Imo MHA isn't even that bad, it's just not nearly as good as it was in its first two years. Like I rarely think the writing or developments are bad, I'm just also pretty rarely that excited about them.
Best posts made by Jabberwok
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
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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: Luffy will be on the MACY'S PARADE!!!!
"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."
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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: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
@pariston_hill said in My Hero Academia II - A true Hero:
@Time-Control-Magician Mayuri vs giant hand beg to differ.
@Jabberwok said in My Hero Academia II - A true Hero:
Put out of its misery?
It's a misery for the readers to follow since the first war.
Literally just drop the series. It's not too late to claim moral superiority if that's what you're after.
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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: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 95-96: Oden
Been putting the writeup of this one off for way too long. Too many Thoughts.
Before we get to the Oden flashback, we get the close of Act II and a bit of Reverie fallout. Zoro receives Enma from Hiyori, which is a bit of a bait and switch considering Nidai Kitetsu's earlier and ultimately irrelevant appearance. Enma certainly continues the "cursed sword" theme Zoro has going so I don't hate it, but it once again feels like missed opportunities. Zoro once again gets no exploration of his Shimotsuki roots, and the passing of Oden's legacy in part to Zoro isn't given much emphasis. Oden's other sword, Ame no Habakiri, is barely present at all and both swords are some real missed opportunities for powerful symbolism.
Elsewhere, things have gone down at Reverie. We're kind of initially led to believe that Sabo has died, but many of the reactions seem to be more disbelief and outrage than grief. It suits the actual events that'll take 100 chapters to be revealed.
Ok, so Oden's flashback is, in my opinion, one of the weakest flashbacks in the series. It suffers from a couple major flaws: an extreme case of tell-don't-show, a lack of emotional connection, serious Mary Sue energy, and of course Oden's very poor decision-making. The first has been obvious with the constant (unproven) stories of Oden's greatness up to this point and is immediately hammered home with an expository list of Oden's childhood exploits, including some very uncomfortable lines about Oden's sexual prowess as a kid. Oden's major traits appear to be strength, recklessness, and trust to a fault- we're left to accept that his apparently magnetic personality and all-encompassing prowess lead to his success and loyal following from the Scabbards. The breadth of time this flashback covers (21 years) really exacerbates this issue, as we have very little time to approach and examine events organically in lieu of the inexorable montage.
This leads in to the second, and I would argue greatest, issue with Oden's flashback: there's very little emotional connection forged between Oden and Momonosuke or his retainers. Many of the retainers are recruited in just a panel or two so we don't get a chance to see the nature of their personal bond to Oden; we have to assume it's simply similar to the rest of the group. This similarity plagues the Scabbards and makes their characters really blend together, as most could be easily replaced in a given scene with one of the others. It's compounded by Oden's voyages with Whitebeard and Roger: while certainly the most interesting parts from a lore perspective, the focus of the flashback also fully shifts to Oden's observations of these two characters. The characters having the flashback are literally left behind. Momonosuke himself gets basically no focus until after after Oden's execution either so his bond with his father feels incredibly tacked on.
It stands in stark contrast to Kuma's flashback, which I think does a similar thing much better. Both Kuma and Oden are heavily linked to the lore of One Piece and interact with a variety of important figures across a span of decades. The difference is that Kuma's flashback is built around the emotion of his character and Oden's is built around his exploits. Kuma is introduced as a child and we get more time to see him form as person. Kuma's also always thinking of Ginny and Bonney and we get to see tons of adorable shots of them playing and living together. We get a couple of those with Oden, but he famously leaves his family behind to go satisfy his own need for adventure. He's criticized for it, but even that criticism is treated as a gag and he's ultimately supposedly doing the right thing. The end result is that Kuma's flashback is deeply rooted in the mutual love between him and Bonney while Oden rarely appreciates or reciprocates the devotion his retainers show him.
