ONE PIECE rocketed to the top of the English TV list, amassing an impressive 18.5 million views in just four days. The series debuted at number one in 46 countries and reached the Top 10 in 93.
The live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s sprawling tale, based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history, which has sold more than 500 million copies globally, currently has one of Netflix’s highest audiences scores ever.
Netflix expresses gratitude to the thousands of straw hats that gathered around the world for fan screenings and celebrations in ten countries.
The UK thriller Who Is Erin Carter? also had a strong second week, ranking second with 15.8 million views.
The docuseries Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, debuted at third place with 5.7 million views, and Disenchantment Part 5 debuted at tenth place with 4.6 million views.
Returning titles rounded out the top ten, with Painkiller ranking fourth (3.4 million views), The Ultimatum: Marry Or Move On Season 2 ranking fifth (3.1 million views), Depp V. Heard ranking sixth (2.7 million views), Untold: Swamp Kings ranking seventh (1.9 million views), and Gabby’s Dollhouse Season 8 ranking ninth (1.5 million views).
With an impressive 21.9 million views in its second week, Adam Sandler’s family comedy You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah climbed to the top of the English Films List.
Returning titles included the animated film The Monkey King, starring Jimmy O. Yang and Bowen Yang, which came in second place (6.6 million views), and the spy action-thriller Heart of Stone, which came in third place (5.2 million views).
Choose Love, an interactive romantic comedy in which viewers make decisions for the main character Cami as she navigates her love life, debuted in fourth place with 6.5 million views.
All three seasons of the Norwegian fantasy series Ragnarok made the Non-English TV List, with Season 3 claiming the top spot (6.3M views), followed by Season 2 at #4 (2.7M views), and Season 1 at #5 (2.6M views).
With five titles, Korean titles dominated the list, with the K-drama Mask Girl ranking second with 3.5 million views, the romantic comedy Destined with You Season 1 ranking third (2.9 million views), the supernatural mystery Behind Your Touch ranking seventh (1.4 million views), and the romantic comedy King the Land ranking eighth (1.3 million views).
Japanese animes took sixth and tenth place, with Baki Hanma Season 2 receiving 2 million views and My Happy Marriage receiving 1.2 million views.
The Great Seduction, a heartwarming Mexican comedy, debuted at the top of the Non-English Films list with 5.4 million views.
The Swedish thriller A Day and a Half debuted in third place (4.4M views), the Dutch romantic comedy Happy Ending debuted in fifth place (2.3M views), and the Bollywood romance Friday Night Plan debuted in ninth place (.8M views).
The remainder of the list was comprised of returning favorites including the Spanish horror film Killer Book Club at #2 (5.3M views), the Polish romance Squared Love Everlasting at #4 (2.4M views), Brazilian true crime documentary A Life Too Short: The Isabella Nardoni Case at #6 (1.3M views) and the German dystopian thriller Paradise, which landed at #7 (1M views) in its sixth week on the list.
After One Piece Episode, 1071 crashed Crunchyroll last week due to everyone tuning in to see Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation and a glimpse of his new powers. This week’s episode shows Luffy’s new abilities in action against Kaido.
One Piece Episode 1072 begins with an epic stare-down between Kaido and Luffy before the epic fight, with “Overtaken” instrumentals playing in the background to get the fans pumped.
While Strawhat’s captain bounces around laughing, Kaido begins to question Luffy’s ability to stay alive and his devil fruit powers. He then attacks and devours Luffy, resulting in some of the best animations in the episode. When Luffy is devoured, the first thing you see are his eyes in Kaido’s pitch-black stomach. It was incredible how they animated his eyes like an old cartoon.
Next, we see Luffy falling down Kaido’s stomach with a smile on his face, and the camera then returns to Kaido’s concerned expression. While sliding down Kaido’s stomach, Luffy proceeds to beat him up while having the time of his life. It reminded me of “Tom and Jerry,” when Jerry would use traps to annoy Tom while Tom was hunting him down. Jerry was constantly laughing and treated Tom as if he were a joke. That is exactly what Luffy does to Kaido throughout the episode.
