No, it'll probably be at least a year from now.
Posts made by Jabberwok
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RE: Season 2 (and Beyond?) Speculation Thread (Spoilers)
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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.
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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 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: AP Forums Tabletop Gaming Thread: ROLLIN' DICE AND PLAYIN' NICE
I cast Raise Thread!
I'm working on creating some magical items for my Level 15 party as I shove them into a shop and signpost that the campaign is ending soon. They're terrible at looting, shopping, and distributing magic items so in addition to some generally good items I want a few custom things I can offer to specific characters. I've got a few ideas already but I could use help generating more.
My party and their current items are as follows:
Half-Elf Lore Bard with Boots of Elvenkind, a Hat of Disguise, and some decent magic armor. Dislikes combat, loves pranks.
Silver Dragonborn Sorcerer with a Shadowfell Shard (never used), Stirring Dragon-Touched Focus (never appreciably used), a Dragontooth Dagger (used once), and Goggles of Night. Diplomatic until it's time to start blasting.
Half-Orc Land (Coast) Druid with a Staff of Frost, +1 half-plate, and Gauntlets of Ogre Strength. Typically absent, but enthusiastic.
Gnomish Nature Cleric with Boots of Striding and Springing and a Propeller Helm. Somewhat passive with pretty bad stats, definitely looking to help them improve.
Human Armorer Artificer with a suite of infused items and a nice new pair of damage boosting gauntlets. Often does his best to tank and support the party.
Any and all ideas are welcome!
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
@Nectar Shigaraki never had full control of Star's quirk- her last move was to use it to strip away his extra quirks granted by the AfO transfer. I'm pretty certain Shigaraki only has Decay (and Danger Sense) in addition to biologically enhanced strength and regeneration, which doesn't count as a quirk for the purposes of Eraserhead.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 81-82: Zou and arrival in Totland.
Zou really is heavy on exposition, isn't it? It's working hard to set things up for both Whole Cake Island and Wano while making the minks an interesting and sympathetic group. That doesn't leave a ton of space for adventure of themes, particularly since the conflicts are pretty quickly resolved.
Thematically, I think the theme of the arc is the danger of assumptions. The minks are a very foreign race and often conduct themselves in a way that confuses or surprises outsiders. When I mentioned those foreboding cliffhangers before, the charitable reading is that the minks just have a weird way of delivering information and that leads the crew to make several incorrect assumptions. Chief among them, and the one that supports what tension exists in Zou, is that the minks will be enraged at the presence of samurai. In rereading, I'm pretty sure no mink every actually says anything like this- it's all assumptions on the Straw Hats' part. It makes the reveal a bit more palatable, but I can't help feeling that Oda is drawn between necessary tension to maintain suspense and quickly resolving those conflicts to avoid detracting from the avalanche of plot revelations.
Speaking of assumptions, Jack makes two big ones. He correctly assumes that Raizo is on Zou, leading to his destruction of the country. We have to do some inferring here, but Jack is definitely acting on information from Kanjuro. He's arrived at Zou following the same navigation as the samurai, presumably, but we're never told what that is- possibly a Vivre card from Inu and Neko, maybe something else. But neither the samurai nor Jack are positive Raizo actually made it to Zou, so Jack is rampaging just because he's an asshole. The second of Jack's assumptions is the dismissal of Zunesha as a defenseless animal. We all know how that turned out. It's quite a moment.
A couple things I want to try and look out for: Momo says he's staying on Zou to talk to Kenosha, but I don't remember what he actually learns prior to appearing in Wano. He's also got the Voice of All Things, which suggests that ability might be hereditary. I don't think we've seen Garp or Dragon ever hear voices but I want to keep an eye out now. And in regard to Reverie, Kureha says she's joining the Drum Kingdom delegation but I don't think we ever see her appear later. Bit of a potential Chekhov's Doctor that still hasn't been used.
Reverie prep is fun! It's delightful to see Vivi and how much she's matured. Cobra foreshadows his confrontation with Imu. And we get a nice little parade of other reappearances, including the surprisingly important Wapol.
Onwards to Totland! I think Pudding's surprise interaction with the crew is genuinely accidental, as she's an established chocolate maker who already owned the cafe for a while. It's some heads-up thinking on her part to direct the crew into a trap. Germa 66 also gets introduced- they're a faction in WCI that I think is thoroughly underused by the end of the arc and I'm curious if that opinion will change. Yonji's introduced as antagonistic but Reiju is definitely more of a mysterious femme fatale- it would have been a great gag if she also had Sanji's heart eyes over hot people too. Wish their powers would be more relevant later too. And lastly, Brook gets a number of minor teases in the opening chapters that he's got extra knowledge about Germa and the state of the world sixty years ago. I recall Brook definitely getting some time to shine on Whole Cake Island but nothing too specific about his past. Still hoping we'll get that in the future, maybe with more Xebec or Garp stuff. His vagueness is even more conspicuous than Sanji's! Give us more quality Brook content!
