And we’re back, somewhat, to cover the last ONE PIECE episode of 2012. Apparently, the show’s staff took a week-long hiatus themselves, so we’ve got a little while before romanticism kicks back into third gear for the new year. (Or whatever ONE PIECE-related metaphor works best for you).
Anyway, I’ve never claimed to have a mind outside of the gutter, so I’ll make as many lewd inferences into Luffy’s massive attack on the extra-jointed pirate as are available. Seriously, just a few episodes back, one of you lunatics asserted that the guy’s ideal woman would probably have to be between two slices of bread. And, now… well… now he actually eats a girl and she promptly expands to full size inside his gut and then literally stretches his rubber skin all the way out.
It’s a scenario that you previously would’ve expected out of a ROBOT CHICKEN sketch about the time Mr. Fantastic and the Wasp got drunk together. So... my straw hat’s off to Oda for finally realizing what many a dirty mind has only speculated about for years.
To fixate on another detail - - is the bad guy’s llama sidekick really supposed to be a bazooka that’s mutated after eating one of this world’s many power-granting fruits? Sure, in a show where submarines are launching out of the water like flying fish and extra limbs just spontaneously pop out of thin air, that concept shouldn’t be too unexpected. But call me a stickler for wanting to clarify things, because I suspect “bazooka” might refer to some special kind of creature in this world and not the WWII-era rocket launcher of which we’re more familiar.
Again, would one of you more learned fans care to enlighten me about this?
Lastly, I’ve got to say that, after watching so many episodes of this show in succession, the non-stop parade of new threats and characters has gotten seriously dizzying. I feel like we just hopped over about three “false starts” for potential new villains to settle on this one - - and now we’re already moving onto the next! You really do need the kind of youthful enthusiasm that counts down to sunshine in order to keep up with this show.
Watch this episode, "Z's Ambition! Luffy vs. Shuzo!” here and decide for yourself, then read my comments about the previous episode here.
Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk
