Whole Cake Island: Bound By Blood

[@MelonTeee]

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[@Donquixote-Mingo]

too bad I ALREADY HAVE IT

[@louzo5175]

ok!

[@phantomdubz6549]

Wheres the usopp viddddddd

[@weadon44]

Wait so this one is real?

[@MelonTeee]

@@weadon44 this one is me! Hello! 👋

[@zebraknight1]

Capone Bege being this arc’s Worst Generation member is also thematically fitting. He’s a mob boss, and the Fire Tank pirates are literally the Mafia, which are often depicted as “families.” However, unlike Big Mom or the Vinsmokes, the Fire Tank pirates act like an actual family, with Capone Bege’s genuine love for his wife, son, and crew members being the reason he help Luffy

[@audreynothepburn7663]

I find it very ironic that a mob boss is a better parent and partner than 2 “royals”.

[@marocat4749]

Also lola , lola going to his familyisveryfitting

[@mossball5615]

Another example of the found family trope in One Piece, I really like that its a more subtle comparison in this arc.

[@RaulMartinez-gd3pw]

I don’t think it’s meant to be ironic tbh.. How often does Oda present to us characters and themes in an ambiguous manner so that we can decide for ourselves what’s right and wrong? He’s brilliant at it!

[@Betrunkenes.Huhn.]

Kind of weird, when in his literal introduction on Sabaody he stabbed one of his family-members with a fork, because he told him they shouldnt cause trouble right next to the local Marine Headquarters.

[@nanodose]

Overcoming parental and sibling abuse in a dark fairy tale land. Also my friends are playing mobsters.

[@-tom-8720]

Almost perfect. It's *my friends are playing with their food.

[@jonm9102]

Dark fairy tale? More like Sci-Fi dystopia

[@nanodose]

@@jonm9102 Whole cake island my guy

[@jonm9102]

@@nanodose *Disney themed sci-fi dystopia.

[@god47398]

"ah man luffy, its good to know you care about me and didnt just come to hang out with bege" "huh? oh, hi sanji. what are you doing here? wanna come hang out with bege?"

[@Lint996]

Someone who also adds to this theme, but who wasn't mentioned, is Bege. Bege loves his family, and literally houses them within himself. The reason Bege survived unscathed is because he represents a good family structure, just like Luffy.

[@evelynarhondi6375]

Thanks for this! Yes, Bege is really underrated by fans in this arc. For me, he absolutely shined and I love him.

[@phillemon7664]

Yeah Bege is really neglected by fans, dude is just wholesome which is ironic with him being a mob boss and all.

[@aravindhanil7235]

Yes Beiges blood and found pirate family is the other half of the coin alongside Luffys found family. It's there to show that the issue isnt blood, with both Charlotte and Vinsmoke family being primarily blood family, its just simply Big Mom and Judge being terrible people

[@The.holy.Athiest]

What else would one expect from a mobster

[@Lint996]

@@aravindhanil7235 well put

[@bheowolfe]

I saw Big Mom and Judge's abuse as being motivated by self-hatred. Linlin was abandoned by her parents for being abnormally big and even with her naivete at the time she internalized it at some point based on her obsession with giants. As for Judge while he may have made his children superhumans with no emotions he remains a normal human with human emotions, something he sees as a weakness. Seeing Sanji as a reflection of that weakness Judge took out his self-loathing on him.

[@sephikong8323]

The part about Judge is especially relevant when you consider that of all of the children, the one he picks apart and bullies is the one that looks the most like him and displays traits more similar to his own. He definitely projects a perfect image of himself in his children so Sanji being a closer look at what he actually is ...... he despises him and wants to make his life miserable

[@blackmachine312]

​@Sephikong, it makes me think of the relationship between Tyrion and Tywin from Game of Thrones.

[@ecos889]

Judge is the embodiment of what toxic masculinity it is and what impact it has on men and how it how it hurts others.

[@frogetbrotak7902]

The Judge bit is the perfect description. In Jung's theory of the shadow self, it is said that we dislike in others what we repress in ourselves.

[@clazdelune]

@@sephikong8323yes the entire time I kept thinking wow Sanji is a mini version of his dad (in looks, definitely not in personality!) and in a bad timeline Oda has revealed that Sanji would look exactly like Judge at age 60!

[@zackfross98]

Brook's speech about Sanji was the biggest highlights for me in the arc. He truly understands what kind of a man Sanji is despite being shit talked by big mom. Not to mention the badass young lady line

[@diegomacara5658]

What chapter?

[@letscrashcar9502]

one thing I realise from this arc is the difference in how Sanji and Pudding copes from their abuse family. Pudding cope by being what her mom think she is while Sanji cope while being as different from his family as he can. (edit: after looking back I dont rlly agree with the sentence below me.its not what I want to said but I cant form the correct word for it) It show that people cope their own way,and sometimes it doesnt give good effect on your life

[@livelaughlovesanji]

I do think it has to do with if one is still being abused or not, too. ❤️ One’s coping mechanisms are gonna look drastically different when they’ve escaped the abuse, vs when they’re still in the abuse/experiencing it. 😔 Sanji has been able to escape his family at a young age, and found a new family in Zeff and the Straw Hats and has had some time to heal-so naturally he had the space/time apart from them to want to become his own person and be different from his family. ❤️ Pudding on the other hand during WCI has still been stuck with Big Mom, barely has anyone (except chiffon) so she has no choice but to keep up appearances in order to survive her endlessly hostile environment. 🥺 Big Mom has broken her down SO much, that she feels the only way to feel like she’s useful or worthy of any love from her own mother/family, is to carry out her mom’s heinous agendas. It’s all she’s ever known (til Sanji came around) 🥺 Having been in an abusive situation myself, I completely understand why Pudding copes the way she does-she feels shackled and does it purely to survive in hopes she’ll live to see the light at the end of the tunnel one day 🥺 it’s absolutely nothing but grimness until one breaks free. 😔 I hope the poor girl gets to heal now that (manga spoiler): Big Mom is out of the picture or so Oda would have us think lol, and hopefully when she gets free after being held captive by Blackbeard 😄 (pudding also does say “if she's still alive” but who knows)

[@TyandOnGoing]

@@livelaughlovesanji hopefully, I still want luffy to free the children of big mom so they can truly start their own lives without being someone who big mom wants to be and start being that someone they want to be with no shame or judgement.

[@johntompkins4707]

I don't know... Sanji copes by trying as hard as he can to be the man who became his father. Zeff is that father. I don't see the two of them as having diverged much in their approach, it's just a fortunate twist of fate that Sanji had at least one good parent. Albeit an adopted one.

