One Piece: Into the Grand Line

With his crew assembled, Monkey D. Luffy finally sets out for the Grand Line: a stretch of dangerous waters said to be hold the long sought after One Piece.  Luffy and his crew of misfits have braved a lot to get this far but they haven’t faced anything like the foes waiting for them along the Grand Line.  A guild of dangerous assassins, Baroque Works, sets their twisted sights on the Straw Hats and a special cargo they’ve come across.  In order to survive, Luffy and his friends will have their resolves tested like never before.  Will the Grand Line be where their dreams come true or where their dreams go to die?

There’s a moment during the Season Premiere of Netflix’s One Piece, where Luffy looks upon the execution site of Gold Roger.  He says he just wanted to see it and pay tribute to the man who started it all and respectfully tips his hat to the towering momument with a smile on his face.  It was right here that I thought to myself, “This feels right.”  That can basically calmly sum up my thoughts on One Piece: Into the Grand Line.  Season One was great but compared to Season Two feels more like a proof of concept for the bigger and better things to come and let me tell ya, they have arrived delivering on almost every front.  This is the season that proves beyond the shadow of any doubt that Live Action Anime can work when you have the right team of writers, willingness to indulge in the spirit of Anime, and yeah having the OG creator onboard to supervise doesn’t hurt either. 
 

The Gundam Anime Corner 12th Anniversary

While I usually open one of these special pieces reflecting on how long I’ve been working on this massive endevor, I want to share a quick story first.  Back in late 2025 I was asked by a couple of friends to officiate for them at their wedding (don’t ask how or why I’m able, even I don’t 100% get it).  It was a huge honor to be asked but something always nagged me besides pressure to not mess up on the couples big day.  Why was I the one picked for such a prominent role in the wedding?  Don’t get me wrong: everything went fine, smiles, happiness, dancing, the whole shebang.  But I did get a moment to ask the bride and groom and they looked surprised I was asking.  Not only was I their top pick for the job but a lot of that faith came down to my writing over on the Anime Corner.  Let me tell you: Everything just froze for a few seconds.  A compliment like that, that my blog and my writing skills were what convinced two special people to let me partake in their big day in a vital role…woof.  It’s…yeah…
 
So as you can imagine, it’s one thing to talk about 12 years of writing, ranting and trying to come up with Top 5’s every week.  But when your work touches the lives of people in such a way.  That’s the biggest damn compliment my blog has ever received and it lets me know that every week I feel like a review doesn’t have enough UMPH or entertainment value or the Top 5’s or First Impressions might be lacking, something about this little corner of the internet is accomplishing what I always hope but never always get confirmation on: introducing new titles to old and new Otaku and making someones day better even if it’s just for a few minutes.  I feel so much pride and happiness in the Gundam Anime Corner right now that the right words cant even properly describe it.
 
And you know what?  12 years in…oh baby we’re still running with it and still going strong and as we cross into Year 13, wild rides await.  Ok before I start crying over that amazing memory, how about a quick breakdown of what’s coming from now until mid summer.
 

Angel’s Egg

Two souls wander a desolate landscape with no destination and only the vaguest notion of purpose.  For a girl, it is to guard an egg that is the most precious thing in the world to her.  For a boy, he only wants to know what’s sleeping inside of the egg.  Together these two ponder the meaning of their existence and how the world came to be.  All the while, the contents of the egg remain a tempting mystery to be solved…but should it be?

So this is a bit of a weird one to look at.  When it comes to Mamoru Oshii’s filmography, I’m mostly just familiar with his work on Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor and Panzer Kerberos.  Granted all of those titles share a lot of his artistic styles, especially when it comes to letting the animation and music do all the talking while we watch and ponder.  Angel’s Egg is that approach on full display: a visual journey into a very dark and confusing unknown with only two near silent protagonists for guides.  It’s ridiculously beautiful, it’s super heavy with it’s content.  And really, I’m still wonder how I should grade it.  Guess we’ll figure it out along the way.
 

