“A Deadly Elephant Climb! A Great Adventure on the Back of the Giant Elephant!”
What They Say:
Finally scaling the elephant’s back, the Straw Hats continue their search for the other half of their crew! But the mysterious “island” on the back of the elephant may hold more danger than they bargained for, as they learn they are not alone!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As much fun as the discovery of a new arc can be we also get the flip side in the slow but steady introduction of new elements. It can take a bit of time before you really get into the swing of things and connect with the arc, especially as it deals with shedding pieces from the previous arc. The departure of Bartolomeo the last time felt about right as he’s not a character that should stick around long term, though I rather found myself enjoying his presence in a limited way. Getting the Straw Hats on the elephant and making their way up, the scaling aspect was fun enough but now we get to move on to more interesting things in seeing what makes up more of this island.
The upward journey of Luffy and his group as they go to find Sanji and the others is, naturally, fraught with challenges since they’re riding an animated magical animal. Some of this is just frustrating since Kin’emon and Kanjuro are just characters that I can’t connect with so I rather like when they get knocked off the dragon and are separated from them. The whole thing gets emotional in a different direction as the animated dragon is working to get the remaining group to the top and is struggling, which has the others getting concerned, admiring, and encouraging him amid all the difficulty that he’s facing. And, of course, just as they get close to the top, Luffy falls off. There’s an attempt at a recovery that just makes everything worse for a bit but you know it all works in a comical and lighthearted way for this journey. I guess you could call this a bonding experience but it’s mostly just a slow slog to the top.
At least, at the end of it, there’s humor mixed into it as the dragon returns to its drawing form and we get most everyone being emotional expect for Law and Zoro who just call it out for what it is. It’s nicely in character since they’re not the types to get emotionally involved in that way. With that taking up most than half the episode, the exploration side doesn’t get a whole lot overall but the stage is nicely set as we get a big overall view of what’s in the distance, which is intriguing with the whale-tree and the structures in general. The awe the gang has definitely feels right considering what’s in front of them. While the view is a decent part of what we get in the final minutes, the exploration also begins to tease a little darkness mixed in with how there’s a sense of some bad stuff going on some time ago in this area, and people watching them from the side since new arrivals are certainly kept track of. It’s a very good opening tease and one that has both Zoro and Law taking point in a really good way as it sets up what’s to come.
In Summary:
One Piece is introducing the building blocks of a new arc as it always does and it works well enough. Admittedly, it’s the post-eyecatch material that works the best for me because it’s actually moving things forward and we get our first taste of what this place is like and its inhabitants. The bulk of the episode is Luffy’s group and their journey upward with all the emotion that entails and it does have its fun moments, notably with a few people getting bucked off the dragon for a bit. But it is mostly just drawn out material that doesn’t add much, even if it is mildly amusing at times. Things are going to pick up in the usual waves that the series engages in and there are some good times ahead by all appearances.
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.
