Yeah guys don't try to theories on looks, Mother Carmel is very likely a new character rather than an old one.
Chapter 861: The Consummate Actor
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It's really hard to not see the Super Mario RPG in this arc, cloud carriages, the power rangers. Learning boss patterns to save Brook.
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@Tamiel:
It's really hard to not see the Super Mario RPG in this arc, cloud carriages, the power rangers. Learning boss patterns to save Brook.
Does that makes Morgans Dodo?
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! [qimg]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C0qLkEWUUAAEJ8a.jpg[/qimg]
Pekmos and Pepo.–- Update From New Post Merge ---
It is also a pun, they could have chosen any word meaning that but happened to pick: https://www.google.com/search?q=consummate&oq=consummate&aqs=chrome..69i57j0j5j0j69i61l2.12407j0j4&client=ms-android-att-us&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
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Does that makes Morgans Dodo?
Not at ALL. I see why you would make that connection, however there is a much better character to fit Dodo's role. That tomodachi, is Sanji. Let's see the connection.
First: Sanji and Dodo both are associated with the color black. Black Leg Sanji and Dodo has black feathers.
Second: Pudding (Valentina) is pretending to marry a fake prince -> Sanji/Dodo
Third: Both Dodo and Sanji can fly. -
@Tamiel:
It's really hard to not see the Super Mario RPG in this arc, cloud carriages, the power rangers. Learning boss patterns to save Brook.
Also, Big Mom kinda reminds me of Booster with his fixation on wedding cakes and his overall simple yet ruthless nature. Not to mention the real possibility that the cake itself will be "alive", just like in the game (though in contrast very harmless and willing to be eaten).
She even kinda looks like him, except giant and a woman
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The cake being alive and fighting against being eaten would be hilarious.
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@Tamiel:
Not at ALL. I see why you would make that connection, however there is a much better character to fit Dodo's role. That tomodachi, is Sanji. Let's see the connection.
First: Sanji and Dodo both are associated with the color black. Black Leg Sanji and Dodo has black feathers.
Second: Pudding (Valentina) is pretending to marry a fake prince -> Sanji/Dodo
Third: Both Dodo and Sanji can fly.I just saw the Luffy vs. Sanji fight in the anime (as seen here:
), but I cannotz really see the similarities. -
inb4 Pudding grows some feelings Sanji cause she feels like he will accept her
nah man, Pudding is real evil. but I like to think the one character that will come back to the series and show actual appreciation to Sanji's manners to women, will be Khalifa, she saw and took advantage of the most extreme gentleman side of Sanji, as she also witnessed Sanji following his captain to take over Enies Lobby just for another woman. I don't know if she's with cp0 right now, but whatever she is, I really hope she comes back to thank Sanji for keeping being a gentleman while her friend's life was at stake, and while it seemed that Sanji clearly outclassed Khalifa and could have defeated her at any moment.
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I just saw the Luffy vs. Sanji fight in the anime (as seen here:
), but I cannotz really see the similarities.That's because Sanji has not being himself lately so, instead of using Diable Jambe, he used his face to attack.
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Perospero's candy stairway to heaven looks awesome, even as it's melting. I had to take afew moments to appreciate the scale of it. The eldest daughter Compote is the spitting image of Linlin, it's actually kind of strange to see one of her children bear a physical resemblance to her. I also found it interesting how Perospero and Compote were included in Vito's assessment of who the "monsters" of the Charlotte clan are. Since they're both politicians, I have trouble picturing them as combatants.
Linlin's expressions were the highlight of the chapter, I love how she can just bounce between being overwhelmingly intimidating to childishly joyful without missing a beat. I equally got a kick out of everyone else taking it in stride. The moment that sticks with me the most was the close up on Linlin's eyes when she says "Mother". The pain in those eyes is palpable. The details behind the relationship Linlin has with Mother Carmel is going to be heavy stuff.
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The moment that sticks with me the most was the close up on Linlin's eyes when she says "Mother". The pain in those eyes is palpable. The details behind the relationship Linlin has with Mother Carmel is going to be heavy stuff.
Actually, I got a completely different reaction out of it. It looked really weird and seemingly unnecessary for Oda to focus on. Not in that I think Big Mom is hiding something, but in that something about her words just sounds… off. Like the uttered word of "Mother" that has its own panel is not really the truth or something. That juxtaposed with how desperate she was to automatically knock out somebody who, like both a lot of people at the party and us readers, has no idea who this Mother Carmel is pretty suspicious.
