One Piece Chapter 1110 Review/Recap

Ever since we saw Sabo’s flashback earlier in this same arc, One Piece fans have speculated on the true nature of the Five Elders. It hasn’t helped that their beast forms, powers, and how they’re summoned seem to contradict most of what we know about Devil Fruits. At this point, though, I don’t think what the Five Elders are matters anymore. They are monsters in mind, body, and action, and now that all of them are on Egghead Island, even Luffy might be in trouble!

Recap

All across Egghead Island, everyone takes notice as more black lightning appears, heralding the arrival of the other Five Elders. Luffy is shocked to see their true, monstrous forms facing him as they emerge from their summoning circles.

In the blink of an eye, the monsters take to the battlefield. Nusjuro (the skeletal horse) begins cutting down the Pacifistas, freezing him with his sword. Within moments, half of the Pacifistas have been taken down. As Sanji looks in the skies above and sees another Elder trying to break into the lab, he calls the others and tells them their only option: run. Unfortunately, their escape is delayed by the fact that not everyone is at the Sunny yet. The worst part is that Zoro is only now finishing off Lucci, putting everyone in harms way. Jinbei chooses to head back for Zoro, though, while Sanji gets Vegapunk to the ship.

At the main battlefield, Luffy’s caught off-guard by the monsters appearing before him. Before he can react, Peter (the wyrm) jumps out of the ground and swallows him whole! Thankfully, Dorry and Brogy arrive in time to bisect the monster in half, freeing Luffy. With a hearty laugh, the two Giants say they couldn’t wait around for Luffy any longer, hence why they came to him.

Review

Once again, Oda has cooked, and the whole world rejoices. Ever since we got a glimpse of their shadowy forms in Mariejois, fans have been dying to know what some of monsters the Five Elders can turn into. Saturn was terrifying enough to look at, being a spider yokai, but the others? I can’t even decide which one is the scariest. Most of them are based on monsters from Japanese mythology, but there are two outliers in Warcury and Peter. The former is a boar from Chinese myths, while the latter is based on mythical serpents and giant worms like the ones found in Dune. If you’ve seen any version of Dune, you know scary they are!

With the Five Elders arrival in force, it feels like the balance has shifted back in the World Government’s favor, at least to an extent. Truthfully, this entire arc has been nothing but a series of escalations, with the Straw Hats/Egghead Island and the World Government bringing stronger and stronger forces to bear on each other. At this point, I want to say that they can’t bring things any higher, but that would be a lie. Oda excels with this type of chaos; if he can think of a way to raise the stakes, he will.

As for whether the protagonists can take the Five Elders and their army now, it’s up in the air. I think Luffy could beat any one of them on his own, but not all at once. Dorry and Brogy might be enough to help, but they’ll need more. Thankfully, Zoro might end up going back to help now that he’s taken down Lucci. The fact that Lucci’s a mere afterthought now shows how far things have escalated. 

Looking at things as a whole, I think the Straw Hats, Giants, and more can still drive away the World Government. With so many powerful enemies around, though, Luffy needs to win soon. The longer the fight drags on, the more danger Vegapunk and Bonney will be. That being said, now might be the best chance for Luffy to defeat the Five Elders. Not only would that destroy the World Government’s credibility, possibly more than whatever Vegapunk wants to tell the world, but it could raise his bounty to new heights. Maybe as high as Roger himself. One thing’s sure, though. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next. Those monsters need to go down!

I Give “Starfall” a 4.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Housing Complex C Episode 4 Review

Okay, I didn’t expect things to turn out like that! But I guess that this means that all those theories about Kimi were true in the end. I think. Regardless, the finale to Housing Complex C dove right into the pool of Lovecraftian storytelling. In life, Lovecraft feared the unknown, and what greater unknown is there than the idea that some god might look at humanity and decide, “screw this. I’m out.”

That’s basically what happened in this finale. A god decided to quit on us. 

