What They Say:
As Luffy continues his rehabilitation on the Maiden Island, Roger’s first mate, Rayleigh appears with powerful words of advice. Meanwhile, as Usopp attempts to escape the Bowin Islands, he finds that the harder he tries, the harder it will be to break free!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the recent return to the present, I have to admit that I was a bit worried with the last episode that we’d get a number of episodes focused on the rest of the Straw Hats just reacting to the news of Ace’s death. The stories of what they’ve been up to while Luffy has been causing a whole lot of trouble haven’t been all that interesting from the brief glimpses we’ve had of it, and the idea of giving each of them an episode or two in order to draw them back to Luffy had me filled with a sense of dread in that it’d make sense but would feel like padding more than anything else when you really just want to get on with things. Thankfully, the show gets on with things elsewhere by taking us over to the Calm Belt where Rayleigh has almost literally surfaced on the island where Luffy is.
Rayleigh’s arrival is the start of events to get things moving again even though Luffy has a couple more weeks left of recovery, but he does pass on an important item to him. His straw hat. It does feel right that he has it back now, even if it looks a bit goofy with all the bandages. It is amusing the attention that Rayleigh gets when he visits with the rest of the women on the island, especially with how shy Hancock is when it comes to Luffy. They have such limited patience for men, but Luffy isn’t the only one to get the attention and it’s good to see Rayleigh earning something from them as well. But for Luffy, this is what his recovery needed as there’s a massive bowl of food and that’s often what helps to get him back on track more than anything else. It all comes together to bring us some mild, light and enjoyable moments in the present, allowing is to see the real emotional recovery that Luffy has to go through.
Rayleigh provides some good reflection for Luffy with what’s happened, but also starts to offer him advice on what he needs to do in order to be properly prepared to help his friends the next time they’re together. Of course, it’s nudged into the next episode as they do decide to focus on Usopp for awhile, who has turned into a real mess with all the eating he’s done to build up his muscles or some such training. Considering that Usopp always felt like the lanky member among a group of very thin characters, seeing him going this direction is interesting and comical, though now he’s working hard to redirect his efforts after learning what’s happened to Ace. That he’s trapped by the island only makes him more intent since he’s aware of it now. It’s actually an amusing little thing when the truth of the island is revealed and in its own twisted way, it fits perfectly with this world and the kinds of islands see. And it definitely helps to reinforce why Usopp has ended up the way he has.
In Summary:
While things aren’t exactly back underway here, they are progressing in that manner and we’re seeing Luffy’s road to recovery going well. The time spent with Hancock is cute and Rayleigh adds a bit of news to what’s been going on and how he tracked down Luffy, which also segues into what Luffy has to do in order to be able to fight again with any hope of saving his friends should he need to. We also get to spend some time Usopp and an explanation of why he’s gone so far off the deep end on Bowin Island and it certainly makes sense, adds some laughs but also some story potential now that he has to get on the move to get back to Luffy. The show is taking its time in gearing up for what’s next, but it’s not dragging things out with how it feels. Instead, it feels like a properly paced start of the next round and definitely welcome after the extended (but good) flashback sequence.
Grade: B
Simulcast By: FUNimation
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
