#the second leader of the akazaya and tsuru's husband

[fallensnowfan]

I’m rereading Zou and it’s still a favorite for how well it sets up everything for the next 250+ chapters.

When Kanjuro draws Ryuunosuke, it’s a small panel though Kin’emon seems a bit taken aback. I’m guessing over the fact that he drew a weak pink dragon to be essentially a servant. In retrospect, that says a lot about how much Orochi had warped Kanjuro’s views by that point. With Orochi’s views own already having been warped by Higurashi.

Also remembered that Pedro says Dog and Cat must not die. Also have Izo’s and Usopp’s message that living after defeat has meaning. Similarly to a lot of people saying Big Mom would tell Luffy that she had killed Jinbei, a lot of people were saying that all of the Akazaya would die. Shame on them >:(

#one piece #zou arc #pedro #akazaya nine #after everything the minks went through to protect raizo #denjiro working for the man he hates most for twenty years #kin'emon being momo's second father #the second leader of the akazaya and tsuru's husband #kawamatsu being the perfect friend shaped kappa who sacrificed so much to raise hiyori #kiku being the youngest who deserves nothing but the best #they all deserve to be happy #I'm so glad they all got to reunite before the battle #while ashura doji's sacrifice was meaningful and on his own terms #it still hurts me #since Oden's death they all did everything they could to prepare to strike back #would good would all of their efforts be if none of them got to see the fruition of their efforts? #Oden's will lives in them alone #also I find it funny that so many are still saying that the tragedy of act three never happened #when wano isn't even doing the jo ha kyu story structure #and had a tragedy with Oden's death #the Kozuki family being separated #and everything with the Akazaya being betrayed

[fallensnowfan]

The episode(s) which will adapt chapter 1030 are to be airing fairly soon so I thought now a good time to put my own thoughts about a specific part and of it and more to text.

The return of Kin'emon's severed legs, aka Ashimaro, was about the last thing I was expecting, though I'm actually really glad that it happened. It was a good reminder to not take things so seriously, a return to form for the story, and far FAR from the silliest or most questionable thing to happen in the series, let alone during the battle. I think those ancient dinosaur techniques or earlobe combat take that award. The raid was getting more than a little depressing at the time and needed some nonsense asap. That shit with Kanjuro, just why Oda? He already had the perfect end at the back of Onigashima. No one wanted the equivalent of a scene of a Shanks illusion stabbing Luffy.

As for Kin, killing off a character who is so important to so many others, or Kiku, the youngest of the group who quickly became the most focused on new ally of the arc and would go onto be for the second act, and much of the third, in about a fourth of a chapter each? Felt far too sudden to really believe. When reading those chapters, both look not much different from Doffy wounding Law outside the coliseum in Dressrosa, or Robin being wounded by Crocodile in the chambers of Alabasta’s underground, from where I stand at least.

Tsuru waited for and remained faithful to her husband and the Kozuki Clan for twenty years. After Oden's death, the Akazaya gained a new leader through Kin and he became Momo's second father, soon after the group arrived from the past.

Ashura Doji, the ever reliable rock of the group, had about a full chapter of focus given to his sacrifice, and it continued to be respected beyond the chapter, and was absolutely meaningful. He ensured that his fellow samurai, those he lived alongside for twenty years, were able to see past the illusion and keep moving forward. Adding on to that, the hole in the castle’s roof caused by the explosion allowed the moonlight to reach Inu once more. How's that for tricks of fate at play/adding more meaning to Ashura's sacrifice? He will be remembered as the ever reliable and grounded samurai he was.

The real battle was media literacy vs. hype. Now no one, including myself, is completely immune to getting caught up in hype at times. And there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the hype when events start heating up, in moderation.

Pair that hype with various and common enough reader expectations that Wano(the arc that was always going to be about the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance,) was going to be hyper Straw Hat-centric, that all or most of the samurai would die, the Oden/Whitebeard/Roger hype, Zoro hype, and the often pointless Carrot vs Yamato debates getting out of hand, and it's easy to see how much of the depth of the arc's story and of the individual members of the Akazaya may have been overlooked upon first go through. Their commitment and loyalty to Oden and to each other isn't always clear at first glance, or directly spelled out at points, though is more than worth the time and energy it takes to understand, even if just that little bit more.

#one piece #wano arc #akazaya nine #ashura doji #okiku #nico robin #robin #kin'emon #trafalgar law #law #sanji #mr. 2 #bon clay #black maria #one piece anime #is this more than a bit sappy at parts? it is #getting a bit of venting in too #mostly appreciation and a closer look at this 15/10 found family though