"Next up is Monkey D. Luffy. Monkey's a rubber pirate from Japan out to become the Pirate King, and right now he sure does look like the King of 6th Avenue! Monkey loves meat so be sure to keep an eye on your turkey."
Best posts made by Jabberwok
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RE: Luffy will be on the MACY'S PARADE!!!!
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 83-84: Seducing Woods and Germa 66
Gosh it's been a minute. Life's really been in the way.
These two volumes take us to approximately the end of the first act of Whole Cake Island. Big Mom is a looming background threat; the primary focus is on Sanji's family drama and Luffy's misadventures in the Seducing Woods.
The Seducing Woods make for a fun little adventure that solidifies the Alice in Wonderland theming while casually introducing two important characters in Brulee and Pound. Nami shines a fair amount through commanding Homies, deducing answers, and providing a crucial assist vs Cracker. Unfortunately, we don't get to see that discovery of Cracker's weakness to moisture. Cracker in general gets pretty underserved: he's effectively on par with the major antagonistic force of the last arc but he's dispatched early on here with most of his fight happening off-screen. What could have been a major milestone has less fanfare than, like, Blueno. It hardly matters in the long term.
Sanji's side is certainly more narratively interesting for the moment. His additional backstory is nothing special, featuring a string of suffering and a minor tragic character in his mom. His conversation with Judge as he escapes is certainly heartbreaking, though, and Reiju makes for a reasonably complex character who helps but won't stand up for Sanji. The iron mask Sanji is forced to wear is an obvious reference to Dumas, but I actually really like how it subtly comes back. In the present day, Sanji is made to wear a new mask. It doesn't help him at all and actually prevents any healing while it's worn, but it presents a clean and handsome face to the world. It's no accident that Sanji is made to wear a mask once again when rejoining his family; this time, however, the Vinsmokes are presenting him to the world rather than hiding him, and covering up their ugly family dynamics in the process.
This all builds to Luffy vs Sanji. Oda wisely differentiates this from Luffy vs Usopp, as we clearly know that Sanji is attempting to White Fang Luffy to save him. Sanji's not attempting to physically beat Luffy, he's making a desperate effort to break Luffy's spirit. The blocking struck me as telling: Oda often positions the active or more formidable character in the foreground so we can see the impact more clearly, but here Luffy is constantly in the foreground and Sanji is obscured. Sanji might knock out Luffy, but he's the one who loses this fight. Luffy stubbornly remains where he is in the face of insurmountable odds and goes on a hunger strike in a country of delectable treats. Sanji leaves, heartbroken and unable to help.
We move into a slight transition period with Luffy and Nami captured (Nami's big actions keep getting inexplicably offscreened), Pedro and Brook attempting to steal the poneglyphs, Chopper and Carrot struggling against Brulee, and Sanji left adrift. With the benefit of hindsight, Pudding is pretty clearly overacting when she visits Sanji, but she's playing on his weaknesses and he's in a distressed state. He hangs all his hopes on that tiny glimmer and forces himself into optimism, trying to spin the situation the best he can. It makes Pudding's upcoming betrayal all the more painful.
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RE: Episode 1 (Romance Dawn) - Discussion
Remember folks, this is an adaptation, not a 1:1 reproduction. Things will be different, either through production limitations or the episode length. This first episode is the most faithful of the bunch, but the most important thing is capturing the emotion of the moments and honoring the larger plot.
Have fun with it!
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 85 and 86! Pudding Reveal to Failed Assassination
Jumping right in, Chopper and Carrot turn the tables on Brulee and Pedro battles with Baron Tamago, revealing some amusing but ultimately irrelevant alternate forms. I can see why Carrot was getting so much crewmate buzz at the time, since despite acting as Chopper's sidekick she's the one doing most of the actual fighting.
The first main event is Pudding's big reveal, and it's nearly perfect. Pudding's mockery of Sanji is brutal and his silent despair in the rain is fantastic and emotional, but Pudding's villain monologue to Reiju is rather contrived. There's really no reason for it other than Pudding being cruel and feeling pent up. If there was a detail added about what Reiju overheard, or Pudding attempting to actually interrogate Reiju, things would feel more natural. As is, Pudding is gloating primarily so Sanji can overhear it for plot purposes.
Much of the ensuing drama is about creating an echo to Sanji's WCI flashback. Reiju continues to support Sanji's freedom but deny her own, choosing to condemn the rest of her family this time instead of tacitly supporting them then. Sanji ventures through the rain to feed someone he loves and ruins his food in the process, but Sora/Luffy doesn't care because they can taste the care baked in. It's worth noting that Sanji is unsure of what to do until Bobbin tries to take some food and Sanji's instinctively reacts, then realizes where his heart is. The actual reunion is solid, with shades of Robin's I want to live. I don't think Luffy cries at all because he never really acknowledged Sanji leaving. And as soon as Sanji cracks, he's immediately back in the comedic rhythm of the Strawhats, getting stabbed by Nami's words and blown away by the cheers of the rest. The change in energy is immediately apparent.
Jinbe's here! Jinbe and Brook both get a good amount of time to shine, facing down Big Mom and delivering some killer one liners. Both are incredibly clutch in saving the crew, creating and salvaging plans, and achieving major objectives. Jinbe to me doesn't quite have an established dynamic with the crew yet, but his biggest trait is an insistence on approaching things in a calm and formal manner, even when the circumstances would encourage otherwise. Big boy's unflappable.
