“The Number-One Samurai in the Land of Wano! Here comes Kozuki Oden!”
What They Say:
The night before the great battle, Orochi orders the destruction of the Sunny along with some bridges across the country to block Akazaya samurai’s allies from their rendezvous. Disappointed, the group of samurai still sets out for Onigashima with the memory of their beloved lord, Oden, in their hearts. However, 41 years ago, Oden was not respected by everyone.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
One Piece is moving into the flashback territory in full with this episode and that’s exciting a whole lot of the manga readers. With the series ramping up into new and meaningful territory, again – according to the manga readers, One Piece does seem like it has a sense of purpose. The previous episode had some good moments where it made sure things were established with the who and where and the flashback side that we had with some of the familiar characters when they were much younger and serving their first missions out in the world with the pirates of Rogers’ day was definitely a delight to see. Some of these characters are just so baseline in the series with their connections that get some time seeing them as they started out just makes me smile.
Here, the show gets things underway with those that have been idle or in hiding for so long after what happened to Wano firming up their coming together and their mission against Kaido. They’re seeking the permission they need to go forward and fight, to bring to a close their story and what’s been a part of their lives and shame for so long, and to honor their commitment as Oden’s samurai at long last. Kin’emon leads all of this nicely but several of them make clear what must be done even though their young master truly does not want them to go as he knows he’s going to lose them. It’s not heartbreaking – this story has gone on for hundreds of episodes at this point since we first met Kin’emon and the rest – episode 580 from the wiki – that I fully understand that because of it we’re supposed to have this hugely invested history in all of this. But, for me, Kin’emon’s story is one that never really connected.
The back half is where things really get underway as we go back to the golden age of Oden and the island where he was everywhere. Growing, causing trouble, getting involved in everything, forming harems at the age of fifteen. It’s amusing since even the things that seem bad are done with free will and consent of those involved, making it problematic for those in charge to actually do much. And, naturally, Oden had plenty of time for a good fight and there were always plenty of challengers that would appear for that. There is a LOT going on within this space at the start of the flashback and it’s nicely animated and it certainly sets Oden up well as an amusing character to watch with his presence and all, but I still have to say, none of it does much for me in general right now because it’s just filling in the backstory that could have been told along the way.
In Summary:
I totally understand where One Piece is going with all of this and the why of it and so forth. If you watch 960 episodes of One Piece, you know how it operates and I’m not complaining-complaining in the hardcore sense of it. It’s just a bit wearying at times, especially if this flashback arc is going to go on for a while and we get even less of the already far too minimal amount of time with the Straw Hats as I’d like. The show is going to have to really work hard to make me interested in Oden and his story at this point and I’m certainly open to it as the series has managed to change my views at various times with some of the arcs that left me feeling cool toward it. Wano is proving to be a real struggle, however.
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.
