第93回：Kid sister and me♪

In his weekly comment accompanying Chapter 882 Oda-sensei said the following:

“If you’re gonna stop taking on challenges, then you might as well be dead! I’m currently challenging myself with ‘little sister affection’. Aren’t little sisters great?”

He’s probably referring to Katakuri’s reaction when Brulee, his little sister, starting waxing praise on him. Furthermore, Katakuri’s swift and violent reaction to Luffy’s attempt to attack her is probably part of that as well.

In Chapter 884, we see yet another example of this from Oven where he easily accepts an odd request to avoid checking in on the cake, just because it’s a request from his ‘little sister’.

Now that we know Luffy can temporarily disable Katakuri’s uncanny Color of Observation powers by getting a rise out of him, could the key to getting the naturally cool-headed Katakuri’s goat be in putting his sister in danger?

Check out Nami’s superhero-style utility belt! The name of the game is Belly as in the mark on the buckle indicates. I’m mostly interested in whether or not the holster is for show or if she can really stow her powered up Sorcery Clima Tact there. And don’t get me started on the bullet-shaped objects on the belt. Is she going to be able to utilize them in battle!?

As Mom is a weather manipulator like Nami, I get the feeling Nami is heading for a major meteorological slugfest and this new belt suggests she isn’t going in empty-handed!

Ideo and Blue Gilly seem to be setting the example for longlegs and longarms getting along as they can clearly be seen working together on this ship. If the two king-like figures can work out their differences, could this be the start of peace between the two tribes?

Imagine that, Luffy putting an end to a 1000-year war just by inspiring Ideo and Blue Gilly! Could these two tribes find themselves fighting for Luffy in the future? And look at that! Jeet seems to be working on a new flag design for their ship!

Check out the attention to detail on Cracker’s hair flame/sparks. You can actually pinpoint the moment they lose their power which represent his total knockout! Amazing job!

I specifically paused this scene to see if they added the detail and sure enough, there it was!

Our new opening by Namie Amuro is as impressive aurally as it is visually. If you’re not familiar with her popularity perhaps it can be best likened to that of Mariah Carey. Namie has previously lent her vocal talents to One Piece in the form of opening #14 and the theme of 2015’s television special ‘One Piece: Adventure of Nebulandia’. However, Namie’s role as a vocal artist for opening #20 is of particular poignancy as she recently surprised her fans by announcing her retirement!

Next year she will be retiring from her work and as such, this will be one of her final original songs.

The anime-original scene of Sanji meeting the chefs of The Orbit was a healthy helping of fan service (NOT THAT KIND) for those hoping to see the missing link of Sanji first being accepted as a chef. The best part? Check out the attention to continuity as the chefs who find him are the same ones to whom Sanji can be seen describing All Blue in his original manga flashback.

Popping out of the flashback, when Sanji was approached by Luffy in the carriage and started having conflicting thoughts I started to panic. By showing us Sanji’s conflicting flashbacks were we being led to believe that Sanji first attacked Luffy due to an emotional snap?

I let out a sigh of relief when Sanji finally settled on Zeff’s parting words. Zeff should be what matters most to Sanji. That’s not to say his crew isn’t important, but the reason Sanji is where he is now and the reason he *has* his crewmates in the first place is thanks to Zeff.

Instead of making Sanji appear fragile, they’ve shown us that he will remain honest to his core beliefs by trying to protect *everyone* connected to him, even if it means making the impossible choice of attacking his captain to *protect him*.

By the way, ending Episode 808 with ‘Memories’? Toei, come on guys, that’s just unfair. I swear, if the series ends (someday) with ‘Memories’, I don’t think I’ll be able to watch it without flooding the room…ever.