T5W#554-Top 5 Ways the Alita: Battle Angel Movie Surpasses the Battle Angel OVA

Alita: Battle Angel is easily one of the better Live Action Anime offerings out there, which is certainly something for a project that languished in development hell for over 20 years before it’s 2019 release.  Me personally, I knew of the title, both Anime and Manga, but had never seen or read them until recently.  And while I would still love to read the Manga sometime, if I didn’t make it clear by Monday’s review: The OVA is not great.  In fact, I think it’s pretty bad.  So bad I wonder how it convinced anyone to turn it into a movie (maybe James Cameron read the Manga idk.).  Anyway, looking at the OVA for the first time was plenty of incentive to rewatch the movie again for the first time in years and guess what, IT’S STILL AWESOME.  So awesome it puts the Battle Angel OVA to shame.  I know those are strong claims but I stand by it and on todays Top 5 Wednesday, I present my evidence with the Top 5 Ways the Alita: Battle Angel Movie Surpasses the Battle Angel OVA.  BTW, for clarification, I have not read the Alita Manga.  So for this Top 5’s purposes, I’m only looking at comparing the OVA to the Movie and nothing more, though I theorize a lot of what’s lacking in the OVA is in the Manga but I digress.

Battle Angel

Gally may look like a charming young girl.  But the truth within her is far more deadly.  Rescued from a trash heap by a kind scientist, Gally slowly discovers her fighting potential, driving her to become a force for justice in the downtrodden city of Scrap Iron City.  As she struggles with the warrior within, Gally will soon come face to face with the draw of the skyward city, Zalem, and those who will risk their souls to get there, including what’s left of their humanity.

One of the most notable aspects of Battle Angel Alita’s existence outside of it’s widely praised Manga is how long it’s live action feature film lingered in Development Hell.  Director James Cameron fell in love with the OVA and made it a mission to get a live action version made for years.  It wasn’t until Cameron went off to do Avatar and handed the directorial reins off to Robert Rodriguez that we got that long awaited adaptation that ended up surprising everyone, including myself, with how good it was.  Which brings us today to the OVA itself and…yeah.  This is another one of those cases as with the original Bubblegum Crisis or Megazone 23 (Part 1 & 2) where I can sort of see the appeal but don’t really understand why this is such a beloved classic, unless most people are actually talking about the Manga.  And judging from how messy the whole affair turns out, I’m not surprised we haven’t gotten any kind of follow up anime.
 

T5W#553-Top 5 Hottest Ladies in Netflix’s One Piece

The second season of Netflix’s Live Action One Piece (aka Into the Grand Line) dropped last week.  My review of it is still a couple weeks away but one thing I could not wait to talk about it regards to the new season is its hotness factor when it comes to bringing some of the most legendary beauties in Anime to life.  Netflix has done a pretty solid job with its casting in the show and the five ladies we’ll de discussing today on Top 5 Wednesday are just as capable of stealing hearts as they are all of your hard earned cash.  These are the Top 5 Hottest Ladies in Netflix’s One Piece.  There may be some MINOR SPOILERS ahead for Season 2 since most of this list is comprised of Season 2 characters but I’ll keep things as minimal as possible.

Robot Carnival

A massive structure roams the desert, carrying a never ending parade of robotic entertainment delights.  It is a show that brings memories and visions of worlds beyond imagination.  In each, Robots search for answers to their existence, clash for dominants on distant worlds or simply relish in the strangeness that follows them.  It’s a show only the greatest minds in Anime could conceive.  Welcome to the Robot Carnival.

Anime Anthologies can be a nice entry point to new fans of the Anime genre.  Usually they have a wide assortment of studios and directors with tons of experience under their belts that together can show off just how multifaceted Anime can be as a whole.  This has led to some truly amazing collections such as Halo: Legends, The Animatrix, Katsuhiro Otomo’s Memories and last weeks amazing Neo Tokyo.  However, then there are titles like Robot Carnival.  This was actually released a few months prior to Neo Tokyo in 1987 but the difference in quality between the two could not be more clear.  Whereas Neo Tokyo was an incredibly immersive and unforgettable experience, Robot Carnival turns out to be the opposite, overly long, nonsensical and worst of all, absolutely boring.
 

T5W#552-Top 5 Theories About the Next Evangelion TV Project

Just when we thought that the final word had been said on Evangelion back in 2021 with the epic masterpiece Evangelion 3.0+1.0-Thrice Upon a Time, a couple weeks back saw a major announcement during the 30^th Anniversary of Neon Genesis Evangelion: A New Evangelion TV Anime is in the works from the forces behind Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX.  This is kind of a big deal.  This will be the third Anime iteration of Evangelion (or 4^th depending on how you look at the Death and Rebirth/End of Evangelion Movies).  Considering the story has been told in two spectacular ways across 30 years, what exactly can we expect from a new series?  More importantly, what’s it even about?  Well I have my thoughts on that and on todays Top 5 Wednesday I’m sharing my Top 5 Theories About the Next Evangelion TV Project.

