Episode 1071 of One Piece got a lot of very deserved attention for being the debut of Luffy’s Gear 5. (Also, let me take this moment to say I know people were impatient to get to Gear 5, but the Hiyori scene was great. Give me moody shamisen all day.) But 1071 was historic within One Piece-dom for another reason: It was the first time in 17 years that One Piece had an ending song.
A kid could’ve been born and gotten a driver’s license in most U.S. states during that interval. For perspective on exactly how long ago that was within the story of One Piece itself, before the long break, the last episode to have an end credits song was when Robin screamed “I want to live!!” at Enies Lobby. That’s well before the time skip, even. Good ol’ 2006. Anime endings have come a long way since then, to the point they regularly rival the high production value of openings.
One Piece‘s new end credits sequence, set to “Raise” by the all-female Japanese rock (pop? who’s to say?) band Chilli Beans., more than makes up for the interval. For one, the animation is gorgeous. It highlights the lush, vivid animation the series overall is now capable of. But the sequence allows the animation to stew on landscape shots in a way the series itself often doesn’t. The ramshackle umbrellas beneath the rain, the drip of the classic Japanese-style rooftop corners of Wano, the way Yamato chews an onigiri to the beat. The attention to detail is stunning. And I’m a sucker for timing non-musical actions to a beat in openings and endings, anyway.
The rain clears as, metaphorically speaking, a new era begins for Wano. The scene takes place after the Raid on Onigashima is over, and everyone’s preparing to sail away. The animation here is so adorable, it makes my heart explode. And then melt. Look at all these friends! I love them. But has been made in particular of how, far in the background, Robin is very tickled by Wanda’s emphatic garchu. And I am very tickled by how, in the foreground, Chopper is taken very off guard by Bariete’s.
There’s so much joy in this ending. And it’s so dynamic! Watching Luffy, very far in the back of the shot, swipe a hunk of meat from Killer and then get in a fight with Kid about it, as Law’s legs in the extreme foreground just scream the “whatever” expression that you know is on his face—what a goddamn pleasure. And Luffy’s smile at Momonosuke at the very end? C’mon.
So welcome back to One Piece, ending songs! I had no idea how much I missed you until you were back. The subsequent adjustment for time means that we should be getting a new opening soon, too. There’s even more to look forward to.
(Image credit: Toei Animation)