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RE: What characters will be brought back and what will their next moves be?
Go to Disneyland, probably
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RE: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part II: Do the Dio Walk!
It's really nice to have a proper crew back together after two parts of duo-focused plots. I can't pick a favorite, I like them all!
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 79-80: Dressrosa conclusion and Zou reunion.
Off the bat, Doflamingo is blasted into the side of the tiered palace plateau as Luffy runs out of Haki. This time around I realized that Doflamingo is in the same cross-like pose as in his nightmares of his childhood, before a revelling city that wants his blood. No surprise he goes berserk when he revives and starts attacking civilians.
Luffy's refractory period and the contracting Bird Cage are unnecessary details that slow the plot down in order to touch on a few more thematic beats. Namely, it shows off the dwarves working in concert with humans, gives Viola something to do besides narrate, and allows the rest of the populace to unite in their defense of each other and Luffy. It feels quite a bit like filler, and it's not helped by some fairly lackluster choreography in the final clash between Mingo and Luffy. I do, however, like the idea of King Riku staring out at the ruins of Dressrosa and seeing not devastation but a chance for a fresh start.
Sabo vs. Burgess is also in the background. Burgess has been basically a non-factor in Dressrosa and if we're being honest Sabo's not particularly important either. Certainly true to Ace's introduction in Alabasta! Sabo's quick flashback after the battle has always struck me as a bit off- he apparently recognizes Ace from the papers but only when his death is reported, not when his capture or planned execution are published? Anyways, both characters are mainly here to reflect the more complex web of interested parties that are characteristic of the New World.
Other quick hits: Fujitora is great as a person truly attempting to do good in his new official capacity. Kyros gets told to quit his bullshit in as kind a way as possible. Oda pulls that "we knew all along" thing with Dressrosa's citizens that's kind of gotten a bit old at this point, but at least it's over the relatively minor details of the dwarves' not-so-secret existence and Rebecca's parentage.
Thematically, Dressrosa really emphasizes two things: identity and mentorship. Throughout Dressrosa characters are constantly referred to with pseudonyms or alternate identities. Violet is Viola, Doflamingo is Joker, Corazon is Rocinante, Luffy is Lucy is Luffyland, Soldier-san is Kyros, Ricky is Riku, and so on. It's a reflection of Dressrosa's two-faced nature, with the hidden reality beneath the public face. We constantly see characters casting off their false identities to proclaim their true self: Usopp sheds Usoland when he realizes the harm it's done to the dwarves, Ricky is forced to reclaim his crown as Riku Dolde III, and Corazon proudly says he's Rocinante the Marine in his final moments. There's one key exception: Lucy and Luffy. In the final showdown, Gatz rallies the people to Luffy by using his gladiator name, and when the people build him a statue later, it's of Lucy the Gladiator. I think the key is that Luffy might have used a different name but never really acted that different. His actions always plainly align with his beliefs, so he has no shame with either role. A name doesn't really matter when it still honestly describes the person.
In terms of mentorship, we're presented with at least five different studies of child/parent, student/mentor relationships. All are different. Kyros and Rebecca are quite obvious, as Kyros is driven by shame, guilt, and fatherly love to raise Rebecca in the best way he can. He's tough but ordered and acts out of his direct relationship to Rebecca. Corazon and Law form another pair, but Corazon is much more chaotic and mercurial. He's got no specific duty to Law other than what he assigns himself, and we get the sense that his devotion to curing Law is as much about relitigating his childhood with his brother as it is about saving Law. We see him in need of Law's affection just as much as Law needs Corazon's. On the flip side, we have the nods at Doflamingo's raising by Trebol and company. Trebol's mentorship isn't driven by love but by ambition and greed. He (accurately) sees Doflamingo as a ticket to power, but as Law points out, he's clinging to the delusion that he's Doflamingo's equal. Doffy's long eclipsed him as a ruler, even is he's fond of Trebol's presence. And in turn we see Bellamy's unrequited idolization of Doflamingo, who simply sees Bellamy as a spoiled brat. Bellamy has a child's worship of his idol and gives up everything in hopes of being acknowledged by Doflamingo, who keeps breaking his heart and beating him down. Doflamingo only uses him as a disposable tool. We also get other glimpses of mentorship, like King Riku and Kyros or Rocinante and Sengoku. All these hierarchical relationships lead towards Luffy's own "paternal" role with the oath of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Luffy, of course, rejects any formal role. He's already got his crew for family and none of the Fleet is really in need of mentorship anyway. But Luffy does establish his own standards for the relationship: mutual protection and a willingness to rely on one another. Luffy doesn't want to be a patiarch, but anyone who fights and feasts with him is a friend for life.