[@sephikong8323]

In reality I think the closest there is to Pudding in terms of coping behaviour is Reiju. Both of them loathe their parents and the role they best upon them, but they are too afraid to confront them directly and will simply endure and play the role of the perfect daughter in their presence whilst still heavily disliking the role they are forced in in private. It's not 100% the same as Pudding does believe in her mother still, especially after being captured by Blackbeard as she still thinks that her mother will save her and that she is loved by her thanks to her act whereas Reiju knows that her father doesn't like HER, he only likes the image she let's out but he would despise her true self, yet she still cares for him despite all of that and she despises herself for continuing to live in this family and tacitly condone it after what they've done to her little brother. Both of them are absolutely tragic characters and I 100% hope they get a good ending (for Pudding it's all but guaranteed that either Katakuri or most likely Sanji will save her, and if she is saved by Sanji like if she were a fairy tale princess well ........ I think her immediate reaction would he close to what Sanji had on Fishman island when he saw the mermaid)

[@dipper48429]

Sanji is unable to fight back, so he rebels Pudding doesn't see a way out, so she plays the role she got

[@expensivenes2645]

Our emotional crybaby Sanji deserves all the love!

[@sanjivinsmoke2719]

Crybaby he says. 🖕

[@MillieDuu]

We need to caress and care for him! 😭

[@laexploradoraaaXD]

I was really disappointed by how many people I saw hate Pudding because she wasn't really given a chance to be a better person - none of Charlotte siblings were, but that doesn't mean there isn't hope for her. Also, watching this I realized that the Straw Hats that rescue Sanji were all raised by adoptive parents: Luffy, Nami, and Chopper.

[@sephikong8323]

Which is especially weird since ...... the ending explicitly SHOWED her to be a good person once removed from her mother's influence. How many people do you know who would be able, after finding someone they are deeply infatuated with, to let that person go and remove their memories of you so that they have an easier time doing so whilst you are the one left miserable thinking of what could have been ? This single scene shows that if you truly think of her as a bad person at the end of the arc and one that does not deserve love, you have been reading two piece all along

[@SenorFluffy]

@@sephikong8323not to invalidate your point because it is extremely valid, but she only removed his memory of them kissing if I recall correctly

[@frauleinzuckerguss1906]

If we switched Brook with Franky in WCI (which would be a travesty since Brook was the MVP of that arc) we would have the whole adoptive parent squad coming for one of their own lmao

[@illestvillain1552]

I shed tears when it was revealed that Katakuri has to be perfect so nothing like what happened to Brûlée ever happens again. Especially when he goes into the Merienda and eats his favourite food. Everyone (including his younger sibs) believes he’s the embodiment of perfection that he can’t ever be a human being in front of them. It also implies whenever something needs to be taken care of they go to Katakuri ,not Big Mom. He had to mature way faster than necessary. That’s why when his siblings talk about how perfect he is, he actively tells them to stop doing it. It’s a burden not something to be proud of. I also shed tears because after that reveal in the Merienda of him eating and him concluding the fight with Luffy, Luffy puts his borsalino hat on Katakuri’s face (because on some level Luffy also understands why Katakuri is the way he is and why he covers up his mouth(Katakuri’s Insecurity) It was a great show of respect. - Also Sanji saving the people who made his early life hell not because he wants respect or recognition but because His True Father, Red Leg Zeff taught him it’s the right thing to do. Real Tearjerker Moment.

[@RagnarDracobrother]

Its really interesting to think that Katakuri was extremely similar to Luffy when he was a kid. Makes me wonder how he would turn out differently if he didn't have to essentially be the only responsible parent and had more familial love and respect in his life

[@sakura5sango6]

I definitely cried at Luffy being his usual empathetic self :)

[@beckhampang191]

Also it speaks volumes when Brulee is the one caring for Katakuri and she's the ONLY one we see that he ever showed emotion towards. When she chides him he blushes... And it's revealed by Oda that Brulee got 1 vote for the internal Charlotte family polling. That one given by Katakuri.

[@P0rk_Sinigang]

Parentification is a horrifying thing to witness.

[@ubonsolavong999]

Yes !! Zeff raised sanji, right

[@valmurray9632]

I feel like, re: Pudding, it’s also worth noting that she’s only sixteen. not only is she a victim of such awful abuse, but she’s a TEENAGER on top of that. no wonder her emotional state is so extreme - she’s right at the age when even well-adjusted kids with genuinely loving parents can feel like unlovable freaks, and she’s got a decade of trauma to back it up. knowing that she’s so young also puts a whole new spin on her dynamic with Sanji. if you’re looking at it from the right angle to actually notice it (bc gods One Piece has a lot going on, & it’s easy to miss these things sometimes) Oda does an incredible job of capturing what a sixteen-year-old girl is LIKE when she’s infatuated with a guy in his twenties. the balance of fangirling and pigtail-pulling moments is not only masterful because it’s a realistic outcome of that lifelong abuse, but because it’s so incredibly realistic as just A Thing A Teenage Girl Might Do. also it is very gross that Big Mom was marrying her off so young but that’s just a drop in the bucket at this point tbh

[@bloglazer9410]

first off Sanji, don't make it sound like he's in his late 20. secondly, I hate to tell you this but trust me a five year age gap isn't horrifying compare to other. As seen here with Henry. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6ivoYuta9qBaJo

[@devilinred3319]

So i like to see this analisys, but i migth say that in a lot of countries like Japan its still normalize that minors teenagers date older people, even if the law says the consentual age its 18 (and i think in japan its 16, correct me if im wrong) so the age gap might not been seen as a problem to a lot of fans, even this bothers me cause there is a lo of shipping with Pudding. I come from a country were in some parts, saddly, the parents still sold and marry little girls to old man. I mean my grandma have to marry at 14 with a man in their 30s. So, even when i like how you mention pudding as a teen adds more sense to the dinamic, we also have to think if Oda isnt also reflecting some of usual japanese motives here that dont apply well in other countries

[@toe_sucker_4165]

To be fair to Big Mom, she had her first kid at like, 17 (possibly with a guy who met her when she was 11 but that's neither her nor there), so she's probably got a pretty skewed idea is what's normal.

[@kendra_t]

To add to being fair to Big Mom: the plan never involved Pudding actually getting married. Though it might actually be worse that the actual plan was going to be to force her teenaged daughter to evacuate a man's brains from his body. (And then Big Mom was going to eat that cake, I guess?!)

[@joasiadoligalska2322]

For me Perospero is a fascinating character. As an eldest child, he was most likely a part of rock pirates (even tells his younger siblings about Big Mom's past with Kaido). Surprisingly, for being the eldest child, he acts the most like a little kid, especially when talking to big mom. His sadistic nature reminds me more how some kids for example beat small animals or weaker children to feel strong and in control. I think his childish behavior could be a result of being much longer dependent on his mother than the rest of the kids due to how long he was with rock pirates. This group was known to be independent to the point when even big mom told young Kaido to be careful. Imagine being a seven year old surrounded by the dangerous pirates and having only his mom as a potential protector and if big mom is only kind to children who act cute and innocently that might be the reason why he was for most of the time acting like this. Only when she was gone he tried to become independent and lead his siblings but no one would listen. Once when his mother is back he once again acts weaker than he is apologizing to her for finding a potentially best ally for their situation and later he childishly blames Sanji for changing the status quo. To summarize, it is weird and little terryfying how this 50 year old, powerful devil fruit user is somehow the most dependent on his mother. He has strenght, inteligence and skills to lead and become a powerful threat to almost anyone (he is resourceful, has a lot of useful skills like archery, his diplomatic skills let him ally with Marco. ). At the end his biggest weakness is his family ties and his trauma that lead him to powerless standing next to his mother.