However, on this read-through, I didn't hate the flashback as much as the first time! I realized that Oden has a lot of parallels to Hercules and reading into those homages helped add a bit more thematic depth to the flashback. Hercules is, of course, the most famous Greek hero, a larger than life figure who acted first and made reparations later. Many of Oden's own exploits parallel Hercules's Labors and other adventures. For instance, in Oden's introductory spiel he's mentioned as having diverted a river to end a drought, similar to Hercules using a river to clean the Augean stables. His first actions we see are to defeat the Mountain God, a stand in for the Erymanthian Boar. You could argue that his conquest and civilizing of Kuri, repeatedly referred to as "Hell," is equivalent to capturing Cerberus (Ashura Douji) from Hades. Oden's adventures at sea are Hercules's time with the Argonauts. It's a bit of a stretch, but Kaido could be the dragon Ladon guarding the apples of the Hesperides (food for Wano, broadly speaking). Orochi's poisoned arrows that threaten the citizens are Hercules's own poisoned arrows that bring about his death. And Orochi himself is clearly the Hydra, Hercules's most famous enemy, who is beheaded and killed by fire. Hercules himself willingly builds his own pyre, just as Oden accepts his execution by boiling.
What's the thematic relevance? Well, trust and retribution are huge features of Greek myths. Hercules and other heros always take others at their word: if that trust is broken (and it often is), usually either the betrayer is dramatically killed or the hero dies tragically. Oden, likewise, expects the best of everyone. He's frequently the beneficiary of others giving him the benefit of the doubt and honoring the spirit of their agreements: his retainers' compact, Yasuie sponsoring the Scabbards, Whitebeard allowing him on the ship, Roger needing him for only a year, and so on. Because he's treated well and strong enough to weather any bad consequences, Oden trusts easily. It's only the bad guys, Orochi and Kaido and I guess Kanjuro, who break their word, and Oden's open trust leaves him open to defeat at their hands. The only issue with this is that Orochi tells Oden point-blank that it's his goal to destroy Wano and Oden still expects him to stick to his word. There are no contingency plans and no insurance, and it drives many of us readers absolutely mad.
Additionally, one of the most compelling and sympathetic aspects of Hercules's story is that he's unfairly the target of Hera's ire and becomes essentially cursed because of the circumstances of his birth. Hercules spends most of his life attempting to appease Hera and atone for the crimes his curse has caused. He overcomes all that adversity and comes to terms with Hera only to die because his jealous wife is tricked by a long-dead enemy killed by Hercules himself. He is, in the classic Greek way, hoisted on his own petard. Oden is cursed with nothing but a nebulous wanderlust. He's the heir of the ruling family but doesn't visibly struggle with expectations of leadership or culture, frequently benefiting from his station. We're told he seeks to right some of his accidental wrongs, but most of that occurs prior to where the flashback actually begins. We essentially feel no conflict within the character of Oden. Oden's eventual return to Wano is I suppose an indication he's conquered his wanderlust and is ready to settle down. It's rather noticeable that Oden is never really criticized in the context of the narrative except for one time: when Kaido points out that a younger Oden would have continued to attack instead of cutting a deal to protect the people of Wano, likely saving them in the long run. You can say that it's Oden's ironic fate to fall only once he's ready to become a family man, but it's also an extremely weird moral to suggest, without effective rebuttal, that responsibility for the people and a desire to (finally) be a good father is a weakness.