On to Zou, which I've always disliked. I'm trying to keep a fresh perspective, which means simply rolling my eyes and moving on when Wanda refers to Strawhat corpses or Nami is cliffhangered into leaving Sanji's fate blank. All of Zou's present day tension is based on misunderstandings, which is why Law thinks the Minks are hostile to humans and the samurai are repeatedly knocked off Zou. I just wish those misunderstandings were resolved less anticlimactically.
My new problem with Zou is how the exposition actively gets in the way of the mystery and exploration of the country. Zou is completely unique and an absolutely fascinating setting, but we hardly get a chance to explore it with the crew before being assigned a guide to safely shuttle the crew along. Wanda's explaining the workings of the flood, for instance, right before Robin gets to flex her archaeological skills, undercutting the impact of her investigation. Leave the perspective limited to the crew exploring and save the explanations and release of tension for the reunion! The initial exploration of a new island is consistently one of the best parts of any arc and it's a shame to see that undermined so quickly here.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
@Riddler
I don't think any other member takes out more than one coliseum fighter and Dellinger specifically takes out four (Dagama, Blue Gilly, Suleiman, and Ideo). Kid is ferocious.@The-Light-of-Shandora
This definitely treads into parasocial analysis but I can't help comparing Kuma's and Kyros's approaches as fathers and thinking it's a reflection of Oda's own growth as a father. Both are totally devoted to their daughters, but Kyros wants to shelter and protect her and make sure nothing bad ever happens to her. Kuma, meanwhile, wants to help his daughter fulfill her dreams and is much more respectful of Bonney as an individual. He's got too much experience to know he can't keep her fully safe, but he's brimming with pride in her and treasures her growth. Kyros, meanwhile, lives in the past, constantly flashing back to Rebecca as a young girl he failed to protect. I don't think Kyros ever expresses pride in the competent fighter Rebecca's become- he just says Rebecca has kept her hands clean. Given that Oda's first daughter was born in 2006, it feels like the evolution in understanding parenthood from raising a young child to a teen: you can't keep them safe forever. Better to set them up well to pursue their own happiness than fight the inevitable. It's nice to see that growth. -
RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 77-78: Corazon through Gear Fourth
Well those chapters certainly breezed by! It helps that a large portion were the sequence of allied victories:
Hajrudin's defeat of Machvise is one of the most forgettable since it's the first to happen and Machvise is so deeply boring. Has the benefit of catching us by surprise at least.
Sai beats Lao G, Baby 5, and his own grandpa all in one go and noticeably gets more cutaways in the following chapters. It's fun, full of gags, and still pretty cool.
Dellinger is scary and then gets one shot by Hakuba, who then gets contained by Robin. If we can't give her a proper fight it's at least an impressive transitive feat. Barto's tagteam fight with Gladius is a lot of fun and really sells Gladius as a dangerous enemy. Good stuff.
Señor Pink is definitely one of the most memorable of the Doflamingo Family, with a brief heartbreaker of a flashback and a funny gag. The Kyuin bit sucks, of course, but I also take issue with Franky risking the whole factory destruction mission to meet Pink on his own terms. Is it hard-boiled? Sure. But it's also pretty dumb.
Leo and Kabu beating Jora is kind of weird. The revival of fallen members is only lightly foreshadowed with Sugar's brief reemergence, so the stakes here feel a bit contrived. Leo's finishing move is quite cool but Jora doesn't even put up a fight or use her ability.
Rebecca...
Zoro's demolition of Pica is so freaking cool. The genuinely clever binary search and coordination with allies shows some real character growth for Zoro, and the art is absolutely fantastic. Pica shouting about Haki is kind of a random note for the actual fight but just serves to segue into a bit of Zoro's training with Mihawk.
Bellamy's fight is forgettable outside of the callbacks, but in contrast to my previous critique I suppose he does provide an example of Doflamingo manipulating people without even using his power. He's been broken down so many times by Doflamingo but just keeps crawling back in hopes of gaining acknowledgement- by contrast, Luffy's new respect for him is so unexpected he doesn't know how to handle it. It's an interesting idea, but Bellamy is so minor in he scheme of things that he's overshadowed by the more important stories.
