第31回：『ＧＲＥＧ先生ＭＥＧＡ ＤＥＬＵ.Ｘ.Ｅ 』＃５

Despite the somehow appropriately Tontatta-sized chapter (15 pages instead of the usual 17 or 19) it provides evidence which suggests what we all know deep down, size does not in fact matter. Those 15 pages were immensely entertaining with Oda-sensei spinning a yarn (thank you) that I don’t think anyone anticipated. Oh, despite the title, this corner has little to do with Giolla. Sorry, just wanted to get that reference in.

Just a glimpse of Franky and Senor’s hardboiled battle going full-on knock-down drag-out ballet had me dying. Just how many ballet brawlers is voice actor Kazuki Yao going to handle in this series? If Jango starts pirouetting I will stand and applaud. The Tontatta’s completely losing interest in the battle was also an amazing comedic touch.

Keep your daughters indoors dads! The Straw Hats Pirates are cruising down Route 325 on their custom lowrider…bicycles? Adorable. The Japanese word for ’motorcycle’ is ’baiku’ pronounced like the English ’bike’ so this could actually be a case of intentional wordplay on Oda-sensei’s part. Here are a few points of interest!

325 or ’san ni go’ refers to ’sani- go’ or ’The Thousand Sunny’.

"Lookin’ for adventure", encompasses Luffy’s spirit *so* well that it might seem like a line Oda-sensei wanted to translate into English. However, considering the overall theme, it’s likely those are the lyrics from Steppenwolf’s Born to Be Wild. This wouldn’t be the first time Oda-sensei has referenced the song since it also inspired the title of Brook’s hit song as Skull King, Bone to Be Wild.

Speaking of Brook, seeing him ride a modernized penny-farthing is fantastifficular. Not only does it fit his age, it’s the only bike he could possibly pedal with those daddy longlegs of his.

Check that smile on Zoro’s mug. While it’s not uncommon for Zoro to smirk it’s pretty rare for him to give an open mouthed smile and this beamer is in a league of its own! It’s the *biggest* and toothiest smile we’ve seen from Zoro in a color-spread since the timeskip! Didja notice how Zoro is riding a shark themed sidecar? The wild creature Zoro most resembles is a shark!

Senor Pink shined as the star of this chapter which proposed a profound question, one I think all men have asked themselves at one point: If it brought happiness to the woman you love, after you lied to her about being a banker when in reality you were part of a notorious pirate crime syndicate, would you dress up like a giant baby? Franky and Senor’s battle spanned a whopping 43 chapters and saw them change locations, change perspectives, and possibly even change genders. It was all for the satisfying moment of victory with the devastating finisher, ’Franky Iron Boxing’, a brutal powered up version of ’Franky Boxing’ first seen in Enies Lobby.

For the final Franky bit this week, in summer 2013, Oda-sensei drew a set of pictures exclusively for Jump Live subscribers where he first revealed post-timeskip Franky’s unarmored back.

While it seemed safe to assume Franky’s back was still subject to pain and damage, this chapter gave readers the first big post-timeskip *in-story* confirmation of Franky’s dorsal vulnerability. That said, it must still be pretty tough if it can withstand a suplex from over ten stories up!

But wait second…Senor landed Franky on his FRONT side! Could it be…THE SENOR THREW THE FIGHT!? SENOOOOOOR!!!!

Thanks to a stellar translation by Stephen Paul in Viz’s Shonen Jump, the origin of the puns in Russian and Gimlet’s names are pretty straightforward. In case you were wondering about the chapter title, yes, even the original Japanese title of the chapter is *very* close to the Japanese title of the second James Bond film!

Running on fumes to meet my deadlines, I neglected to explain what this ’MEGA DELU.X.E’ corner is all about when the first English installment of it appeared in Greg-sensei’s SUPER One Piece Course #23. Like so many other titles here, this is also a pun/wordplay but it requires Japanese and some English knowledge. Explaining a pun is humor’s death sentence so I’ll refrain from doing that but if you figure it out let me know by sending in a comment!

Episode 677! Here we go!

