One Piece 495

One Piece has kind of an odd feel with this episode where it's covering some ground but doesn't feel like it's getting anywhere. The opening deals well with the quick rush to stop Luffy getting killed and the fallout from it, especially with Ace berating Luffy, but then it goes into an old school Mark Twain kind of boys adventure for a bit where the trio are out having fun, avoiding chores around the house and then getting into some real trouble in a way. It's interesting and it has some very fun moments of levity to it, but it's not a significant progression in plot. What it does excel at is showing how Ace is warming up to Luffy in his own way and a real understanding of some of the defining ideas behind who Luffy is with how he didn't reveal anything to the pirates that would have killed him. Both Luffy and Ace come across the best here, but I'm still having a hard time putting my finger on Sabo with what he's all about.

One Piece 495