The pace has been frantic and the artwork of a consistently high standard, especially when you consider how detailed each cell of the One Piece manga has been as each cell seems crammed full of, not new weird and wonderful characters but also, some of the most important characters in the whole of the One Piece universe! If you’ve been following the manga, you’ll know what I mean.  

Cross Epoch (Fan Art)

In honour/respect of Oda taking a break, I thought I would do a quick review of one of his collaborative efforts with Akira Toriyama, on a one-shot/one-off manga called ‘Cross Epoch’.

Now who is Akira Toriyama? You may not recognise his name, but if I were to mention ‘Dragon Ball’, I would guess you would know exactly what I was talking about and Toriyama is the brain behind it all. Taking a look at his bibliography on Wikipedia, it’s clear that aside from Dragon Ball, there is very little else that he has done aside from a number of one-shot manga pieces.

Cross Epoch, is a fusion of both Oda and Toriyama best known works, namely, One Piece and Dragon Ball, respectively. It’s sees a cross over escapade involving all the main characters of each manga, teaming up to defeat a common foe, which happens to be none other than the complete nuisance, Buggy the Clown and Emperor Pilaf, who together form a gang called the “Pilappaggy Villains Union”.

The Whole Gang! (Fan Art)

You’ll find all the characters involved and in true anime/manga fashion they all have their perfect counterparts that would be their equivalent character in the other manga, as  each  One Piece character teams  up with a character from Dragon Ball.

As it is a one-shot manga there is not much that can be accomplished  in 20 pages, so the storyline in weak and a bit on the wacky side as so made little sense to me, but then again it could be said it’s not really about the storyline as it is more about having a bit of fun and seeing the characters in completely different context. Something particularly for the fans that would get a kick out of seeing these two very successful manga in their own right join together.

The drawing and artwork is very similar to One Piece in style and layout and the characters are all that you would expect from an Oda piece. I’m not exactly clear on how or what Toriyama contributed in terms of style aside from maybe assisting in the storyline.

Overall, if your a One Piece fan or a Dragon Ball fan (if they still exist), it’s worth a look but not much more. Enjoy it for what it is, a bit of light hearted fun by some seriously talented mangaka.

Have you read Cross Epoch? What were your thoughts? Tell us in the comments below.

A DrangonBall Z fan? Read our review of the anime TV series.

At the end of the previous chapter we saw Kensei step in to protect Mashiro against  Wonderweiss’ surprising strength that caught Mashiro a little off guard, leaving her severely injured.

Kensei Bankai (Fan Art)

This chapter is important because, as far as I can remember, this is the first time we have seen a Vizard Bankai. In case we were unsure whether they had a Bankai at all or if their Hollowfication was as far as their powers extended. While maybe not a complete surprise as many of the Vizard where originally Captains of the Gotei-13 many years ago, it should be expected that they would have a Bankai, albeit my original thoughts that it would be something a little different to the normal Bankai that we’ve seen so far.

Once Kensei goes Bankai he turns his full attention on dealing with the unruly Wonderweiss who, for his lack of respect, will be taught a lesson for getting “above himself” .

As Kensei and Wonderweiss collide headlong into battle with one another, we return to the eerie calm of Aizen facing the Gotei-13 and remaining Vizards who are well and truly riled up and ready to go.

Hiyori sees red! (Fan Art)

Shinji Hirako, appearing to be leading the collation of Captains and Vizard, warns everyone of Aizen’s abilities demanding caution.

It’s uncertain if he directed this at Hiyori Sarugaki or just to everyone around him, yet Hiyori responds indignantly with “I know!”, seemingly because she felt patronised by Shinji. Granted this is just Hiyori’s small-person complex speaking.

As Aizen begins taunting the group gathered before him, we see Shinji tell Hiyori to relax her grip on her katana. It appears as though the very voice of Aizen is enough for Hiyori to become extremely angry.

Aizen continues to taunt and bait the group in making the first move. The quote of the Chapter is from Aizen:

“Whether you approach with caution or without, or even if you do not approach me at all, the result will be the same. I do not speak of the future. Your demise is an already inescapable fact of the past.”

Aizen tries to show them the futility of their situation, suggesting that their fates have already been sealed before they have even moved. Recognising the blatant attempt by Aizen to provoke a reaction, Shinji once more warns the group to not react. To which Aizen responds.

“What are you afraid of? You already died that night a hundred years ago.”

Gin takes out Hiyori (Fan Art)

This is direct reference to when the Vizards, standing before him, became Hollowfied during the Pendulum arc which retells of the catastrophe by jumping a 100 years into the past while the Vizards were still Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei-13.

At hearing this, Hiyori, unable to restrain herself any longer, attacks Aizen, despite Shinji calling for her to stop. Just as she raises her blade, Hiyori is cut down by Gin Ichimaru, but not just cut – Hiyori is cut in two!