It’s Always Been Kimi

The finale episode opens with a final message from Taka, revealing some major bombshells about the story. It was Kimi at the center of it all. She isn’t the priestess of the story from before. In fact, much of what we suspected was a red herring. In truth, Kimi is a god. An actual god, whose been watching humanity for eons, judging them to see their worth. She even put Housing Complex C in a time stasis in the year 2000 to see if humans could live in harmony with each other.

Take a guess on how we’ve fared. Everything fell apart when Yuri’s family showed up. They’re not a normal family, but a bunch of demented killers who slaughtered everyone in a sacrifice to another god. Then they try to off Kimi while Kan tries to save her. The final nail in the coffin, though, comes when Yuri, who’s as crazy as her parents, tries to kill Kimi. 

It’s at this point that Kimi drops the sweet little girl act, puts on her big girl boots, and basically tells Yuri, “you done screwed up.” 

Kimi Calls it Quits

The climax of the finale has Kimi give Yuri and her family the riot act, saying that she knew who they were the whole time. She even turned the dead bodies into moss to keep people from getting scared, because all she wanted was for people to live in leave and be happy. Then Yuri’s family came, creating discord and strife, and Kimi can’t stand it. She’s been trying for millennia to see if humans can avoid screwing up, but they always seem to. 

Then Kimi basically says, “screw this. I’m done. I give up on you people.” Thus, Kimi kills the Koshide’s in a brutal fashion, and I’m so grateful that anime has desensitized me to this level of gore! Then she ends the stasis on Housing Complex C and the island, returning us to the present day. The island’s in ruins, everyone’s dead, and Kimi has gone to whatever plane of existence she came from.

However, not everyone died from what happened. Remember Rubel? He was smart enough to bail, and he got to live thanks to that. In addition, Kan, the man everyone thought might be a Deep One and the enemy, gets to survive. Thanks to his kindness and standing up for Kimi, she gave him some secret words that let him survive the end of Kimi’s test. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if he needs therapy after everything.

An Interesting Take on Lovecraftian Horror

Some people might complain about the ending and say it doesn’t make sense. They’re not wrong, either. A lot of the plot details wound up being irrelevant. However, the main theme of Lovecraftian horror remained consistent. Lovecraftian horror is about the worst kind of threat people could face. Something so powerful and vast that we can’t even understand their motivations, let alone fight back. Imagine if Bill Cipher turned out to be real and showed up? That’s how bad things would get! That’s what makes Lovecraft’s works so…horrifying.

Despite everything, though, I think Kimi shouldn’t write humanity off as a whole. Kan proves that, for all our faults, there are always good people out there. It’s why I haven’t given up on humanity, myself. Then again, Kimi’s seen it all, so this can be her judgment call. I can’t blame for getting fed up with people’s bull and deciding to quit, though. 

Regarding horror, Housing Complex C was a compelling story about the nature of the unknown. The twist ending wasn’t something I expected, and while I think it could’ve been better executed, it was still riveting to watch. I’ll probably rewatch it next Halloween. Until then, though, this is the end of the line for Housing Complex C. Sayonara, Kimi.

I Give “End of the Line” a 4.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Housing Complex C Episode 3 Review

Okay, what is happening at this point in Housing Complex C? First, people start turning into piles of moss. Then, we find piles of dead animals everywhere. Now, we have a severed dog’s head in a pot of syrup? I’m not even sure who’s responsible for what’s going on at this point, you guys! However, what I do know is that there’s an ancient curse on Housing Complex C, one that ties back to the legends and visions from the first two episodes.

Paranoia Grips Everyone

So, following the discovery of the severed dog head in the syrup, the wheel, as Takashi puts it, turns full circle. In other words, the residents of Housing Complex C hate each other more than ever. It takes everything Kimi has to keep violence from erupting! Now both the reisdents and interns have started to form night watches, which only increases the divide even further.

Amidst all of this is the mystery surrounding the lore of the island. There’s the vision of those girls being slaughtered by outsiders and the song about the moss maiden. In addition, there’s the fact that people keep turning into moss themselves. Even as things spiral out of control, Takashi remains focused on learning the truth behind the story of Kurokado.