My favorite part of this scene is when Luffy transforms Kaido into a dragon version of a hot air balloon using a Gum-Gum balloon. Yamato and Momo’s side commentary, which was hilarious, sealed the deal for me. MOMO’s concern over Kaido’s weight made me laugh. Luffy notices an exit from Kaido’s interior. He uses Gum-Gum escape Rocket by grabbing Kaido’s nose through the eyes, which was also a highlight of this episode’s animation.
We see an amazing animation of Luffy’s Gum-Gum giant while he’s in the sky with the thundering clouds after successfully exiting Kaido’s stomach. Kaido bites him, leaving only a minor sting but having no effect on him. Luffy performs my favorite episode move, the Gum-Gum jump rope, and literally treats Kaido like a jump rope. The animation was goofy but great; it was well-crafted and evoked memories of classic cartoons. Kaidou used another Bolo Breath at Luffy’s point-blank range, but it had little effect on Luffy. Luffy starts spinning his legs so fast that he can run through the air.
Kaido hits Luffy with Kosanze Ragnaraku, which causes Luffy to become fatigued and literally age to an old man on his deathbed. Kaido is exhausted as well but assures Luffy that someone will tell him about his fight. Luffy tells his heart to start beating faster in order to reactivate Gear 5 after remembering why he’s fighting and the people who gave their lives to free Wano.
Kaido again strikes Luffy with Hassaikai, and another blow from Kaidou squashes Luffy to the ground. Luffy launches himself back up using the ground as a springboard. He punches Kaido in the head, knocking him out. While Kaido is stunned and defeated, Luffy begins to consider naming his new move. Kaido questions Luffy’s identity once more. Luffy reminds him that he will become the Pirate King.
Jorja Smith has unveiled her third offering of 2023 in the form of ‘GO GO GO’, a propulsive indie-adjacent track that nods to Jorja’s teen love of groups like Jaws, The Kooks, and Bombay Bicycle Club. “GO GO GO” is kind of a f you song.
“Why do people have to kiss and tell, kind of vibe.” Jorja candidly states. “I’m in my little alternative bag, but I’ve always kind of been in it. People might be like, ‘I didn’t expect this’, but I’m like: ‘well, I would!'”
The accompanying video, directed by Amber Grace Johnson, was shot in Marseille earlier this year and details an argument between two lovers that eventually sees Jorja leave the relationship after her other half has betrayed her trust; a defiant nod to one’s right to privacy, especially when in the public eye.
Jorja’s voice stands out among the many British voices in music today because she writes with an intensity and urgency that few others can match.
Since the release of her critically acclaimed debut album “Lost & Found” five and a half years ago, she has received acclaim for her evocative songwriting, stirring stage presence, unbridled talent as a young woman finding her way in the world, and unwavering support from fans all over the world.
Jorja’s musical hiatus ended in 2021, with ‘Be Right Back,’ a bridge between the sensation that was ‘Lost & Found’ and her next project. ‘Be Right Back’ arose from Jorja’s playing, jamming, freestyling, and sounding out what she had been on the verge of expressing her entire life. It was an entirely fan-driven project. “Be Right Back did exactly what I wanted it to do. It was a little waiting room so people knew I was coming back,” Jorja stated.
And she did return, starting a new chapter in her musical career that is sure to enchant and captivate both Jorja’s devoted followers and potential new fans. And how has her life changed in the five years since “Lost & Found” ruled the charts and the music scene?
“I like this world that I’ve just come into. And I’m still figuring things out. Always figuring things out.” Jorja says. “This is the first time I’m putting stuff out there that I can connect with right now.”
Her transition into her mid-twenties has been reflective and transformative over the past few years. Despite the constantly shifting musical landscape, she has been able to embrace her uniqueness and develop as a songwriter and a woman.