 

Neo Tokyo

From the distant boundaries of the impossible to the deepest depths of the unknown, three of Anime’s most prolific Directors unite for a voyage unlike any seen before.  Three stories traverse the endless possibilities of the imagination from the bizarre and wicked to the deadly and dangerous.  Otomo.  Kawajiri.  Rintaro.  Join them as they guide you on a journey into the new world of Neo Tokyo

Neo Tokyo is another one of those titles I used to see in the Anime Section of Suncoast or Blockbuster and had no clue what it was about, I just knew I wanted to see it.  What I definitely didn’t know was that the anthology had not one but three big name Anime Directors whose resumes I’m quite familiar with.  Of course I knew Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy) had a hand in it but there’s also Rintaro (Galaxy Express 999, X) and Yoshiyaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Wicked City).  These three power houses of the craft together on the same project, it’s gotta be amazing right?  Well yes, yes it is and then some.  Neo Tokyo is a deep dive into the surreal and freaky side of Anime, not the Hentai kind but the kind of stuff that makes you wonder what exactly each Director was dreaming when they came up with these ideas.
 

T5W#551-Top 5 Best Things About Resident Evil: Requiem (No Spoilers)

The Requiem is finally upon us and I am happy to report Dear Readers that the 9^th mainline entry of the Resident Evil franchise, which arrives just in time for it’s 30^th Anniversary, is a pretty damn good time.  It’s both a solid new chapter for the universe and a homecoming of sorts for longtime fans who have been readily awaiting the return to Racoon City after its destruction.  I honestly didn’t expect to run through the Campaign as quickly as I did so now I have a legit excuse to talk about the only other game I’ve been hyper obsessive about this year next to Persona 5.  And do not worry, I wont be spoiling anything major for the games storyline since the release is still in its early days.  So, without further ado, let’s grab out flashlights and Devil May Cry style Magnums to explore the Top 5 Best Things About Resident Evil: Requiem (No Spoilers).

Roujin-Z

In the early 21^st century, Japan faces a crisis as it’s medical resources are being overwhelmed by the number of elderly patients in need of care.  To combat this issue, the Ministry of Public Welfare creates the Z-001: a fully automated hospital bed that can tend to any elderly patients needs.  It’s built to be perfect…but the truth is far from it.  When messages from the prototypes test subject, Kijuro Takazawa, begin reaching out to his beloved nurse, Haruko Mitsuhashi, it’s only the beginning of something more than a simple malfunction.  Soon, the Z-001 shows its true colors and it’s determined to help fulfill Takazawa’s wishes and no one is safe from the rampage its about to unleash.

I remember seeing a small portion of Roujin-Z during an Anime Night screening on the SciFi Channel when I was a kid and was always fascinated by it. Not only is the title cool (hey, given how young I was if the title had Z in it that automatically made it cool), but you had some sort of sentient robot bed with an old man at its core causing havoc in poor Tokyo, how can you not be curious about that.  Having now watched it from beginning to end, I can certainly say it is a very fun scifi action comedy from two of Anime’s most celebrated masters.  And while it has messages that kind of get drowned out by an insane second half, Roujin-Z still succeeds by being a dumb fun 80min flick that many can appreciate.
 

The March to Year 13

Man oh man let me tell you: Scheduling for 2026 is proving to be the most challenging since I started this blog back in 2014.  I’ve got a bunch of titles I’d like to look at and some are at the mercy of waiting for a US release date.  There’s been a lot of shuffling around but I think I’ve got things locked in from March to July/Mid August.  Why bring this up?  Because March, the month of the Gundam Anime Corner’s Birthday, has been a whirlwind of ideas that I haven’t been able to settle on.  Plus, there’s that aforementioned unrevealed US Release Date.  Yeah I was really hoping that after it’s release in Japan back in January, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe would see a quick turn around on it’s arrival stateside.  Sadly, no such date has been announced, which means it’s not going to be this years 12^th Anniversary Review.  Don’t get me wrong, once it does arrive I’ll pencil it in somewhere before the end of the year.  But what does this all mean for March?