A one-legged force to be reckoned with. What They Say:
Kyros, unbowed by Diamante’s vicious attacks, fights back with the anger and retribution of all of Dressrosa in order to fulfill his promise to protect Rebecca. If he is successful, only a few executives will remain, setting the stage for the Straw Hats’ victory.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
One Piece had a pretty strong episode the last time around as it worked the two stories it wanted to tell. Part of what kills me with the show over the years is that it makes me care about characters that I shouldn’t otherwise. Spending just a bit of time on Senor Pink and pushing all the right buttons, you can feel a lot of sympathy towards him and the path that he’s been on for some time that has put him where he is. Similarly, there was a lot to like with Kyros as he engages in the fight in the Sunflower Field, especially when you remember where he started for us here as Toy Soldier and then we got our expansion into the past with his family problems, what Doflamingo did to all of them and the pain that drives Rebecca. It’s been a layered and interesting arc, far more engaging than Punk Hazard to be sure, and it just escalates wonderfully even while our main crew is off screen.
Following up on the fight between Diamante and Kyros is definitely welcome as it’s been a visual treat recently and they up the emotion here as the two go at it. Particularly with a brief but smartly placed flashback sequence for him when Scarlet died and he had to hold her limp body in the rain. It’s overly dramatic yet it just brings all the emotion to the surface in a strong way. It reinforces the anger that he has, the passion that he has, which is what’s driving him through this fight as the spiky balls continue to fall on him from above. Kyros is naturally the avatar of anger for the people of the island that goes back to everything Doflamingo has done here, all the pain and suffering caused, and it’s well played with the action – even if you do really wonder how he stands and copes so well with just one leg. But in the end it’s simply one of those top fight sequences that the show pulls off from time to time that doesn’t involve the core Straw Hat crew yet makes you feel just as intensely involved in it.
This fight takes up the bulk of the episode and really does work its power levels right to drive it well. We get some nods amid it from elsewhere, notably with Viola as she fills in people from a distance with what’s going on there, and there’s a really great post-fight sequence that just clicks as we see Robin looking on with a sense of pride herself and Rebecca’s understanding of what she can finally connect with now. It’s done simply but has such great emotional power to it that’s underscored by Robin’s own suffering in protecting Rebecca for Kyros. Giving us some additional post-fight material with the various residents of the island having their own celebration, big and small, definitely helps a lot as well. It’s muted in general since there’s still so much more to go, but it takes a neat turn as we get Viola starting to organize now that there’s a sense of hope among the populace that they can win. There’s still four powerful people running things, but this is the point where the tide feels like it’s truly getting ready to turn.
In Summary:
One Piece has another fantastic episode here. Though I wasn’t a big fan of Toy Soldier and some of what was done on the island with the toys and all that, it’s a part of the world that does work and has allowed it to reach the emotional moments we’ve had in this segment of the arc as they’ve been turned back to normal and a new layer of pain has surfaced. Focusing on Kyros’ fight as our main lens through which to see the loss and suffering involved works well and it provides the strong driving force for him to eliminate Diamante, making for a powerful and emotional sequence both during and afterward. A very solid episode that brings another piece of the arc to a close while moving everything else forward a bit more.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
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