“A Heartbreaking Duel! Luffy vs Sanji! – Part 2”
What They Say:
Luffy finally catches up with Sanji! However, as a happy past plays before his eyes in which he, Sanji, and the crew deepened their bonds, a new page is turning in the history of the Straw Hats – and Sanji’s journey with the crew looks to be coming to an end!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With so much setup done in the previous episode to remind us of the connection between Luffy and Sanji, this second half of the special has to have the payoff to it. We got the first sliver of it when the two finally met after a good time apart with all that’s happened for quite some time now and it was definitely a great moment. Not so much for how Luffy and Nami were handled with it but rather just the more serious side of things that we get from Sanji with him introducing himself as a member of the Vinsmoke family. You do wonder at what kind of bigger plan he may have in things but a lot of it really does come across as though he’s doing much of this to protect his friends and while that may be a familiar trope it’s one that works well in this context for obvious reasons.
With bit more establishing of his reasons why he’s acting like he is at the start here as context is key, it continues to reinforce Sanji as a sympathetic character because of how he’s trying to protect. But when, ten minutes into the episode, we finally get the two men facing off against each other just feet away from each other. Everything Sanji says flies in the face of the person that both have known for so long but they’re just plainly oblivious to why Sanji would be saying it. That makes sense for Luffy who almost takes everything literally but Nami really should have put things together quicker. So, when we do get the first bit of fighting between them, it’s electrifying to see it unfold even if it is fairly standard in how there’s a lot of gaps between it, posing and moody moments. That’s part and parcel of how One Piece works, for better or worse, but the big moments make it worthwhile.
The episode does take advantage of its longer running time to pad things out a bit but the action that we get is good, even if there’s Luffy being uncertain as to why Sanji is acting like this and Nami is pretty much in tears over it. Watching how intense Sanji is and the way he’s mastered his ability over time is fantastic, however, as it shows that he really is a power player in the same league as the rest with what he’s accomplished for himself. This really does just boil down to one power moment and Sanji walking off the field of battle, which has Luffy screaming out at him to not back away. But watching the way it impacts Sanji as they head off is powerful, especially when contrasted with those images of Sanji from when he first met Luffy and was so excited to find the All Blue and the adventure ahead. It’s a solid reminder of how youthful dreams change in the reality of life.
In Summary:
One Piece delivers decently on its two-part adventure here but it really didn’t need to be done up this way other than for marketing purposes. The first encounter between the two men since Sanji headed off is definitely worthwhile as it sets the tone for what’s to come but at the same time it feels like it’s just the first blush of a larger movement more than anything else, so it rings just a bit hollow because of that. The flashbacks are nicely done and getting a reminder of this core crew and their adventures together leaves you with that sense of longing. The series has grown immensely over the last eight hundred episodes and while there are parts of that you want to get back to, especially everyone being together, the maturity it continues to show is fantastic.
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.