That type of scene and displacement in words makes me think of someone who's trying to convince themselves that something's real, but it really isn't. And they might not even know what the truth is. Which sort of aligns well with the theory that Pudding has been manipulating Big Mom's memories. Not that I completely think Mother Carmel isn't a real person in general, but something's off here.
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@Tamiel:
That's because Sanji has not being himself lately so, instead of using Diable Jambe, he used his face to attack.
I see. Didn't recognize that that was supposed to be his face considering how disfigured it was from the previous familiar encounter.
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Is Sanji still covering up his swollen face?
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@Count:
Actually, I got a completely different reaction out of it. It looked really weird and seemingly unnecessary for Oda to focus on. Not in that I think Big Mom is hiding something, but in that something about her words just sounds… off. Like the uttered word of "Mother" that has its own panel is not really the truth or something. That juxtaposed with how desperate she was to automatically knock out somebody who, like both a lot of people at the party and us readers, has no idea who this Mother Carmel is pretty suspicious.
That type of scene and displacement in words makes me think of someone who's trying to convince themselves that something's real, but it really isn't. And they might not even know what the truth is. Which sort of aligns well with the theory that Pudding has been manipulating Big Mom's memories. Not that I completely think Mother Carmel isn't a real person in general, but something's off here.
Eh, I wouldn't be surprised if i'm misinterpreting it. But between the fact that she's talking about a person who is a total mystery, the way Linlin's eyes are shaded in the close up, and her reacting poorly to someone asking questions about the picture… I wouldn't mind if there is negative connotations of some kind behind who Mother Carmel is to Linlin, it would be an opportunity to have a sad flashback, and One Piece has a flair for those. I see a chance for Mother Carmel to be a vehicle that allows us to find out something more about Linlin we don't already know presented here. Will that happen? Maybe not, but a man can dream.
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Eh, I wouldn't be surprised if i'm misinterpreting it. But between the fact that she's talking about a person who is a total mystery, the way Linlin's eyes are shaded in the close up, and her reacting poorly to someone asking questions about the picture… I wouldn't mind if there is negative connotations of some kind behind who Mother Carmel is to Linlin, it would be an opportunity to have a sad flashback, and One Piece has a flair for those. I see a chance for Mother Carmel to be a vehicle that allows us to find out something more about Linlin we don't already know presented here. Will that happen? Maybe not, but a man can dream.
A sad flashback and learning more about Linlin (as well as Lola and Pudding) is most likely going to happen. But said sad flashback is likely to involve a major twist, as this arc has been consistently full of twists with varying moral shades and character revelations, as well as how flashbacks tend to introduce new relevant plot information we don't know. So it's not really just enough to know who Mother Carmel is and how she influenced Big Mom, but also to learn about why Mother Carmel's existence (at least as a photo) is relevant in the present situation. Otherwise, the flashback is solely about worldbuilding instead of really tying into the plot. Flashbacks should have points to them and shouldn't just be meant to rile up feels (not that this is ever a bad thing).
I'm sure you know all of that though lol. But I'm moreso talking about stuff that we supposedly already know like Lola abandoning the Elbaf political marriage. We keep hearing about that over and over, and there has to be some sort of twist as to what really happened that we haven't been told otherwise the flashback wouldn't reveal anything new.
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@Count:
A sad flashback and learning more about Linlin (as well as Lola and Pudding) is most likely going to happen. But said sad flashback is likely to involve a major twist, as this arc has been consistently full of twists with varying moral shades and character revelations, as well as how flashbacks tend to introduce new relevant plot information we don't know. So it's not really just enough to know who Mother Carmel is and how she influenced Big Mom, but also to learn about why Mother Carmel's existence (at least as a photo) is relevant in the present situation. Otherwise, the flashback is solely about worldbuilding instead of really tying into the plot. Flashbacks should have points to them and shouldn't just be meant to rile up feels (not that this is ever a bad thing).
I'm sure you know all of that though lol. But I'm moreso talking about stuff that we supposedly already know like Lola abandoning the Elbaf political marriage. We keep hearing about that over and over, and there has to be some sort of twist as to what really happened that we haven't been told otherwise the flashback wouldn't reveal anything new.
Point taken, I usually don't subscribe to the practice of speculating where a story is going. My reaction is more a testament to how effective a character Big Mom has been than anything else. I'm invested in finding out the truth of the mystery surrounding Mother Carmel. Whatever that truth might be.
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Carmel, real or faux, has indisputably been drawn how Oda draws his classic troll characters.
