One Piece - General Discussion

[Lantern7]

I think there's more than just slapping, Sandman87. I'd elaborate, but I set up this thread to not have spoilers. Also . . . yeah, my mind wanders towards swimsuits. I imagine an elaborate swimsuit designed by Gold Roger, something for Sanji to beg Nami to wear.

[lathspel]

I have to admit I smiled when the handcuffs finally came off. For a while the Robin parts of this show were pretty hard to watch; nice to see that start to turn around.

And then in the last scene, I'm pretty sure the Buster Call starts. Uh oh!

[Lantern7]

Not much to report on. The Buster Call starts up, and you have to question the wisdom of leveling an island just because stupid Spandam pressed the wrong transponder snail. I know, this is anime, but logic can still rear its ugly head. Also, I'm reminded that Robin isn't much of a fighter, though her Devil Fruit mojo is entertaining to watch. I'm just disappointed that her slapping of Spandam wasn't carried over from the previous episode.

 

ETA: Potential bad news. . . we got another "Boss Luffy" episode coming up. The good news? Luffy will up his game against Lucci in the following ep.

[Lantern7]

Another Japanese-fuel adventure, with One Piece characters stuffed in it. Anybody else oddly amused at Wanze smiling for the "camera" twice? At least he didn't pour ramen out of his nose.

[Lantern7]

In the latest episode, we finally see Luffy's Third Gear . . . which is basically him biting into his thumb and blowing really hard to give himself a huge appendage. Because Eiichiro Oda, that's why. At the very least, it distracts from Robin's PTSD breakdown upon seeing another Buster Call in action.

[Sandman87]

Luffy gives Lucci a really big hand. Third Gear turns out to be his version of Choji's Body Expansion Jutsu, but super-sized. I assume that Luffy took advantage of his rubber lungs to get that much air into his fist.

In the latest episode, we finally see Luffy's Third Gear . . . which is basically him biting into his thumb and blowing really hard to give himself a huge appendage.

I wonder how long it took for someone to make a One Piece hentai based on that premise.

[Lantern7]

Damn. I did not think about it like that. It helps that the show isn't about love/lust, beyond Sanji getting a boner for Nami and Robin.

 

Went to an anime convention this past weekend. Wound up getting commissions of two CP9 agents: Jabra and Kumadori. The only one I'm missing is Fukurou and his mutant zipper-mouth.

[Lantern7]

This week: I didn't know that we needed Lucci's legend to be built up. He seems scary enough as it is, but seeing him kill 500 hostages at the age of 13? Sure, why not? Also: never question a vice admiral's orders in the middle of a Buster Call. Killing pirate scum always comes first.

 

Next week: we'll see how the Straw Hats get out of being drowned. From what I read in the manga, the solution is quite funny.

[Sandman87]

We found out that Lucci is a murderous, cold-hearted jerk. As if there were anyone watching who didn't already know it. I guess it's better than the usual "here's the Freudian excuse for the bad guy to be bad" backstory flashbacks that we usually get from anime. No excuses here, just plain evil.

 

The admiral who shot the sailor (I assume he's in charge of the Buster Call) looks like his face was carved out of granite by someone who was in a hurry.

 

I'm still trying to get a handle on the World Government's definition of "Justice." Looks kinda like "whatever is good for the World Government" to me.

[Lantern7]

Here's the trailer for 7-1:

 

Sabaody Park! Celestial Dragons! The Eleven Supernovas! I'm tickled that Trafalgar Law is in the center of the cover, since I always find at least one dude cosplaying him at conventions.

[Lantern7]

I don't remember how long it's been since I read the Ennies Lobby arc in the manga. I don't think I saw Kokoro as a mermaid coming back then. There's a lot of humor to be mined from there, but that'll come later.

 

Speaking of the manga . . . I don't recall any part where all the air comes out of Luffy like a deflating balloon. Now that I see it in the anime, I have to say it makes sense to show that visual before we see Luffy at one foot tall. Don't ask me why his clothes shrink with him . ..  because Japan, that's why.

[Sandman87]

Now we know why Kokoro drinks like a fish; she is a fish.

[Lantern7]

. . .  and apparently, the DVDs are coming in hot and heavy. Here's 7-2.

 

ETA: I don't know why the video exists. Amazon isn't soliciting it. I was tipped off by the lack of DVD cover in the video.

[Lantern7]

Well, the Navy killed all of the allies the Straw Hats made. Meanwhile, Rob Lucci and Luffy fight some more, with Luffy breaking out Second Gear at episode's end. Oh, and the Straw Hats are traumatized by the revelation that Kokoro is a mermaid. It's pretty funny here, and it gets some screentime a few seasons from now.