The meeting with
CaesarGastino and Bege is a fun little change of pace that shows the Strawhats aren't above skullduggery. Gastino's continued rehabilitation as the permanent butt of jokes is removed enough from his heinous acts on Punk Hazard that he's pretty easy to enjoy, and Bege gets to ramp up his ascent to being one of the three best Worst Generation members (non-SH division). We also get a very telling follow-up to Big Mom's callousness towards her children in Chiffon, who's tale of abuse hit a lot harder on this re-read for some reason. We're starting to see the pivotal cracks in the Big Mom Family. As @The-Light-of-Shandora and others have mentioned before, a key facet of Big Mom, Germa, and WCI is familial abuse and the idea of in-groups and outsiders. Chiffon is our first clear example of this in the Charlotte family...And Pudding is the second. The tea party/wedding is suitably extravagant and exciting as we're kept in the dark about the critical moments of the plan. The ceremony and Sanji's compliment of Pudding is sweet, but I think it could be improved in two ways. First, I'd have liked to seen more evidence of Pudding's internalized hatred of her appearance prior to that moment. There were moments during her talk with Reiju or her later conversation with Big Mom for that prejudice to poke through and it simply didn't, so her collapse feels a tad bit too sudden. Second, I'd have also liked to see Sanji have a plan in mind prior to the ceremony. If it's clear he's carried away by passion and kindness, it makes his status as the only emotional Vinsmokes even more significant. Anyone could have planned to surprise Pudding, but only Sanji would let himself be so distracted like that.
Additionally, during Big Mom's creepy flashback, we get a quick montage of little Linkin attempting to violently "fix" members of other races. Pretty typical for her- she says she wants all races of the world at her table, but she's stilling picking at and disparaging the unique physical traits of her children.
Lastly, Katakuri is introduced! Katakuri is immediately characterized as the glue guy, the one holding the whole damn operation together. He stops Luffy quickly and creates a quick countermeasure to Big Mom's scream. It's a useful way to quickly justify his status as Luffy's biggest fight of the arc, despite being of the same rank as Cracker. Katakuri protects others where Cracker thoughtlessly destroys Homies, quickly stops Luffy and retrieves Brulee where Cracker's biggest achievement was stalling Luffy out, and quite literally shows flexibility where Cracker rigidly fails to adapt. Mr. Mochi's a quick fan favorite for a reason.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 87 and 88: Tamatebako and Cake
And now we begin the infamously lengthy escape. There are a few things handled well: the difficulty of the escape certainly sells the Big Mom Pirates as devastatingly powerful and an immense threat, and Oda does a pretty good job of breaking things up with little changes and lulls to keep things from being too stagnant. The biggest downside is that Big Mom has to repeat a single line for some 20 chapters, losing time for development to become a force of nature.
It does, however, put a good deal of spotlight on Katakuri and Pudding, with additional focus on Chiffon and Perospero. Pudding has gone full yandere, switching between her internalized villain and lovestruck fool. She makes a perfect match for Sanji since he too switches from rude jerk towards men to swooning buffoon for women. They're very silly to watch together and her gags haven't gotten old at all yet. Katakuri, meanwhile, is the consummate Older Brother, with the hopes and responsibilities of the whole family falling on him. He's pretty clearly not that bad a guy, since he treats Luffy with a good deal of respect and consistently tells him off for attacking other Charlotte siblings. His protection of his siblings and underlings stands in stark contrast to his quick dispatch of the cooks who saw him goofily relaxing- I think it's less about his own embarrassment and more that he needs to sustain an air of perfection to better protect his less-favored siblings. Regardless, he remains an excellent late introduction and his fight with Luffy makes for some excellent choreography.
Elsewhere, Pedro dies. Pedro's a character I really don't care about- he's doesn't show off any unique choreography and has few personality traits other than a death wish and a somewhat menacing aura. He's overshadowed by Carrot as a mink and doesn't have enough fun interactions with Brook or anyone else to be memorable. Pedro's death also had that really vague One Piece fake-out quality. How many times have we seen character survive massive explosions? At least once more here, since Perospero survives with injuries. It's very weird to have it played straight, particularly for a pretty unmemorable character.
Among the actual crew, Jinbe gets an incredibly cool moment with his surfing trick that feels like he's truly joined the crew. Shame he disappears for half of Wano. Nami also shows off some grit and power, corrupting Zeus, effectively stalling Big Mom, and putting tons of faith in Luffy. Chopper's easily the least exciting of the bunch- it feels like Oda's kind of lost how to continue to make him relevant and interesting.
Capone Bege hammering in a Looney Tunes-esque sign is an inspired gag that cements his status as a delightful character. He's a troll character done right.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 89-90: Whole Cake Island conclusion and Reverie opening
Whole Cake Island finally ends. I mentioned in my last summary that I felt like Oda did a good job of breaking things up so fatigue didn't set in too much. That feeling has withered by the end of the arc. I've been trying to pinpoint where that switch is, and I think it's roughly the point where Sanji hands the cake off to Bege. At that point, the Strawhat crew has used up all their tricks and has to rely on the help of others to escape. On one hand, it's fitting. The trust and respect Luffy and company have built with their allies stands in contrast to the fear Big Mom rules with. The latter fractures under stress while the former shines, and that proves pivotal in the Strawhats ultimately emerging victorious. On the other hand, it also means the crew becomes significantly more passive as we wait for a chain of timely interventions to save our heros. That series of saves certainly drags things out in a rather exhausting way.
