September 27, 2023 12:30 pm
The development of the main story might be taking an unexpected break.
One Piece has just recently aired its episode 1077 that continues to tell us the seemingly never-ending story of Wano. While the general reception was (as always with One Piece) very warm, some fans are starting to smell something in the air. And it’s the odor of a filler arc.
Generally speaking, filler arcs are a staple of huge anime series and are nothing to be ashamed of. Some fans hate them, some fans are okay with them, some, perhaps, might even love them. They can be characterized as a sort of a minor unavoidable evil that is necessary to keep a beloved show afloat. One Piece itself has been no stranger to filler arcs in the past .
So what’s the problem here, you might ask? Well, it’s just that the series has been on such a tear lately that it’s really been a while since our last fully legit filler arc. And when we say ‘a while’ we really mean it — if we count out the movie tie-ins it’s really been years since the last one!
Another thing that makes this one stand out is the fact that it kind of came out of nowhere. While episode 1077 does seemingly take us a bit close to the potential ending of the Wano arc, the story is still nowhere near its end. However, instead of any active development, what we are getting in the episode is a bunch of vignettes that consume half the runtime just to check in on various characters without contributing a single thing to the ongoing story.
Don’t get us wrong — the gag with Brook and Chopper was great, and the visuals were, as always, stunning (that shot of Onigashima burning and crumbling down was something else) and the whole episode was great but there is something fishy going on. And, considering the fact that we’re not THAT far behind the manga, it really wouldn't be surprising to see the filler meter gradually turned up to 11 in the upcoming episodes.
The development of the main story might be taking an unexpected break.
One Piece has just recently aired its episode 1077 that continues to tell us the seemingly never-ending story of Wano. While the general reception was (as always with One Piece) very warm, some fans are starting to smell something in the air. And it’s the odor of a filler arc.
Generally speaking, filler arcs are a staple of huge anime series and are nothing to be ashamed of. Some fans hate them, some fans are okay with them, some, perhaps, might even love them. They can be characterized as a sort of a minor unavoidable evil that is necessary to keep a beloved show afloat. One Piece itself has been no stranger to filler arcs in the past .
So what’s the problem here, you might ask? Well, it’s just that the series has been on such a tear lately that it’s really been a while since our last fully legit filler arc. And when we say ‘a while’ we really mean it — if we count out the movie tie-ins it’s really been years since the last one!
Another thing that makes this one stand out is the fact that it kind of came out of nowhere. While episode 1077 does seemingly take us a bit close to the potential ending of the Wano arc, the story is still nowhere near its end. However, instead of any active development, what we are getting in the episode is a bunch of vignettes that consume half the runtime just to check in on various characters without contributing a single thing to the ongoing story.
Don’t get us wrong — the gag with Brook and Chopper was great, and the visuals were, as always, stunning (that shot of Onigashima burning and crumbling down was something else) and the whole episode was great but there is something fishy going on. And, considering the fact that we’re not THAT far behind the manga, it really wouldn't be surprising to see the filler meter gradually turned up to 11 in the upcoming episodes.