Gin, with his weird smile breathes out, “One down”  as Shinji shouts Hiyori’s name rushing to catch her.

What the heck just happened?! What did Gin do? His Zanpakutō, Shinsō, still in it’s Shikai form, seemed to stretch and split Hiyori in two with minimal effort.  Upon first reading these pages,  it wasn’t immediately clear that Hiyori had been cleanly cut in two/bifurcated by Gin, but it is clearer when we see Shinji holding just the top half of Hiyori’s body in the distance and at the same time we see her feet and the lower part of her body lying on the floor in the foreground.

Ichigo is coming! (Fan Art)

Shinji then calls out to Hacchi but then realises that after his fight with Barragan he is unable to assist in restoring Hiyori’s body as he still only has one hand. At that moment he remembers Ichigo and the others, in particular Orihime Inoue and her healing/time reversing ability that would undoubtedly be able to help save the dying Hiyori. Shinji then shouts towards the sky, calling Ichigo’s name.

Anyone notice how Shinji’s main contribution to this Chapter was just to shout people’s names? Let’s hope his contribution is greater in the next Chapter.

The chapter ends with our long absent hero, Ichigo flying through the sky with a look of urgency and determination upon his face, flying to save his comrades and flying towards Aizen.

What’s going to happen next? Is that the end of Hiyori Sarugaki? Will Inoue make it in time? What will Ichigo do when he arrives? So many questions. Drop your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

By means of a little preamble, I have to confess that this was my second attempt at watching Mushishi. I originally started watching the series about 5 months ago after a recommendation from a friend and seeing the overall high reviews the series received as a whole, I thought I would give it a go.

Lead Character: Ginko (Fan Art)

I started watching the series but by the time I reached the fourth or fifth episode, I had completely lost interest. I immediately rubbished the entire series and thought that this one was definitely not for me.

After all my staple anime diet revolved around Bleach, Naruto and One Piece, while some of my favourites include Berserk, Claymore, Death Note and Kenshin. For the anime fans among you this will already give you a pretty clear picture of what my anime preferences are like, put simply; if there aren’t big swords, massive battles or characters with superpowers in it, I’m unlikely to stay tuned beyond the first 10 minutes of the first episode.

A few months ago I finished Cowboy Bebop, a series, much like Mushishi which did not fit my anime mould and I completely disliked it the first time round but through some persuasion from Steve I picked it up again and thoroughly enjoyed it! Following Cowboy Bebop, I was in the mood for giving second chances.

This time I picked up Mushishi with an open mind and no preconceptions, ready to go wherever the story lead me. The result? Well continue reading.

What Mushishi is not.
This has to be the starting point. Especially if you’ve ever only watched one type/style of anime and your knowledge and/or experience of anime has been quite narrow thus far as Mushishi is quite unique in style, content and delivery.

1. Mushishi is not Bleach:
   There are no special weapons, powerups or special limit break style moves. Nor is the lead character a teenager that will some how always save the day but learning a new level of fighting.
2. Mushishi is not Naruto:
   There are no shinobi/ninjas or powerful beasts that are sealed into peoples bodies, although that concept would not be an entirely foreign one in the world of Mushishi. Also there is no over arching storyline driving the character(s) to a predefined destination lead by fate.
3. Mushishi is not Cowboy Bebop:
   If your after spaceships and/or space cowboy bounty hunters looking for the long lost love then your out of luck here too. There is no love story nor are there any space vehicles in Mushishi — a tragedy I know.

I could go on but I hope you get the jist of what I’m trying to say. It is markedly different from the “mainstream” flavours of anime that are quite common or widely known today.

The Mushi (from BasuGasuBakuhatsu)

So then what is Mushishi about?!
Mushishi revolves around the existence of supernatural entities that exist within nature, they are considered to be the very basic essence of life itself. They are ubiquitous and transient, invisible to most people who are not gifted with the ability to see them, although some are easier to see than others. We are told early on that the ones that are easier to spot are less dangerous than those are not.

While they posses a collective term there are many types of Mushi in the world and they come in many different shapes and sizes and also have their own classifications. As mentioned already, some Mushi are more dangerous to people than others as some Mushi coexist with humans.

Ginko (Fan Art)

What about the characters?
With that understand we can move on to the lead character Ginko. We start the series knowing very little about Ginko and it’s not till episode 12 (”One-Eyed Fish”/”Sugame no uo”) that we are treated to a little bit of a backstory although even after that, much remains unexplained about his exact origins and his life before he was a young boy or Mushi-shi.