[@evelynarhondi6375]

Agreed. Perospero is a great character and I personally love him! I always thought with how talented and resourceful he is, he could easily be a successful artist. Who knows? maybe a bright future awaits him after the end of the series... hopefully!

[@tomizu5]

Exactly, exactly! He's not my favourite of the Charlottes (I'm your average Mochi enjoyer), but I will wrestle with anyone to protect my boy Peros!

[@sephikong8323]

One thing that I want to point out about Perospero is ........ well, the "striking physical similarities" he shares with Streussen if you will, which leads me to believe that the Pirate who saw an estranged Linlin and decided to take her in and manipulate this strong yet vulnerable and impressionable child to become his own weapon did really Sus things once she turned into a teenager, which makes me hate him just THAT much more. People think Big Mom is the evil behind the Charlotte family when in reality Streussen is the real monster here

[@GT-hv5js]

@@sephikong8323 While manipulation is a reoccuring theme in one piece even if big mom was abused that doesn't take all the blame from her. That's like saying doflamingo who was actually cannoically manipulated by trebol just wasn't the abuser but rather the victim. Someone's suffering might give a reasoning for their actions it doesn't spare them from the consequence of their wrong acts

[@jdx478]

People dont like him and love to ignore him because of Pedro but its not like Perospero actively killed him.

[@thenewmase]

I still think it's worth mentioning how Sanji doesn't seem to hold a grudge against Pudding. We never know why but we could imagine he understood her circumstances and didn't hold it against her

[@kendra_t]

I mean, he DID meet her family.

[@misslaylafortune9276]

Whole Cake genuinely saved Sanji as a character for me. After how much he was devolving into an unsavory pervert trope for several arcs before that, it was nice seeing the chivalry that should be a hallmark of his character, alongside his selfless sacrificial nature and where that comes from.

[@martinsoares1824]

same here! I really wanted to like him but it was SO hard bc of his slow descent into Weirdness. thank god for this arc it's my favorite and absolutely saved Sanji for me.

[@Maria-xd8yc]

It is sad that readers can't get past something that is obviously for comedic purposes. The gag doesn't even make up 50% of his entire characterization and people are dropping him pre-WCI? Just wild.

[@danielamaris6367]

@@Maria-xd8yc You can’t blame people for feeling annoyed by a character with annoying traits. Everyone gets to choose who they enjoy watching or not, that’s the magic of fiction (and life most of the time).

[@Maria-xd8yc]

@@danielamaris6367 Blame? Idc lmao I just think it is wild to get caught up in something that is not even half of what make up a character. Even funnier when it's all for comedic purposes. ☠️ One Piece isn't AOT, it doesnt take it self serious all the time It's like saying to a friend, "Hey, I dont like you anymore, let's stop being friends." just because the friend says or does something harmless just to be funny. ☠️ ignoring all the good things they did. but godforbid they get dropped if you do something so unserious lol

[@danielamaris6367]

@@Maria-xd8yc Finding something others do wild because you’re not the same or can’t understand it is blaming them. If a friend annoys the life out of me constantly I’ll warn them to stop and if they don’t stop it’s not worth it anymore, because some people want to feel comfortable around their friends. The bad thing is people can’t warn a fictional character, so enough repetition of something they find annoying can end up in them disliking said character. It’s not AOT but personality traits are still present in both. If someone hates Hange for being weird even though she’s heroic, smart and useful most of the time, then they can’t be blamed, everyone gets to choose. You can find it wild and express yourself about it, but I can find it normal and explain to you why the fictional world is a free for all when it comes to liking or disliking and that’s okay. It’s not your real friends after all so you can be a little mean to them. Oh and you do care a little, since you’ll reply again :)

[@52801]

I feel kind of bad for Big Mom when you think about the fact that Whole Cake Island is almost like her coping mechanism; building a family, the moment she enjoyed dessert with her friends on Elbalf resulting in hunger pangs she still experiences. I was never expecting her backstory to be as messed up as it was.

[@audreynothepburn7663]

I only feel bad for kid Lin Lin and not BigMom. I do agree though , it was fucked up. And I think that could be why she got amnesia in Wano.

[@52801]

@@audreynothepburn7663 That's a better way to put it. Child LinLin got done bad.

[@avery-u1w]

Big huge mother

[@XxSherlockianHeroxX]

I wonder if Niji/the brothers gave the Stealth Suit to Sanji without Judge knowing. They all deciding to give it as a “send-off” to him for various reasons (“it’s technically Sanji’s”, “he’ll need it since he’s a failure”, or even it’s them acknowledging Sanji’s strength) without Judge knowing because he’d never give Sanji anything. This is now my new headcanon.

[@evelynarhondi6375]

That's my headcanon too. Judge may had given him the suit if he had married Pudding and gone back to Germa, but there is no way he would give him the suit now that he's leaving them. To his eyes that would be a waste, even though the suit can not be worn by anyone else.

[@msnina5379]

That part was interesting. I really hated Germa brothers, and when the arc still going I always thought, 'let Sanji kicks them for once. Don't give them easy way out' (but Sanji didnt, because he's kinder than me). I think, since they'd never thought bullying Sanji was wrong,, because Sanji was a failure,, I think the moment Sanji saved them, in their twist minds, Sanji had redeemed himself. 'oh, Sanji is not weak anymore'. Its like Sanji has proved himself worthy so they gave the Suit to him

[@Lunaroy13]

I love that Luffy, Nami, Chopper and Brook were part of this arc. Even though all the Strawhats have backstories with themes of found family I found that each of these just added a couple of more parallels to what Sanji was going through: Nami being raised by a foster parent just like Sanji was, as well as having a shared child abuse story where they aren’t able to escape themselves (Arlong/Judge) Chopper being the odd one out in his own family (blue nose reindeer) and finding refuge in another that led them to their own professions (Doctor/Cook) Brook, although I think there is more to know about his previous life, I think that he shows how bonds with his shipmates can transcend anything, also in an arc about blood ties, he is a skeleton with no blood. (INSERT SKULL JOKE). And Luffy and I mean I could go on and on and on, about these 2, but I think out of everyone in the crew they share the most “childlike wonder” of anyone in the crew, (as I found Usopp/Zoro to be more realists) and and I will always love Sanji talking to Luffy about All Blue shortly before he was recruited and the huge grin on Sanji’s face.

[@evelynarhondi6375]

Thanks for this! Brook's fight with Big Mom is amazing, but people tend to forget how he stood up for Sanji in that moment and how deeply he seems to understand him.

[@Disheartthorn]

I would argue Usopp as childlike wonder on the same terms as Sanji and Luffy.

[@chucksto]

A small thing I noticed was that in the Strawhat crew, Sanji was the fifth to join. He and his siblings make up the numbers 0-4, but once he broke away from the family, his "number" became 5.

