What They Say:
As the people of Dressrosa see their friends and loved ones slaughter each other under the manipulation of Doflamingo, memories of 10 years ago rush back, and the truth of that event becomes clear. Doflamingo announces the rules for his deadly game – targeting Luffy, King Riku, and Law, but with the highest bounty reserved for Usopp!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The series has been slowly pulling together its cast and letting a lot of bigger moments happen across Dressrosa as there’s a lot going. While Doflamingo didn’t spend a lot of time off-stage after his beheading, he came back in full force previously and showed just what kind of puppet master he really is, which worked nicely to reinforce just how he’s manipulated this island for so long. The impact of it on so many people has been interesting to watch, as is the way everyone has reconnected and coped with being turned back to normal. Now that Doflamingo is attempting to reassert his control of the island and deal with the Straw Hats, there’s some unknown variables working here as well that he doesn’t know about, particularly with Sabo and what he may provide along the way.
The chaos on the island is in full effect with Doflamingo’s control of so many people has them killing others left and right and it’s brutal as they rage and cry over what they’re being forced to do as the city burns, making for a very effective sequence. Doflamingo has set up the perfect cage for this and is exercising it to full effect to reclaim it all. A lot of the focus in the first half is on this kind of brutality, largely keeping the Straw Hats off stage for a lot of it, and instead making sure that some of those that have been a part of the island forever really grapple with what’s going on, such as with the former king, Riku. Everything works towards Doflamingo’s goal of setting a huge number of people against those he calls out as now enemies of the island, from Rebecca to the Straw Hats and a few others in between. Providing bounties on them as well certainly helps in painting a picture of just how much of a threat he views particular people with his little star system. The ranking system is also hilarious to see simply because of how it reveals itself and Usopp being at the top of it because of his actions.
Because of all of this, the direction of the show moves towards everyone being hunted now, since enough people are willing to do it just to save themselves or potentially others they care about; or they want the reward money. Even those that were just praising Usopp are now after him in a big way. This isn’t a surprise as it’s pretty much expected to unfold that way, but it helps to start drawing the groups together to deal with everyone and pushes them all in the same direction, which is definitely welcome to see as a part of how these One Piece arcs work. There’s also the aspect of those that won’t hunt down the targets and will actively work with them and help protect them, since they know that the group is their best hope for freeing Dressrosa after all this time. Bringing them together slowly but surely is definitely important and welcome to see as we launch harder into this phase of the arc.
In Summary:
Spending the bulk of the episode on Doflamingo’s Birdcage ability and showing the cruelty of it works well to further establish what kind of character he is. You can say we didn’t really need to know it because we got it already, but continuing to keep that part of him out there is a useful reinforcement and it makes it clear why everyone truly turns against the Straw Hats for the duration. There’s not much in the way of “fun” material in this episode, but it’s one that works well to forward the story at this point with some pain and complication for everyone. But it also has its small moments that are very useful, such as Rebecca learning about her father and the new, firmer and stronger focus Luffy has in bringing everyone together and putting an end to this.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
