Product Info

Studio

Toei Animation

Director

Munehisa Sakai

Genre

Action, Adventure, Animation, Fantasy

Rated

PG-13

Theatrical Release Date (NA)

Nov 7, 2021

Release Date (NA)

Nov 19, 2013

Release Date (JP)

Dec 12, 2009

Film Length

2h 27m

Purchase From

One Piece is one of the most popular anime series out there, and it’s approaching its 1,000th episode. To celebrate the milestone, there was a special movie theater screening of One Piece Film: Strong World, the tenth animated film that was originally released in Japan at the end of 2009. It had an original story written by Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece. In previous films, Oda only supplied character designs and story ideas, making Strong World more special. The film was picked up by FUNimation in 2013 and went straight to disc instead of having a theater release, till now.

If you’re a veteran of the One Piece series, you’ll have to rewind quite a bit to when this movie takes place in the series, between the Thriller Bark and Sabaody Archipelago arcs, right around the 380 episode mark. Compared to the upcoming 1,000th episode, that’s a trip down memory lane.

Trouble in the Sea

The world of One Piece is vast. A good portion of the main characters come from an ocean called East Blue, considered one of the weakest but most peaceful seas in the world. Something amiss is happening in their home ocean, though; islands are beginning to disappear. Luffy, the protagonist of the One Piece series, and his pirate crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, decide to head back home. However, they run into an obstacle before getting too far. This isn’t where the film starts, though. It’s a reminiscence from Nami, the navigator of the Straw Hat pirates.

Instead, the film opens up with a pirate using a frightening power against the Navy, the law enforcement in One Piece. Afterwards, viewers are thrown into a new world where Luffy and the gang are running away from giant, aggressive beasts that are trying to kill them on floating islands.

A Legendary Pirate Returns

After 20 years of solitude, legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki reappears and plans on making the world grovel at his feet (actually, they’re swords). To get out of prison, Shiki cut off his own feet and replaced them with swords. That’s not all. Shiki has a special ability from one of the Devil Fruits, the ability to adjust gravity on an object only by touching it. Devil Fruits are mysterious fruits scattered around the world, and each one has a unique ability. For example, Luffy has a body made out of rubber and can create a unique style of attacks to take advantage of his rubber body. However, there’s a drawback for Devil Fruit users, they cannot swim. That’s a huge drawback for Devil Fruit pirates travelling the seas.

At the beginning of the film, Shiki shows off his power against the Navy. Tossing dozens of Navy ships up in the air and then with a single hand movement, he throws them back, defying gravity. This wild ability can cause severe damage or create floating islands, as long as he doesn’t lose consciousness.

Shiki’s characteristics are both creative and well written. He could have fit smoothly into the One Piece series, if Oda could make room for him. His Devil Fruit power and his personality make him a villain to be reckoned with. He shows no remorse as every action he takes is for personal gain, even if it’s someone from another pirate crew. Nami, being quite skilled as a navigator, has caught Shiki’s eye. So what does Shiki do? Steal and force her to join his crew, of course. Additionally, Shiki has made devious plans over the last 20 years that are now taking effect, causing additional beef with the Straw Hats.

His sidekicks, Indigo, the one who dresses and acts like a circus clown, and Scarlet, a gorilla dressed up in bright-colored clothes, however, don’t add enough depth. Scarlet doesn’t speak and instead acts like an ape by pounding his chest. Indigo, not to be confused with another One Piece pirate named Buggy, acts like a mime but speaks, surprising his crewmates who think he’s silent. When watching the dubbed version, it’s hard to understand what Indigo says. His words are mumbled and make it difficult to differentiate what he’s saying. By that time, the scene had already moved on. Speaking of dubbed voices, in the beginning when the Navy had their hands full, it was difficult to hear some of the Navy characters. With the chaotic background, a lot of background noises made it challenging to hear their voices clearly.