[@sephikong8323]

Well, if you count Luffy he would be the 5th member yes, but if you specifically count who "joined" the crew, Sanji is actually...... the third crew member Luffy didn't join the crew since he is the one who formed it, the people who join are the ones that come afterwards, and Nami was simply an ally at first, she didn't officially join the crew until Arlong betrayed her. So depending on how you look, he can be the number 5 ..... or 3 yet again. You can make numbers say what you want them to honestly

[@MattAnd]

The thing I find fascinating about Sanji and Judge is why Judge really hates him, which I think you touched on with Judge crying like Sanji did as a kid. Judge hates Sanji, because Sanji’s just like him. I think it’s fully intentional that Sanji is the only Vinsmoke kid with blond hair. All the other kid’s hair matches their Germa suites - but Sanji’s isn’t black. Sanji even resembles Judge the most, being far more like him than he is Sora (especially in his bad future design). Ultimately, Judge hates himself. Overall he isn’t that impressive - as a scientist he was at best second to Vegapunk, most likely his knowledge just came from Germa’s history of science, and he’s seemingly the weakest of his family. His genes weren’t even good enough for the next generation, he had to scientifically mess with their lineage factors to make something he could be happy with - and the kid who was most like him was…well we all know what happened to Sanji. And still, despite that, Sanji is better than Judge in every way by embracing all Judge hates about himself - which makes it that much better at the end of the arc! You had a great analysis - outside of Katakuri I don’t see people rating this arc too highly, so I’m glad you’re giving your (interesting) thoughts on it. Looking forward to your next video

[@davidburlingame6583]

Sanji and Judge are very similar to Tyrion and Tywin in GoT.

[@ponchopponcho]

Also the parallels between those awful families and the Fire Tank pirates family. They are a true family. You can see it in how Bege respects and cares for all of his children, asking those in his crew to call him Father. With Chiffon not being able to abandon a friend going against his will and it only makes him love her more, he's portrayed as a monster before we get to know him but he's more human than the other heads of the families in this arc.

[@ponchopponcho]

Seems I'm not the only one who's come to this conclusion.

[@evelynarhondi6375]

Thanks for this video 🙏 About the Charlotte family: Lola and Chiffon are not the only children who run away. Praline also opposed her mother in helping the StrawHats escape and run away with Aladine and the rest of the Sun Pirates. It was not explicitly said but I think it's being implied that for the Charlotte daughters, the only way to escape political marriage was to become so strong that LinLin would think of it as a waste to marry them off, since they could be more useful to her as soldiers. It's basically the same way of thinking as Judge: not wanting to "sacrifice" his strong soldier sons for politics. Their mother's abuse seems to have made most siblings be closer to each other, especially in cases like Pudding and Lola, Katakuri and Brulé, Mont-d'Or and Galette. Their close bond may be the reason they treat "deserters" so harshly (see Oven's rage towards Chiffon); growing up they only had eachother, so they feel even more betrayed.

[@shyguypro9876]

I love that we see that Big Mom's abusive control over her children and marrying them of against her will is not only wrong, it's also what causes her to ultimately lose in this arc. As soon as her children are exposed to even the slightest bit of true familial love or kindness, they instantly turn against her. We see this with Pudding, Chiffon, Katakuri (who doesn't fully rebel, but does let Luffy go because Luffy respects Katakuri for who he is) and Praline, all of whom aided the Straw Hats in some way.

[@vaiyt]

Also a bunch of other children either disobeyed Big Mom behind her back, or hid problems from her for fear of punishment.

[@aravindhanil7235]

One of my fav things I realised recently is that after the Katakuri vs Luffy and right before he falls on his back, Katakuri asks if Luffy will come back and beat Big Mom Over the fight Katakuri slowly breaks the chains he put on himself; his perfect (and more importantly fake) persona that he HAD to make to protect his family. He became free He was being liberated With the finally question hes inditectly asking luffy if he'll free him from his final chain: Big Mom. The Tyrant mother who want everything to perfect in HER image and NOTHING else. He asking luffy to completely free him He asking luffy if he can be as free as Luffy is. He's asking the Sun god, the Liberator with his drums of Liberation, if he'll be liberated too.

[@elyserhyne243]

Yes, he stopped calling her "mama" and said "Big Mom". That was a huge moment

[@TyandOnGoing]

I just love how luffy fruit really just reveals and reinforce that luffy will be the one to free the people from their abusers, dictators, or sources of trauma.

[@ShatteredGlass916]

And he's somewhat free, considering BM's 'defeats' in Wano. Also i love how BM loses alone, abandoned and left by everyone, even by her own children who supposedly have loved their mother and comes to rescue her out of love

[@neerajcherukuri4052]

@@ShatteredGlass916 you just made my day with that. I am happily awaiting the return of Katakuri into the main story. I think it will happen soon. Afterall,Katakuri still loves his siblings even if he was liberated and Pudding is captured by Blackbeard now.

[@sofies392]

omg what you say about the vinsmoke siblings is just... YES. So many people forget that they are also victims to Judge and hate on them because of how they are and what they did. but they were born already augmented to Judge's twisted desires and then reinforced more when Judge's ideas of strength=worth were put onto them as well with Sanji being the easy target. I really like what you said about them helping Sanji in the end and in some sort of way, broke away from Judge's ideals, even if it was just a little.

[@RickyUzumaki993]

Agreed

[@taenisierra5929]

This is insane, I literally just wrote a 10 page analytical narrative about family abuse and the Charlotte family for an English class. I sent this video to my cousin and told her this is the lecture version of my memoir paper. It's insane. I feel so incredibly validated thank you

[@fairybites]

There is actually another member of the Charlotte family that defected and left. Praline, the mermaid that’s a member of the sun pirates. But we don’t know to what extent she would have faced her mothers abuse.

[@sephikong8323]

Considering she is a mermaid and that Big Mom does pick up heavily on her children's abnormal physical characteristics, I think the answer is "quite a lot"

[@frauleinzuckerguss1906]

​@@sephikong8323 idk, I think sibce mermaids are fairy tale-esque and usually associated woth beauty, I think BM would've approached her differently

[@kendra_t]

Maybe being mostly aquatic gave her ample excuses to not have to be around her mother.

[@SuperSupper2]

This arc really highlighted (in a very roundabout way) the relationship Zoro and Sanji have with each other. Both are constantly clashing because they see something of themselves in the other. Sanji fears becoming an emotionless tool so much that he asks Zoro to kill him if it happens. And that's while Zoro has been training himself to become that tool, that sword, while struggling to force down the fragile human inside. Their ultimate clash is looming in the near future, so get your tissue boxes while they're in stock.

[@livelaughlovesanji]

1:08 just realized the Japanese wording Sanji uses when he asks the food to be quiet is pretty polite and very textbook Japanese-like 😨 It really shows how defeated he feels and how low of a point he’s at (apart from his sad subdued tone too) 😔🥺. “Sukoshi shizukani shite kure” translates to “could you please be a little more quiet”, which is even a lot more formal than the English sub translation “could you be quiet”. In other situations he's usually only said “urusai-“ Shut up/you’re being noisy or annoying), “shizukani” (be quiet)😱 "koe o sageru" (lower your voice!) Edit: “Kure” can either be used demandingly or out of desperation depending on the tone, as it’s the non formal version of kudasai (please), but here it's most likely the latter. Also, using “kure” is usually a masculine thing, so it makes sense for Sanji. So the desperate “please” coupled with his defeated demeanor just makes you feel really sad for him 🥺🥺 (But I know the English manga says "can you keep it down" so idk how it appeared in the original Japanese manga)

[@Will_of_D_ssert]

Wow I didn’t even notice that.I study Japanese too and yea it’s super polite. Like friends would look at you weird if you talked that politely. Usually it’s reserved for speaking to a boss or in customer service.