The term Mushi-shi from which the series gets it’s name refers to Ginko’s vocation as he is a Mushi master. He has a profound understanding of Mushi and travels from place to place, in part, to solve Mushi related quandaries and also because of his unusual capacity to attract Mushi, which is why he is constantly smoking as the smoke helps to keep the Mushi away from him.

Whats the storyline like?
First off Mushishi is entirely episodic. There is no overarching storyline that links all the episodes together and there are very few (possibly 2 or 3) reoccurring characters beyond the lead character Ginko.

The fact that there is only one central character and no connection from one episode to the other may suggest that whole series is a jamboree of elements with no purpose or direction and that can leave you to conclude that it’s going to be either boring or poorly constructed as you work through the 26 seemingly insular, unrelated and isolated episodes. And in a sense, you may be right in thinking that but the truth of the matter is quite the opposite.

The concurrent theme of the Mushi and the exploration of the Mushi throughout the episodes helps to develop a degree of understanding about the world the characters inhabit. There pervasive nature and the different forms and manifestations of these Mushi help build a picture of the interconnectedness of nature and people. As despite their circumstance or where they are, everyone is affected in one way or another by Mushi as they attempt to live along side these supernatural life forms.

Mushi entering a person (Screen cap)

What about the artwork and animation?
Mushishi is an anime that is steeped in Japanese folklore and tradition. The period in which it takes place is largely uncertain but it’s fair to assume that it’s not modern day Japan due to the clues in the attire and the scenery, however Mushishi does give a limited view of Japan due to much of the stories taking place in rural regions in small remote villages. This old style period of Japan helps to add to the mystique and authenticity of the stories as we get a sense of how these stories were past down from generation to generation, telling of a time when things were, maybe, simpler. It also means that Mushishi has a high degree of cultural nuances for those that have an appreciation for Japanese culture as the many people Ginko encounters all portray the various people of a more classical/traditional period of Japans history.

The actual animation of the Mushisi series is one of the most amazing things about the series. The characters, the environments and even the Mushi have been so beautifully designed and animated that really do deliver both a wonderful animated experience of the world Ginko inhabits.

More Ginko (Fan Art)

I particularly like the style employed around the drawing of the faces which at certain angles or in certain instances or drawn without any facial features due to distance or shadow that would normally be cast on ones face. At first it seems like a lazy way to draw the characters but on occasion it does help to convey a sense of emotional emphasis, which is ironic because normally the presence and use of facial features is required to do so instead of the absence of facial features altogether.

The voice acting is also first rate. I only watched the sub and I’m not sure if there is a dub version at the moment. The audio in Mushishi, in conjunction with the drawing and animation is used to great effect in building atmosphere especially in those episodes where there are scenes of extended silence and the viewer is left to focus on the happenings on the screen. At no stage did I find the audio overwhelming or did I find there to be too much talking even though there is plenty of conversation between the characters and Ginko as we move through the episodes and much of it revolves around the explanation of a problem relating to Mushishi and then the solution by Ginko.

Ginko (Fan Art)

There are also episodes where we are treated to a voice over which sounds like the voice of an older woman/granny who relays some background information about the episode. The voice is also there from episode one as we gain a brief overview of what Mushi are and their place in the world. These voice overs seem to emphasis the storytelling style of Mushishi and it’s quite easy to imagine a grandmother telling these stories to her grandchildren as bedtime stories, which could be one reason why a few people have suggested they enjoy watching Mushishi before their own bedtime.

Sounds great so far, do you have a few examples?
Why yes I do. There are a number of fantastic episodes but I thought I would pick out my favourites that really left me thinking: “WOW!”.

Episode 12:  ”One-Eyed Fish” (”Sugame no uo”)
This one was particularly interesting because we learn more about Ginko. If you’ve started at Episode 1, you would have waiting quite a while already to find out more about this mysterious central character.

Episode 17:  ”Pickers of Empty Cocoons” (”Uromayutori”)
I found this episode quite shocking and while I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet,  the moment the accident happens I was completely not expecting it. Before you even have time to recover the episode ends on quite a sombre note, something quite characteristic of the Mushishi series.

Episode 21:  “Cotton Changeling” (”Wataboushi”)
For me, this episode probably would raise the most controversy as the episode seemingly directly asks the question, what makes something human? It was especially haunting to watch the changeling’s gain consciousness and it made the end scenes particularly disturbing but I think the whole episode and storyline was masterfully executed.

Episode 25: “Eye of Fortune, Eye of Misfortune” (”Ganpuku ganka”)
An episode with a little more dialogue but again a wonderful premise for a story that made me both envious and sad for the woman Ginko encounters who was blind until a Mushi entered her eyes. The final few scenes when the Mushi tries to escape from the womans body is also quite weird and may not be great for the squeamish amongst you.