Fine, I'll talk about Rebecca. She's a massive disappointment. She's begging to help her father but gets held back by Robin (side note, Robin shows up ready to kick Diamante's ass and then immediately steps aside the next chapter, boo). Rebecca's meant to serve as an embodiment of Dressrosa's former ideals- never draw blood, stay wholesome through avoiding violence. The thing is, Dressrosa fell because it couldn't defend itself against Doflamingo. Rebecca spends many matches in the coliseum, building a reputation for excellent defense without hurting anyone. That's exactly what Dressrosa should be! Except in the critical fight against Doflamingo, Rebecca is specifically told not to fight. It'd be one thing if she was wrathful and had to learn to pass on selfish, staining vengeance. But vengeance pretty clearly isn't a negative here, as Kyros heroically sustains incredible injuries in his quest for revenge on Diamante. Nope, Rebecca is told to forget the skills she's honed and simply look on as her long-lost father nearly dies. He needs help? Eh, he'll figure it out. Keeping Rebecca pure and untouched is too important. She loses all agency to become a prop in Kyros's own malformed story of revenge, and that's treated as a good thing. One of the most disappointing characters in the series, easily.
Meanwhile, Law's getting absolutely brutalized in his quest for revenge. Getting his arm cut off, even if it's replaced later, has to be one of the most gruesome actions we see on screen. Personally, I think his endless attacks on Doflamingo are a bit too drawn out- his body switch is neat but Gamma Knife accomplishes nothing besides showing Law running out of further ways to hurt Doflamingo. That's something that could've been accomplished more simply. Trebol is garbage, his fruit doesn't make much sense since we've seen him bisected like four times, and he's not even skinny enough just justify him dodging Luffy's blows. His delusions of manipulating and being considered equal to Doflamingo certainly throw an interesting wrinkle in the family dynamic, though, so there's that.
And then Doflamingo starts getting ragdolled by Gear Fourth Luffy, which is undeniably fun. In classic Luffy fashion it's both badass and deeply silly, and it's certainly satisfying to see Doflamingo get punted around the island. Once Doflamingo activates his Awakening, though, there's about a 20 minute gap where Luffy apparently just dodges around for a while. Kind of a weird pacing thing. Everyone's pinning their hopes on him now.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 75-76: God Usopp to Law's flashback.
Usopp unleashes hell on Doflamingo with his surprise defeat of Sugar, immediately followed by Sabo easily swiping the Mera Mera no Mi. We get Kyros in the same pose beheading Doflamingo and a brief skirmish between Doflamingo and Luffy. It all makes for a pretty exciting climax to the second act of Dressrosa!
And then we get a reset. Pica reshapes the island, conveniently giving the king and co. a safe space to coordinate from, making the Smile factory fairly easy to access, and hoisting the palace on top of four video-gamey tiers to climb through. I get that Doflamingo needed a bit of time to activate Birdcage and had to eject Luffy's group for that, but the newly terraformed Dressrosa feels poorly made for Doffy's purposes. The Birdcage is, for the moment, simply an impressive and frightening display of power. It hasn't been shown to be absurdly impervious to every other character yet, Zoro included.
I've got a real soft spot for the motley coliseum army. The chaotic clash of ego and gratitude giving way to teamwork in support of Luffy makes for a fun time indeed. The ascent up the tiers starts to outstay its welcome, though, as we get several chapters of dashing through obstacles without any significant plot development. It's supposed to feel like a real accomplishment when Luffy and Law reach the palace and instead it feels like a relief it's over. Along the way, Dellinger and Gladius are noticeably the most dangerous enemies (excluding Pica and Sugar), so their eventual defeat at the hands of the most notable Fleet members is fitting. Also, Usopp's big CoO sniping moment still kicks ass. It's a truly incredible feat that's only somewhat undercut by the swarming populace that's captured them doing a full 180 in the very next chapter. Quick shout-out to Kanjuro for the "accidental" sabotage through ladder creation. If only Dressrosa's citizens didn't wildly vary their attitudes at the plot's whim.
Law and Luffy vs. Doflamingo and Trebol is fun, but still obviously in the preliminary stages. Bellamy's here too, and it occurs to me just how little he contributed to the story. I guess he's there to contrast with Law in which horse they've bet on? Bellamy's futile efforts to join the Family are surely contrasted with Doflamingo's indulgence of the Family proper, which has just as many fuck-ups; his constant rejection stems from his origin as a well-off brat idolizing Doflamingo. But it really feels like that's an angle into Doflamingo's character that's never fully capitalized on. Luffy decides he's cool with Bellamy way too early for my taste- if Bellamy was a more antagonistic and less pitiful figure early on, Doflamingo's casual abuse and betrayal of him could've really pressed the nakama button. Kind of retreads the Brownbeard stuff though. Anyways, Bellamy needed more to do besides just be a callback to Doflamingo's introduction.
