One Piece episode 1032 is one of the spottier Wano entries, sadly. It isn't exactly bad, but it does not measure up to the (perhaps impossibly high) standard set by the rest of Wano in terms of visuals or hype moments. That said, it's not entirely without merit.
The sequence that worked best for me was the exchange between Kiku and Izo. It can be hard for characters to stand out in One Piece these days given the ballooning cast size and outrageous number of plot threads happening at any one time. The Akazaya Nine is part of that as well, given that there are, uh, nine of them, with each getting a bit of time in the spotlight. I think some are more memorable than others, but Kiku and Izo stand out to me in terms of being the first members I think of besides Kinemon (wife guy solidarity). The flashback here does a great job of touching on their connection to Oden, their interesting status and sibling combatants, and the central theme of Wano and hunger. Oden fed their hunger in their time of need, so they feed his legacy to the death if necessary.
Sadly, much of the rest of the episode is stuff that was happening last week. Big Mom smacked Page One and is about to fight Ulti – not much change there. Luffy and Kaido are cutting loose on the rooftop – not much change there. And more chaos is ensuing in the bowels of Onigashima – not much change there either.
Most disheartening are some of the visuals this week. I know there are constraints due to budget and/or deadlines, and we eat so well week-to-week with Wano that it feels unfair to complain at all. That said, it's one thing to use limited animation techniques to make up the difference, but there are sequences here where things just… don't look good. In the shot of Kiku and Izo running, their bodies are absurdly long and they look really bizarre. Later when Ulti is running towards Big Mom, the proportions on her arms are similarly off, like they're roughly 20% too thin to fit her body. The length of these sequences makes it all really noticeable.
But there are nice character moments here. Usopp and Nami shenanigans are always a treat, and I got a good laugh watching them try and fail to get anyone on their side. Plus Sanji wielding cruciform mummy Zoro in battle has to be one of the defining images of Wano as an arc.
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based on the polls you can find in our Daily Streaming Reviews
and on the Your Score page with the latest simulcasts. Keep in mind ...
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