One last parallel for Oden before I stop ranting: Luffy and Oden. Oden is primarily characterized as strong, reckless, and trusting. He's the irreverent scion of an important bloodline who wants to see the world and picks up a collection of odd outcasts along the way. Luffy's obviously all that too, and it's difficult to say how much he would do differently in Oden's position. Why, then, is Luffy so beloved by fans while Oden is such a divisive figure? I think it's because of the difference between their relationships with their respective groups. Even if Luffy cut the same deal with Orochi, I have trouble believing that he wouldn't tell his crew or that they wouldn't find out on their own. The Strawhats are devoted to and believe in Luffy, but they're also extremely cognizant of his shortcomings. There's no hero worship and certainly no feudal relationship (see: Straw Hat Grand Fleet). The Strawhats are a unique and dynamic bunch who emphasize covering for one another's weaknesses; the Scabbards, while coming from a variety of backgrounds, share the same goal and very similar skill sets with a few exceptions. They tend to blend together once they're back on the same page. The Scabbards attempt to compensate for Oden's weaknesses but are rarely given the chance; they never overrule him, nor do they succeed where he fails. And, most importantly, they leave Oden's flaws unexamined. Oden is very clearly a flawed figure and becomes much more interesting as a gray character, but the characters and narrative never do anything but hold him up as a paragon of Wano. This approach hurts the Scabbards' characterization but it does the biggest damage to Momonosuke, who is clearly struggling under the weight of Oden's outsized shadow. The recognition that Oden wasn't perfect would do wonders for his son's growth and self-esteem but sadly it's a lesson he never learns.
In the falling action of the flashback and the subsequent events in the present we get the twin reveals of Denjiro and Kanjuro. Denjiro's is fine, I guess. He was already to be suspected Kyoshiro so it's not terrible surprising, but the flashback reveal and his later appearance at the port are both rather perfunctory and lacking in excitement. Kanjuro, meanwhile, gets more interesting in maybe the worst way possible. Orochi's explanation that Kanjuro is an actor who only wants to die is an extraordinarily lazy way to square his betrayal with his presence at the execution. He wasn't exactly a standout character earlier, but his complete subservience to Orochi and lack of ambition denies him all agency. Kanjuro's powers get more interesting but his character takes an absolute dive.
But now the boys are back! And the future writeups can't possibly be as long as this one, right? Right?
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 97-98: Yamato and Onigashima Invasion
This whole section feels extremely chaotic, but at least we've got some excellent character interactions to get us through it. Some great art in here too, especially with Kaido. I thought chapter 986 was a standout.
First thing first, we've got to wrap up the thoroughly underwhelming ferry sequence. There are no names antagonists here, just three ships of goons that inexplicably threaten the samurai. All three captains focus on one ship, Denjiro reveals himself and handles a second in the least dramatic way possible, and Jinbe suddenly pops up to handle the last one. The whole situation feels extremely contrived- sure the samurai are at a major disadvantage on the sea, but the Strawhats along could have wiped out that trio of ships. They're weaker so other characters get a chance to shine, and it sucks. Compare it to the sequence of last-minute saves escaping WCI: yes those got a bit overlong, but they also all felt desperate enough to be necessary. It made sense in context that they needed help. Not so here. Jinbe in particular grinds my gears: it's great to finally have him here, but did this random save justify putting off his official joining for another 100 chapters? I would certainly argue no.
Law is a total gem here though, between his impatience with the Scabbards and his plan expecting Luffy and Kidd to recklessly attempt a frontal assault. Dude's learned from Dressrosa.
On Onigashima, we get introduced to the rest of the Flying Six (Great: Ulti, Good: Black Maria and Who's Who, Incredibly Forgettable: Sasaki) and first get mention of Yamato, who I'd totally first appears with a mask. I like that the Flying Six clearly have their own dynamic going on, particularly with their ambition towards becoming All-Stars. They mostly spend their screentime well, though Sasaki getting tied up by Denjiro feels rather pointless. I also question the idea of this invasion being the time to expose and execute X Drake, but that feels more like it's on Queen, who isn't taking anything seriously. Don't have too much to say about Yamato yet other than that the mutterings among the Beast Pirates about him help us as an audience trust him more when he shows up.
Kanjuro is incredibly one-dimensional in his appearances this volume. The headless samurai paintings are a nice touch but otherwise he is surprisingly static. I suppose it contrasts well with the sentimentality of the rest of the Scabbards, even if that conflict is largely off-screened. Shame he's not actually defeated yet.