And I know it's reading ahead but I'll cover it here to save space next time- Corazon is wonderful. Clumsy, violent, and full of love, he works so well as a good-hearted foil to Doflamingo. The flashback is a bit of a slow burn as we're initially hooked with snippets of Law's and Doflamingo's traumatic childhoods and the mystery of Corazon. Once Rocinante kidnaps Law and devotes his life to saving him it's all fantastic. The tie-ins with Sengoku and Drake are neat, the masterful display of Rocinante's power is surprisingly cool, the showdown with Doflamingo is tense despite the foregone conclusion, and the ending with Rocinante clinging to life to silence Law's wails is devastating. Damn near got me again on the re-read. Easily rivals the best flashbacks in the series.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Okay, Volumes 73-74: D Block through Operation SOP. Once again a lot of moving parts but I'll try to focus on just a few.
We get the conclusion of Law's fight with Doflamingo (and Fujitora), where Law gets Caesar away and then faces off against Doffy on the bridge, culminating in his brutal defeat outside the colosseum. It's more effective villain work for Doflamingo, who is clearly quite powerful and smart. We also see his continued soft spot for his Family, as he shows concern for rescuing Jora from Law. I'll get into this more in a second but those two factors almost contradict each other in defining his effectiveness as a villain. In the meantime, Sanji has a decent show before jobbing to Doflamingo, continuing his lack of major Ws that legitimately lasts until Queen in Wano. The surprise appearance by Big Mom's crew is a fun twist, though, that propels us through the next two arcs.
Sabo's here! He goes from being teased to dedicated fans to obviously teased to finally being revealed fully in the next batch of chapters. Sabo's kind of an unknown quantity here, we're not sure why he's here or how he's changed and Oda wants to hold off on giving us those answers. He's clearly at least on par with Burgess- to give their rematch later a bit more tension he maybe should've struggled a bit more here.
The two main focuses in this section though are the Riku family and Usoland. I think this is the first and maybe only time we've had a flashback split into three parts and I personally don't care for it. Each flashback takes the perspective of a different character (Rebecca, Riku/Tank, and Kyros) but it feels like we end up retreading a lot of the same material. The montages don't help either. All three are pretty tragic, though I have to wonder why King Riku immediately capitulates to the blackmailing Doflamingo rather than mount any kind of defense. Pacifism only takes you so far. Kyros's flashback is the most personally tragic of the three as Scarlett dies in his unfeeling arms, but it's also hindered by Scarlett's character being rushed and fragmented between the trio of flashbacks. She lacks the emotional depth of previous figures or Ginny because her character is reduced to a series of plot points. Anyways, Kyros is a compelling hero as the only free toy, resistance leader, and estranged father and less so as the guilt-ridden obsessive protector.
The other key part of this section is Usopp and the dwarves. Oda, quite frankly, leans too hard on the comedy of the situation and it does a disservice to Usopp's character. Usopp is constantly used as a quick joke to undercut the dwarves sincerity to the point that he seems detached from and indifferent to their plight. The idea is that Usopp is a habitual liar who crosses paths with the most gullible people in the world and gets carried away, then has to live up to his words. That's a fine concept. But his constant cowardice up to that confrontation feels like a major step backwards for a character who's already worked for 700 chapters to be brave. Admittedly, this is the first time Usopp is standing up for people he doesn't know as well as the crew and that takes more courage. But it's basically twenty chapters of Usopp being shitty and ignoring the history of a persecuted group and that sucks.
Lastly, I want to talk about Doflamingo and his Family. Doflamingo is quite clearly smart and has a number of plans to ensnare and defeat his enemies. The problem is that he pretty frequently overestimates the strength and competence of his Family. Case in point: Diamante. Doflamingo really expects Diamante to go up against Luffy and Burgess and come out victorious? Trebol is out here flinging ships and Pica has a clearly powerful fruit, but Diamante's big feat is no-selling some random gladiators. He's relegated to second-tier in his own debut as Sabo vs. Burgess is the obvious main attraction. Additionally, as has certainly been pointed out before, Doflamingo's whole operation rests on the protection of one girl, and he leaves the pretty careless Trebol as her bodyguard. Doflamingo is certainly formidable as an antagonist but he's oddly blind to his biggest weaknesses and never seems to learn from his subordinates' mistakes. It's a serious house of cards.
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RE: The Brandon Sanderson (Cosmere) and other Fantasy novels thread
My read of it was about a year ago but I'll give it a shot.
The Night Circus is, in short, the kind of book you love as a tween or early teen and then read again later and realize it's just kind of ok. I read it as part of a book club and basically everyone who had read it before was just a tad disappointed in revisiting it. The majority of the book follows the two romantic leads, Celia and Marco, as they act out a decades-long competition between their magical mentors to create more wonderful and enchanting attractions at the titular traveling circus. The book's strongest moments are in describing those magical attractions, mainly through Bailey, the tertiary lead who visits at a later point in time. The prose captures the imagination and makes for some lovely and memorable scenes.
