Quick Links
One Pieceepisode #1138 was an unfortunately lackluster follow-up to recent events, but even so, it still left plenty to get excited about for episode #1139 and beyond. Even with episode #1138 being largely average, the arc is only going to get bigger from here, and that’s something everyone can look forward to.
After Kuma sent St. Saturn flying, Kuma had an emotional reconciliation with Bonney, even if he lacked the emotion and reason to properly respond to her. Their reunion was short-lived, however, as Saturn’s quick recovery reminded everyone of how tense things were, especially with how quick he was to escalate the conflict even further.
What Time One Piece Episode 1139 Releases
One Piece Episode 1139’s Release Schedule
As with previous episodes,theOne Pieceanimestreams new episodes weekly on Crunchyroll and Netflix, which can be accessed through their apps, websites, or third-party websites like Amazon Prime. Assuming there are no delays,One Pieceepisode #1139 should premiere on Crunchyroll on Sunday, August 10 at 8:45 AM Pacific Standard Time (PST), 11:45 AM Eastern Standard Time (EST), and 4:45 PM British Summer Time (BST), with the same episode debuting a week later on Netflix, as well.
One Piece Episode 1137 Review: A Perfect Epilogue To Its Most Emotional Story
One Piece Episode 1137 In Review
One Pieceepisode #1136set the bar for episodes incredibly high, but episode #1137 more than delivered. Series director Wataru Matsumi personally directed episode #1137, and while it wasn’t as chaotic as Luffy vs. Lucci or Luffy vs. Kizaru, it was still an episode filled with creative and all-around gorgeous animation, especially with the final scene.
Naturally, the story was what helped tie it all together. After spending months on the emotional rollercoaster that wasKuma’s backstory,One Piecedelivered the ultimate catharsis by finally having Kuma and Bonney reuniteand having Kuma punch Saturn for everything he’s done to him, all of which was made as incredible to watch as possible.
What made it even better was how much of an improvement it was over the manga. TheOne Pieceanime is infamous for typically only adapting one chapter per episode, but they broke that rule for episode #1137 to end on Kuma’s punch instead of the setup for it, and that led to a far more satisfying conclusion than what could have happened otherwise.
The anime’s handling of Kuma’s backstory was nothing short of a masterpiece, and fortunately,One Pieceepisode #1137was the perfect follow-up both visually and narratively. The Egghead arc will be completely different going forward, but unfortunately, episode #1138, at least, didn’t do a good job of leaning into that.
What Happened In One Piece Episode 1138?
Produced By Toei Animation; Directed By Tomohiro Higashi
InOne Pieceepisode #1138, “Thank You, Dad - Bonney and Kuma’s Warm Embrace”, Kuma’s massive punch on St. Saturn sent him flying across Egghead and caused so much destruction that nearby buildings fell on top of him. The Marines scrambled to pull Saturn out of the wreckage, and in the meantime, Kuma and Bonney finally embraced each other.
As Kuma and Bonney hugged, Vegapunk remarked on Saturn’s comments about activating the self-destruct switch and acknowledged that Kuma should have at least been put into a vegetative state. Vegapunk theorized that Kuma’s ability to move had something to do with being a Buccaneer, but the episode never revealed what specific trait Vegapunk was thinking about.
Soon enough, Saturn emerged from the rubble, and while he was heavily injured from Kuma’s attack, he quickly regenerated back to full health. Sanji and Franky were quick to fight off Saturn’s attacks, but things took a turn for the worse when Kizaru finally rejoined the fight and tipped things back in Saturn’s favor.
Vegapunk then had everyone take Kuma back to the lab while he confronted Saturn and Kizaru, with Vegapunk even calling Kizaru pathetic for going along with everything. Kizaru agreed with Vegapunk, and to make matters worse, Saturn officially called for a Buster Call to destroy Egghead and everyone on the island.
One Piece Delivers Its Weakest Episode In Weeks
Why One Piece Episode 1138 Didn’t Work
One Pieceepisode #1138 wasn’t as big an episode as previous ones, but that doesn’t mean it was bad. Not only is the writing as strong as ever, but the animation, while largely serviceable, still had plenty of great shots, with the scene of Saturn emerging from the rubble especially standing out.
The biggest problem with episode #1138, though, was its pacing. While episode #1137 adapted more than one chapter of the manga, the series is back to its usual pacing, and to verify things didn’t go too far, episode #1138 was padded out with a multitude of flashbacks to Kuma’s backstory, even though they had just gotten done with it.
One Piece episode #1138 was padded out with a multitude of flashbacks to Kuma’s backstory, even though they had just gotten done with it.
All of that is very typical ofOne Piece, but it’s disappointing to see it so soon after months of some of the anime’s best storytelling and direction. Overall,One Pieceepisode #1138’s poor direction makes it the weakest episode in weeks, but hopefully,One Pieceepisode #1139 and beyond will be better to watch.
Be sure to watchOne Pieceepisode #1139 when it releases on Sunday, August 10.