Then what about the ending?
The ending of Mushishi seems abrupt in my opinion. The final episode does not draw any massive conclusions to the series nor do we go away knowing everything about Ginko. In my opinion there was no closure but I had hoped this was because it would leave room for an additional series to follow.

Final thoughts?
I have to say that this was such an enjoyable series to watch. I found watching the episodes a great way to relax, there was no excessive violences and it really felt like I was being told a story more than anything. The artwork can only be described as beautiful and the characters where interesting and varied.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the series so if you’ve watched it, drop a few thoughts below or if you haven’t yet, let us know if your planning to check it out!

Ginko followed by Mushi (Fan Art)

Some additional reading:
Mushishi Review by Yumeka.
Mushishi Review at psgels.blogsome.com
Mushishi TV Review by Tama-Neko.
Mushishi Review by Carl Kimlinger.
Mushi-shi: Volume 6 (Review) by Jitendar Canth.
Mushishi First Impresssions by Hung Truong.
Mushishi episode 26: the sound of footsteps on the grass by Martin(of Mono no aware).

The chapter starts just before we see Luffy and his band come crashing into the fray as we see them, quite fortuitously, stuck atop a massive frozen Tsunami in their stolen Marine Battleship overlooking all the goings on below.

An Unexpected Team (Fan Art)

As they work out how to best get down from their perch way up in the Sky, and as always, Luffy comes up with the least convincing idea, the Den Den Mushi goes off and the group discover the Marines change of strategy. Due to the all out war that has commenced in an effort to save Fire Fist Ace, they have decided to bring his execution forward ahead of it’s planned schedule!

Luffy and his group realise things need to happen fast at which point the frozen tsunami on which they were lodged begins to crumble sending them hurtling toward the war zone below, crash landing in quite possibly the only unfrozen section of the sea. The result is that the team members with Devils Fruit abilities sink like lead in the sea leaving Jinbei to save them from drowning.

As Luffy surfaces Ace spots him and their exchange is somewhat contrasting. Luffy is delighted to see his big brother is still alive and greets him seemingly heartily while Ace’s greeting is more to the effect of ‘Luffy! What the heck are you doing here!’.

As the rest of the warring factions realise the personalities that have joined the battle there is some surprises, especially for Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp, the father of Monkey D. Dragon, the grandfather of Monkey D. Luffy, and the adoptive grandfather of Portgas D. Ace. With now TWO of his close family members embroiled in this war, what is he going to do?

The kaleidoscopic mix of reactions from the rest of the Shichibukai on seeing our hero arrive is also comedic with Juracule Mihawk’s amazement, Gecko Moria’s fury or frustration and Boa Hancock’s relief at seeing her love return safely from Impel Down.

Notably, the Marine Admirals, Aokiji and Kizaru are suitably impressed to see Monkey D. Luffy again.

After the grand entrance, we see  Crocodile wasting no time in initiating a sneak attack on Whitebeard only to be stopped by Luffy who explains that Crocodile will not lay a hand on a Whitebeard because this is the one guy Ace cares about.

Luffy and Whitebeard vs World! (Fan Art)

Whitebeard then spots Luffy’s straw hat noticing that it belonged to Red-Haired Shanks and which Luffy confirms saying that he is just looking after it for him.

The final few scenes consist of just of Luffy — our hero and Pirate Rookie conversing with the worlds greatest and quite possibly longest standing Pirate Captain, second only to Gol D. Roger and one of The Yonkou or Four Emporers/great pirates who rule the second half of the Grand Line (also known as the “New World”).

While quite clear in the manga, their comparative stature is as much of a contrast as their respective achievements and reputations in the whole Pirate world. With Whitebeard towering above Luffy looking like a vertible collassus we see potentiall a sneak peak at things to come as Luffy exclaims to the ”The Strongest Man in the World” that HE will be the Pirate King!

While everyone in earshot was shocked to hear Luffy say what he said and to Whitebeard of all people, they are shocked but not Whitebeard who appreciates Luffy’s determination and zeal, commending him without saying a word.

Next? Well it’s going to be Luffy and Whitebeard taking on the Marines, Admirals and Shichibukai — with a little help from their friends no doubt. The next few chapters are going to be nothing short of memorable.

So what do you think? Where will it all end? Will Luffy surpass Whitebeard? Tell us your thoughts below:

Good times!

So the chapter starts off with the mighty Raikage and little Uchiha picking up where they left off, after it seems Raikage kills Jugo, at least in this manga people die!

Sasuke vs Raikage Fan Art

So Sasuke hits the big angry black shinobi with a Chidori and it doesn’t seem to leave much of an impression, as the Raikage goes on to body slam/suplex him in some good old fashioned WWF-esque way, possibly rivaling the green-clad Bruce Lee look alikes for best Taijutsu move.