[@kendra_t]

It might also be to further comedic affect, like how in pre-timeskip Saboady, when Zoro was about to go off on his own, Sanji called him "Zoro-kun". XD

[@WuMyth]

Melon be like ‘how can I talk about Sanji but different’

[@jeagerzbomb9924]

What if the Vinsmokes' mutations are changing in opposite ways? Sanji is slowly mutating to be what Judge genetically manufactured him to be and Ichiji, Niji and Yonji are slowly easing out of it to be more human 🤔

[@evelynarhondi6375]

That would be so good, Sora's "poison" taking effect slowly over time. Whatever Oda-sensei has in store for them, I hope it's something good. I am praying for both theirs and the Charlotte siblings' happiness.

[@felipecagorago]

You're the best OP analyst (?) rn, this video summarizes perfectly how I felt about the emotional themes of this arc. I always get so mad when people disregard Sanji on Whole Cake because he didn't had a fight, his character was perfect for me there and the abuse that Oda explores is just so well done.

[@neerajcherukuri4052]

If you like deep dives into themes of each arc,Aleczandxr is doing a One Piece read through and it just crossed Enies Lobby. His videos are actually 2 hrs long and very entertaining.

[@felipecagorago]

@@neerajcherukuri4052 I've been following his channel for a while now, I'm one of the annoying ass mfs that used to ask him for his One Piece opinions a couple of years ago lmao

[@BNLPost]

An interesting thing to note is that while Pound is the only confirmed husband of Big Mom, it's a popular theory that Streusen is Perospero's father. Which could say a lot considering that Perospero seems to be one of the more "well adjusted" children. He even had the confidence to vocally tell big mom that he didn't think the alliance with Kaidou was a good idea, which is certainly bold amongst his siblings. Maybe his status as the first child along with having a father figure contributed to him being more on board with the way Big Mom opperates.

[@ShatteredGlass916]

Also isn't Strausen the guy with the Food Food fruit? The one that cutting logs into ham and met with child BM after she (potentially) "devour" everyone, even Mother Caramel? Like how old Streusen is when he's 'doing' it with BM? Aren't they were like decades apart? Also, is this how BM gained her DF? Like, just eats the user, just like that lmao

[@BNLPost]

@@ShatteredGlass916 I don’t know the exact number off the top of my head but Big Mom had her first kid at 18. So yes if true definitely icky age gap

[@ProjektTaku]

@@BNLPost he's 24 years older so he be doing it with big mom at 42.

[@ProjektTaku]

@@ShatteredGlass916 I like to think she had some nearby fruit that the soru soru no mi reincarnated into which she then ate.

[@pep4338]

That would be very weird.

[@emperorluffy6001]

By far my favorite Arc in the series. Whole Cake Island is Goated.

[@sephikong8323]

W opinion

[@keenancookson8641]

While not my favorite, I do agree that Whole Cake Island was fucking amazing.

[@ChefMonke07]

I'm with you there. This is still my favourite arc in any manga ever.

[@GachaRobin]

Whole Cake Island is my second favorite arc right behind Enies Lobby.

[@livelaughlovesanji]

Whole cake island is that one arc that completely took me by surprise and absolutely knocked my socks off. Idk if it was cuz I was just looking forward to Wano that it caught me off guard-but BAM the brilliance of WCI hit me like a ton of bricks. It’s the arc that made me a massive Sanji fan (I was kinda indifferent towards him at first) cuz of how incredibly written he was…and made me an even bigger Luffy fan at how he showed the most beautiful unconditional love towards Sanji

[@mrpickle4749]

As a person who went through his own family abuse even growing up and becoming an adult in foster care, I have always had a deep connection with Sanji and after whole cake my connection and identification with Sanji has grown, and much of the emotions that he feels i have also felt in my life too. That scene when Sanji stands up to judge and was impactful and hella inspiring.

[@kendra_t]

There was a point in my life where I resigned myself that I would never be able to leave my family and damn did that resonate with me even ten years out of that situation. I hope you're doing well in your life now.

[@Windwalker88]

Sanji not being to light his sig after getting his heart broken got my tears running

[@dasnixblix4846]

To me, Whole Cake Island is the perfect example that Oda is awesome at writing true horror. From the living and singing food and trees that make me want to vomit (especially when the food is eaten by Big Mom while stating "I hopefully taste good"), the constant threat of Big Mom going on a rampage to the obvious and horrible abuse in both families, there's so much stuff for nightmares.

[@cactuskuzma6581]

The thing that striked me while reading then ongoing manga was the absolute kindness of Sanji character. I really haven't seen somebody as kind and compassionate as him. Even Luffy is not so kind. He is trustfull, yes, but not so kind. Now, I'm really looking forward your analysis of Wano. I am really invested emotionally in this arc, because, you know, I have been living all my life in a dictatorship. Oda just nailed it.

[@OK-fo5tm]

25:10 and that's why Luffy's next line to him absolutely breaks me He says while smiling, "Well that's because that's how you are!" It was then Sanji fully understood his 'worth' and that his qualities aren't something to be looked down upon, he can finally be proud of what he is and there is one place if none where he WILL be accepted for who he is The Sunny.

[@r.zacharian2126]

the moment Sanji safe Judge and his sibling is what make me fall in love with Sanji. the music, the atmosphere and the way it drawn/animated is just... perfect

[@sephikong8323]

Another victim of parental abuse highlighted in this arc and not mentioned in this video is ironically....... Big Mom herself And I'm not just talking about how she was abandoned by her parents for her own physical divergence (most probably the reason WHY she is projecting on Pudding's eye so much for example) or the fact that Mother Caramel was trying to sell her (as she doesn't know that) but how Streussen saw this lone child alone and only saw her as a mean to an end for him and groomed her to be this tremendous weapon that he could use for his own gains. Because whereas for Doflamingo you could make an argument as whether or not his evil is born from nature or nurture (though it's heavily implied it's nature), for Linlin it's pretty apparent that it's all from nurture as what do we see before Streussen's influence ? Yes she killed people but only in fits of blind fury, she never willingly meant to harm people at any point and was genuinely sweet and kind to others, she was dangerous but good hearted. This is only hammered home even further in Wano during the amnesia part (really not my favorite thing but it does serve a purpose) as we see that she is actually quite selfless when her memories of her upbringing are removed from the equation yet again pointing fingers at Streussen. This man is the true evil behind the Charlotte family (especially when you take into account a theory that I fully adhere to even though it's dark. Have you noticed, let's say ...... "striking physical similarities" between Streussen and Perospero? I'm not saying he 100% did something sus to the little girl he literally raised to be his own tool once grew up to be a teenager and he was 40 years old ........ but it does sound likely and I hate every ounce of his being that much more because of it)

[@Vaggieshrimpo]

Wait... GROOMED!?