One of those saves comes in the form of Germa 66. Sanji's family kind of gets away without too much comeuppance- they save Sanji and Luffy to avoid being indebted to them, and Niji hands Sanji his Germa capsule between panels. Judge rants about Sanji's worthlessness and Luffy basically laughs it off, but it really doesn't feel like Judge has learned his lesson. One of the moderately well-founded complaints about Whole Cake Island as an arc is that Sanji doesn't get a dedicated fight or really get to show off his abilities that much. That's kind of true and definitely intentional: Sanji's physical abilities certainly aid him in executing plans, but his greatest worth clearly comes from his sincerity winning over Pudding and his skills as a chef saving Tottoland. Both his emotions and his love of cooking were things Judge attempted to beat out of him and thus it's his innate human qualities that save the day, not his Vinsmoke lineage. But that beautiful cake is both had and eaten: Sanji's Vinsmoke genes become a major power-up in Wano, and the Vinsmokes' martial prowess saves Luffy when Sanji can't do it alone. The negative qualities of Germa are rather undercut when we're treated to multiple spreads of each Power Ranger saving the day. Judge gets a less glowing portrayal but Sanji's brothers seem to be treated as cool first and sociopath bullies third or fourth.
I should probably talk about about Big Mom herself. In short, I think she's a fantastic villain and an extremely unique character. At her core, Charlotte Linlin begins as a tragic character who just wants love and acceptance (and food). Because she's so absurdly strong no one can keep her in check, and so the only guidance she gets is from enablers like Caramel and Struessen, who seek to profit off of her strength. In many ways she never really evolves beyond that childish mindset; she's basically a super-powered child who wants everyone to get along only the way she says. Big Mom makes loads of rules but only forces them to her liking. She ridicules those who are different from her, even when they're her own family. And, of course, she throws massive tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. I'm fairly confident that her hangry rages are something she could actually temper if she ever bothered to learn. There just was never any reason to. And at some point in adolescence, Big Mom loses the excuse of innocence and becomes her own enabler, celebrating her willful villainy.
It leaves her children in abject terror, of course. Even excluding the fear of being eaten or drained of life, it's clear that many of them chafe under Big Mom's mercurial rule. A quick count of those who betray her in some way: Pudding, Chiffon, Praline, Katakuri, Brulee, Opera, Perospero, King Baum, and Zeus. That's a huge number of defectors! A major unifying factor is individuality, as most of the allied Charlottes have some kind of unique physical traits that makes them undesirable to Big Mom and her favored kids. It's the same with the Vinsmokes' too. The individual is outcast from the in-group, and in most cases that individual's unique qualities are what enable the Strawhats' escape.
Meanwhile, Reverie is starting. Frankly, it's a little difficult to recall what exactly is new knowledge and what isn't, but the introduction of Imu and the Revolutionary Commanders certainly sticks out. We get the seeds of Cobra's confrontation with Imu and Sabo's interference, plus several mentions of the doomed Lulusia. We also get the first inaugural meeting of Luffy's Royal Fanclub, and it's an absolute delight to see all these past characters interact with one another and bond over their time with our crew. Gotta say, it is a bit jarring to see the dwarves not bothering to conceal their presence at all. That cat is very much out of the bag.
Lastly, we get the very opening bit of Wano. Not much to say here, except it's still surprising the crew got separated so easily. I love the homages to classic Japanese art, though, but I wish elements of that distinct art style had been more present throughout the duration of Wano. I suppose I'll keep an eye out during the next 14 (gulp) volumes.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
I think the point Horikoshi is making is reasonably potent, that political forces frequently stoke and ride the anger of the masses for their own gain. Making Spinner into a big stupid brute who can be easily controlled is a great way of silencing the actual opinions of the symbol/figurehead. It's definitely tragic, but it makes a ton of sense from AfO's perspective.
Earlier, we saw Spinner uncomfortable about being pushed into the public eye as a symbol for heteromorphs. As much as he was ostracized, we mainly saw Spinner looking for companionship from Shigaraki and the others. AfO simply capitalized on Spinner's desire to be like Stain (a symbol) and his own feelings of powerlessness from the MVA and Raid arcs. I really don't think Spinner would be able to offer much in a "battle of wills" because he was always the one who had the most doubts about AfO and Shigaraki's greater plans. We've had hints of this anger at racism against heteromorphs in Spinner, but it was a secondary characteristic that played more into his desire for belonging and acceptance.
So I think this works well as a plot development because AfO gets to use Spinner for his own gain while also removing a source of friendship for Shigaraki. Spinner, as maybe the least villainous League of Villains member, becomes an object of our pity and a much more concrete symbol of AfO's evil than any of his large-scale plans. I find it to be an effective form of telling this tragedy, even if the sudden focus on Shoji is a bit abrupt.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Oof, I'm really going to have to sprint to catch up. Anyways, with Day 1 finished a few things caught my eye:
Every Strawhat's separation companions play a role in helping them escape Sabaody with the exception of Robin and Franky. Except that may not be totally true, because Kuma was there protecting the ship and we get a quick panel of Robin considering Kuma. With Kuma's flashback heading towards its completion, I'm curious if we'll get some additional information on him and the Revolutionaries out of Robin.
Hammond says that Fisher Tiger died because no human would donate blood, which we learn later to be false. It's interesting to see the NFP propaganda surrounding Fisher Tiger appear so early in the arc.
