© Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation
Episode 1090 of One Piece is a fun, pulpy adventure ride that does just enough without being too much.
It’s quite refreshing to be able to watch One Piece with an empty mind. Not that it’s all that full to begin with but I miss these action-adventure episodes. After years of tracking multiple plot threads and dozens of characters, we’re back to just weighing what is on screen in front of us at any given moment. It’s nice! I know it won’t last forever of course. It’s just a pleasant return to silly pirate adventures.
And these adventures are very silly and very pirate-y. One Piece has been a series pitting ships against big sea monsters since chapter 1 and we’re right back in the thick of it. The giant iron shark from Egghead Island is assailing the Thousand Sunny for most of the episode and forms a lot of the actions and drama therein. The ship gets tossed around, Jimbei has to dive to save the captain, etc. It’s all fun and full of buoyant animation (despite Luffy and Co’s lack of buoyancy, natch) that is a joy to watch. I’m not a fan of the Bonney fan service bits given what we know from the manga chapters coming down the pike – and Lord knows there are a lot of them here – but thankfully we do eventually move on.
And we meet Dr. Vegapunk! Kind of a big deal, yet more mounting evidence that we are nearing the relative end of the series…
Rating:
“What other five-star anime are you watching? Vote on the latest episodes here: Your Score“