[@fan4every1lol89]

Frick me that's dark as hell

[@RbtBoss]

Dont forget Niji "gave" Sanji his Raid Suit, a signal he dont see him a complete "failure" and recognizing him as an "Vinsmoke"

[@aoisora6086]

You're such a good one piece commentator, I never cared about Pudding in Whole Cake Island so I never bothered to look deep into who and why she is. But after your break down of her character I was tearing up for her something I didn't do reading the original material. So Happy I turned the notifications for your channel!

[@audreynothepburn7663]

I remember a lot of reviewers kind of getting annoyed of her going back-and-forth of her emotions and I think it’s only because we were weekly readers, so we didn’t really have enough to process or read through the whole thing.

[@joka5865]

I am not a very emotional person, making me cry is incredibly hard. But whole cake island did it three seperate times, which means a LOT to me. The panel where sanji looks down at his lighter during the rain destroyed me on my first read

[@sephikong8323]

This scene also messed me up quite a lot when reading the arc weekly but in the end the scene that did me the most dirty has to chapter 902, the finale of the arc when we finally see Pudding's side of the story. The page completely shaped like photo tapes of what happened between her and Sanji and the final scene of her holding on to these memories, crying alone in an alleyway hits way too hard. It's the moment you see that in the end, what she originally said to Luffy and the rest in Cacao island at the beginning ends up becoming truly genuine and she just wishes for Sanji to go back to his friends and she removes his memories of his time with her to make it easier for him even if it's destroying her. If there were any reservations prior that these two were meant together, this scene made it pretty clear that once removed from her mother's influence she is a nice person and that her loves for him is as sincere as can be. But fuck me Oda for making me go through this emotional rollercoaster over the arc

[@Obiscuit0608]

You know whole cake island is possibly the best arc when someone makes three videos basically explaining and exploring the ins and outs of whole cake island

[@MrDariox555]

Man, I love this arc At first, I failed to understand why Oda didn't have Sanji kick the shit out of his brothers and father, but it just makes sense He wants to beat them up. To get revenge. But that's not him, not really. The story only works if we see Sanji going beyond the abuse and still being himself. A kind person. A good person. Even towards people that may not deserve that kindness. Good stuff

[@DnVFMVs]

Because being abused his whole life sanji wouldn't want other to suffer the same...

[@ripcactusify]

I really relate to pudding because I have bpd. it's kinda wild how many similarities there are with her past and how bpd comes to be, and how it presents. Unmasking feels like letting a werewolf out and it's terrifying how evil it makes you feel. Pudding makes me feel like a valuable human being, she found happiness so that means I can too.

[@Firegodot]

You singlehandedly explained the fandoms hatred of pudding to me, i never got it since she always striked ne as a super interesting character, now i know is because they cant see past her heinous actions even if there are psychological reasons behind them...which is valid i suppose so thank you!

[@ichigokage]

I just want to add something here. The dub managed to make Judge seem even more heartless. The scene where Judge is hugging the other four kids. The sub says “my precious children!” But the dub? “My perfect masterpieces!” It just shows that he doesn’t see any of his kids as children. But as soldiers and weapons for his crusade.

[@whywhywhhyy2650]

o_0

[@liquidcatt8247]

It's fitting either way

[@nathanbreadboi9223]

One thing I noticed you failed to mention was the scene where the vinsmokes actually get captured. It is here where Judge is finally confronted with what a horrible person he truly is. Even as they're about to get their brains blown out, Ichiji, Neji and Yonji all just have a little giggle to themselves about how wacky it is and how they got absolutely played. Judge breaks down and the empire he made upon erasing emotions from his kids and warriors, finally comes crashing down and the only solace he gets is from the son, Sanji, that he scorned for having the emotional maturity to actually save his biological family and stage their big escape. I felt bad for finding it so satisfying when Judge finally cried because I hated this man with a passion I didn't know I had, and seeing him finally cry and realize what he has done was very satisfying. It didn't make me happy, not at all, but very satisfying. Anyhoo sorry for all that

[@thenathanbyrne7333]

Sanji is such a fucking good character, a pure hearted man who was broken and managed to heal by just being kind. Zeff would be proud of his son 😭

[@starfish5599]

What i also like about this arc that people dont talk much is how Oda portrayed weakness in a man. Even tho you're an adult male that doesn't mean you can't show psychological weakness. Crying as adult male doesn't make you less masculine

[@naranara1690]

Smth about Judge's last scene with Sanji; Judge literally had to stand atop a cliff hundreds of feet above Sanji to continue looking down on him; Sanji had outgrown him by that point.

[@biiaann901]

@ 10:37 and once again i am amazed at oda's deft hand at characterization katakuri unlocked his advanced observation haki due to the intense anxiety of having to be perfect? the need to always think ahead on what "should be" or how his supposed perfect self should act in every single situation at any given time and place? his only safe space was that donut merienda and now his violent reaction after it was so suddenly broken down totally makes sense

[@HikaryTheHedgehog]

Me wondering why Whole Cake is my favortie Arc: ah yes, family trauma

[@jarosawerdanowski4295]

I really like that you mentioned that Sanji brothers does shown some emotions and in the end they rescue him so they kinda deep down care about him. I never see that mentioned in other youtubers videos.

[@edenromanov]

Sanji had such a tough time in Wholecake island, his character growth was amazing as well! 💛

[@evelynarhondi6375]

Thank you for understanding the Vinsmoke siblings 🙏 Most people can't see past the hate they feel for Sanji's brothers, so they miss the subtle way Oda-sensei chose to make their good points known. As you said, it's clear that they have personalities and some emotions. They are not very emotional like Sanji, but it's not that they can feel nothing either. The most probable is that, ever since childhood, as soon as they felt things they knew they shouldn't, they doubled down their efforts to squash them. Because if they don't, they will lose their father's "love" and their world will crumble. The scenes of them being "emotional" were all laid down wonderfully! I would just like to add: During the flashback when they were still very young, there is the scene when everyone realises that Sanji is normal. I love the siblings' reactions, especially Yonji's. This is the moment where it's more apparent that the poor things were basically conditioned to treat Sanji badly, based on the fact that he was different from them. In particular, we can see in Yonji's face how troubled he was that he should not look up to his older brother even though that's what he always did since birth. Reiju always did whatever she could. I will never understand people who hate her. I am so hoping for a good future for her and all her siblings ❤️

[@marocat4749]

Yeah, reiju argumently because sexism she got to know her mom, has a anqer to keep caring, and judge left out sanji when training the emotions,or showibgs emotions,out of them. They are trained to supress any emotion, i hope in the epilogue does try teaching them cooking while teaching them to be more open emotional,and might beat bad manners out of them. Haha. Would be ther perfect epilogue wih pudding and maybe viola. Serioudly, if he ismature enough,he might be better with a poly endibg with that ovrrflowing love.