The note that mermaids' tails split at 30 feels like a rather outdated way of saying when women are 'past their prime,' particularly since the same tail rule isn't applied to mermen.
Sanji's nosebleed gag is omni-present, but it actually works surprisingly well as a humorous way to introduce actual plot points. It'd be funny if not for the transphobia.
I recall the background art being a frequent complaint for readers but so far it's been gorgeous. My main frustration has been how much of the time on Fishman Island has been spent on exposition, coincidences, and misunderstandings. A few are funny, like half the crew accidentally conquering the palace, but most of the content so far has been frontloading the tour while bouncing from one crossed wire to another. I know we're trying to make the crew untrustworthy to the residents so the decision to put their faith in them is more impactful, but I can't help feeling that it works better when the crew is being morally dubious rather than just falsely accused. Madame Shyarly's prophecy, for instance, still hasn't paid off and just feels like clutter in the meantime, and the truly vile Caribou doesn't impact the arc's plot either. This theme of Reputation vs. Actions runs through both Return to SA and Fishman Island so it's not entirely off-base, but it does feel a bit cheap.
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RE: Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 10 - Egghead)
@electricmastro said in Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 10 - Egghead):
@Jabberwok said in Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 10 - Egghead):
@Zin-Magala said in Next Straw Hat Crewmates (Vol. 10 - Egghead):
You bring up some good points and I'm no way saying Law won't be relevant for the rest of the story. I think Law will be back next arc and will be sticking around for a while. However, just because him and his crew were defeated that doesn't mean their story is over. The crew isn't dead and a ship can be replaced. Law's crew is important to him just like Luffy's crew is important to Luffy. I agree there will be some things for the Heart Pirates to figure out but ultimately I think they will be amongst the fleet (or an ally) as oppose to Law joining the crew. I think that will all go down in Elbaf, along with the Kidd Pirates.
Law is very interested in the Will of D, prior to being defeated by BB, and it's not written anywhere that you have to be a SH to pursue that mystery. If those answers are in Laughtale, I don't think there is anything stopping the Heart Pirates traveling with the SHs to find those answers. Same thing applies to Vivi. Both characters don't have to be SHs, though Vivi is technically is one, to have a huge role in the story. Vivi's is being laid out in front of her and Law's path will be address during the next couple of arcs.
I agree with this. A few Strawhats (Franky, Jinbe, and Sanji) have been emotionally tied down by their pre-existing crews where they've had to choose between their dream and their responsibility to others. Law doesn't have to face that choice because his crew isn't tied to a location and therefore his goals don't conflict with their presence. Admittedly he separated from them while he was going after Doflamingo, but that was because he was protecting them from a dangerous vendetta. And Doffy's already been taken down anyway!
Quite frankly, virtually all of the Straw Hats had to leave behind something dear to them to really feel like they're part of the crew:
Luffy had to leave behind Dadan
Zoro had to leave behind his dojo
Nami had to leave behind Nojiko and Genzo
Usopp had to leave behind the Usopp Pirates
Sanji had to leave behind Baratie
Chopper had to leave behind Kureha
Robin had to leave behind Ohara
Franky had to leave behind the Franky Family
Brook had to leave behind Laboon
Jinbe had to leave behind the Sun Pirates
When looking at it like that, it's as if there's an element of sacrifice to their existence as part of the crew. It helps make them seem more selfless in their otherwise "selfish" pursuit of their dreams, as well as more noble in their motivations.
I get what you're saying but I also think your framing is a bit inaccurate. Zoro had already left his dojo behind; what he was really "sacrificing" was his independence as a bounty hunter. Robin didn't really leave behind her ties to Ohara either. If anything, she accepted them! And Brook of course joined with the goal of reuniting with Laboon.
Ultimately the key to a character fully joining the crew is that person beginning to process and grow beyond their trauma in order to achieve something greater. That trauma is often tied into a sense of guilt or duty towards another person or group, which is why we frequently see those bonded groups propelling the character forward and absolving them of that guilt/duty. But there's certainly a leap of faith aspect where the character has to give up their imperfectly safe status quo in order to pursue their (and Luffy's) dream.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 69-70, the end of Punk Hazard. I've got a ton of thoughts to cover here so it's going to be a bit hapHazard.
First off, Punk Hazard as a whole. PH has fairly clear theming but not the clearest theme, if that makes sense. The constant presence of medicine and scientific weapons makes it a bit like a proto-Egghead in some ways and makes the appearance of the arc pretty distinct, hallways be damned. I actually didn't mind the notorious hallway-running that much after the first few chapters since most of the plot points actually flowed fairly smoothly. The nonsense with the little dragon feels like just a way to get a few of the SHs more action but for the most part it went by quickly. Thematically, I think I've settled on addiction being the main topic of the arc. Obviously the kids' addiction to the candies is a major plot point, and a horribly dark one at that. But we see a similar pattern play out with the soldiers/Brownbeard's crew: they're effectively addicted to Caesar, as they're presented time after time with his true despicable movies and continue to rationalize them away with increasingly unlikely reasons. Caesar and Monet present them with a kind facade that hides the manipulation until those claws are in them too deep and it's impossible to break away. It also happens to a degree with Vergi and G-5, who resist him but still concoct a story of an imposter to reconcile his actions. Much as the kids hallucinate in their withdrawal, the grunts on both sides disbelieve their eyes and ears because they contradict the lies they've been fed. As the arc progresses, we see the need for a harsh and sometimes painful return to healthy reality. The kids must turn their backs on the tasty candies in favor of the scary G-5 doctors, Smoker confronts Vergo on behalf of his marines, and Caesar's minions have to accept that they've been tricked or "perish" in the gas. Addiction can't be solved by taking the easy way out. It takes suffering, determination, and painful self-reflection to end those harmful cycles.