[Sandman87]

I find it hard to believe that the entire mob of allies got killed, mainly because they went to the trouble of showing whatzisname jump down and grab that communications snail. I figure that he probably survived, at least.

Loved Usopp's line about mermaids actually being dugongs. Factual, yet funny!

[Lantern7]

I think the Navy dogpile on the Straw Hats was added in the anime. As much of a wuss as Usopp can be, he's got a point . . .sword guys should fight Zoro, not him. Dunno where Sanji ran off to . . . I doubt he can lend a hand (foot?) to Luffy, especially with Straw Hat falling in battle to Lucci.

[Lantern7]

Luffy makes a comeback, and he beats Rob Lucci. Meanwhile, it gets to the point where the Navy throws (non-canon) Devil Fruit guys at the Straw Hats . . . and a fella winds up rusting one of Zoro's swords to dust. Replacing the sword will happen next season, in the Thriller Bark arc.

 

Still have no clue as to what Sanji is doing. I think he's going to mess around with bridge controls.

[Sandman87]

There was also a radio and a snail in that room, so maybe Sanji is going to communicate with someone. Maybe Rope Guy survived and still has his snail? Or Sanji could just mess with the heads of the Marines.

 

And speaking of the heads of the Marines; Is it my imagination or do a disproportionate number of the  Marine captains have curly hair?

[Lantern7]

More unlikely: that the Navy would stop attacking long enough for the Straw Hats to get plot updates? Or that the Going Merry would be able to sail on its own from Water7, through Aqua Laguna, to save its crew at the last minute? I'm not complaining about either one, but a lot of disbelief needs to be suspended.

 

Also: I'm guessing Zoro "borrowed" a sword after one of his blades got rusted.

[Sandman87]

Yeah, Zorro's new sword has a full hilt, like a sabre or a long cutlass. Same kind most of the marines have.

Did I call it or what? Rope Guy and the Franky Family survived, and he used that communication snail too.

Boy, Admiral Granite Face is cold. No compunctions at all about firing on his own men on the bridge.

More unlikely: that the Navy would stop attacking long enough for the Straw Hats to get plot updates? Or that the Going Merry would be able to sail on its own from Water7, through Aqua Laguna, to save its crew at the last minute?

Talking is normally a free action on this show (and most anime, for that matter), so that part didn't surprise me. On the other hand, I thought the Merry had been destroyed, so that did surprise me. I'm gonna guess that Franky will figure out a way to fix her up.

[lathspel]

I forgot to mention last week that I enjoyed the symmetry of the marine with the loudspeaker. First he ruins Franky's day by reporting that the FF were all destroyed. But then he reports that Lucci is defeated as well. You might say he's "fair and balanced" ;) .

This week - I expected dolphins, not the Going Merry. I also liked that it was Robin who saves Luffy at the end.

[Lantern7]

One more episode until we get to the stuff covered by the DVD I saw. Just so you know, it's riddled with filler, but it's still good.

 

Given what Spandam did to Robin, can you really blame her for breaking his back? I mean, normally I'd object to such a harsh payback, but Robin was put through the wringer by that pantload.

[Sandman87]

Now that was the payback I was looking for from Robin a few episodes back. "Hey Spandam, wanna see my Bane impression?" Now who's going to feed poor Funkfried?

Robin's devil fruit power seems a lot like duct tape; she can do anything with it as long as she uses enough of it, even bounce cannonballs.

[Lantern7]

RIP Going Merry. KInda wish Toonami showed the Skypiea arc to show Merry's flight to the Sky Island. I reckon it was enough for the network to provide translation to the background song, which never happens. Distracts from Luffy and Chopper's extreme naiveté about Usopp/Sniper King.

 

Next week will have less angst.

[Sandman87]

I continue to be impressed by the symphonic soundtrack for this show.

Kinda surprised that Nami didn't object to leaving the cannons aboard the Going Merry. Those things can't be cheap, especially that big one in front.

[lathspel]

That's also what I was wondering about - did Nami get all of her treasure off the ship? I can't remember if she spent it all in Water 7 or not.

There were no flashbacks to Foxy, and that's OK.

[Sandman87]

"A navy vice admiral with a fist of love"? I'm not even going to go there. Also, it reminds me of the fictitious band Love Fist in the Grand Theft Auto video games.

Luffy knows how to sleep and eat at the same time. Is that awesome or just sad?