[@MissMouchies]

I know it likely didn't make the cut because it's hard to make a connection between the themes you discuss here and the scene itself, but my favorite scene in this whole arc is the one where the Vinsmokes are locked in place after the grand reveal at the wedding, all slated to die, and Judge looks around in horror as the quadruplets comment on their situation with calm, and even with laughter. To me, there's two reads of this that could connect back to your ideas: 1. The simple fact that even the "perfect" child, to a narcissist, will never be recognized as perfect - never be enough. Their reactions would be what he deems appropriate in any other situation, but he's not going to use that kind of perspective in that moment - the point is that it's inappropriate for THIS situation, and that is unthinkable and unacceptable. 2. The fact that the coping tactics abused children adopt to survive parental abuse can badly, badly damage their psyches and their social relationships in adulthood. There's a twisted irony in seeing that instead of engineering the perfect soldier, he has raised three men who have no self-preservation instinct - it feels to me like a shadow of the overall cycle of abuse. Abused children frequently grow up to emulate the example their parents set in adulthood - whether as the abuser or the abused. Judge's horror in that situation feels like some AU's version of "I know I raised you right, why can't you just find a nice man instead of these monsters?" - fully missing the point that he's the reason. In all, though, the scene just gives me vindication as much as it gives me chills. These kids are NOT going to help you out of this one, idiot.

[@GrayD_Fox]

When Sanji was reading the All Blue book, i was tearing up. But what Reiju said to Sanji was what really got me. It mirroring the thing Saul said to Robin wasn’t a punch to the gut I was expecting.

[@mariaevens8969]

This topic feels allways like a weird thing to go by, aspecially in real life where it's almost a strickt rule to get along or be thankful to people just because they share the same blood as you. And it really makes you think about this unspoken rule whenever you see it in media like here in One Piece, if you have to love your family even if they were the one thing that hurt you the most in your life. x.x Great video ^.^ melon love it

[@luvelies_spacies]

I love this arc but most of all I love how miserable my babygirl is in it/j For real, WCI is such a nice arc touching domestic violence and family abuse and the consequences it leaves on the long run.

[@WiraThe1]

SO to capone beige for really filling out the theme of this arc. Love me a good crime thriller

[@pixelblaze8284]

A few things that I loved about Whole cake since you so kindly asked lol. I loved the way that Big Mom's soul stealing ability functions. It's very in line with what Oda has done with many of the most "powerful" devil fruits in the show. Just looking at that scene with Jinbei refusing to be afraid of Big Mom was very powerful and that mechanic of the fruit gives a very blatant commentary on Big Mom's parenting style, mainly abuse parenting that instills fear so as to keep your life under their control. This hit for me since my mother is fairly controlling and has always worked to keep me financially reliant so she has the control until now as I am graduating college and she is losing that. I also loved the complexity shown in Reiju. Like she was obviously depicted as a good person and the one who cared for Sanji, but she wasn't really all that good in strict terms. And it was because she was also a child in an abusive household, so there were times were we literally saw her looking back and forth between Sanji and her father/brothers and deciding to join in abusing Sanji to protect herself. Not only does she mostly only help Sanji when no one is looking but the fact that she chooses to stay with the family and continue helping them murder shows complexity in her morality. But I think it really adds so much to the real feeling of characters like her and it also makes those points where she does actually risk a lot to help her brother hit so much harder. We've seen her buckle to fear but when Sanji really needed her like during his escape and in the current day, she is willing to risk everything for him. Final thing I wanted to mention is just the relationship shown between Sanji and Luffy in this arc. I grew up without any real friends and only started learning about healthy friendships in like mid HS. Because of that, so much of this shows depiction of these bonds and of positive masculinity has influenced me and really hits at the kind of person I want to be. So the two major scenes between these two: the one-sided fight and the delivery of food to the waiting luffy, I think did a great job of encapsulating some of my favorite of these concepts. I think Luffy can often be misinterpreted by those who haven't seen the whole show as kind of unhealthy when it comes to his refusal to accept people telling him they don't want him around. But in reality its shown as him being very dedicated to his friends and unable to accept any motives he suspects to be insincere purely because he values the freedom to sincerely strive for what you want in life. He recognizes that there are often forces in the world that will inhibit the freedom to actually achieve these goals, but hates the idea of anyone giving in and ignoring what they sincerely want. So when someone he cares for is in this position, he is willing to risk anything to shield them from these forces. While Luffy can't accept this, he also respects that this is up to his friends at the end up the day and instead just makes sure that he is always there with his hand outstretched when they decide to come back. This is exceptionally shown in Whole Cake with Luffy waiting for Sanji (with only a little bit of manipulation via starving himself and not continuing his dream) where luffy waits for sanji to come back to him. And Luffy eating Sanji's ruined food serves the obvious point of tying back to his mother but it also can serve to refuse Sanji's thought that people only want him around when he's useful because Luffy does't place value on the food for nutrition but purely because it represents Sanji's love in its intent. haha adderall made me ramble but love this show so much!

[@aravindhanil7235]

I also love Beiges family in the arc. Beiges blood and found pirate family is the other half of the coin alongside Luffys found family. It's there to show that the issue isnt blood, with both Charlotte and Vinsmoke family being primarily blood family, its just simply Big Mom and Judge being terrible people

[@beefyboi64]

Whole Cake Island is absolutely amazing at every turn. Best self-contained arc in the series, imo.

[@frog42]

I had weirdly enough been going through a rough time where I felt useless and a burden like Sanji had during the time I watched Whole Cake so it holds a very specific part of my heart. There's nothing like seeing a character display how you feel for similar reasons

[@MyyKuII]

Great video! Whole Cake Island is a gem. Luffy and Sanji's connection throughout the whole arc is probably my favorite part. Luffy's unwavering love, and Sanji's mental battle to let Luffy take care of him is top tier!

[@TheMorekraft]

I love how you Analyse the Charakters and explain their psychological misery, I think that's why we can relate so much to One Piece in our modern age where we created so much physical safety that we only have mental pain and poverty left and thats why I love your videos you explain the way the got abused and the effects wich I can absoluty relate to in my life and emphasize.

[@wormoffthestring915]

girl stop your analysis videos are so good. I put off watching them till i was fully caught up and now i cant stop TOT🙏WCI might be my favorite arc so far but im honestly never sure with this series cause it keeps ticking all the boxes that make a story good to me-

[@zpd7106]

Unironically this video deserves so many more views. These kinds of analyses about the themes and symbols in One Piece are one of the reasons I love One Piece so much. This channel is so, so very underrated.

[@iamdivan7368]

You can tell she's being serious when she doesn't once make a slurping sound when Sanji is on screen for this entire video

[@seph_0056]

17:30 and he is not only saved, but also accepted by the literal personification of a child, Luffy. Jesus Christ I love One Piece so much

[@ind160p]

As a survivor of family abuse, I have two things to say: 1) I don't think talking to our inner child is dissociation. It's a turning point in life when you can finally do something for yourself and that includes embracing and protecting the child you once were. As a child you can try, but it's almost impossible to protect yourself because it's an adult job. When you can take care of yourself it's a little bittersweet because the love you needed can only come from you. You can never go back to give that love to you, you can only comfort that child now. 2) I don't think Sanji does anything because of blood ties, I don't think he cares for them as a family, but like he cared for Gin or anyone. If Im not mistaken, when Jude asks why Sanji is helping them, he answers "because if I didn't, I couldn't look my dad in the eye". I love the end of this chapter with Zeff and Sanji serving food and the narrator saying "like father, like son". Blood family means nothing but sociocultural obligations and that's why it is a burden you have to carry all of your life. not because there is any care or any love or any subliminal obligation. Its hard. its really a mess when you are abused and everyone justifies it as love.