However [Minor Spoilers], the plot is rather simple and the character work is clearly secondary to the descriptions themselves. Celia's fine, but Marco is obviously a bit shitty both in his manipulation of others and for stringing along his paramour; it hangs a sour note over their inevitable romance. The supporting characters throughout the book are eye-catching but rarely evolve to be more than players upon the stage. The two mentors, who are the closest the book has to villains, aren't interrogated for their misdeeds either- one even escapes any sort of karmic punishment altogether. The book bobs along contentedly as a quick read without delving deeper into any of the characters or questions the reader might have. It's a fairy tale first and foremost and doesn't wish to be much more than that.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Puttering through Vol 73, and I'm sure someone has discussed this before, but Kanjuro's silhouette in Chapter 725 looks extraordinarily like Denjiro instead. Not sure if it's just models that hadn't been finalized or evidence that roles may have been switched around, but it's certainly curious.
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RE: The Brandon Sanderson (Cosmere) and other Fantasy novels thread
Night Circus is a book that's kind of all vibes. It's light on plot and the characters are a bit thin but it still does its best to enchant you anyway with descriptions.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Meanwhile, Vol. 71-72...
Dressrosa starts largely well, with an engaging series of mysteries and plot hooks that pulls the crew in different directions. The Colosseum is obviously the main plot hook, with a huge variety of characters introduced of varying importance. Four are given significant focus (Cavendish, Bartolomeo, Don Chinjao, and Rebecca) that seems to suggest they'll be important in the story, in addition some broad action with the likes of Dagama, Elizabello, Blue Gilly, Ideo, and Sai. Personally, I felt that B Block moved along pretty quickly while Luffy's C Block dragged a bit. Luffy's showdown with Chinjao features some funny visuals with Chinjao's ridiculous head but otherwise doesn't have the choreography to support its length, whereas B Block doesn't have a foregone conclusion and successfully conveys the power of Elizabello's King Punch. D Block, delayed, sets up another unclear victor as Cavendish and Rebecca both receive a good amount of screentime prior to the fight.
The Colosseum, in addition to showcasing future Fleet members, also sets up one of the major themes of Dressrosa: younger generations succeeding or supplanting the old. It's echoed with Law and Doflamingo, of course, and you can even argue that Fujitora is attempting to distinguish himself from the previous 'generation' of admirals. Barto and Cabbage are both relatively young, fame-focused characters who grow over the course of the arc to fully support Luffy and come into their own beside him. Don Chinjao, despite being retired, is clearly in charge of his grandsons but will eventually cede true leadership to Sai. And Rebecca gets to succeed her father as champion of the Colosseum, becoming a famed figh-NOPE
I have to save my Rebecca tirade for once her and Kyros's story is complete, but her early characterization conflicts with later stuff. She apparently attempts to kill Luffy? though he says he can tell she wasn't serious. And she also states she wants to protect Soldier-san instead, but of course will never really be given the chance. Ugh.
Anyways, Law, Usopp, and Robin have the B-plot with the Caesar exchange. The Tontatta are fun early on! And the Law-Fujitora-Doflamingo standoff is suitably epic, showcasing Fujitora's raw power and canny intellect with his "accidental" friendly fire on Doflamingo. Fujitora's introduction in the gambling house is quite cool, though I can't help thinking that it was basically a planned test for Luffy- Fujitora definitely should have been able to tell the Doflamingo family goons were lying and taking advantage of him.
Elsewhere, Sanji's subplot with Violet is rushed for comedic effect, until it's just unironically rushed. It's a showcase of Doflamingo's strengths and weaknesses in miniature- great intel, excellent manipulation of targets, tenuously loyal underlings, and a consistent underestimation of the Strawhats' heart. The frustrating part is, the whole whirlwind fake romance and subsequent reveal doesn't really amount to much. Law gets Sanji's warning too late to do anything different and Sanji doesn't really learn anything else useful. And Violet isn't as present in the story going forward as she should be, given her relationships with Kyros, Riku, and Rebecca.
In between, we've got Franky chatting with Toy Kyros about backstory, Zoro demonstrating the Tontatta fairy tales with Wicca, and Kin'emon taking up panels. Not much to note here, except that Flower Fields is given a fair bit of weight as a destination multiple people are converging on and then it doesn't amount to anything. We just immediately go underground. I think if the entrance to the resistance base had been in the ruins of Scarlett's house rather than a random tree it would've at least gained some more significance.