I'm going to start entering rooms like Franky does; bent over and ass-first. Because first impressions are so important. Also, he has wood. To build a ship with, I mean.

Zorro meets a couple of kids whose faces are hidden from us. I noticed that a couple of Grandpa Love Fist's companions also were only shown from the neck down. Mysterious!

[Lantern7]

Garp  first appeared in (checking Wikia) episode 68. That's also the last time we see the two guys in his employ; a pair of characters who were introduced waaaaaaaaay back in the beginning of the anime. This is the first time we hear about Garp being Luffy's grandfather. We'll see that they share certain traits in the next episode or two.

 

I don't know how much stuff the crew got off the Merry after the Luffy/Usopp fight aside from Nami's tangerines. You'll notice that they're wearing Galley-La t-shirts. I wonder if they've been made in real life. It looks like a nice design.

 

ETA: I think the aforementioned characters might have been in Luffy and/or Zoro's flashback episodes. I can't remember.

[Lantern7]

Funimation put up a video for 7-3 running just under two minutes. Spoilers of Zoan-types below.

 

Plus: Boa Hancock! I got a sketch of her and Salome back in 2011.

[Lantern7]

Anybody else catch the last episode? We reunite with a fit-looking Coby and Hel . ..  Hem . . . the asshole who had Zoro strung up in, like, the second episode. I think more people remember his dad . .  . friggin' Axe-Hand Morgan with the friggin' axe hand. Also: Marines are useful to have when you burst through a wall Kool-Aid Man style and you regret it.

 

I don't think much has been made about Dragon going into this episode. The Straw Hats' reaction to Dragon being Luffy's father kinda pales in comparison to another character later in the anime. Also: yes, Smoker carried easy-to-access cigars with him at all times. Because Eiichiro Oda and Japanese culture, that's why.

[Sandman87]

A standard "breather" episode. Introduce characters, do a little backstory, and so on.

Too bad they didn't make Garp look like Robin Williams. Because of the Garp movie. He's obviously not in the habit of telling his subordinates what's going on, because they were just as surprised as everyone else about the whole pirate/admiral connection. Kinda wondering if he makes a habit of knocking holes in walls just to make an impressive entrance.

[lathspel]

I enjoyed Mozu and Kiwi's reactions in the background (first half of the episode).

The art style has really opened up since those first few episodes, hasn't it?

[Lantern7]

It's an exposition episode, as Coby and Luffy have a talk (and Nami listens in via transponder snail). We also have a massive party, which is an One Piece tradition, and Aokiji has words with Robin. Next week, two of the world's heaviest hitters will meet up. After that: three weeks of Water7 filler. It is good filler, though.

[Sandman87]

A pool party with the Straw Hats, the Franky Family, Gally-La and a couple of giants? Yeah, there's no way that's going to get out of hand.

I just noticed that the Gally-La t-shirts that everyone is wearing look like a big smiley face (G and C are the eyes, the boat is the mouth.)

Nami gets an important tip for crossing the Grand Line safely: Line the outside of the ship with some sort of magic rocks so the big, bad monsters won't notice it.

[Lantern7]

It's a Straw Hat party. Ain't no party like a Straw Hat party, because a Straw Hat party don't stop. You should've been the one they had with the animals during the Skypeia arc.

[Lantern7]

Warning: do not waste Nami's hard-fought money. She will give you massive hematomas, even if you're made of rubber.

 

It's a shame that it'll be a while before Whitebeard kicks some ass. I'm conflicted as to whether to spoil his abilities in this thread. Ditto for Shanks and his use of haki, which takes a while to explain.

 

Once again . . . we got three episodes' worth of filler coming up, but it's pretty good.

[Sandman87]

Nami was smart enough to keep the cash in a safe/strongbox, but dumb enough to let Luffy have the combination? How much is a Berry worth anyway?

 

Ditto for Shanks and his use of haki, which takes a while to explain.

So far it looks more or less like the high-end version of personal battle auras found in other shonen anime (Bleach, DBZ, Gurren Lagann, etc). Hell, some of the Bleach characters could kill with theirs.

[Lantern7]

I was going to say "It's like The Force," but yeah . . . . "battle aura" works for me. I don't know when haki comes up against. I'm thinking Season Seven, but I'm not sure.

 

I think "Berry" is the global standard of currency. In Skypiea, there's an exchange rate for the Extol of 10,000 to 1. And yeah, Luffy shouldn't have been able to get into the safe. Maybe Aqua Laguna softened it up?

 

ETA: Here's a sketch I got of a healthy Whitebeard. The artist decided to use two pages on his own, to show how badass the character was.