Moving on: Brownbeard, the stealth MVP of the arc. He's kind of randomly introduced as a minor roadblock and is frequently used as a transportation gag, but he's also kind of the heart of the story. Brownbeard's as loyal as the rest as first, and it takes a direct attempt on his life and hearing the words from Caesar himself to break his trust. From that point on, he's the only one who really gets to express grief and anger on behalf of all of Caesar's victims. He mourns the needless sacrifice of his crew, even if in classic One Piece fashion those supposed deaths are undone. And Brownbeard gets to tragically confront Caesar, only to be silenced, mocked, and shot by his own allies. Luffy's already enraged by the mistreatment of the kids, but it's fitting that in his final confrontation with Caesar it's Brownbeard who Luffy's protecting and caring for. Nobody, not even the Strawhats, take this poor man seriously as he's trying to save his crew until Luffy finally gives him the help he's earned.
As far as villains go, I've already discussed Caesar and not much has changed. He's highly entertaining and even more despicable, and I like how he's reliant on the strength of others for protection but not useless himself. It's a nice twist on the likes of Spandam and Orochi. Vergo's suitably scary, though his gags are a jarring undercut of his serious demeanor that don't really work for me. I'd forgotten how brutal his defeat is though, getting dismembered and then left to explode. Peak Law brutality. Monet felt a bit off to me. She's introduced as a somewhat mysterious character and is frequently in the background helping Caesar, so she feels almost ambiguous in her motivations. It's easy to see why there was crewmate buzz around her for a bit. Monet eventually escalated into biting off shoulders and being as soulless as the rest, but it really feels like there should be a bigger turn where the mask comes off. I guess she transforms into a scary snow harpy eating a guy? She doesn't leave the same evil impact as Caesar or Vergo and I think that's part of why people expected her to survive and return.
Monet's also the part of one of the worst moments in this stretch- Zoro's fight with her. Despite demanding Luffy gets serious, Zoro fucks around in this fight and doesn't take Monet seriously. He instead reveals a chivalrous/misogynistic side and refuses to harm her, even though she could easily escape and terrorize the rest of the crew. Why? Because Oda only lets women fight women? It's so condescending and out of character for Zoro that it really stands out.
Punk Hazard also serves to set up another 300 chapters worth of story, so we're introduced to a lot here. Kin'emon continues to be abrasive but memorable- does his Foxfire style ever come in handy when Onigashima is consumed in flames? Cause it should've. Momonosuke's here too, and his introduction in a quiet, isolated space certainly feels important. The rescuing of Kanjuro and Raizo from Dressrosa and Zou is lampshaded as a fortunate coincidence but it still feels pretty contrived, even if it is later justified by plot. And then we get to see Kin'emon and Momo are both pervs. Joy. I've seen some people mention that their reunion is a bit odd in retrospect, but I was looking carefully and didn't manage to pick anything out. Perhaps it's a translation thing.
Lastly, Doflamingo! He gets to have a proper villain introduction here, and is immediately unique. It's clear that Doffy is intimately familiar with and tolerant of the idiosyncracies of his Family. He speaks fondly of Monet and Vergo and takes the time to rescue Buffalo and Baby 5; Crocodile, his parallel predecessor, kept his distance from his subordinates and chose to eliminate Mr. 3 for his failure. Doflamingo's crew also has personal loyalty to him and refer to him as young master, which shows familiarity and just a hint of vanity of Doflamingo's part. He's also incredibly strong, quickly handling Smoker and resisting Kuzan. His crew, though, doesn't really match his strength. It's not exactly a great showing when Buffalo and Baby 5 are struggling in a 2v1 against Franky. Baby 5, at least, is pretty cool, but Buffalo is a glorified scene partner for her. But Dressrosa effectively starts a few chapters early as multiple threads of intrigue are established prior to landing on the island and that creates a lot of momentum moving into the next big arc.
Latest posts made by Jabberwok
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RE: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part II: Do the Dio Walk!
Some men just want to watch the bus burn.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 93-94: Act 2 Udon and the Flower Capital
Okeydoke, so this pair of volumes covers almost all of Act 2 and features a variety of subplots that have varying levels of payoff. We mainly switch back and forth between Luffy's imprisonment and training at Udon and the various conflicts in the Flower Capital.
Following the setup at the end of the previous volume, we get Sanji's magical girl transformation into Soba Mask and his fight with Page One. Page One is a bit limited by power scaling here- Sanji can't struggle with him too much or it'll be unusual when he beats Queen later, but Page One is supposed to be a formidable enemy and can't get shown up too badly. I think the needle is threaded pretty well here. Sanji definitely comes off as capable of beating Page One in a protracted fight, but Page One is strong enough to risk civilians and threaten Sanji's cover. Sanji also gives some offhand line about not needing to feel conflicted about using the capsule, but it feels extremely perfunctory and a bit like Oda is skipping over a character conflict he's not interested in actually developing. The whole action sequence isn't even particularly important outside of getting Sanji to activate the canister, which I can't help but think could have been accomplished in a more relevant way.