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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.
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RE: American Politics: A Brand New Day
It's wholely unnecessary. Unless a certain restaurant is the only food available at a given rest stop, there's no reason to force them to stay open. It's harmless religious expression and curtailing it just feeds into culture war bullshit.
I say this as someone who has purposefully never eaten at Chick-fil-A.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 67-68, trying to keep this one short.
I used to think Punk Hazard wasn't that bad but something about this re-read changed my mind. It's painfully apparent how much random filler there is that keeps the crew separated at one point or another. The Yeti Cool Brothers are the primary offenders as they're effortlessly dispatched by Monster!Franky and Law, yet they're randomly able to take out half the crew through basically laziness on the SH's part. Likewise, while Kin'emon's three body problem makes for a memorable intro, the sidequest to retrieve his torso is pretty unnecessary and just functions to give Sanji some poor jokes. It all feels like the crew is just running endlessly in circles to kill time, and that's before PH's infamous running through corridors sequence.
Caesar remains the best part of Punk Hazard. He's an absolute heel that oozes crazed charisma while also representing a speed bump the pre-TS crew would've found nigh-insurmountable. He's so horrid that having him become comic relief later remains profoundly weird, but hey, that's One Piece. Still very entertaining.
The body swap is a smart in-universe move on Law's part since it creates dependency on both G5 and the SHs' parts. It just adds more noise to the narrative, but it has a few decent jokes here and there.
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RE: American Politics: A Brand New Day
Stupid bill. Don't they have better things to do?
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Wa no Kuni is the pun name of Wano, literally meaning Country of Harmony. Same thing for Chinjao's Ka no Kuni (Country of Flowers). It makes it clear that Wano is a country based on Japan.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
A live action MHA adaptation is in production at Netflix, likely as a movie: https://collider.com/my-hero-academia-live-action-update/
Frankly I think it's going to be a flop. Much of the fun of MHA comes from seeing a popular subgenre take form through a different medium. A live action adaptation removes that aspect and just leaves us with another superhero property. And a film is almost certainly too short to faithfully adapt the best of the series.
But hey, OPLA and Invincible have both been successful so maybe it'll surprise me.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
I think I read it as
- Spiraling left hook Howitzer Impact to halt AFO's momentum
- Downward swipe flinging sweat like a cluster bomb
- ????
- Grapple AFO's face for point blank explosions
- Firing him into the ground
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Volumes 65-66 (ohgodimsofarbehind):
A solid ending to Fishman Island. The stopping of the Noah didn't quite take as long as I remembered, though the fights until then certainly felt a bit drawn out. Hody makes for a decent villain in that he's an empty piece of shit who's not quite strong enough to threaten the Strawhats' but durable enough to let Luffy show off his new strength. The steroids the New Fishman Pirates are using make for a nice little metaphor- the villains quite literally spend their lives on spreading hatred and still can't stop change.
I also really appreciate the symbolism of the Noah. The ark was built on Joyboy's unfulfilled promise from 800 years ago; the resentment towards humans has festered inside it until it begins to corrupt anyone who touches it. Fishman Island, in the one spot of light deep below the see, is eclipsed by the pain and anger found in the Noah. When Fukaboshi tells Luffy to destroy the sacred Noah, he and his country are agreeing to tackle the accumulated hate of the Fishman District head on. It doesn't matter that the Noah is eventually saved, it's the willingness to move past those negative memories that counts.
You know who doesn't have symbolism? Vander Decken. The creep exists to drive the plot but doesn't tie in at all to the messages of the arc. Hody's betrayal of him is a neat moment, but Decken is just purely annoying before then. If I were to rewrite the arc, I'd make Vander Decken a demagogue trying to use the New Fishman Pirates' hate as a vehicle for his own power grab. When Hody offs him, it'd be because he's fomented a monster that consumes all in the way that hate-based movements often consume their creators that inevitably fails more and more extreme purity tests. Decken is definitely a weak point of the arc.
The falling action of Fishman Island is definitely pretty neat though. The Tamatebako bomb is a 200 chapter Chekhov's gun that I'd probably replace in a possible live action adaptation, but Big Mom's introduction is suitably creepy and intimidating. And don't think I missed civilians referring to Luffy's straw hat as a Hero Hat! That's particularly noteworthy given the giant one we've seen in Mariejois.
Lastly, early Punk Hazard is fun and spooky. Oda always knocks the early exploration chapters out of the park. Kin'emon's ability to talk out his ass is a pretty random feature that never comes back, though. Imagine the hilarity of the callback if he had to do it again in Wano.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
Get wrecked indeed. Horikoshi going absolutely nuts on the art.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
How would we feel about spacing things out ever so slightly so there's a day of rest each week? Say Saturday and Sunday are breaks for everyone to catch up and more easily discuss the volumes of the past week?