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So if We should list those in the Chrlotte family we now for certain are combat monsters:
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the 3 sweet comanders
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Knight Tamago
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Charlotte herself
some uncertain characters
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Perospero and compot could be just "monsters" in other ways but they are likely very strong
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Charlotte Mont-d'or (dont know just a hunch)
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Amande (she seems to have an interesting devil fruit)
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Charlotte Gallete
what do you think are there others ? And how strong are the strongest fighters after the 3 sweet comanders? Are they equal to Doffi for example?
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So if We should list those in the Chrlotte family we now for certain are combat monsters:
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the 3 sweet comanders
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Knight Tamago
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Charlotte herself
some uncertain characters
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Perospero and compot could be just "monsters" in other ways but they are likely very strong
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Charlotte Mont-d'or (dont know just a hunch)
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Amande (she seems to have an interesting devil fruit)
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Charlotte Gallete
what do you think are there others ? And how strong are the strongest fighters after the 3 sweet comanders? Are they equal to Doffi for example?
Wait, Amande has a fruit? I thought she was just a swordswoman.
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Comparisons time! Relatively fewer today compared to the past few weeks.
- VIZ name of the chapter: "Veteran Actor"
- The scanlations make it sound like Vito was reassured by having the Straw Hats and co. as allies (Mangastream is a little ambiguous, with "It was nice havin' these guys one our side", while Jaimini's Box says "I thought that I would feel reassured with the allies we have"), but the official translation makes it sound more like Vito is lamenting that all the Charlotte members he just named made good allies, and having them as enemies will be difficult ("They were handy to have at our backs as allies")
- Jamini's Box sees Morgans call Big Mom "Mamiga" (Mama + amiga, as noted by the TN); MS completely ignored this. VIZ doesn't go with the pun here, simply having him call her "amiga".
- Naturally, the "loose lips sink ships" thing from MS doesn't show up in the official translation (or in Jaimini's); VIZ instead says "Leaks of information are an unpredictable source of peril."
- When Sanji is offering to kiss Pudding on the forehead instead, MS adds in a part about "or somewhere else, maybe", which could be taken…weirdly . But in both Jaimini's and VIZ, he only mentions the forehead.
- In Jaimini's, Pudding mentally calls Sanji a "perverted kappa" (with the TN explaining what a kappa is), while MS altogether ignores this word. VIZ basically uses an English equivalent with "perverted clown".
- On the last page, a woman (Stussy?) comments "beautiful!", but it's ambiguous as to whether she means the ceremony or something else. The official version instead puts it as "She's gorgeous!", meaning Pudding.
- In the very last panel on the MS version, Bege comments that Sanji's "getting way too into his acting role," making it sound like he thinks Sanji is doing a bad job/messing it up and knows that it might not be entirely acting. Jamini's and especially VIZ, though, show that he is impressed with Sanji and really does think his "acting" is just very good: "Man, this guy's sellin' it! What an actor!"
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Man I liked "Loose lips sink ships". Really fits Bege to dispense some street wisdom like that. It was badass.
In comparison "Leaks of information are an unpredictable source of peril." sounds like part of a speech from a NATO summit.
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I'm guessing since Sanji's facial expression at the end of the chapter looks similar to Caramel's face (based on that picture of Caramel), Big Mom's going to notice as he gets closer. I don't know who Caramel really is, but she has a bit of hair over one of her eyes and a cigarette, so I do wonder where exactly things are going with Caramel.
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Wait, Amande has a fruit? I thought she was just a swordswoman.
Or is it charlotte Gallete not sure the one with a fruit where it seemed like it rained, think we saw it when they fought Luffy.
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- Jamini's Box sees Morgans call Big Mom "Mamiga" (Mama + amiga, as noted by the TN); MS completely ignored this. VIZ doesn't go with the pun here, simply having him call her "amiga".
Weird of them to ignore the wordplay, wonder if it was simply a mistake or there was a reason for it. In the RAW, Morgans does say "Mamigo" (I suppose Oda doesn't know you use amiga instead of amigo when referring to a woman, so I am fine with the translation correcting the gender).
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Way better knowing bege is impressed with sanjis not so acting act lol
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Perospero's candy stairway to heaven looks awesome, even as it's melting. I had to take afew moments to appreciate the scale of it. The eldest daughter Compote is the spitting image of Linlin, it's actually kind of strange to see one of her children bear a physical resemblance to her. I also found it interesting how Perospero and Compote were included in Vito's assessment of who the "monsters" of the Charlotte clan are. Since they're both politicians, I have trouble picturing them as combatants..
