While there have been an astonishing fifteen One Piece films, most of them remain unreleased in America. A few of them have received Fathom Event special screenings, however the latest movie in the franchise – One Piece: Red – is the first film to receive a wide release from Crunchyroll (who likely is feeling more confident about theatrical releases after the latest Dragon Ball Super and Jujutsu Kaisen movies over performed at the box office). The film is being released in both English and Japanese subtitled formats on over 2,000 screens.
This is also the first time Americans will get to see the Straw Hat pirates on the REALLY big screen thanks to the movie being projected in IMAX theaters (4DX is also an option if you want to experience the movie as a theme park attraction as well). The movie has generated a lot of anticipation from fans due to the hint that the legendary pirate Shanks would potentially be playing a big role in the movie. While we can’t spoil how much of a role Shanks does play, one thing viewers may not be expecting is for the film to be a musical.
Music Brings Joy to All
Yes, you read that correctly: One Piece: Red is primarily a musical adventure. It’s not a Broadway-style musical, but for those of you who ever wondered what a Dance Dance Revolution movie would look like…well, one can’t help but wonder if this answers that question. The story revolves around Uta, a JPop singer who has developed a large fanbase over the years through the video snails that are used to transmit broadcasts over the air. She has never held a concert before, but now she is making her live singing debut to the world, where she promises to bring a new age of peace to the world with her music.
This results in the movie containing a lot of songs and accompanying those songs are some stunning visuals that must be seen on the big screen to truly be able to appreciate. The musical numbers not only move the story forward but provide some of the best animation sequences this franchise has ever seen.
It reminds us that one of the things we love most about One Piece is the unrestrained imagination that flows throughout the franchise’s veins. Despite the songs being a highlight of the film, it should be noted that if you watch the film in English the songs will be subtitled in Japanese. It would have been nice if Crunchyroll had sprung for properly dubbing the score (Belle proved it can be done well), but we just don’t seem to be there yet.
How Does it Fit in with One Piece Lore?
As with several of the previous best films of the franchise, One Piece: Red is an original story by One Piece author Eiichiro Oda. This makes sense as it seemed unlikely that any movie that involved a new character being related to the franchise's two most legendary characters would be passed along to just anyone to handle. The fact that we are more than 1,000 episodes into the franchise and are just hearing about the fact that Uta is not only a childhood friend of Luffy’s but is also the daughter of Shanks is a revelation that could be seen as extremely tacky by some fans out there if not handled properly.
Thankfully the film handles this new information so well that it seems like it was always intended to be part of the overall story (for all we know, maybe it was). This also adds an extra layer of depth as when the antagonist of the film revels their true colors, there is some genuine concern on whether we want the Straw Hat crew to win this battle. This maybe be the first One Piece movie in a long time when viewers' expectations are going to be subverted in ways they will not be expecting.
Can Non-Fans Watch This?
This does mean that it must be pointed out that One Piece: Red is not a movie that is friendly to newcomers. While watching the entire series is not required, viewers should at least be somewhat familiar with the source material (and viewing the first thirty episodes would be a big help as well). If you are new to the world of One Piece there is still a lot of good music and some truly spectacular action sequences, which get to bend the laws of gravity more than they usually do.
Longtime fans of One Piece are sure to fall in love with the movie, as it takes everything that makes One Piece such a fun franchise and presents those things in larger-than-life ways that can’t be appreciated on a small screen. Newcomers will likely be impressed by the animation techniques but are likely to find themselves confused by the whole affair. Those people are likely better off streaming the first couple dozen episodes on Crunchyroll first. For everyone else One Piece: Red is another grand journey on the open seas!