While she acknowledges that the global pandemic has been completely devastating, she also acknowledges that it has allowed her to stop, to come more into herself, and to be more in control of who she is and what she produces musically.
Jorja, like some of the legendary musicians who came before her, sees the world’s chaos and disorder with resourceful, refined eyes, and she sees the glorious opportunity and enormous responsibility that it affords.
Jorja Smith’s sophomore album, ‘falling or flying,’ will be released on September 29th.
After a week’s break, ‘One Piece’ returns with a brand-new episode that is preparing for the most highly anticipated episode in the franchise’s and possibly anime’s history.
This week’s episode is titled “Luffy is Defeated?! The Determination of Those Left Behind,” and it will focus on the calm before the storm of Luffy’s upcoming transformation. The episode doesn’t start off well for Monkey D. Luffy fans because the Captain of the Strawhat Pirates is just down and out while Kaido stands over him, and the next thing you know, Luffy coughs up blood. The release of his gear 4 form sends him into the sky until his body returns to normal, at which point his body begins to return to the ground. Luffy’s heartbeats and flashbacks of his comrades going through hell during their time in Wano captivated the scene and was one of the best scenes in the episode.
Next, Momo (who can hear the ‘voice of all things’) notices that Luffy’s voice has vanished. The narrator declares Kaido the winner, which was unnecessary but acceptable. Kaido attacks CP0 Guernica with brute force and goes on a rampage, while the remaining CP0 agent realizes the situation and flees. Kaido believes Luffy is dead after seeing a flashback of Luffy saying that if his last attack didn’t work, he would be dead. He doesn’t finish the job and eventually transforms into a dragon. At this point, I believe Kaido is just looking for someone to kill him because he truly has nothing to live for.
When Kawamatsu was desperate to save the samurais from the fire, a ‘Blast Breathe’ descended on them. Kaido goes on a rampage through the live floor, looking for Momo to convince him to surrender while informing everyone that Luffy has died. Law noticed that Luffy’s voice had gone silent, and Chopper began to cry (which made me very sad because Chopper should never cry). Nami refuses to believe Luffy is no longer alive and confronts Kaido. That is why I adore Nami. She’s determined to get the bag, but she’ll make it known who her captain is. Kaido attempted to attack Nami, but Marco saved her and stated that losing a war means losing everything important in life.
The Beast Pirates attempted to attack Law and Kid. Law’s and Kid’s crews are both defending their captains. Neko and Carrot are prepared to fight. Law and Kid stood up and prepared to fight Kaido. This led to the Momo scene with Yamato. Momo begins to lose faith, and Yamato is forced to give him a pep talk. This scene actually turned me back into a Momo hater because he was acting like a coward far too much. Thank God for Yamato reminding him that the sacrifices made by the daimyos and samurais over the last 20 years will be futile if Momo surrenders. Yamato enters the I’d rather die than be a slave mode.
Kaido begins destroying everything again, and the scene switches between Luffy’s lifeless body and the battle scenes. Nami eventually channels her inner Sakura by bringing Luffy back to life.
The best part of the episode is when we hear Luffy’s heartbeat and Zunesha starts talking to Momo, and then you hear these epic drums that make the moment even better. Zunesha tells Momo that she hears the “Drums of Liberation,” and you can sense her excitement. Luffy’s body begins to change, and Zunesha informs Momo that Joyboy has returned after 800 years. The episode concludes with the iconic Luffy grin.
‘One Piece’ Episode 1070 Opinions:
The episode was quite enjoyable. I like a little calm before the storm, and Kaido believing Luffy is dead was a good way to do it. It was interesting to see how each character reacted to the possibility of Luffy dying at Kaido’s hands. My least favorite scene was when Momo acted cowardly. I really wanted to enter the episode and smack him in the face. The best part of the episode was when Zunesha hyped up Joyboy’s return. The music was fantastic, and Ben Hiura did an excellent job with his voice acting in this scene. The only issue I had with this week’s episode was that they released the Gear 5 teaser last week, which took away the suspense.
