It has been many years since One Piece released a new movie. The last one was before the pandemic: One Piece Stampede. I really like OP Stampede I cannot count how many times I have watched it. I have become a fan of One Piece just before the pandemic and even went to one of its official stores in Tokyo Tower. Unfortunately, that branch is now closed. You can read more about it in my previous post.
Because the previous movie set my expectations high, I believe this new One Piece movie would be a very big hit.
But is it..?
One Piece RED's story is about the girl named Uta, the daughter of Shanks. Her name means song in english, so expect that she's good at singing and of course, she has superpowers related to music.
Shanks, known as Akagami no Shanks (Akagami = 赤髪 means red hair), is one of the Yonko or 4 Great Emperors, the most powerful pirate captains of the sea.
The story begins with a live concert by Uta. For the very first time, she appeared to the public and performed live. Luffy and his crew went to see her concert, in their "concert" outfits. The concert was held in Elegia, which is the Island Of Music (as translated from 音楽の島, read as Ongaku no Shima).
Almost all of One Piece characters were seen in the movie, most appearing only for a few seconds. Of course, the Navy appeared in the movie and even had a few bouts with Shanks. Oh yes, Shanks appeared in the movie as well! He should, this is Uta's story after all.
Movie Plot and Story Wise
The story itself was interesting. There were a few twists and I really liked it. You wouldn't know what will happen next.
There was a flashback highlighting the childhood memories of Uta and Luffy. They actually met in the village where Luffy grew up. That part doesn't really bother me. It was kinda long though, the flashback. I thought it was just a quick one. I think it was necessary still to build up the character and to know Uta more. Although I think it could have been brief.
In the climax of the movie, this is where the most interesting part is. They needed to synchronize their attacks - oops, I should not say anything further. Anyhow, Usopp and his father were giving the signal. It's fun to see some kind of father-son tandem from them.
Though I must say, some parts really bored me. My boyfriend who was also watching with me in the theatre was also bored at some point. Why? You'll know when you continue reading. 😅
I sort of got disappointed when Shanks and Luffy didn't meet. I mean they were on the same island already, but they didn't meet. They know the presence of one another, but they didn't meet. Kinda sucks but well, it's also for the best. 😂
Characters' Fashion
Let me give an honest opinion about this as a fashionable person. (Fashionable person? me - just joking 😂) I'm not an expert but at least I know what looks good and what's not. This is entirely my opinion, a little disclaimer only.
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The girls in Luffy's crew are fashionable. So these are a check for me. No doubt they look sexy and charming in their outfits.
As for the men...
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Hmmm, to be honest, I don't like the costume of Sanji. It looks so plain. 😅
Luffy's costume is so-so, I mean it suits his personality: playful and carefree.
Usopp's concert costume - I don't like it. The costume looks weird and so hard rock or metal, I don't know. Well, he's really in the mood for a concert. His battle costume though is nice.
Zoro's costume - hmm, I don't like the v-neck T-shirt. But let's just say, he still looks manly in this. So it's still okay for me.
Chopper, Jinbei, Franky, and Brooke - I like their costumes here. It suits them well. Chopper is so cute in this uchiwa, a Japanese traditional fan, as his headgear.
There are other characters in the movie too but I don't want to spoil you any further. They look great too in their outfits. I especially like Sunny! Such an adorable fellow! Would want to have him as a stuffed toy.
Songs In The Movie
All the songs that Uta sang in the movie are in this playlist on Spotify. If you have an account, you can listen to this album.
Uta's singing voice is the singer Ado. If you are not familiar with her, she also sang the hit song called Usseewa and, the one that got me listening to her first, Odo.
Honestly, I got hooked listening to this OP Film RED album from Ado before watching the movie. I was just blindly listening to the songs. Don't really understand them.
When I heard the songs in the movie, it's as if they all came to life. The way Ado sang them all is really so cool. I especially like 新時代 (read as Shinjidai, which translated to New Era in English).
But the movie has too much singing that it bored me. It seems like this movie is a musical one. Can't really blame it, Uta's power is from her singing voice after all.
Don't get me wrong, I like her voice and sometimes I like musical films but I was expecting more action in this film, not really a musical-like film. I was also expecting Shanks to be in more action scenes but in this movie, he's showing the humane side of him. I like it though I would want him to have more action scenes.
My Verdict
If I would rate the movie, it would be 6/10. As I have said, there was one point in the movie that got me bored. It's still a great movie though but if I compare it to the previous movies, I would choose One Piece Stampede, the movie prior to this one.
I think they advertised Shanks a lot but I didn't really get a great scene from him. Maybe there was one, when he showed his Haki powers. Only that.
I would also love it if Luffy showed more action scenes. I mean his form has changed - not the usual form that we saw in the anime episodes as of this date. There should have been more to this! Oh well, I guess it was just a teaser.
Overall, One Piece is still One Piece. As a fan and an otaku (aka anime lover), I would still watch the movie again - but not anytime soon, and probably not as many times as I have watched the other OP films. The movie may have disappointed me a little but it's still exciting to watch.
One Piece Film: RED is still showing in cinemas nationwide here in Japan. Maybe it's better to check in your region if it's already showing in the theaters there.
Here's the official trailer from Youtube.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
Source: All photos are from the One Piece Film: RED website. The playlist ウタの歌 is from Spotify.