It may already be too late for the Housing Complex, though. Kan’s once again the subject of suspicion, while his friend Rubel decides to pack his bags and leave. I don’t blame Rubel, either. Even if the distrust weren’t at a fever pitch, it’s clear something bad’s happening at the Housing Complex.

Is Kimi Hiding Something?

Then, we have Kimi. On the surface, she seems like a sweet little girl. However, the anime’s dropped several clues that she’s the moss maiden spoken about in the song. This week, though, we got an even bigger indication that Kimi might know more about what’s happening than she lets on.

As Yuri, Kimi, and Kan search for Takashi, they retrace his footsteps to discover what he found: the Kurokado shrine from the local legends was located underneath what’s now Housing Complex C. In addition, Yuri and Kimi discover some wall paintings that give us a rough idea of what happened in the past. Essentially, this group of Deep One expy’s emigrated to the island, and began sacrificing themselves to appease their deceased god. If you add in the vision from the first episode, then outsiders learned about this practice and attacked them. That’s all I really know about, though.

That, and it seems like those who learn the truth for themselves get cursed and turn into moss. Firstly, we have Hideo and that other man. Now, we have Takashi, reduced to a pile of moss, with only Kimi aware of his fate.

What Will Happen in the Finale?

The evidence keeps stacking up, people. Kimi seems to know on some level what’s happening at Housing Complex C. Plus, there’s also the fact that her “mom” is some kind of fetus-creature.

Overall, I felt thoroughly confused by this episode, with it leaving me with more questions than answers. Considering this is a four-part miniseries, that’s not necessarily a good thing. Housing Complex C will have to stick the landing next week for me to give it a good review. At least it will make for good rewatching for Halloween, though.

I Give “The Wheel Has Come Full Circle” a 3.5/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff

Werewolf by Night Review

I never saw the Universal Monsters movies before, but I know about their impact on pop culture. They provided the public with definitive versions of famous monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein’s Monster. Now, even the MCU’s trying to emulate the classic monster movies for Halloween. The end result, Werewolf by Night, is a triumphant masterpiece. A perfect blend of classic horror and the often-overlooked horror elements of Marvel comics.

Monster Hunters Ain’t That Surprising

In a universe filled with heroes, gods, magic, time travel, does the existence of monsters come as any surprise for anyone? The answer is a resounding no: monsters exist in the MCU, and so do the people that hunt them. Thus, when the most famous monster hunter of all, Ulysses Bloodstone, dies, the best hunters in the world congregate to choose his successor via a trial. 

There are several candidates that show up, but the ones that should be the main focus are Jack Russell, an unassuming guy with a high kill count, and Elsa Bloodstone, Ulysses estranged daughter. It’s never explained why, but it seems that she left her home due to not being on good terms with her stepmother. To be fair, though, her stepmother is a very unpleasant woman! The only reason Elsa returned is so she can gain her father’s bloodstone, which provides longevity, among other powers. Thus, we get to the main event of the special: the monster hunt. Each hunter enters a maze to chase a monster with the bloodstone attached to it. The first one to kill it and get the stone wins.

On the surface, it seems like a simple premise. However, it soon becomes clear that it’s not so simple.

Not Evil, Just Misunderstood

As it turns out, Jack wasn’t interested in getting the bloodstone for himself. He just wanted to help out the monster, AKA Ted, AKA Man-Thing, a being that’s the product of a science experiment gone wrong combined with mystical energy. Despite his monstrous, plant-like appearance, though, Man-Thing’s a gentle giant, and a friend of Jack. He only acts threatening to those that seek to do him harm, as he chooses to spare Elsa when she chooses to not attack him. 

I picked up on it early on, but I want to say it anyway: most of the monster hunters are racist Van Helsings. They automatically assume that anything that looks like a monster is a threat and must die, regardless of whether or not it actually is a threat. In this case, Man-Thing’s not evil; just misunderstood, as is Jack. 

