie one year, Shuri was captured and turned into Gunko by Imu, and that led to the death of her father and the destruction of Esperia. Brook either wasn’t there when it happened, or wasn’t able to stop it. Either way, it’s safe to assume that Queen Candel died.
All that being said, I do appreciate seeing what Brook was like as a young man. He was more or less like what he is today, being the same goofball and skilled swordsman we all know and love. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the fact that he was crushing on the Queen, either. It’s not cool to covet a friend’s wife, but it’s offset by the fact that he was willing to wait for Leuven to die naturally. They must have been really close!
I hope that this flashback will not run for too long, as we have had to wait on this fight long enough as it is. But if it means that they can somehow get Gunko on their side, that might be enough to turn the tide in the Straw Hats’ favor. They might not be able to beat Imu, but they can run the clock down to ensure that he will have to withdraw.
