第79回：Team Sassy

It’s no secret that Sanji and Pudding don’t exactly make for a perfect couple, but there’s someone else I think might be an ideal match for our ‘culinary kaizoku’, Stussy.

“Whaaat?”, you cry out in perplexity. Hear me out.

Consider the purpose of the elite wedding guests to the overall story. While they might be relegated to existing merely as colorful background characters, If Sanji and Luffy wind up saving everybody from a rampaging Big Mom, the bigwigs will literally owe their *lives* to the Strawhats. That means if the Strawhats ever need something the ziggurats specialize in: shipping something long-distance, storing a certain object safely, borrowing a huge sum of money or having someone… uh… buried… the Strawhats are in like Flynn! That is, of course, if the VIPs have a shred of decency in them.

Enter Stussy. I think she’d be a great match for Sanji! Stussy is strong of will and strong of stomach as someone in her line of work can *really* hold their liquor. From Sanji’s exploits on Whiskey Peak and Skypiea, we know he likes to party with ladies of any age! Stussy’s also accustomed to a lavish lifestyle which matches perfectly with Sanji’s style. Despite being older than she appears, Stussy has the skin of a 20-something and looking at Pudding reminds her *of herself* which is to say, since Sanji is –superficially speaking- gaga over Pudding, Stussy should be right up his alley. At the end of their adventure on the Grand Line, could wedding bells be waiting for Sanji alongside All Blue?

When I started reading One Piece, the first arc I enjoyed as it was being released in real time in Japan was Skypiea! And so the first short-term cover story I enjoyed in so-called ‘real-time’ was Wapol’s post-Drum adventure! Experiencing the dramedy of Wapol’s tumultuous journey at the same time as fans around the world might be part of the reason why this cover story is easily one of my favorite! Sadly, cover stories aren’t traditionally animated; the exceptions being Buggy and Coby’s tales. Other than those two exceptions -from over a decade ago- the events and characters of cover stories are largely relegated to off-hand comments or cameos in the animated series. That all changed with Episode 778!

Wapol’s misadventures were brought to life in vivid color alongside some exclusive new scenes! Kids today are all about Caesar and his face faults but back in my day –he said waving his cane- it was all about Wapol! This episode is a must-see for long-time fans!

The retelling of Chopper’s youth has provided the perfect chance to bring up an Easter egg I’ve been waiting *years* for the right chance to talk about!

It’s no secret among One Piece fanatics that books and bookshelves drawn in the background of panels hold a treasure trove of Easter eggs. Kureha’s bookshelves in particular are literally overflowing with nods to popular JRPGs, horror novels, fantasy stories, meta references to One Piece itself and even its own author! Over the years super fans have discovered many of these Easter eggs which are devilishly difficult to read in the volume printings. The easiest way to read them is by searching for them in the omnibus-style Log printings which are mostly the same size that One Piece is printed in Weekly Shonen Jump. However, there’s one Easter egg that cannot be found in the Japanese volumes or the Log printings. It has only ever appeared in the original Weekly Shonen Jump!*

This tiny sliver of space reveals a book with a familiar logo. Do you recognize it? It’s Weekly Shonen Jump publisher Shueisha’s ‘Jump Comics’ logo! Here’s hoping that one day a ‘perfect edition’ print of One Piece will allow fans to access this elusive Easter egg! By the way, try finding a book called ‘Romance Dawn’ and author Eiichiro Oda’s name hidden in this same panel!

Kaido’s violent mood swings take center stage in Episode 779 giving us a glimpse at this, perhaps unexpectedly, *emotional* villain’s personality. The Emperor’s reaction to Doflamingo’s defeat isn’t one of uncontrollable rage, rather, he bawls like a middle-aged salary-man deep in his cups!

According to the reaction from his underlings, Kaido’s mood swings seem capable of lasting for a full day, however, outside influence can change him into a ‘angry drunk’ in no time at all!

There’s an expression in Japanese that conveys the gamut of human emotions: ‘kidoairaku’. Although it literally translates to: ‘happiness, anger, sorrow and pleasure’ it literally means ‘to let one’s emotions show’. Might that be Oda-sensei’s source of inspiration for Kaido’s persona that changes with his drinking? Can you imagine seeing happy-drunk Kaido!?