One big point I've kind of turned a corner on is Kaido's attack on Orochi. The first time it felt rather random- why now? But reading again, I realized that the major catalyst is the alliance with Big Mom. With two Yonkou together, Kaido wants to switch from being primarily isolationist to expansionism. He's looking to consolidate his forces and wants to remove a pawn that Big Mom could potentially turn against him. It also helps to underscore the transition from Orochi being the main villain from Act II back to Kaido, who has always been the real threat. That said, Kaido should also know about Orochi's devil fruit and be eminently aware that beheading Orochi won't kill him. So why bother with that? Maybe he was going to burn up Orochi after executing Momo.
So much chaos. We get a decent sense of three or four locations of the castle but a lot of the action as the heroes run around takes place on random floors and against incredibly designed but completely disposable enemies. The conflict certainly feels large scale and disorderly, but I think we as an audience should have a bit better sense of where things are as a whole.
Queen does his stupid Ice Oni virus. Why? The situation hardly called for something that destructive. And why give the antidote to Apoo? Does Queen hate him for some reason? And why does X Drake hate Apoo too? Is it because he has the best gender-swapped design? We may never know.
I mentioned some character interactions being great earlier. In addition to Law's grumpy foresight and the Flying Six's dynamic, it's just really great to have the Strawhats back. Jinbe and Robin just vibing is freaking adorable and I love the rest of the gags too: Franky running over Big Mom, Big Mom remembering Brook, Zoro critiquing Luffy while causing an even bigger mess, and all the scaredycats hiding in the tank. I think the team tactics are clowning on Big Mom a little too easily but it's still so refreshing to have our main heroes back.
Latest posts made by Jabberwok
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RE: Movies that don't deserve their own thread
Read the corresponding book (Mickey 7) in anticipation of this one. Book was just ok but I'm expecting Bong Joon-Ho to really elevate the material.
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RE: American Politics: A Brand New Day
JD Vance has been under that bus long enough to owe rent
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RE: The Brandon Sanderson (Cosmere) and other Fantasy novels thread
Huh. Not sure they really make sense for where they're matched up.
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The Baratheons are most relevant during A Clash of Kings so you'd think the stag would go there.
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The lion's mouth would be most fitting in either A Game of Thrones or A Storm of Swords, both cases where the Lannisters are ascendant and a Stark walks into a lethal trap.
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No one important ventures north of the Wall in AGoT. It'd be more fitting to put that on ACoK or ASoS.
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A Feast for Crows is fine, but the crow breaks the emblem theme unless you're counting the Night's Watch, who don't feature in the book outside of Sam. I'd suggest a sun over a wasteland for the Dornish.
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A Dance with Dragons is the most acceptable but I'd still rather see it with the traveller sailing down a river (Tyrion) rather than venturing through empty woods (Bran, I suppose).
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
Spinner got crammed with a bunch of quirks to make him a mindless symbol for heteromorphs and to remove a potential link to Shigaraki.
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RE: Season 2 (and Beyond?) Speculation Thread (Spoilers)
No clue where they plan to shoot location for Drum Island but that might affect the timeline for when they'd actually need JLC anyway.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
@pariston_hill said in My Hero Academia II - A true Hero:
@Time-Control-Magician Mayuri vs giant hand beg to differ.
@Jabberwok said in My Hero Academia II - A true Hero:
Put out of its misery?
It's a misery for the readers to follow since the first war.
Literally just drop the series. It's not too late to claim moral superiority if that's what you're after.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
Put out of its misery? MHA is very clearly ending in its own terms.
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RE: The Brandon Sanderson (Cosmere) and other Fantasy novels thread
Saw this pointed out elsewhere, but the irony that BrandoSando the Complex Magic System Man is playing a pure physical build.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 107-108: Egghead, Fullalead, Large Cries, Chocolate Shake!
