What They Say:
Finally able to breathe after escaping the laboratory and capturing Caesar, Luffy, the Straw Hats, the G-5, and Law gather themselves start making plans to leave the island. Kin’emon and Momonosuke take center stage as everyone takes part in a celebratory banquet. Meanwhile, Law’s plans for the children shock Chopper.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Having everyone escape in the previous episode, One Piece finally has everyone back together and not actually on the run for a bit. Admittedly, a part of me loves the segment of any One Piece arc where the team is separated and we see them racing to various locations because it’s interesting to see how they do all come together in the end. I just get tired with the actual length of how the arcs run, but that’s part and parcel with the series. With everyone now out and some good bonds forged, temporary though they may be to some degree, the show can focus on a little bit of fun, even though there is some real danger on its way that will throw a wrench into it all since we saw Joker take flight in the previous episode. But we also get to spend some time dealing with some of the fallout from the arc as it goes along here, including the children.
Nami’s not exactly keen on Tashigi wanting them to be handed over to the Navy so they can take them back since it was the Navy that ended up putting the kids in that position. But Tashigi is just as horrified as the others with what was going on there and is largely one of those good people that exist in the organization. It’s brief, but I really liked how that sequence played out. Less interesting though far more amusing is Kin’emon’s revival here and his reunion with Momonosuke, which has some great laughs and horror at the start and then the heartfelt reunion between the two who have quite the connection that wasn’t made clear before. There’s cuteness to be had as father and son reconnect but also some good emotion when you consider what each of them has been through for so long.
Like any good closing segment of a particular arc, there’s food and partying to be had. With so many characters having not eaten for a few days, Sanji comes up with a huge bowl with Brook and cooks up a delicious dish for everyone to partake in, which again helps to ease the overall hostilities of both sides that exist on some level. And really, that’s what domintes a good chunk of the second half here, right down to the happy stills montage that shows everyone enjoying food, company and simply being freed from the problems they had. The adrenaline rush of survival from what they were experiencing is good to see, as is some of the thawing of certain characters like Trafalgar Law and even Smoker on some level. There’s also a bit of hope for those that were caught up in the gas that removes some of the darker aspects of the episodes, where we were believed they were actually killed.
In Summary:
While there are still certainly threats out there, One Piece provides a much needed down episode here where it’s all about lighthearted moments and fun. The reconnecting of characters that were thought lost, the positive reveals about the children with what Law did to help them with their drug problem and some of the little nods towards seeing pirate and Navy sailor working together and having fun together after such an experience rather than just escalating to a fight. There’s also the really good scene for me between Nami and Tashigi as well as a cautious moment to watch between Smoker and Law. It’s the chance to catch your breath kind of episode and it does it all very well here while you gird yourself for what’s next.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
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.