There's a quick cut to the palace, where Robin is immediately busted before we really get a chance to get our bearings. Directions get a bit muddled, as Robin is escaping but then somehow doubles back to pick up Toko, and the crew's escape happens off-screen. Komurasaki, having just been introduced, is "killed" by Kyoshiro after an obviously suspicious exchange, and the sequence ends. It feels rather like a wasted set piece; the palace is perhaps the most recognizable landmark in Wano and this is really the only time we spend there. It's time that could have been used to develop Orochi further, build up Komurasaki, and spend time with our crew in their disguises. Orochi's ninja, the Oniwabanshu, are present as notable foes her and at Yasuie's execution but I don't recall any but Fukurokujo (kind of) having an impact in Onigashima; considering that Nami, Usopp, and Brook don't get proper fights in Act 3, this would have been a great spot to square off against the ninja.
Speaking of Yasuie, I have very mixed feelings about his subplot. As Tonoyasu, Yasuie is a minor character who just randomly starts following Zoro around. We get a little bit more focus on Ebisu's appreciation of him right before he's willingly captured. The announcement is incredibly abrupt, with very little leading up to it. The reveal of Yasuie as a former daimyo doesn't mean much to us as the audience, but his willing sacrifice to save the loyal samurai and salvage the plan is certainly moving. It's just a shame that no one bothers trying to save him! It would be one thing to abstain from saving Yasuie to honor his attempted sacrifice, or to be too late as Orochi executes him early, but everyone just kind of stands around grimacing. It feels especially out of character for Zoro, who doesn't lift a finger until Yasuie is already dead. And then they go and start a fight anyway, which we once again don't even see the end of.
I really do like the reveal of the Smiles' effects, though. The citizens of Ebisu not even being able to grieve properly, with Toko in particular only capable of laughing at her father's corpse, is incredibly tragic. It's one part that totally benefits from a reread- every time someone is laughing out of place or makes some statement about using laughter to cope, it takes on a much darker meaning. And Oda executes this doubly well by using Killer/Kamazou as a before and after, even if we don't see too much of Killer right now.
Luffy's time in Udon is generally pretty solid. Kawamatsu has a killer introduction with a wonderfully ominous buildup and a nice little vignette with the kitsune; it's a shame he's easily the least memorable Scabbard come Act 3. Kid is present for part of Udon, but the focus is too split between plot points to give his serious due. Law got a full arc and a killer flashback to explore his character and Kid had no way of matching that here, but he needed at least a bit more time to develop a rapport with Luffy. Dude's basically a footnote in Udon. Luffy's training with Hyougoro, however, is pretty fun. Hyou quickly grows beyond his unassuming introduction to be a fun little mentor for Luffy, expressing total faith in our captain and giving us a couple good gags too. And it's just so Luffy to treat an apparent execution game as a way to train. I just which Zoro has gotten a chance to interact with Yasuie in some kind of mentor capacity too- they're both Shimitsukis, after all, and Zoro's arc in Wano is particularly scattered.
Lastly, I once again have mixed feelings about Big Mom. Her presence here certainly pulls attention from the Beast Pirates, and amnesia has never not been a tired trope, but I do like how her amnesia gives us a little more insight into her character. She's still terrifying and full of rage but she responds quite gratefully to kindness and is even willing to share her food(!). It's another hint to suggest that Linlin's tyranny is a product of her environment and that she could have been quite kind if she had been treated better. At the same time, her journey to Udon is repeatedly used as a tired cliffhanger to end chapters, and Chopper spends the entire trip in a panic instead of capitalizing at the chance for some interesting character interactions. It feels rather emblematic of Act 2: plenty of potentially interesting subplots and character beats that aren't given enough time to breath, and several extraneous subplots that keep cutting in and fracturing the flow.
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RE: American Politics: A Brand New Day
@MetaMario Manchin was rarely helpful but he's probably better than whoever replaces him. Sinema was a waste of space and will potentially be replaced by someone much better.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 91-92: Wano Act 1 and Introduction to the Capital
The first act of Wano goes a lot quicker than I remember. Luffy washes up on Kuri and quickly runs into Tama and the ex-shogun tengu, who give him a quick rundown of the state of Wano. We're off to Amigasa Village (had to look that one up) and quickly run into Zoro and then Hawkins. Zoro is kinda useless throughout this act- he's here because he's a ronin and he needs to meet Kiku, but he does almost nothing beyond that.
Hawkins, meanwhile, is doing some heavy lifting for the Beast Pirates. Hawkins is not only a formidable fighter but also aware of Luffy and Law's identities, meaning he's basically the only one who takes them seriously. His status as a Headliner is due to his recent forced recruitment, of course, but it also serves to make the rest of the Headliners more formidable by association. Considering how quickly Sheepshead, Holdem, Speed, and Dobon are dispatched, they need the resume boost.
Wano is famously long, but I think Act 1 actually needs a little more space to breathe. It's used as a limited-scope introduction to Wano and mostly succeeds in that, but the time spent is all exposition and action. It's a lone (or pair of) ronin story told in the briefest fashion, but instead of Luffy spending significant time with the people to better understand their plight we get a pointless sumo contest. It ends up feeling like spinning wheels at max speed without actually accomplishing much, especially because I don't recall Amigasa being relevant at any later point. And then we're thrown into a surprisingly sudden conclusion of the Act, as Law, Hawkins, Ashura Doji, Jack, half the crew, and finally Kaido all show up. I found it rather jarring.