Hot damn a lot happens in these two volumes! You'd think stuff like Law and Kid getting defeated would be a big deal, but when we have the truth about Reverie, Garp's invasion of Fullalead, Kuma's backstory, and the rapidly escalating stakes on Egghead they get pretty overshadowed. We'll no doubt see both of them again. The Cross Guild is likewise a wildcard that will bump into some major conflict too.
Ok, finishing up the first portion of Egghead it strikes me how quickly the murder mystery portion passes. There was a ton of speculation reading it in real time, but in retrospect the mystery only lasts like four chapters? York's reveal is still frustratingly abrupt, particularly because it's never clarified how the Strawhats learn she's the culprit. It's a cool little bit of intrigue that's undercut not only by the unearned reveal of York but the smash cut to her defeat once we come back from the interlude.
The battle on Fullalead is I think the first time we've seen Garp go absolutely all out. There were glimpses on Marineford against Blackbeard but here Garp's raw strength is the focus and it's incredible, even as Garp himself is dissatisfied with the results. We get some nice insight into his relationship with Kuzan and his well-deserved faith in Koby alongside some fantastic action. Kuzan's motives are just as murky as ever, but if he's a double agent he's sure in deep. Garp ends up sacrificing himself to save future generations; that's undoubtedly a theme we'll see again from him, but I'm curious how it might also explain some of his past actions. Really looking forward to seeing more of him in flashbacks.
Reverie wraps up for real, probably. Honestly, it's kind of been vexing to read Reverie given how the end state was teased a few volumes ago. It was difficult to remember what we already know and what's supposed to be a mystery. That said, there were a couple things that stood out given the recent Egghead reveals. Imu definitely has the most humanoid of these demonic forms, as every other form has been revealed and can be crossed off. The Elders refer to using the Mother Flame to destroy Lulusia but in retrospect it's clear they mean use it as a power source. Plus, the Elders say it will be able to let them end this war, which suggests that they too view the 800-year-old war to still be going. Presumably it's the inaccessibility of the three Ancient Weapons that has caused the lull in the war, though that also means there had to have been some reason Pluton became nonfunctional too. Anyway, Reverie as a whole has offered us a ton of lore, big reveals, and an important shuffling of the cards. Even as the attack can be considered a qualified success for the Revolutionaries, the successive shots of multiple stowaways escaping Mary Geoise clearly indicate that this is just another inciting incident in the building war.
Ok, back to Egghead. Like I mentioned earlier, the jump to York defeated feels out of left field. Yes, her defeat was basically a foregone conclusion, but it feels like such a hard pivot away from the direction of the previous plot that it really does feel like Oda got bored or changed his mind. I guess the only real way to combat Blackbeard to for Luffy to develop his own Color of Off-screen Haki! York's call to the Elders is a fun little reveal that falls apart immediately under scrutiny. If York is making the call at the crew's (Nami's) request, why don't they get mad at her for crying for help at the end? They barely got any information! It really only works as a way to surprise the audience after the crew hasn't been seen in 10 chapters.
One thing that's a bit frustrating about Egghead is how it adds a ton of color to existing side characters while also offering us so little character development for the Strawhats. The arc's not ended yet, but basically no one on the crew has had any kind of character arc or emotional scene. We've gotten scattered character beats and clear personality gags, but you'd expect someone like Franky, Chopper, Robin, or Sanji to have some major feelings about Vegapunk's research. Franky in particular is galling, given that he's had minimal character development since he joined the crew 700 chapters ago. This is THE science island! You studied Vegapunk's research! Rising sea levels have already impacted Water 7! Franky's in a lot of scenes on Egghead but rarely the focus; hopefully that will change, but with the massive snafu Egghead has turned into my expectations aren't high. Contrast that with someone like Kizaru or Rob Lucci, who have gotten more interesting than ever. Lucci's shown more personality as a tertiary antagonist on Egghead than he ever did during the CP9 saga. He's got a grudge against Luffy, naturally, but he also ends up showing more concern for Kaku than we'd expect. When Lucci "shockingly" betrays the crew and attacks again, he leaves Kaku behind, trapped, without a word. Yet when he runs into Mars next volume, he asks that Kaku be spared. To me, the implication is that Lucci trusts the Strawhats to not harm an injured and imprisoned Kaku, and he also understands the World Government well enough to know they usually don't care about casualties. It's a really interesting dichotomy.
