I think if I had to pick a favorite anime, it would be One Piece. One Piece was a show that my son got me into and One Piece Film: Red is the latest movie. This one feels a bit different – although it does have much of the One Piece action, humor, and charm, you could probably make a justification for this movie being classed as a musical!
How to Download One Piece Film: Red
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also our review of a One Piece game called One Piece: World Seeker.
The Movie Review
I do not want to go into spoiler territory here so I will keep major things about the plot to myself. Basically, Luffy and the gang are taking a bit of a break from being pirates to head to a concert being performed by Uta. Uta is the most popular singer in the world, but this show is something extra special.
You see, Uta is going to reveal to the world who she really is! I will not tell you how exactly this goes down, but the world finds out that Uta is actually the daughter of Red-Haired Shanks! Uta is really the glue that holds this movie together as we get filled in about her backstory.
Ultimately, Uta is sick of the way that the world is and she dreams of a new world. Uta’s vision for the world is one where people are happy and there is no fighting. That sounds great, right? Well, it is in theory, but the way she goes about this is rather extreme as those who are not willing to leave their bad ways behind them will be locked up in a time-out!
I really do like Uta as a character. Yes, you could say that she is the villain of this movie, but I also see Uta as a victim as well. While the premise of this is great, I do think that the execution could have been a bit better. Do not get me wrong, I was entertained, but this did not feel like an epic One Piece movie.
The action is certainly here! There are some great and very flashy action scenes and the banter between the crew is as fun as always. There are also some absolutely fantastic songs in this movie. Seriously, I would probably say that the music is the best thing about this movie.
So, what was the problem? Well, it was not so much a problem, but I was left wanting more. The whole story behind Uta and who she is and why she is the way she is felt kind of rushed. As crazy as it sounds, I would have liked a lot more character development with her and I think the movie would have had way more impact if we got this.
I enjoyed watching One Piece Film: Red with my son, but this is not one of the best One Piece movies. There are 15 One Piece movies that have been made so far and I would probably put this one around the number 10 spot. I will say that it is worth watching for the epic soundtrack alone, I have already listened to the music on Spotify about a dozen times since I saw the movie!