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
@The-Light-of-Shandora I'm still behind but I've always felt that the opening act of Dressrosa, those first 30-40 chapters, are extremely strong. It's the rebuffed first assault and Bird Cage stuff that brings the arc down.
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RE: Arlong Park rereads One Piece post time skip (December 2023)
Day 2, gotta read faster.
I don't have too much to say about the FI flashback, which makes up a major part of these volumes. However, given the themes of forgiveness in the arc, Nami's decision to forgive Jinbe for releasing Arlong stands as a powerful indicator to him of the Strawhats' character. Nami's breaking the cycle of racial hatred just like Otohime wanted and that probably ends up factoring into Jinbe's decision to join the crew.
Forgot about the caped figure drinking with Crocus in the cover story. Did we ever determine who that was?
Fishman Island certainly marks a turning point where Luffy starts being the hero of the people. In retrospect, it very much plays into Nika's role as Warrior of Liberation. Someone mentions that Luffy hasn't been cheered for frequently and that's true pre-timeskip- I don't think a whole populace roots for him in Paradise outside of the exiled pirates of Thriller Bark. Which, on the topic of Nika, metaphorically and literally involves the sun breaking through darkness. Luffy's newfound role as savior of the people definitely has its downsides in terms of pacing, as several chapters are devoted to the chaos of Hody's takeover without really forwarding the plot. It definitely drags out the climax of this story. Anyways, Luffy says the cheering will distract him so it better not be too frequent. Get used to it, bud.
Lastly, I still have problems with Shirahoshi's decision to not expose Hody Jones as Otohime's killer. Shirahoshi embodies the forgiveness that's central to this arc, but Hody ABSOLUTELY has a point when he says Shirahoshi effectively enabled this whole plot. There's a difference between hating someone and punishing a murderer, particularly one scheming for more political power. One could argue that Neptune and the others worked to move past it because they had no one to take out their rage on, but humans were already being blamed for the murder and hated for it. Shirahoshi doesn't stop any hate by letting the island blame one group of people over an individual. In fact, you could easily make the argument that by not exposing Hody, Shirahoshi damaged Otohime's efforts by letting the rift between fishmen and humans widen once more. It drives me nuts that her foolish actions are treated as simply good.
Also, Horn Point got weird. Wish we'd see it again.
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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: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
Horikoshi really does go hard with his art. Is this implicit confirmation that AFO gave Shiggy his decay quirk?
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RE: American Politics: A Brand New Day
A special election would be called to fill his seat, costing the counties he represents some half a million dollars. Guess he'll just cling to power until he's voted out normally.
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RE: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part II: Do the Dio Walk!
Dragona's basically Bucciaretti, right? They might die eventually but I'd be shocked if it was this early.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
I have to think Horikoshi has at least some plan for it since it's rather conspicuous to leave a single random battle going after basically everything else has been wrapped up. It'll probably be important-ish in some way. Whether the execution is good remains to be seen.
For some reason Bakugo grinning madly while he tumbles along the ground is super funny to me.
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RE: Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra
It's a totally humorless trailer though, and humor is a huge part of Avatar. I need these characters goofing off and vibing with one another, not just transitioning between set pieces.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
As excellent as characters like Endeavor and Hawks are, and they're some of Horikoshi's best work, they've definitely overshadowed important classmates like Iida and Uraraka. Many prominent classmates have felt extremely static over the past 200 chapters and it's felt like a real let down, particularly after such endearing introductions. Momo got half a beat in the previous war, and poor Tsuyu's gotten basically no spotlight.
The pacing has definitely struggled since the start of the hospital raid too. Since the current arc is already so jam-packed with callbacks and character nods, I can't decide if the previous one was overstuffed or if it was necessary to balance them. The between stuff was definitely rushed. Two cool fights, but rushed character beats that really disconnected us from Deku.
I think that's my main critique- Bakugo might be more popular but we've always had a fondness for Deku. It's been so long since we saw his charms and quirks of character that he just feels like a chess piece. I think I would've split his fight between all these additional fights, or added additional moments between that kept our focus on him. Deku and Tomura have been deadlocked and waiting for the last six months.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
Everybody was expecting him to get revived, do the specific mechanics really matter that much? The only real difference is that Edgeshot is crippled instead of dead.
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RE: American Politics: A Brand New Day
I know NYC immediately hates every mayor elected but Eric Adams is exceptionally bad.
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RE: My Hero Academia II - A true Hero
Is it cheesy? Yeah, a bit. But damn if that spread of everyone's hopes riding on Bakugo didn't get me.