Nearly every notable character in Wano is introduced in this section so I'll only focus on the Ks. Kaido is prone to mood swings and is quick to use overwhelming force. He's clearly absurdly strong; with future knowledge, we know that he probably wouldn't have dodged Luffy's attacks even if he was expecting them. He's similar to Big Mom in maybe too many ways, but his introduction lacks the atmosphere that hers had. Kiku comes across as a bit of an airhead, a lot more than I remembered. What wanted person uses their real name? She seems awfully mistake prone and incautious, yet her "big moment" is just cutting off an enemy's topknot. She's unique enough to be memorable but she's certainly not a good character yet. Komurasaki gets a fantastic introduction with a flashback showing how she's taken many terrible men for all their money. We're definitely meant to assume she's Hiyori, but her introduction doesn't give much insight into her current motives and emotional state. Lastly, Kyoshiro is framed as a significant power under Orochi but one who doesn't particularly care for the shogun. He and his goons' presence in the capital makes it seem like he'll be a dangerous wildcard. I kind of wish he actually had been a wildcard instead of revealing himself as loyal Denjiro.
One last thing as we get to the Flower Capital proper. With Luffy captured the plans beyond "gather information and recruit allies" feel rather unclear, and most of those plans are going well without much actual payoff. Sanji, though, drives me nuts. After a great arc focusing on his motivations and character, here we get Sanji acting maybe the most out of character in the whole series. Huge swaths of countryside are starving and Sanji is serving noodles to pretty women. He should be helping the hungry! That's his whole thing! And it's only compounded when he suggests using the Raid Suit to fend off Drake and Page One- Sanji shouldn't know what the suit's power is, and simply dressing in Germa gear won't be very inconspicuous considering he's had Vinsmoke Sanji bounties out. The last time we saw Sanji with the suit canister he was expressing deep disgust towards it and his Vinsmoke heritage in general. There's no indication of what has changed and no internal turmoil about using it. A baffling choice.
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RE: Blue Eyed Samurai
The 5th episode is obviously quite good, as is the series as a whole, but I think my personal favorite episode was the 4th. The interactions between Akemi, Mizu, and Madame Kani were fascinating and I thought the story of the episode was impeccably paced.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 89-90: Whole Cake Island conclusion and Reverie opening
Whole Cake Island finally ends. I mentioned in my last summary that I felt like Oda did a good job of breaking things up so fatigue didn't set in too much. That feeling has withered by the end of the arc. I've been trying to pinpoint where that switch is, and I think it's roughly the point where Sanji hands the cake off to Bege. At that point, the Strawhat crew has used up all their tricks and has to rely on the help of others to escape. On one hand, it's fitting. The trust and respect Luffy and company have built with their allies stands in contrast to the fear Big Mom rules with. The latter fractures under stress while the former shines, and that proves pivotal in the Strawhats ultimately emerging victorious. On the other hand, it also means the crew becomes significantly more passive as we wait for a chain of timely interventions to save our heros. That series of saves certainly drags things out in a rather exhausting way.
One of those saves comes in the form of Germa 66. Sanji's family kind of gets away without too much comeuppance- they save Sanji and Luffy to avoid being indebted to them, and Niji hands Sanji his Germa capsule between panels. Judge rants about Sanji's worthlessness and Luffy basically laughs it off, but it really doesn't feel like Judge has learned his lesson. One of the moderately well-founded complaints about Whole Cake Island as an arc is that Sanji doesn't get a dedicated fight or really get to show off his abilities that much. That's kind of true and definitely intentional: Sanji's physical abilities certainly aid him in executing plans, but his greatest worth clearly comes from his sincerity winning over Pudding and his skills as a chef saving Tottoland. Both his emotions and his love of cooking were things Judge attempted to beat out of him and thus it's his innate human qualities that save the day, not his Vinsmoke lineage. But that beautiful cake is both had and eaten: Sanji's Vinsmoke genes become a major power-up in Wano, and the Vinsmokes' martial prowess saves Luffy when Sanji can't do it alone. The negative qualities of Germa are rather undercut when we're treated to multiple spreads of each Power Ranger saving the day. Judge gets a less glowing portrayal but Sanji's brothers seem to be treated as cool first and sociopath bullies third or fourth.
I should probably talk about about Big Mom herself. In short, I think she's a fantastic villain and an extremely unique character. At her core, Charlotte Linlin begins as a tragic character who just wants love and acceptance (and food). Because she's so absurdly strong no one can keep her in check, and so the only guidance she gets is from enablers like Caramel and Struessen, who seek to profit off of her strength. In many ways she never really evolves beyond that childish mindset; she's basically a super-powered child who wants everyone to get along only the way she says. Big Mom makes loads of rules but only forces them to her liking. She ridicules those who are different from her, even when they're her own family. And, of course, she throws massive tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. I'm fairly confident that her hangry rages are something she could actually temper if she ever bothered to learn. There just was never any reason to. And at some point in adolescence, Big Mom loses the excuse of innocence and becomes her own enabler, celebrating her willful villainy.