Sasuke somehow survives, then it goes a bit weird – he gets some sort of ribcage-like cocoon around him and releases his Mangekyo Sharingan. Our little Uchiha appears to have been practicing his Amaterasu as he makes a little shield out of the black flames, making him untoucable – or so he thinks – till the Raikage bashes his face in, and pretty much gives up on either his left arm/his whole body.

Sasuke's Amaterasu

So he will either go all out and do some sort of super Hadouken or some sort of lightening punch/knee combo and hope for a double K.O, or he will rip his arm off and call it quits. Its Naruto anyway, he’ll probably get an arm donor and it’ll be stitched on in no time.

And Madara appears to be goading the Konohan’s into what he reckons is an inevitable fight with Sasuke, continuing from his revelation about the eternal struggle between heart and might. A bit Matrix-esque – starring Madara as the architect and Uzumaki-san as Mr Anderson, I guess that makes Sasuke an agent… and Sakura/Hinata trinity? I digress. When it dawns on Neo that he is not the first ‘One’ and the fight he was fated to have is not the first, and was not intended to be the last.

Maybe Konohamaru will get a go as well!

Not sure what Madara stands to gain, he is a bit difficult to gain. He seems immortal, and in fine health – maybe he just likes the entertainment.

OK Predictions – in chapter 589 [or whenever this ends ] either Sasuke or Naruto will have died, and I think Shikamaru might have a cunning hand in it.

Also it appears that apart from Sasuke, only the girl from Hebi looks like she’ll make it through the meeting of the 5 Kages. Bring on 464!

Mangekyou Sharingan Fan Art

So what do you guys think will happen? Do you agree that it will end with either Naruto or Sasuke dying? Speak your minds below:

The way Bleach works is that it only slowly (in some cases very slowly!) reveals secrets; and thats secrets about people, about their abilities and about their pasts. One character in particular I continue to look forward to learning more about are the more illusive Captains of the Gotei-13 of which the anime viewers and manga reader know very little.

Shunsui and Ukitake Fan Art

For me, at the top of this list is Shunsui Kyōraku. He  along with Jūshirō Ukitake are said to be the oldest captains amongst the Gotei-13, with the exception of Retsu Unohana and General Yamamoto of course. Assumptions have been made which suggest they have been Captains of the Gotei 13 for at least 200 years based on a 110 years ago before the current era in which the Bleach universe/story takes place.

Kyoraku, with his flamboyant style and care-free demeanor make him standout amongst the Captains of the Gotei-13. His laid back attitude suggests he has nothing to prove — especially if he’s been doing this for over 200 years! So he must be good! And as I’ve mentioned before, he has an almost uncanny resemblance to Kibagami Jubei from Ninja Scroll, but that could be due to the straw hat and long hair.

Anyways, on to the episode!

Starrk Fan Art

We pick up this chapter with the ongoing fight between Love Aikawa and Rōjūrō Otoribashi and the Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk (Koyōte Sutāku) being brought to an abrupt albeit temporary cessation in fighting when Starrk has the point of a massive sword poking through his chest.

After the shock of the surprise attack we learn the interruption has been caused by none other than Shunsui Kyōraku who has decided to join the fray as a result of, as we learn a few cells later, that his Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu  Flower Heaven, Crazy Bone) was now in the mood to ‘play’. It’s interesting that Kyōraku uses the word play to describe his Zanpakutō’s willingness to fight as being in the mood to ‘play’ which not only suggests his Zanpakutō has some sort of personality and conscientiousness but also that it’s quite a sinister one at that.

It is particularly sinister because  Kyōraku’s Zanpakutō attacks are based on childrens games and it works by adding quite harsh penalties to both the wielder and the victim if they loose. For example, the first attack which Kyōraku makes on Starrk is a game called Kageoni (Shadow Demon) and the rules are basically whoever steps on a Shadow loses.

With Kyōraku’s Zanpakutō, Katen Kyōkotsu, the rules are quite simple. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die.

Katen Kyokotsu Fan Art

As a side note, I have struggled to work out who is in control in this Soul Reaper-Zanpakutō relationship of  Kyōraku and Kyōkotsu, because at times it is almost suggested by Kyōraku that he is being controlled by the will of his Zanpakutō, Kyōkotsu. It definitely brings an interesting element to mix.

Taken aback, Starrk regroups ready to attack but Kyōraku (or is it Kyōkotsu)  begins another game, Irooni ( Colorful Demon). This one, as the romanized name suggests, is a colour-based game where you say the name of the color you want to cut and you cannot cut anything else. If, however, the colour you called does not exist on your body then the damage is minimal, even if normally the attack would inflict a much more severe wound. This is evident by Starrk’s surprised by how slight the damage was on his arm despite it appearing as though Kyōraku attacked with all his might, which would have otherwise been enough to sheer Starrk’s arm clean off.

