One Piece: Film Red (Review)
By: Mithrandiel
Anime phenomenon One Piece celebrated some monumental achievements this year - from the 1,000th anime episode to the official 25th anniversary of the series, Eiichiro Oda even indicated that the long-running series is entering its final stages. Against this backdrop, the 15th One Piece movie, Red, hit the theaters.
Since its release in Japan, One Piece: Red has earned over $120 million dollars in Japan, and its recent release in the US is sure to grow its global box office tally.
Central to the plot of One Piece: Red Is Uta - a childhood friend of Luffy's who is revealed to be the daughter of the legendary Pirate Emperor: Red-Haired Shanks. After some stunning performances and singing from Uta, it's revealed that she's committed to ushering in a new age for her fans: one that would be free from violence and oppression from pirates. Despite her past with Luffy, she insists he abandon his plans of becoming the pirate king, and their conflict quickly ramps up from there.
Seeing the movie in IMAX was a real treat - the sound quality really enhanced the performances from Ado (playing Uta), delivering a near-concert like experience throughout the movie.
Indeed, music takes center stage in a big way in One Piece: Red - Ado's performances are stunning, and the power of the Sing-Sing fruit is compelling as the movie progresses.
Shanks also takes a major role in the movie, moreso than we've seen him in previous iterations where he so often is operating on the outer edges of the narrative. While we are rapidly approaching a head on collision between Luffy and Shanks, seeing the crew of the Red-Haired emperor in action brought some tangible hype that my fellow fans couldn't help but feed into during our screening.
The film hits all the right chords, not just musically, but emotionally as well. Shanks' self-sacrificing nature is put on display once again, and, always being a sucker for Father/Son dynamics, there's a particularly impactful scene between Yasopp and Usopp that had me tearing up. There is some tragic irony that twists the knife in just the right way as the movie reaches its climax, ultimately delivering a well rounded film that has just the right amount of action and narrative development.
Overall, One Piece: Red Is a great movie - and arguably one of, if not the, strongest in the expansive series' 15 movie library.
In terms of detractions from the movie, I was struck by the ineptitude of the World Government - particularly their inability to understand what was happening on a particular island where an ancient, immeasurably powerful evil was previously (conveniently) locked away.
Ultimately, even if there are some sizable plot holes, if you're a fan of One Piece, you owe it to yourself to check this movie out. With a superb soundtrack, great action, and good emotional balance in the narrative, it's a well rounded movie that adds value to the One Piece universe.