What are your thoughts on this week’s episode? Drop your thoughts below.
The Crunchyroll Industry Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 took place on Thursday, July 20 at 3:00 PM PDT in California’s San Diego Convention Center.
Crunchyroll announced on July 22 that it will be bringing three hit One Piece films to its streaming service on July 27, including One Piece Film: Gold (2016), One Piece: Stampede (2019), and last year’s theatrical blockbuster One Piece Film Red (2022), which became the franchise’s highest grossing film and the sixth highest grossing anime film globally to date.
All three will be available for streaming in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
This collection of feature films comes after the highly anticipated release of the English dub of the One Piece anime series on Crunchyroll on July 5, which began with the first 976 episodes.
During today’s panel, it was announced that another batch of English dub episodes, consisting of episodes 977-988 (Season 14 Voyage), will premiere on July 25. Only the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa have access to the English dub of One Piece on Crunchyroll.
Crunchyroll also announced the acquisition of two new anime titles, SHY and Fluffy Paradise. Both will be available for streaming very soon!
Full info for the aforementioned titles is below:
Title: One Piece Film: Gold
Studio: Toei Animation
Launch Timing: July 27, 2023
One Piece Film: Gold
Synopsis: The glittering Gran Tesoro, a city of entertainment beyond the laws of the government, is a sanctuary for the world’s most infamous pirates, Marines, and filthy-rich millionaires. Drawn by dreams of hitting the jackpot, Captain Luffy and his crew sail straight for the gold. But behind the gilded curtains lies a powerful king whose deep pockets and deeper ambitions spell disaster for the Straw Hats and the New World alike.
Territories: United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Synopsis: Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat pirate crew are invited to a massive Pirate Festival that brings many of the most iconic characters from throughout the franchise to participate in a competition with the Straw Hats to find Roger’s treasure. It also pits the Straw Hats against a new enemy named Bullet, a former member of Roger’s crew. One Piece: Stampede is a stand-alone film that celebrates the anime’s 20th Anniversary and takes place outside the canon of the One Piece anime series.
Territories: United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Synopsis: Uta—the most beloved singer in the world whose voice has been described as “otherworldly”—is renowned for concealing her own identity when performing. Now, for the first time ever, she will reveal herself to the world at a live concert. With the Navy watching closely, the venue fills with Uta’s fans—including excited pirates and the Straw Hats led by Luffy, who simply came to enjoy her sonorous performance—all eagerly awaiting the voice that the whole world has been waiting for to resound. The story begins with the shocking revelation that she is the enigmatic Shanks’ daughter. Uta stands on the stage, with the ordinary wish of “making the world happy with my music.”
Territories: United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Synopsis: Around the middle of the 21st century, all war on Earth ceased. The sudden widespread appearance of “Heroes,” people with supernatural powers who wish only for peace, has drastically transformed the world. In a world where the Heroes of each country work to maintain this newfound peace, the one protecting Japan is a young girl named Shy who is… cripplingly shy
Synopsis: Dead of overwork at age 27… Midori barely had time to lament having to die that way when a god appeared before her and said, “You will reincarnate in another world and tell me whether you think humans deserve to continue existing there. In return, I will grant you a special power.” Then Midori, hoping to relieve the exhaustion of the harsh life she’d lived, found herself asking… to cuddle cute, fluffy animals. Thus Midori reincarnated in her new world as a young girl named Nefertima, with a power that causes her to be loved by all living things other than humans. That includes not only animals, but holy beasts like white tigers and dragons, and even monsters like goblins and frozen spiders! But there was also a cruel fate awaiting her… Nefertima is determined to do her best to coexist with humans and all living creatures in her new life of petting and patting cute animals!