To maximize damage when playing Irooni, you have to choose  a colour that maximizes the risks to yourself as well. So by selecting a colour that you are wearing the most of, you inflict greater damage provided that person has that colour on them as well. Therefore you attacks are weighted. The greater the risk to the attacker, the greater the attack.

Kyouraku Shunsui Fan Art

Starrk quickly analyses the situation, making the connection between the game and the last call, working out that his arm is clad in grey but Kyōraku has no grey on himself. Quite soon after, Starrk retaliates, calling ‘White’. An excellent choice against a Captain of the Gotei-13 who wear the all-white Haori.

The Chapter here switches to a brief backstory for Starrk (a signal the end is near for him possibly?) and we learn that the reason he has become two is out of a loneliness. There could be some link here to the back story we had a while back for Grimmjow where we learned more about the process Hollow take to become Espada. Essentially the Hollow grow in strength buy eating other weaker Hollow and as they grow stronger they become lone wolves, constantly consuming any weaker Hollow that crosses their path.

Here, we see Starrk’s cries for a companion result in him splitting himself, just so that he would have company. This whole back story helps attribute a greater level of humanity to Starrk. It makes the reader want to sympathise with his plight. He doesn’t want to fight but his fighting is necessitated by the fact he wants to save his friends as we saw in the previous Chapter.

But, before we can get too deep into  Starrk’s past, Kyōraku makes his next move. Kyōraku throws his Haori off toward Starrk, revealing the standard all-black Kimono that all Soul Reapers wear as he prepares for his next ‘Irooni’ attack — calling “Black!”.

Shunsui pwns at Irooni

And there it ends for Starrk, or does it?. What is going to happen from here? Can Starrk really survive such an attack? What other games do you think Kyōraku’s Zanpakutō will come up with next? Tell us what you think below:

Over the past few weeks One piece has not let up with the action and gripping story, the chapter this week was not a disappointment.

So oars (formerly Oz – big as a country) had offspring – Oars Jnr! But alas his rampaging was put to a swift end by Shichibukai Dom Flamingo’s sword slash , who’s ‘puppeteer’ fruit powers had been revealed earlier. It is now safe to assume the Shichibukai are not one trick ponies.  Oars’ adventuring came to an end, with the tiniest bit of background thrown in to allow us to feel a bit sorry at his demise.When the mighty Whitebeard’s ability was revealed, I was a bit perplexed as to how it would be used in close range, but seeing him take out a vice admiral in one strike close distance put all my doubts to rest.

Whitebeard Fan Art by Gandaresh

At the end the chapter, our beloved bouncy protagonist was re-introduced, along with two former Shichibukai and that dodgy ‘okama queen’. It should be interesting, as both crocodile and buggy want Ed’s (Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard) head, but any infighting between the pirates will have to wait till Ace is safe.

Against the current opposition, it would be difficult to see Luffy taking out any of the marines or the Shichibukai, considering all the effort and help he has needed when up against Crocodile and Gecko Moria. Garp probably will do something silly when faced with the annihilation of both his grandsons.

Ace Fan Art by wyv1

My guesses for the next couple of chapters – Hancock will make a move, but I don’t see her being capable of taking any of the other Shichibukai out, also I don’t trust Mr Kuma, why did he save Luffy and his crew from Admiral Kizaru and what did he say to Rayleigh?

Luffy needs to master a new gear, or learn Haki. He needs to get stronger fast! And those seem to be the only viable options for him.

Next week should be even better !

What do you think? What will Luffy do once he lands? Speak your mind below.

This episode feels almost as if it ends where it started, we seemingly have got no further after conclusion of the episode. We are still watching the face-off between Muramasa and Ichigo (and his Hollow alter ego), while both Renji and Hisagi battle their respective Zanpakutōs.

Bleach Title Screen

It’s interesting that while this episode is entitled, Gekitotsu! Hisagi vs Kazeshini, there is very little of Hisagi or Kazeshini in it. We see long and quite frankly annoying scenes of Renji fighting his Zanpakuto, Zabimaru – which happens to be two entities joined my a massive chain – who continually fight between themselves seemingly for Pesche/Dondochakka-esque comedy value. Did I mention it’s annoying to watch? Particularly if, like myself, you want them to stop constantly switching between the three fights which serves no other purpose than to drag the storyline out for a full 20+ minutes.

Hisagi and Kazeshini

As the story unfolds we know that the Zanpakuto are now free of their Shinigami and their existence is no longer tied to them, allowing them to exterminate their former wielders without fear of death. The problem for the Shinigami is that if they kill their Zanpakuto, they may lose them forever. This seems to be the central theme of this episode as we see Renji so reluctant to face his Zanpakuto that we basically get to watch him getting beaten up for practically the whole episode. This is stark contrast to Hisagi, who from early on and in other arcs he was quite clear that he hated his Zanpakuto because it was seemingly designed to take lives. Where Renji is being held back by the fear of losing his Zanpakuto for good, Hisagi holds no reservations as he faces Kazeshini who appears to be quite powerful in his own right.