[Lantern7]

This week: the filler begins, as Luffy and Chopper help a girl locate her missing Yagara. A few tropes are covered . . . Devil Fruit users can't swim, and Chopper can translate any animal's speech, much like Meowth over on Pokémon. Like I've said before, the filler on One Piece is usually good, and this is no exemption. Next week: Zoro's adventures in babysitting.

 

ETA: I forgot about another trope . . . people mistaking Chopper for a raccoon dog.

[Sandman87]

I wonder which came first, the raccoon dog (tanuki)  jokes in One Piece or the raccoon dog jokes in Inuyasha.

[Lantern7]

Anybody catch the latest episode? Zoro has a filler episode dealing with a woman and her unruly adopted children. It's a cute waste of a half-hour, I'll say that much. And you have to feel for Zoro, wearing the too-tight "MOMA" t-shirt and three babies strapped to him, dodging crewmates and assorted supporting characters only to run smack into Robin. We have one more week of Water7 filler before we go back into the canon.

[Sandman87]

Pretty unmemorable, except for the part where the baby landed on Zorro's face and then farted. That was a bit like the anime version of Terrance and Phillip.

[Lantern7]

 

The return of Buggy the Clown! Warden Magellan! And Impel Down! 
 

[Sandman87]

Last week: Sanji learns about the super salt that an old chef guy uses. Cooking happens.

 

This week: Iceberg and Franky finish the Straw Hats' new ship almost by themselves.

 

How big a ship do the Straw Hats need anyway? Damn thing looks about the size of an aircraft carrier.

 

Good news! The Straw Hats all have bounties now. Well, technically they do. Chopper's is literally pocket change. And Sanji's wanted poster looks silly. The bad news is that Franky got one too, so his dude-bros ask the Straw Hats to take him along when they leave.

[Lantern7]

We're back to canon. Usopp figures out how to rejoin the crew. The Straw Hats get new bounties . .  . and Chopper and Sanji get humiliated. And Iceberg and Franky finish the new ship . .  . if memory serves, it'll get debuted next week, as will the Franky Family's plan to get their bro to join Luffy and company.

[Sandman87]

Can't. Stop. Laughing.

 

The new ship is unveiled...as is Franky's prow and stern. The dude-bros turn pants-nappers to force him to join the Straw Hats, resulting in a running partially-naked battle through the city. The citizens react about the way you'd expect them to react to a naked cyborg running around destroying buildings when his jib is flapping in the breeze.

 

Best line ever in a pirate themed show: "Aaaah! Franky's running wild and pantsless!"

Best follow-up line: "Again?"

 

I sure hope Franky remembered to use some sort of salt-resistant grass on the new ship, otherwise that deck-lawn is gonna be short lived.

[Lantern7]

Good news: The hilarity continues in the next episode, where Franky is "convinced" to join the Straw Hats in the most painful way imaginable. Bad news: Toonami is running an Akame ga Kill! marathon next week, and we'll have to wait until November 7/8 to see it.

[lathspel]

Finally caught up. I'm surprised that Toonami will show quite that much of Franky's stern, but I enjoyed how long they kept the (literal) running gag going.

It's nice that Nami managed to pose for her Wanted poster. That's going to break hearts in post offices across the world.

We saw the two guys with Garp from a long time back... which really makes me look forward to meeting Chimney when she's all grown up.

Does it really make sense for Chopper to be wanted Dead or Alive for only 50? You'd think "Dead" would start at 1,000,000 or something.

Edited November 5, 2015 by lathspel

[Sandman87]

If I remember correctly, the poster said he was a pet. 50 seems about right if the authorities think he's just a mascot raccoon dog (or whatever) that needs to be put down. Now that I think on it, it would be surprising that they kept "alive" as an option in that case.

 

(That reminds me of my grandfather telling me about how the farmers in his home town would pay a bounty to the kids for killing destructive pests in their fields, which is why he and the other kids would take their .22 rifles with them when they walked to and from school. Some of the critters were worth a whole 10 cents!)

 

And since you mentioned Chimney: If Granny is really her grandmother, does that mean she's going to be a mermaid too? And what's the deal with her parents in that case? Or even if that's not the case?

[Lantern7]

Caught the latest episode. Forgot that Robin "let go"  of Franky in the middle of his bawling jag, Also forgot that Garp (or the Navy) was making a move, pushing the plot forward. Next week brings closure to the Usopp arc. 

 

Seriously, though, how great was Robin's move? They showed her grab/clutch from five different angles, and it horrified the heck out of everybody watching. Good times.