Their spotlight is short and doesn’t last long enough in battles to make them feel like a threat. That said, the battle between Zoro, a three-swordsman pirate from the Straw Hat crew and Indigo was actually interesting. Fans of the series will reminisce on Zoro’s wild, entertaining battles from back in the older days of One Piece. One of them being Kyutoryu, a style where it appears Zoro is using nine swords.

Best Girl Nami

While the movie and fans of the series focus on Luffy, Nami’s role in the film stands the strongest. She doesn’t have a Devil Fruit power, she’s not strong, nor is she skilled with a sword. However, she’s quite smart, not only on the waters but in tough situations. She manages to outsmart Shiki to escape, tries to foil the pirate’s evil scheme, and befriends a beast that significantly aids her throughout the film. She tries to stay one step ahead, despite not being physically strong. At times, though, she becomes the damsel in distress, making the boys handle the rest. Outside of that, her ambition and goals make her the best girl in the film.

Seeing Nami and Luffy in the spotlight was enjoyable. Luffy’s laid back attitude and Nami’s seriousness play off each other well, making it comical.

However, some of the Straw Hat pirates didn’t get that much attention. Franky and Robin didn’t appear to have much focus or action. In contrast, Brook, the skeleton who recently joined Luffy based on the movie’s timeline, travelled with Franky and Robin and yet received more action than they did. While this trio had some serious parts to play in uncovering Shiki’s scheme, they played more of the safe route on their travels compared to the rest who were fending off aggressive, giant beasts.

It Comes in Waves

While One Piece is quite popular, it follows the Shonen formula to the bone, targeting males the most. This includes over-the-top battle scenes, comical gags about panties, oversexualized perceptions of women such as Nami, and pushing Luffy to the brink of defeat only to come back over and over to win. Despite that fact, the series is approaching 1000 episodes, so it’s doing something right with its unique characters and storyline.

The film isn’t going to have the same excitement as the television series, though. It shouldn’t be a surprise as it’s showing about two hours of storytelling compared to 26 episodes at 30 minutes each. The story feels like some parts were trimmed down to fit everything into the film. For example, movie watchers are introduced to a village whose inhabitants have feathers growing on their arms. It’s not explained how it happened or why. It’s just there. Additionally, when their village was attacked, they were rather quick on escaping. Afterwards it was explained that they hid in a bunker, but that seems too convenient for a village that’s struggling and always on surveillance.

With the film being just under two hours long, including credits, it comes in waves of entertaining scenes and story-building ones, moreso in the beginning of the film as it foreshadows activities that will be relevant later. The Straw Hat pirates, being split up, regroup at a village at one of these floating islands. For each group that arrives, there’s a few minutes of story explaining the village’s harsh conditions as they survive. It adds up, but once you get past the first 45 minutes, the story starts to pick up.

The battle scenes were entertaining, as to be expected for a popular Shonen series. Luffy’s battles from beginning to end were fun to watch. Zoro’s sword skills were also great in action. The spotlight when Luffy and his team gather for the final battle has been a fun piece to watch in the television series and that has been carried over to the film as well.

Turn It Up, Here They Come

The music score for the film picks up familiar tracks from the anime series. One of them, Hangeki No Noroshi, used when Luffy infiltrated Marineford to save his brother Ace, is utilized when the Star Hat pirates infiltrate Shiki’s temple. This scene was one of the best in the film, not only due to this musical score being used but also because we see the Straw Hats wearing sleek, black outfits. Oh, and yes, the Straw Hats crew brought guns to make some noise against a room filled with enemy pirates; that was quite enjoyable as the Straw Hats never bring a gun to a fight.

Regarding the end credits, it’s a surprise that as popular as One Piece is, there isn’t a vocal, movie theme track when watching the dubbed version. Instead of having something whimsical or upbeat performed by a popular artist, the audience gets to listen to a drum track used earlier in the film.

The Last Gear

One Piece Film: Strong World is a fun adventure, even if the beginning starts off slow. From Nami’s ambition to Luffy’s persistence, One Piece fans will surely enjoy the film. New viewers can have a good time, too, without needing to watch the entire anime series. So whether it’s on the big screen or the small one, it’s a strong world after all.

An early screening was provided for this review.