What They Say:
As the clash between Kaido and Big Mom continues, Queen looks for a way to get out of Onigashima. Meanwhile in Udon, Old Man Hyo finds his former allies, four bosses from each region. At Bandit’s Bridge, Hiyori and Kawamatsu finally see each other after a long time.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
I’m still bewildered by the fact that I’m actively looking forward to Big Mom material with this series. After the way, pre-Wano, that it was dragged out during the chase and the whole hungry thing on top of exploring her background, you’d imagine her to be a character that most wouldn’t want to have to deal with for some time to come. Yet she’s managed to be the catalyst for change in events here, shaking up the labor camp storyline and putting Luffy in a new position and now shaking things up in dealing with Kaido. It’s leaving me both amused and frustrated because I should know better but I also know how One Piece operates.
The opening half of this episode is largely just dialogue focused and mostly at the labor camp with various parties going on about things. It is, frankly, not all that interesting unless you’re incredibly invested in some of the characters that are new to this large arc. It’s not bad, per se, but One Piece has made it hard to invest in new characters for so long because of how many it introduces that even still I’m wary. Things do get a little better when it shifts to focusing on Luffy and Hyo as they get themselves on the same page and everything with the rest of the laborers, but this is when another group shows up that have an allegiance to Hyo. They’ve all long thought he was dead and gone but are excited to have him back and are ready to step up again, especially since Luffy calls him Old Man Hyo and that infuriates them. But here we are again, almost half a dozen new characters to deal with and wonder how they’ll impact things and more flashback to arrive as well.
Kawamatsu continues his reunion here with Hiyori and that has some nice emotion to it, though Zoro naturally brings it about as a casual reminder for viewers who have likely forgotten this part of her past. Kawamatsu is another of the more recently introduced characters that you know has a key role in whatever the actual storyline is in this arc, something I’ve lost view of for quite a while now, and the reconnect with Hiyori is useful and should keep them aligned with Zoro for the moment to move forward. All I know is that as events played out in this episode and we hit group after group after group, it was far too easy to lose interest in what’s going on because there are so many subplots at play that while you can keep track of it, it doesn’t feel like there’s any point to it all.
In Summary:
I continue to be along for the ride and I’m occasionally looking at the road, but my mind is wandering when it comes to One Piece. Which is frustrating as the series can reach such highs and has long made me such a fan of it, but this arc is just squeezing the life out of it for me.
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.