As it turns out, Jack is a werewolf, albeit one that goes out of his way to make sure he can’t hurt anyone when he turns into a werewolf. Despite this, Mrs. Bloodstone and the other hunters don’t care, since they capture him and Elsa and trap them inside a cage with the goal of having Jack, the Werewolf by Night, kill Elsa.

Sometimes, the biggest monsters in the universe are the ones who think they’re doing the world a favor. In reality, they’re just being bullies who need a swift kick in the butt. In this case, Jack delivers a well-deserved ass-kicking as he proceeds to break free as a werewolf and kills all the monster hunters. Except for Ulysses Bloodstone’s widow; she dies at the hands of Man-Thing. 

The Monsters Win!

Thus, the story ends with Elsa reclaiming her birthright, the bloodstone, and her dad’s home. As for Jack and Man-Thing, they get to walk away. Happy ending for the good guys!

Overall, I thought that this was a very fun Halloween special for Marvel to do. It pays homage to classic horror with its black-and-white appearance. It doesn’t go too heavy on CGI in favor of practical effects. There’s even a shout-out to The Cryptkeeper in the form of Ulysses Bloodstone’s corpse acting like an animatronic. It’s a lot of fun. Hopefully, Marvel will decide to do more horror-themed stuff in the future. I wouldn’t mind seeing this sort of stuff for Halloween.

I Give “Werewolf by Night” a 4.5/5

Click here for more MCU stuff

Check out more comic stuff

Housing Complex C Episode 2 Review

I’m normally not one for the horror genre, but every now and then, I’ll make an exception if I think I’ll enjoy it. In this case, I’m glad I made an exception for Housing Complex C, the horror mini-series airing on Toonami. With it’s use of Lovecraftian elements, good visuals, and the feeling of dread and suspense, it makes for an interesting story. That said, it’s not going to be for everyone, as it’s what I would call a “slow-burning” kind of horror. 

Tensions Run High

Picking up where the first episode left off, the residents of Housing Complex C deal with the disappearance of Hideo. All they found in his room was a weird pile of moss that the police blame on the humidity. It’s clear, though, that this wasn’t a natural occurrence. Something’s afoot, and tensions run high between the residents and the foreign interns. It also doesn’t help that the elderly woman keeps disrespecting the interns customs. Ignorance leads to misunderstanding and fear.

The Song is a Clue

While Kimi and Yuri try to break the tension by gathering things for a shaved ice party, the audience hears a certain story related to the local lore. While the song telling the story itself seems a little weird, it foreshadows what’s going in the Housing Complex. A story about a black-haired king served by foreigners that came from a nameless sea. However, it’s the last verse that should get the most attention. It speaks of a maiden wrapped in verdant moss, a referee eating a salmon, and praying to heaven while people are nice.

You have to hear the song itself, but here’s what I was able to get from it: everything that’s happening is part of some ancient legend of Kurosaki, and Kimi’s at the center of it all. She’s the king who wants everyone to be happy and get along. In other words, the moss is some kind of supernatural thing, and it’s either killing the residents or making them disappear. Either way, it’s not good for anyone.

Then there’s the salmon. While everyone’s getting ready for the party, the adults find piles of dead salmon lying around. Despite their suspicions, it appears that the interns aren’t responsible for it, though doesn’t explain everything. Especially since things escalate with the discovery of more dead animals in the woods. 

Don’t Eat the Syrup!

Everything comes to a head on the day of the shaved ice party. At first, it goes well, and everyone seems happy. Until one of the adults (Kentaro Yoshii) finds this in the syrup.

Meanwhile, another pile of moss is found in another apartment as another resident goes missing. 

At first, this doesn’t seem scary. However, as I was watching, I was struck by a thought: this was a slow-burning horror story. The reason it works so well is because the audience remains in the dark about what’s going on. Our minds start to come up with explanations, and as the story progresses, the paranoia grows. By the time we hit the climax, we’re as scared as the characters in the story. 

In other words, Housing Complex C knows how to scare us. I don’t know how things will end, but I doubt it will be a happy ending for anyone. I eagerly await the next part. 

I Give “Mismatched Buttons” a 4/5

Click here to see more animanga stuff