Writing About All Things Pop Culture
If you’ll recall, several chapters ago, Queen unleashed a deadly virus that turns people into ice zombies. And that he didn’t care if it would end up hurting his own men in the process. The virus has been kept at bay for a while, but unless Chopper creates a cure, everyone will die. Fortunately, we all knew that Chopper wasn’t going to fail. Queen’s in a big surprise this week on One Piece.
Ever since we first met old man Hyogoro in Udon Prison, I liked him. He was the first friend Luffy made while he was on his “involuntary vacation.” Then it turns out he was once the badass leader of the Yakuza in Wano, and my respect for the guy grew even more. Luffy found himself a powerful ally and teacher in Boss Hyogoro, and now the old man’s repaying his debt to Luffy by helping to free Wano. But will it cost him his life in the end?
You know that famous line from The Incredible Hulk TV series starring Bill Bixby? “Don’t make me angry. You won’t like me when I’m angry.” That line can be applied to anyone who’s mad. And if there’s one thing that will make the Straw Pirates mad, it’s messing with their friends and crewmates. Case in point: Nico Robin’s going to demolish the spider-lady who captured Sanji. This should be fun.
You guys ever hear the story of Momotaro? It’s an old Japanese tale about a boy born from a giant peach. In the legend, Momotaro goes to Onigashima to defeat the demons residing there. And during his journey, he convinces three talking animals to join him in exchange for the Kibi Dango he has. The four beat up the demons, take their loot, and come home as heroes.
Why am I bringing this up? Because the latest chapter of One Piece made me realize that cute little Otama’s the manga’s version of Momotaro.
When we learned that the Alliance planned to storm Onigashima in a surprise attack and face an enemy force that was six times their size, I knew that Luffy and his friends were in for a tough fight. So far, they’ve held it together, with the Alliance already taking out some key members of the Beast Pirates. Plus, the Worst Generation of Pirates is now locked in combat with Big Mom and Kaido themselves. Even after all this, though, I know that the heroes face down long odds if they want to win. And unless they do something to thin out the enemy’s ranks, they’re going to get overwhelmed.
For those of you who enjoy One Piece for the sheer amount of action that it has, then you’re going to love this chapter. It’s nothing but action and fight scenes in what could end up being the most epic fights in shonen history. On one side, we have the Yonko, Kaido and Big Mom. Their opponents, from the New Generation of Pirates: Luffy, Zoro, Killer, Kid, and Law! Can our underdogs take down the monstrous Yonko before they destroy Wano? I don’t know, but I’m going to love seeing this!
At long last, the fight we’ve been waiting for is about to begin. It’s the Supernovas vs the Yonko in the smackdown of the century! LET’S GET IT ON, PEOPLE!!
One Piece Chapter 1000 Review/Recap Everyone, we did it! Twenty-three years, 97 Volumes, 14 movies, dozens of games, and a fanbase spanning the world. That’s how One Piece has come. … Continue Reading Monkey D. Luffy, King of the Pirates
It’s hard to believe that we’re just one chapter away from One Piece hitting a historic 1,000, huh? Few manga ever reach such a milestone, and fewer still have been as popular as One Piece. But before we hit that milestone, this week, we’re focusing on the legacy of Luffy’s brother, Portgas D. Ace. It was established early on that Ace traveled to Wano in the past, but we never knew the full story about what he did there. That is, until today.
When I was growing up, one of my great loves was Dinosaurs. I must have spent hours watching Walking with Dinosaurs on my TV. And while I didn’t watch it until I was in my teens, I’m a big fan of the Jurassic Park franchise. Why am I bringing all this up right now? Because at this point in One Piece, the Beast Pirates are the anime equivalent to Jurassic Park. Especially as we see the powers of the Tobi Roppo.
One Piece Chapter 997 Review/Recap Last week on One Piece, we saw the fighting on Onigashima reach new levels of chaos. Big Mom returned to the fight and headed straight … Continue Reading 3 Reasons Why One Piece is Crazy Awesome Right Now.
I’m only going to say it once: I cannot wait for the One Piece anime to get to Onigashima! The chaos, the fighting, the stakes! It’s getting so good. Right when you think one side’s got the upper head, a new player enters the stage and ups the chaos even further. And that’s just what this chapter is, in a nutshell: chaos.
I think that we all knew going in to the raid on Onigashima that the Straw Hats were about to face their toughest battle yet. After all, they’re going up against two Yonko at once. But if they can’t win against Kaido and Big Mom, then what hope will they have against Blackbeard? After the last chapter saw Queen unleash a plague of ice zombie demons on everyone, things get desperate. And this week, things get even worse.
So, for some reason I thought that One Piece was on break this week. Imagine my surprise when I find out that the new chapter’s out today! Despite being caught off guard by this, I think the focus of this week’s chapter seems appropriate, since yesterday was Halloween. In this week’s chapter, its the attack of the Ice Zombies!
At the end of my review of last week’s chapter, I said that Kaido had not yet begun to fight. That he had only been holding back against the Red Scabbards, which is why they were able to get in so many hits. It’s a standard trope in Shonen stories: the bad guy treats the heroes like an annoyance because only the main protagonist can stop them. It turns out that I was right to be worried for the Scabbards, as Kaido stops messing around and starts fighting seriously. Get ready for blood.
When you’re the mangaka behind one of the greatest manga ever made, you’ve got high standards to meet. Then we Eichiro Oda, the genius behind One Piece. The man works so hard on his series that he hardly sleeps. It’s no wonder why lately, he’s been taking frequent break. However, after a nearly two-week vacation, Oda returns with one of the most action-packed chapters of the manga of the year. And all I can hope to say about it is “wow.”