Kizaru's a freaking cipher. His fight against Luffy is pretty neat, given that Kizaru is probably the canniest of the admirals and is capable of tricking chaotic Toon Luffy. More importantly, I'm squarely in the camp of those hoping Kizaru will betray or undermine WG efforts in some way. A few instances hint at his emotional turbulence during these volumes. Most obviously, he literally states he doesn't want to kill his friends and is trying to get this over quickly. When he's dispatching to the island, Saturn tells him to bypass Sentomaru to attack Stella directly. Kizaru ends up disregarding this and intentionally clashes with Sentomaru, likely in part to save Marine lives by flipping the Pacifista but mostly out of respect for his student. And during Kuma's flashback, Kizaru is very equally presented alongside Kuma, Bonney, Vegapunk, and Sentomaru as the five friends. He even dances like Nika with them! Don't let us down, Kizaru!
Speaking of Kuma's flashback, it's one of the best in years. Kuma's long been an intriguing character in the background and it's a bittersweet shock to see him so full of kindness, grief, and emotion in this flashback. Despite the frequent montages and the work it does to connect plot points, Kuma's emotional journey and the way he helps those around him is on full display the entire time. It's clear how he's driven into fighting the injustices he sees; the contrast between the fearsome Revolutionary and the doting father parallels our own growing understanding of his character, and the beats like exploring the timeskip islands and taking the pain bubble of the elderly anchor his connection to the Strawhats. Bonney, too, goes from being an interesting character before the flashback to an adorable and beloved hero over the course of it. After being forced to spend so much of her life indoors, all she wants to do is explore the world, and her father wants nothing more than to support her in this. That said, the flashback isn't flawless. Ginny gets fridged harder than I think any character in the series, between getting kidnapped, raped, experimented upon, contracting grayscale, and ultimately dying with unrequited love. So much of this happens off-screen and in such quick succession that I really hope she's secretly alive, or that there's more to the story. It's frankly disgusting and a stain on an incredible flashback otherwise.
Thematically, Egghead centers around two things: free will and the morality of science. I'll get more into the former next time, but the ethical dilemmas found in scientific discovery and development are displayed well here. Vegapunk wants to make the world a better place, but his need for funding pushes him to accept oversight from the World Government. His greed is quite apparent, as he immediately covets Kuma for research as soon as he learns of his Buccaneer ancestry and crafts his pitch to get what he wants. Plus, York, his greed personified, sells him out to the WG in exchange for power and comfort. The WG, of course, isn't actually interested in making the world a better place. They're the military-industrial complex, making weapons and hording resources to maintain and expand their power. Vegapunk makes his peace with their corruption of his inventions and proceeds undisturbed until, when the WG finally pushes Vegapunk to a line he doesn't want to cross (erasing Kuma), he's in too deep and has no choice but to accept their demands. The greed of the researcher for comfort and resources pushes him to compromise on his morals until he feels forced to be complicit in his backer's atrocities. That's Vegapunk's true sin, and one that occurs all too frequently in the real world. Combine that moral with the environmental overtones of rising seas and new fuel sources and Egghead is easily the most relevant arc to the modern world.
Speaking of which, I'll be all caught up after the next post! I've enjoyed rereading but I'm looking forward to being rid of the guilt of reading too slowly.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
@The-Light-of-Shandora I think that makes total sense. Like I mentioned, it's been quite difficult to tell which details are important, which are red herrings, and which were maybe dropped plot points. It's a struggle to think of another arc that will benefit from hindsight as much as this one.