Hollow Ichigo

Meanwhile, Ichigo is still facing Muramasa in his own mind. The Hollow Ichigo has been battling with Muramasa since the last episode and has proven to be faster and more powerful than Muramasa had expected. Towards the end we see Muramasa’s special ability which is some form of manipulation and he gains control over Hollow Ichigo rendering him unable to move or break free. At the moment Ichigo steps in to save the Hollow Ichigo claiming that despite who he is, he is still a part of him.

Quite simply, little is achieved in this episode. I certainly hope the pace picks up and soon! If we have many more episodes like where nothing actually happens, with the exception of the last 2 minutes, I don’t think I’ll be watching the filler for much longer.

Why not tell me how you’ve been finding the filler so far in the comments below. Is it just me or is it utterly dire? Speak you mind below:

Ah Dragonball Z. I don’t think I know of an anime that has polarized anime fans quite like this one has. If you trail the internet for a while and ask a few different types of people what they think of this show then you’ll probably find two camps: Ignorant and stupid fan boyZ/girlZ (you see what I did there?) and closed minded, overly opinionated Otaku. I’ve sat in both camps before albeit the less extreme ends of both but I’ll try and keep this review level headed.

Synopsis:
Dragonball Z is a continuation of the Dragonball anime series and runs for 291 episodes. It centres on a young man named Son Goku (or just Goku in the English dub). He’s a very impressive man who at the beginning of the show is already a skilled fighter who has won tournaments and saved the world once already, now he’s just trying to live life with his friends, wife and son. But as it happens this isn’t meant to be, aliens turn up and seem determined to destroy things. Goku must fight them to protect the world, and then fight others to protect the universe and then fight some more…and then a bit more.

OK before I really get into this I have a few things to state. Firstly I have only watched to English dub of this series and even then only up to episode 220 or so. Secondly I have to say that DBZ was probably the first anime I ever watched, I used to rush home from school to watch it and without it I wouldn’t have got into anime and I wouldn’t have seen some other really great shows, also it has inspired (or at least the original Dragonball series did) the creators of other shows that are now very popular, Naruto and One Piece being two of them.

All that being said Dragonball Z is not a great anime series. It’s not even a good anime series and this is a shame because as far as anime series go, it had a gargantuan amount of potential. It’s pretty old now but the character designs, artwork and animation where all pretty good for there time. The story line of a man embracing his destiny and heritage, finding a power within himself so that he can protect all that he loved is really cliché now but back then wasn’t quite as over done in anime as it is today.

Goku fights with blistering speed and strength, he can shot energy out of his hands, he can fly and of course his great at marshal arts: cross Bruce Lee with Superman and you’ve got him. He also has friends who can fight and together they battle the bad guys so as to defend the earth.

The 7 Glowing Balls of Boring Plot lines

But the good things that Dragonball Z had are completely offset by the mountain of bad. The Titular Dragonballs were 7 orange globes that, when gathered together granted the finders one wish. That’s all good, the only problem is people can get wished back to life. This is a very big problem because it sends out the message that it really doesn’t matter if anyone dies, “hey, don’t worry guys, we can just wish piccolo back with the dragonballs”. This issue sets really damages the plot and the introduction of a second set of dragonballs that can be used to wish people back to life a second time really destroys any sense of fear or worry for your favourite character.

On the subject of Characters if you happen to want to pick a favourite character near the beginning of the series then be aware that as episodes drag on, lots of the original cast will become obsolete. With the introduction of the “Super Saiyajin” ability, anyone who isn’t the same race as Goku gets completely pushed out of the picture, as they just aren’t strong enough to cope any more.

The ever increasing enemies also becomes less and less plausible. Bad guys turn up get beaten, good guys then beat the Big Boss of the original bad guys who is ruling the universe and thusly save said universe, so far so good. But then it gets stupid. Androids are made that are stronger than the big boss of the whole universe, they are beaten but then another one is found that is even stronger. That gets beaten and then a demon who has been asleep for thousands of years wakes up and he’s the strongest yet. This all leads to us not really believing that the series is ever going to end as the writers conjure up more and more antagonists and plop them down into a universe that doesn’t fit them.

the Z fighters

So with little to no love for the characters and the few that were diverse and interesting getting replaced by others who are all very similar, all that seems to be left is the fight scenes. This tends to be pretty much hit or miss. While there are a few very cool and interesting abilities and fights a lot of it ends up being re-used cells which leaves you feeling like you are watching the same 10 second sequence for about 5 minutes.