He's probably not too durable, but with the level of how much he can make things with his candy, and quickly as well, I could imagine Perospero could really do some damage.
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Man I liked "Loose lips sink ships". Really fits Bege to dispense some street wisdom like that. It was badass.
In comparison "Leaks of information are an unpredictable source of peril." sounds like part of a speech from a NATO summit.
I completely agree. There are priceless gems in Mangastream every now and then.
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This seems like those increasingly verbiose memes thing with mangastream being the first, viz being the second and the third:
Breaches in the information networks run by people wanting to keep secrets may later possibly impede the efforts of the persons behind said network if it comes at a certain time which may interefere with their actions.
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@Count:
A sad flashback and learning more about Linlin (as well as Lola and Pudding) is most likely going to happen. But said sad flashback is likely to involve a major twist, as this arc has been consistently full of twists with varying moral shades and character revelations, as well as how flashbacks tend to introduce new relevant plot information we don't know. So it's not really just enough to know who Mother Carmel is and how she influenced Big Mom, but also to learn about why Mother Carmel's existence (at least as a photo) is relevant in the present situation. Otherwise, the flashback is solely about worldbuilding instead of really tying into the plot. Flashbacks should have points to them and shouldn't just be meant to rile up feels (not that this is ever a bad thing).
I'm sure you know all of that though lol. But I'm moreso talking about stuff that we supposedly already know like Lola abandoning the Elbaf political marriage. We keep hearing about that over and over, and there has to be some sort of twist as to what really happened that we haven't been told otherwise the flashback wouldn't reveal anything new.
I… holy shit. I'm probably not first to this theory, but what if that parenthetical is the key to it all?
We did learn that big mom's crew can have people pressed into pictures, right? What if Luffy destroying the photo lets carmel out? What if she's not just remembering carmel, but holding her intentionally?
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I… holy shit. I'm probably not first to this theory, but what if that parenthetical is the key to it all?
We did learn that big mom's crew can have people pressed into pictures, right? What if Luffy destroying the photo lets carmel out? What if she's not just remembering carmel, but holding her intentionally?
They were never pressed into pictures. They were put into books. It's pretty different. And they could still wriggle around in the books while being pinned down with thumbtacks.
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Okay, Greg Can't remember if you said anything but is Sanji acting or is he just being himself atm?
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Ah, no, I haven't yet.
No, I don't think he's acting.
Of course, the chapter title could very well apply to either one of them.
So what does Sanji react like that do to the reader? What purpose does it serve?
Asking what purpose it serves is very important because Oda, albeit sometimes getting himself into a mired-down story, is always trying to accomplish something with each panel.
So what does Sanji perving out do?
Basically it gets people upset. Oda loves to troll his readers. Partly because it's fun. Partly because it helps create discussion and buzz. And partly because it can make a given end result even better than we thought it would be.
Specifically in this case, I think he's trolling Sanji fans and taking him down several notches so Sanji's ultimate victory (cake or no) is even more…sweet
Fans will be in a huff concerned about whether or not Sanji has lost track of his target. Is he really trying to convince himself he's in a dream? Oh no! He was so close to redemption and now THIS crap???
Sheath your swords, Oda wants you to feel that way.
I went into this in great detail over the weekend on my (aptly named) Twitcast but the long and short of it is, Sanji is excited. Of course he is.
1. He has leeway to be excited since they have a plan in mind. Remember, WE as readers know it won't go as planned, he does not.
2. It would be out of character for Sanji to see someone as attractive to him as Pudding in a wedding dress and not react. But that's just reactions. He's not seriously changing his mind. Oda would like you to worry about whether he is or isn't though.
3. It only works to his advantage if (true to himself) he reacts over the top because he knows how Pudding expects him to react. It's basically a bonus.
However, most importantly, even though we know he will not abandon his friends, it's entirely possible that he will be caught up in the moment and kiss Pudding. Part of my theory hinges on him doing just that and this setup makes it entirely realistic for him to do that. That very act could in fact save everyone's lives….before stuff happens and they're all doomed ^O^
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Is there anyway to watch the archived version of your AMA Greg? I downloaded the app but it seems there is no past broadcasts.
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@S.C.:
He's probably not too durable, but with the level of how much he can make things with his candy, and quickly as well, I could imagine Perospero could really do some damage.
Yeah that sounds about right to me. I could see his fighting style being similar to how Cracker fought.
