1x06 THE CHEF AND THE CHORE BOY

(700-word review) Sanji's backstory, specifically the twist at the end, and the much more surprising twist and subsequent betrayal by a particular character – though it was made less of a surprise here because bits and pieces were leading up to it, whereas it was sudden and shocking in the manga – likely landed well with many of the viewers who haven't read the manga or watched the anime. Some fans of the source material may have enjoyed this episode even more because they got to see each of them (especially the backstory) in live-action. I assume it was one of the season's best for many people.

I was previously familiar with the backstory details, most notably the ultimate twist, alongside the surprising discovery of Nami's allegiance and her pivotal decision that leads to a highly memorable scene, which bodes well for the remaining two episodes. But, contrary to the likelihood that having prior knowledge did not have the same effect on other people, I believe that "lessened" the expected impact of those two things. More controversially, Sanji's backstory was the weaker one, and the whole thing with Nami landed better, with the subtle piercing effect of it on Luffy (on top of his reaction), not to mention it sets up her backstory. More importantly, it adds to the effective dynamic of the crew and how much Luffy values her, leading to that iconic moment, which will undoubtedly land for me if only due to the reunion.

Another perspective to consider is how good the previous episode was, going above and beyond and establishing, with ease, the standard to live up to and (hopefully) surpass, either with the final two, possibly both, but more generally, encompassing the entire show. It cooked up a massive fire and left it sizzling, while this one had difficulties keeping that sizzle going, let alone reviving it back to a fire.

However, on the plus side, Arlong's arrival at the Baratie propelled a slightly overarching weakness to considerable improvement. That fight sequence was good, and Buggy's reappearance was fantastic. He was the best part of this episode. There was also something that may have gone under the radar, and it relates to certain shots in previous episodes that weren't particularly liked; well, the revelation that he's been eavesdropping with his "eyes and ears everywhere" explains those shots, though I was already a fan of them before this recontextualization and deeper meaning. But at least there's an actual reason, beyond being a directing choice, for the people who were turned off.

I also liked the scene with Zoro and Luffy after the former woke up, featuring Usopp. The emotional connection present on Luffy's part, complimented further by Zoro's vow and the weight behind it, was noticeably well-executed, and the comedic relief moments of the hug and the arm yank were not only funny but they increased the sincerity of the scene; the way Zeff's mustache was flopping as he was prodding Sanji to go after his dream, the final goodbyes between them at the end was surprisingly impactful, largely thanks to Taz Skylar's acting, Zoro's reaction to Buggy, which was enhanced by that circus-y score cue kicking in, and Nami's outfits – the costume department needs massive applause for their excellent job here.

But that final shot of Koby after Garp's speech was hilarious. I've always been indifferent concerning that subplot. I've seen some complaints about it, coming down to frustration about the amount of screen time it's receiving: how Usopp's story deserved a chunk, and now Sanji's story – both of which were practically on the back-burner within THEIR stories. While I'm still indifferent towards those sentiments and observations, that subplot/the scenes with Koby and Garp are becoming tedious now. They seem to lack variation; it's the same conversations over and over, seasoned with the continual bug-eyed, jittery acting by Koby's actor – that never bothered me much until now, as it's growing old, despite the potential trueness and faithfulness to his character in the manga. And what was up with Garp's speech? What was different about that declaration compared to his initial avenue of action? I must've missed something subtle that indicated a significant change in the course of action.