But the thing that really irritates me and most people about Dragonball Z is the use of what I call “Power up Filler”. These are random episodes, and yes I do mean entire episodes, where nothing will happen except have one of the characters grunt and strain while they build up their power so that they can do some impressive energy blast. This is just so unbelievably lazy I almost don’t understand how they got away with it.

The Final Word:
Ok guys I’m sorry, I started off trying to keep this review level headed and I think I’ve probably failed with that. The show just isn’t great, but it could have been. If they had chopped down the episode count, had some cool fight choreography, stopped people being wished back the dragonballs and introduced some character development it would have been a different show. Then finally stop the series with Goku embracing his heritage, becoming a Super Saiyajin and defeating Frieza.

Who knows maybe one day someone will remake this series and do it well. On the plus side this anime is infinitely better than the live action Hollywood film Dragonball Evolution which is so bad I wouldn’t even inflict it on people I don’t like.

If you agree or disagree, leave a comment let me know what you think.

Background
So by means of a quick catch up. Where are we up to now? Well Luffy and his crew are already half way through the Grand Line, whether or not this signals that we are halfway through the One Piece epic remains to be seen, in a way we hope yes but at the same time why would we want it to end when it seems to just be getting good!

Well, as they hopped from island to island in the Grand Line using the Log Pose, all routes converge at a single point which is The Sabaody Archipelago, which is the route all must go in order to continue on to Fish-man Island. While the crew where in the Sabaody Archipelago, they needed to get their ship ready to make the journey and needed to seek the assistance of the only person who can prepare their ship for the next leg of their journey. In searching the area, they encounter many of the other ‘Rookies’ and their pirate crews, some of which have bounties higher than Luffy himself, which means we can only assume they are either significantly stronger than he or have been significantly more ruthless and nefarious in their travels.

One of the other significant events is that Keimi is kidnapped and is sent off for auction to be sold into slavery, with her being a Mermaid, she would have received a high price and the Royalty of the Sabaody Archipelago, the Dragons — who effectively are the untouchables in this region have full reign without any fear of reprisal feed a growing industry in human slave trade. It is during this auction that a massive chain of effects is set in motion which not only allows to catch glimpse of the other ‘Rookies’ and their abilities but also sees the calling out of the an Admiral to the scene, followed by the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma, who — to cut a long story short — makes each and everyone of the Strawhat crew disappear into thin air. Leaving absolutely no one left and the Strawhat crew defeated.

Luffy Fighting the Gorgon Sisters

In subsequent episodes we see Luffy flying through the air and can only concluded they have been sent flying in different directions by Kuma, it would seem as an act of mercy, to avoid them being slaughtered by Admiral Kizaru and the Kuma Robots/Pacifista’s.

Luffy eventually arrives on a strange island which turns out is inhabitated by a Woman Warrior Race. Skip forward a few episodes and see discover the for men to trespass on their land is punishable my death. In This episode, we are amidst a battle between the nations two strongest warriors and Luffy as he defends the lives of those that attempted to save him.

Still with me? You’ll appreciate I’ve left a lot out, but I’ve just tried to cover about 20+ episodes in as few a lines as possible. On to today’s episode.

The Kings Disposition

Episode #414
As I’ve said already, Luffy is amidst a fight with some formidable foes that use techniques he has never heard of. They refer to this new technique as Haki. For those paying close attention, Luffy had encountered this before, in fact twice and both at Sabaody Archipelago. The first was when Rayleigh came out and then second was at the arrival of a strange guy with a massive weapon who travelled with another Pacifista and claimed to have no Devils Fruit ability. Last weeks episode ended and this one begins where Luffy has some how tapped into his own Haki (AKA Willpower) which stuns everyone in the vicinity to the extent of making some of the Amazonian warriors faint. I can’t help but make a connection to the Bleach equivalent, which must be ‘Reiatsu’ or Spiritual Force/Power.

Second Gear

Either way, it is revealed that Luffys massive Haki is known as the Kings Disposition and is rare. We begin to get hints that Luffy is different from all but a handful of people ever to have such Haki. In any case the fight continues, with Luffy eventually stepping up into Second Gear. I am yet to tire of seeing this. The foes are surprised by his strength which inevitably overwhelms them causing them to concede defeat but not before Luffy once more displays his compassion at the very moment before absolute defeat. Despite the heat of battle protects the secret of the Gorgon Sisters even though he knows not why, he simply knows that it is because they would rather die than have it revealed.

These past 2/3 episodes have been leading up to this. We due to find the out the back story of this mysterious mark. For those in the manga there are little surprises for you but the way the fight scenes are portrayed will, in my opinion, always win out over the manga.

Let me know what you thought of the most recent episode. If your not following the manga too. Feel free to speculate below.