Some men just like to watch the world burn.
What They Say:
The horrendous plan hatched by the residents of High Town has finally been put into motion. Sabo rushes to save Ace and Luffy, but can he reach them in time? Or will he be able to count on a mysterious stranger for help? As the Gray Terminal burns, a final betrayal pushes Bluejam over the edge, and his wrath is aimed squarely at Ace and Luffy!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While we’ve had a lot of fun with this storyline showcasing the young Luffy and Ace alongside Sabo, things have taken a more serious turn with this portion of it. With Sabo now taken back to his home where he’s not exactly cared about and in a way has been largely replaced, he’s discovered the real truth of what’s about to happen to the town with e plan to essentially kill everyone. Sabo’s come across well in this arc overall and seeing him so earnest in trying to find Ace and Luffy to warn them about how the Gray Terminal is going to be burned to the ground is endearing. It’s not exactly needed though as the two of them already know about it and have found themselves unknowingly forced to help set up a lot of it with the transport of the oil and explosives.
The plan in motion is pretty disturbing to watch as so much of the area burns, including a push by those in the Downtown area to make sure those along Edge Town don’t survive. The Bluejam pirates plan is in full effect and Bluejam himself has done all that he was asked of which has lead to this being quite the show as the flames consume everything. Unfortunately for Bluejam, he placed too much faith in those that promised him and his compatriots titles and wealth, a chance to become nobility itself. Such is the dream of men like them but without the realization that those in power would never actually allow it to happen. He’s been so simply manipulated from the start that it hits us all the harder when he discovers what it is that King has done to him and his group.
The struggle that ensues to survive among those out in the Gray Terminal has a really dreadful feel about it. The mindset of the pirates is that they’ve lost everything and just want to destroy whatever they can, which means when they come across Luffy and Ace that they just want to end them. Nut they also want to find out where the treasure is since they’re still focused on that, even though their chances of survival are getting slimmer by the second. Bluejam has gone off the deep end with a slow swan dive here after the betrayal he’s suffered and Ace has realized it and knows exactly what he has to do in order to survive. It’s one of the defining characteristics of Ace in that he’ll do what’s right and what’s necessary when it comes down to it and it’s been a defining inspiration for Luffy as well, which we get to see play out here.
In Summary:
The destruction of the Gray Terminal shows a lot of people who others are, and themselves as events unfold here. Sabo’s storyline is the saddest in a way because of what he wants to do but is incapable of doing because of what happens to him. You feel the most for him as he desperately wants to help but events conspire against him. You can feel bad for Bluejam as well as he thinks he’s got his plan firmly in place for a future only to discover that his trust is misplaced and betrayal is but a given. And his anger over it has pushed him over the edge now which has dangerous consequences for Luffy and Ace, though you have to admit having Ace threatened with death isn’t exactly a scary point here since you know most of his future. Still, there’s a lot to like here as the show ramps into the serious territory and moves the larger storyline forward.
Grade: B
Simulcast By: FUNimation
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.