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Or is it charlotte Gallete not sure the one with a fruit where it seemed like it rained, think we saw it when they fought Luffy.
The one that restrained Nami and was alongside Opera and Mont'Dor when they found Cracker beaten by Luffy? That was Gallete.
Just call her Butter Minister.
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I know this is not the thread or whether this topic as been discuss before but the taught just occur to be that Big Mom giving life to inanimate objects maybe a result of her devil fruit awaking.
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I know this is not the thread or whether this topic as been discuss before but the taught just occur to be that Big Mom giving life to inanimate objects maybe a result of her devil fruit awaking.
I doubt it, seeing as how it's pretty similar to how Moria could take and implant shadows. Taking and giving lifespans seems to be the most basic function of her Devil Fruit. If anything, her three special Homies crafted from her own soul seen to be her Awakening. That, or the giant storm Prometheus and Zeus can create.
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If someone like Doffy was able to awaken I highly doubt the other DF Yonkou weren't able to as well. Kinda like how none of us are surprised BM has conqueror's haki
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Reminding you guys to not expect any spoilers later.
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Reminding you guys to not expect any spoilers later.
You mean Enel doesn't come down as a guest?
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Reminding you guys to not expect any spoilers later.
So you want Urouge all for you, huh?
Compote is the gal! It puts you in the pinch of think in a devil fruit that transforms things to fruits with many desings! Imagine her in charge of SMILE distribution… blows your mind.
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Basically it gets people upset. Oda loves to troll his readers. Partly because it's fun. Partly because it helps create discussion and buzz. And partly because it can make a given end result even better than we thought it would be.
This is so accurate and spot on to so many plot points and it's really sad that there are people who can't see this and continue to rag on Oda and the direction he takes the story.
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Ah, no, I haven't yet.
No, I don't think he's acting.
Of course, the chapter title could very well apply to either one of them.
So what does Sanji react like that do to the reader? What purpose does it serve?
Asking what purpose it serves is very important because Oda, albeit sometimes getting himself into a mired-down story, is always trying to accomplish something with each panel.
So what does Sanji perving out do?
Basically it gets people upset. Oda loves to troll his readers. Partly because it's fun. Partly because it helps create discussion and buzz. And partly because it can make a given end result even better than we thought it would be.
Specifically in this case, I think he's trolling Sanji fans and taking him down several notches so Sanji's ultimate victory (cake or no) is even more…sweet
Fans will be in a huff concerned about whether or not Sanji has lost track of his target. Is he really trying to convince himself he's in a dream? Oh no! He was so close to redemption and now THIS crap???
Sheath your swords, Oda wants you to feel that way.
I went into this in great detail over the weekend on my (aptly named) Twitcast but the long and short of it is, Sanji is excited. Of course he is.
1. He has leeway to be excited since they have a plan in mind. Remember, WE as readers know it won't go as planned, he does not.
2. It would be out of character for Sanji to see someone as attractive to him as Pudding in a wedding dress and not react. But that's just reactions. He's not seriously changing his mind. Oda would like you to worry about whether he is or isn't though.
3. It only works to his advantage if (true to himself) he reacts over the top because he knows how Pudding expects him to react. It's basically a bonus.
However, most importantly, even though we know he will not abandon his friends, it's entirely possible that he will be caught up in the moment and kiss Pudding. Part of my theory hinges on him doing just that and this setup makes it entirely realistic for him to do that. That very act could in fact save everyone's lives….before stuff happens and they're all doomed ^O^
So oda has been trolling sanji fans for 10 years just for this one arc? Absolute Madman. Although I do wish his Pal Zoro would occasionally be portrayed with a bit more idiocy besides getting lost of course. A lot of people think Wano will be a place he really drops his almost annoying cockiness but I dont know oda has been careful to portray zoro in silly situations ( him reacting angrily at others not counting ) a lot less compared to the others. I'm not saying thi sas one of those people who say, "zoro has no personality after enies lobby", but he and sanji used to In my eyes be portrayed as relative equals and now it's more like a very serious older brother and his bumbling kid brother instead of two equals at least, ( and I dont mean fighting wise, forget the fights i mean equal in a social standing quite way)
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Oh god we still have to wait another week for the answers. Gaaaah!!!
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Ah, no, I haven't yet.
No, I don't think he's acting.
Of course, the chapter title could very well apply to either one of them.
So what does Sanji react like that do to the reader? What purpose does it serve?
Asking what purpose it serves is very important because Oda, albeit sometimes getting himself into a mired-down story, is always trying to accomplish something with each panel.