It leaves her children in abject terror, of course. Even excluding the fear of being eaten or drained of life, it's clear that many of them chafe under Big Mom's mercurial rule. A quick count of those who betray her in some way: Pudding, Chiffon, Praline, Katakuri, Brulee, Opera, Perospero, King Baum, and Zeus. That's a huge number of defectors! A major unifying factor is individuality, as most of the allied Charlottes have some kind of unique physical traits that makes them undesirable to Big Mom and her favored kids. It's the same with the Vinsmokes' too. The individual is outcast from the in-group, and in most cases that individual's unique qualities are what enable the Strawhats' escape.
Meanwhile, Reverie is starting. Frankly, it's a little difficult to recall what exactly is new knowledge and what isn't, but the introduction of Imu and the Revolutionary Commanders certainly sticks out. We get the seeds of Cobra's confrontation with Imu and Sabo's interference, plus several mentions of the doomed Lulusia. We also get the first inaugural meeting of Luffy's Royal Fanclub, and it's an absolute delight to see all these past characters interact with one another and bond over their time with our crew. Gotta say, it is a bit jarring to see the dwarves not bothering to conceal their presence at all. That cat is very much out of the bag.
Lastly, we get the very opening bit of Wano. Not much to say here, except it's still surprising the crew got separated so easily. I love the homages to classic Japanese art, though, but I wish elements of that distinct art style had been more present throughout the duration of Wano. I suppose I'll keep an eye out during the next 14 (gulp) volumes.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
@Kitsune-Inferno His best moments certainly occur after the reveal, but I feel like you can see his respect for Luffy increase significantly the moment Luffy traps them in the mirror world. It makes sense- Luffy stepping up to protect his weaker crew mates is exactly what Katakuri would do too.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
@The-Franky-Tank I feel like Katakuri in particular benefits from hindsight. During the initial reading of the arc, the early defeat of Cracker made it feel like we might genuinely be set up for Luffy to fight Big Mom. Then we get Katakuri, who is introduced late and has what seems kind of like a Logia clone of Luffy's fruit. He's the last Sweet Commander introduced and most of his personality just seems to be "the serious, competent one." Over time we learn more about him and see he's a worthy opponent and a great character, so rereading with that knowledge makes it easier to pick up on those differences early on. I think Katakuri ends up being the only arc boss who just genuinely likes Luffy by the end of their fight. He really sells the abusive family structure of the Big Mom Pirates since even someone so formidable as him secretly hopes for Big Mom's downfall.
And Bege is just chef's kiss. I've seen it pointed out that he ends up kind of taking the back seat to Chiffon later in the arc as her cooking and determination plays a much bigger role in the denouement than he does. I think that's great! Bege is a delightful jerk but he's also incredibly supportive of his wife and his men. It makes for a fantastic counterpoint to Big Mom and her terrible kids, and it's no surprise Chiffon picks Bege's affirming care over her bloodline's abuse.
We can assume the same is likely true for Praline and the Sun Pirates, even if we don't see it. That's probably the right choice too- we have enough examples of the Big Mom Pirates splintering and we don't need explicit emotional justification for all of them.
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RE: Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra
@Md-Martin said in Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra:
@Shiebs said in Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra:
https://screenrant.com/avatar-the-last-airbender-live-action-first-reactions-divided/
Oh come on, how does one make this article and not make a Great Divide joke!?
Eh, let's keep scrolling.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 87 and 88: Tamatebako and Cake
And now we begin the infamously lengthy escape. There are a few things handled well: the difficulty of the escape certainly sells the Big Mom Pirates as devastatingly powerful and an immense threat, and Oda does a pretty good job of breaking things up with little changes and lulls to keep things from being too stagnant. The biggest downside is that Big Mom has to repeat a single line for some 20 chapters, losing time for development to become a force of nature.
It does, however, put a good deal of spotlight on Katakuri and Pudding, with additional focus on Chiffon and Perospero. Pudding has gone full yandere, switching between her internalized villain and lovestruck fool. She makes a perfect match for Sanji since he too switches from rude jerk towards men to swooning buffoon for women. They're very silly to watch together and her gags haven't gotten old at all yet. Katakuri, meanwhile, is the consummate Older Brother, with the hopes and responsibilities of the whole family falling on him. He's pretty clearly not that bad a guy, since he treats Luffy with a good deal of respect and consistently tells him off for attacking other Charlotte siblings. His protection of his siblings and underlings stands in stark contrast to his quick dispatch of the cooks who saw him goofily relaxing- I think it's less about his own embarrassment and more that he needs to sustain an air of perfection to better protect his less-favored siblings. Regardless, he remains an excellent late introduction and his fight with Luffy makes for some excellent choreography.
Elsewhere, Pedro dies. Pedro's a character I really don't care about- he's doesn't show off any unique choreography and has few personality traits other than a death wish and a somewhat menacing aura. He's overshadowed by Carrot as a mink and doesn't have enough fun interactions with Brook or anyone else to be memorable. Pedro's death also had that really vague One Piece fake-out quality. How many times have we seen character survive massive explosions? At least once more here, since Perospero survives with injuries. It's very weird to have it played straight, particularly for a pretty unmemorable character.
Among the actual crew, Jinbe gets an incredibly cool moment with his surfing trick that feels like he's truly joined the crew. Shame he disappears for half of Wano. Nami also shows off some grit and power, corrupting Zeus, effectively stalling Big Mom, and putting tons of faith in Luffy. Chopper's easily the least exciting of the bunch- it feels like Oda's kind of lost how to continue to make him relevant and interesting.
Capone Bege hammering in a Looney Tunes-esque sign is an inspired gag that cements his status as a delightful character. He's a troll character done right.