[@anahitaljame284]

what i love the most about your op vids is how much care and accent you put into oda's character writing. It's undoubtedly my favorite aspect of one piece alongside the worldbuilding. You sometimes make me revisit episodes and moments in the story with a renewed gaze. I'd love to keep hearing your thoughts on other arcs and characters for a long time :)

[@alvinyudhistira131]

I swear to god, with the capital g, I was just about to start rewatching the Whole Cake Island arc and you uploaded this.

[@Dreq458]

They definitely feel emotions, anger being the most blatant. They also expressed pleasure whenever Judge doted on them. They just lack sympathy and empathy. They may be able mimic emotions based on how they observe normal people behaving, but they may or may not see a need to do so. I think Yonji helped that creature get the grape because Judge ordered them to "play nice" during the wedding and helping it didn't interfere with what he was doing at the time.

[@trazyntheinfinitehereforur828]

i’m so used to seeing analysis’ of one piece that focus on standard literary structure and or historical but it’s honestly lovely and breathtaking seeing in-depth psycho analysis of it because it’s made me go from 「eh da jus alright」to 「OMFG THIS MAN」

[@RickyUzumaki993]

Agreed

[@jazzycat8917]

Its so realistic that Pudding behaves in the hot-cold way she does towards Sanji coz think about it. Being mean to the person you have a crush on is such a typical little kid thing to do, because you don't know how to process these feelings yet or maybe in denial about them. Pudding, having been emotionally stunted for her entire life due to abuse and bullying, is basically starting her emotional learning again at this childlike state.

[@thefandombard4774]

Your analysis of one piece is always engaging as it seems you cover aspects of the story that often get over looked by casual fans All in all great video and can't wait to see the next one

[@gattsudon]

such a good analysis, the themes of this arc were one of the best and hit really close to home. Sanji became one of my all time favorite characters after this arc I had to go back and rewatch the series to connect with his character even more.

[@thepredman9lol266]

Thank you for shining some light on one of the most overlooked arcs in the series! Your thematic breakdown has made me love this arc even more than I already did. You helped me notice some of the genuinely insane full circle moments by Oda in this one arc alone that I never noticed before!

[@jedexentry]

One thing for sure while watching this arc and revealing sanji's circumstances makes me wish that I hope I'll never experience sanji's experience. I can honestly feel that I even see myself can't do anything against this circumstances when it reach to the point that all of my family will be get assisinated by the people they hopefully ties with. I might be died too coz same as Sanji did I can't even abandoned them no matter what they did coz they're my own family.

[@cadenz7719]

Another unnerving thing about the fathers’ of Big Mom’s children and family dynamic is the fact that isolates the kids from each other too. The only thing they have in common most of the time is their mother they’re terrified and abused by. Also the fathers, how many do you think were actually consensual? What happened to the father’s? Probably eaten by her or she used her devil fruit on them. That would be even more traumatic for the kids.

[@theddae]

I know you said you’ve fallen into the one piece rabbit whole but wow, 12 videos. Plz keep them coming!

[@pejopjsa]

It's incredible how Whole Cake Island is a gate to character feelings and humanity, besides all of the hoomies and stuff. It's crazily good how Oda worked on a fantastic and almost psychodelic world to get onto one of the biggest day-a-day theme: blood family. And I think it's pretty special, most of all because it's the continuity of the post-Marineford's brothers tail. Where Ace, Luffy and Sabo can shine over what a family shall be, between themselves or with Dadan as a first act, here, Sanji, Katakuri and all those character from Whole Cake Island can suffer tragically over the realm of family as a power structure. And that's why I think the marriage is such a well feature over the story - a symble of the patriarchy and of the family as a object to other things to finally explore the complexity inside of our Cooks and Donuts' eaters. A majestic transition between the bigger and the smaller picture!

[@doughnutheart9509]

I feel bad that I can't make a long worded comment when I've consumed a video with this much love and effort put into it,but as always thank you for making the best one piece analysis videos to ever exist ❤

[@HanaNoMaude]

Fantastic analysis as always. One thing that popped into my mind during your final wrap up about Sanji, Pudding and Katakuri and how they all overcome parental-related trauma in this arc: they essential “grow up” in the sense that they leave a part of their childhood behind and free themselves of an unhealthy reliance on their parents as a determining factor in who they are. What strikes me here is how this relates to the overall setting of a whole cake island: a fairytale, a story we tell children. An illusion that ultimately needs to be cast off in order to grow into adulthood, which sounds painful given the generally benign nature we ascribe to fairytales but in this case, the adult reality is the true good and place of freedom, dreams and family

[@burntcookies5427]

Thank you! I discovered your channel yesterday and played your Sanji-related videos several times as I’m blown away at their breadth and scope.

[@Tessaalera]

Another fantastic video! The themes of Whole Cake really hit hard and you did a great job showing how hard. To me, the almost Shakespearean nature of Sanji and the Vinsmokes really elevates the arc to the highest tier. Just an amazing arc.

[@brandivogt5518]

Whole cake is currently my favorite arc, thank you for putting so many of the pivotal takeaways in one video. I feel like whole cake sometimes gets some crap because of the anime pacing and how it is set in a fairytale structure, but it’s so much deeper and complex that it’s so worth the rewatch. Thank you!

[@sanderooh1834]

Brook really got a long-awaited moment to shine here as well. Him using his soul powers for recon which nobody thought possible, and facing Big Mom one-on-one to get the road ponegliff were nothing short of awesome

[@cesarmedina4370]

I just finished Whole Cake island and it really fucked with me in the flashback when the kids bullied her and she said “I’m not a monster I’m just being myself”

[@cyphi474]

When Pudding cut herself out of Sanji's memory to spare him suffering, is one of best moments of entire show.

[@scootwill]

This channel has quickly became my favourite on youtube

[@bc7781]

The connections made in one piece, whether coincidental or intentional, are insane. Just the quantity is tantamount to the depth of the series.

[@TheFourthBlackReaper]

I love that Oda literally wrote, “Candyland: Disfuncional Families and Dictatorship Edition.”

[@malachi3253]

Idk if anyone else shares this opinion. However I think Franky has a really intresting introduction in water 7. Him having to disregard his name and body speaks volumes, about who he is and I’d love a deeper dive.

[@GooberGoofy-lj5yd]

Family and abuse are relatable themes. Most people have a family. Most people have seen or endured abuse. Writing a story that is utterly ridiculous and fantastical with a rubber-man and a flame-kicking cook, which still touches people's hearts, THAT is great writing.

[@Simping_RinRin]

Mel I just want you to know that after binge watching all your one piece video essays now I’m back neck-deep in one piece hole the only thing in my head 24/7 is sanji lol But fr your video essay is so on point it made me appreciate one piece much more as a great story.

[@kokofan50]

Sanji’s brothers aren’t emotionless. They’re unsentimental, meaning they don’t value emotional connection and storge.