So what does Sanji perving out do?
Basically it gets people upset. Oda loves to troll his readers. Partly because it's fun. Partly because it helps create discussion and buzz. And partly because it can make a given end result even better than we thought it would be.
Specifically in this case, I think he's trolling Sanji fans and taking him down several notches so Sanji's ultimate victory (cake or no) is even more…sweet
Fans will be in a huff concerned about whether or not Sanji has lost track of his target. Is he really trying to convince himself he's in a dream? Oh no! He was so close to redemption and now THIS crap???
Sheath your swords, Oda wants you to feel that way.
I went into this in great detail over the weekend on my (aptly named) Twitcast but the long and short of it is, Sanji is excited. Of course he is.
1. He has leeway to be excited since they have a plan in mind. Remember, WE as readers know it won't go as planned, he does not.
2. It would be out of character for Sanji to see someone as attractive to him as Pudding in a wedding dress and not react. But that's just reactions. He's not seriously changing his mind. Oda would like you to worry about whether he is or isn't though.
3. It only works to his advantage if (true to himself) he reacts over the top because he knows how Pudding expects him to react. It's basically a bonus.
However, most importantly, even though we know he will not abandon his friends, it's entirely possible that he will be caught up in the moment and kiss Pudding. Part of my theory hinges on him doing just that and this setup makes it entirely realistic for him to do that. That very act could in fact save everyone's lives….before stuff happens and they're all doomed ^O^
You know, I just re-read parts of W7/EL, and that arc was also the arc Usoppe almost "left" the Crew. Nevertheless, during EL no SH shined as bright as Usoppe/Sogeking (shot Spandam, turned the giants around). And now we have the arc where Sanji almost "left" the Crew. And I bet Oda will make Sanji great again once this arc reaches the climax. Be it by cooking or not. Sanji will have shiny moments when $.it gets real at the Party.
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This is so accurate and spot on to so many plot points and it's really sad that there are people who can't see this and continue to rag on Oda and the direction he takes the story.
I don't think it's that. I just think that after a couple of decades, people are just plain tired of Sanji's shtick. I personally couldn't care less about how he redeems himself. I know I'll have to keep dealing with his lovestruck personality til the end of the series and it annoys me to think that, especially in light of the current stakes.
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There's a difference between making a character go through hardships to eventually gain a gloriously invigorating return to glory, and making them into an embarrassingly ineffectual caricature. Whether a character is going to win or be put through the ringer, they should always still be entertaining and have their situations should still be understandable, consistent portrayals. There are still plenty of lines you shouldn't cross in making a character go against what made them likable in the first place. Sanji can have the best triumph ever in this arc, but that's still never going to completely erase how awkwardly unsettling it was to see him go through the near-death nosebleed experiences in Fishman Island or change how absurdly hazardous his chivalry is in general. Basically, you need to make sure that there's always a good story being told with a character regardless of how effective they are.
And I say this as somebody who actually likes Sanji's current character arc (not that I can't make some critiques about it, especially towards the Vinsmokes as characters). All the suffering he's going through in this arc is completely fine and is a great example of testing the integrity of a character for development. I'm talking about a bunch of the stuff of what he's done pre-Zou, or even moments pre-timeskip when it comes to infamous moments in Enies Lobby and Thriller Bark.
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So oda has been trolling sanji fans for 10 years just for this one arc?
Been trolling some other things a lot longer than that. 'Troll' is an easy word that's thrown around carelessly these days. Is he purposely misdirecting fans in some respects, yeah. But I think a large part of his audience here doesn't actually mind being wrong. Instead, they're happy to learn that they were incorrect for a number of reasons.
Fanbases today are so strange. If an author misleads it's 'trolling'. If they do something somebody called it's 'predictable'.
I get that it's not black and white and that there's a sweet spot the best authors need to hit, but today readers are too caught up in the so-called 'hype' that they create themselves and wind up disappointed if they're wrong/right. What if we just enjoyed a story (if we consider it enjoyable) and forget about whether our predictions are right or wrong? There would probably be a good deal more positive critique if readers got beyond their own notions.
Not directing that at anyone here, just something that's been percolating.
Also, largely agree with Count Mario. While I've never had a problem with Sanji's chivalry, the FI nonsense was a gross abuse of the character to reach a difficult progression of the plot. If it was a gag it would have been fine, but that turning into the origin of the arc's pivotal theme will remain one of the grossest misuses of main characters in the entire series.