“Oden Wouldn’t Be Oden If It Wasn’t Boiled!”

The citizens are starting to understand what Oden has done for them over time and how he’s actually saved them as some of Orochi’s depravity is starting to be realized. Having the regular citizens start calling for the execution to be stopped and thanking Oden for what he did isn’t a great idea, however, as it just makes Orochi and Kaido tighten their grip more on the population. There’s a lot of this that makes up a good chunk of the episode as it moves about a bit with repeated focuses on Oden as he slips slightly at times but otherwise does his best to hold everyone on his shoulders above. It’s slow, intense, and it counts down to the minutes and seconds that gets everyone so hopeful and excited that he’s actually able to do it and escape the death penalty.

Not that it stops Orochi from wanting them dead. While Oden toses everyone out, Orochi sends his forces after them to eliminate them and the name Kozuki. Oden remains in the boiling oil, however, to face off against Kaido and we get to see everyone doing their best to escape, getting separated, and mixing in “filmstrip flashbacks” for them along the way. It’s solid action bits with really good animation and color design to it that helps to give it energy and intensity to work. With Oden, it’s not something that gets too far here because he is still mostly just coping with being in the oil and recovering now that everyone is off his shoulders, but once he hits that sweet spot where he’s ready to move again, it turns nicely cinematic in a very Japanese way to really make Oden’s legend legendary.

In Summary:

As Oden continues trying to survive in the boiling pot holding his retainers over his head, people learn the truth from Shinobu and get shocked. At the same time, Oden tells his retainers the importance of opening the borders of the Land of Wano. Time ticks down for Oden and his clan’s freedom.

Thanks for reading! See you next week!

乂⍱‿●乂