Immediately following the low-key title card, Usopp’s horrific screaming face filled the screen and left me plastered against the couch. I *almost* felt bad for Sugar. Well played Toei, well played. Interestingly enough, Usopp’s eyes weren’t the only ones Tex Averying all over the place. Of course there’s Sugar and the Tontatta, but perhaps most interesting was Trebol.

Since his eyeballs aren’t busting through the lenses I wonder if we’re supposed to assume that his sunglasses, just like his clothes, are part of his Devil Fruit’s sphere of influence. I’m not going elaborate on that here, but it definitely makes for some good fodder for the debate on DF powers and their effect on clothing and accessories!

Couple interesting notes about the transformation sequences sprinkled throughout the episode:

Good to see that this guy got his left arm back since it was left ambiguous in the comic. Although, I don’t think he would have been this lucky if he hadn’t just wrestled it back from Mario at that moment.

Speaking of ambiguity in the comic, the matter of this couple’s baby seems to be resolved since we clearly see it turn back into a human baby. This *seems* to confirm the idea that individuals who are turned into toys cease to age, not unlike the Hobby Hobby Fruit user herself. From this we can probably correctly deduce that Kyros is 44-years old but his body is physically only 34-years old. Sugar would make a fortune as an anti-aging esthetician.

And last but not least, Milo’s sweet revenge! I’m glad the anime took a detour to show us some of the restored humans getting in a few shots on their former slave drivers!

Kyros’ ten-years-in-the-waiting assault on Mingo was spot on!

The art direction, key animation, BGM and addition of Kyros’ song for his daughter helped make this scene even more powerful than it was in the comic.

Last year I had an opportunity to meet the television animation’s Artistic Designer, Yoshiike-san. I talked with him specifically about this scene because I was worried that Kyros’ actions might look awkward hopping on one leg. Yoshiike-san compared the creation of motion in anime to performing a magic trick. He suggested that by hiding certain truths, animators can make something appear more fantastic than it really is. Did you notice that in all of the major scenes of serious movement during Kyros’ approach we never saw a *profile* full body shot of him while he’s hopping? By only showing his upper body in profile and his full body from either front or behind, viewers are left with the image of an empowered Kyros whose hobbling movements are masked by not showing him from the side. With so much screen time it seems sooner or later we’ll see him performing extreme hopscotch but after that display, I don’t think anyone will be laughing.

Whew! Anyone else wish we could experience something like that each and every week? Sabo’s Fire Fist, what a rush!

In recent years, perhaps most noticeably post-Enies Lobby, some of the major key scenes have been handled with a similar special level of detail thanks to some very talented key animators such as Yoshikazu Tomita and Naotoshi Shida! Although their styles are unique from one another, they portray subjects with a similar ’power and speed’ that pulls the viewer into the experience. It’s no coincidence that both of them were onboard Episode 678! Counting down to my favorite, here are my personal top 10 scenes from this talented duo!

10. Luffy VS 3 Admirals: Naotoshi Shida
Paramount War
Episode 474

9. Marco VS Kizaru: Naotoshi Shida
Paramount War
Episode 463

8. Zoro VS Kuma: Yoshikazu Tomita
Thriller Bark
Episode 377

7. Luffy Frees Ace: Naotoshi Shida
Paramount War
Episode 480

6. Sanji VS Oars: Naotoshi Shida
Thriller Bark
Episode 367

5. Big Emperor Docking: Yoshikazu Tomita
Thriller Bark
Episode 367

4. Smoker VS Vergo: Yoshikazu Tomita
Punk Hazard
Episode 611

3. Gigant Stamp + Candle Wall: Naotoshi Shida
Impel Down
Episode 450

2. Rayleigh’s Arrival: Naotoshi Shida
Sabaody Archipelago
Episode 404

1. Wing & Strong Right: Yoshikazu Tomita
Thriller Bark
Episode 347

Some fans might be shocked that I left out their favorite animators. Fear not! As soon as a chance presents itself I’d like to introduce some more key animators whose work emphasizes ’power and weight’ over ’power and speed’. (Special thanks to A-san and S-san)