To put it simply: this episode was REALLY good.
The animation, voice acting, storyboard, cinematography, music, effects, lighting, pacing, and characterisation was all on point. This really is peak One Piece anime. Yamato's flashback was emotional and beautiful, and the confirmation of Luffy's and Roger's wishes aligning was brilliantly handled, with great visual representation of Yamato's realisation. The expanded scene of her rebelling against Kaido was great, and overall elevated his/her character even better than the manga.
The even juicier stuff was in the second half of the episode. The Worst Generation facing off against Kaido and Big Mom was a highly anticipated moment, with buildup spanning literally HUNDREDS of episodes. Luffy's promise to Kin'emon was emotional, and a great callback to Arlong Park and his promise to Nami, over 2 decades ago. Kojima's animation during the punch was INSANE, going beyond even the kind of animation seen in anime movies. The flashbacks through the final scene of the episode were beautiful, with amazing music behind them - but the punch, with "We Are", was the true highlight.
"I am Monkey D Luffy. I'm going to beat you, and become King of the Pirates".
Chills. 100/10 episode.
The animation, voice acting, storyboard, cinematography, music, effects, lighting, pacing, and characterisation was all on point. This really is peak One Piece anime. Yamato's flashback was emotional and beautiful, and the confirmation of Luffy's and Roger's wishes aligning was brilliantly handled, with great visual representation of Yamato's realisation. The expanded scene of her rebelling against Kaido was great, and overall elevated his/her character even better than the manga.
The even juicier stuff was in the second half of the episode. The Worst Generation facing off against Kaido and Big Mom was a highly anticipated moment, with buildup spanning literally HUNDREDS of episodes. Luffy's promise to Kin'emon was emotional, and a great callback to Arlong Park and his promise to Nami, over 2 decades ago. Kojima's animation during the punch was INSANE, going beyond even the kind of animation seen in anime movies. The flashbacks through the final scene of the episode were beautiful, with amazing music behind them - but the punch, with "We Are", was the true highlight.
"I am Monkey D Luffy. I'm going to beat you, and become King of the Pirates".
Chills. 100/10 episode.