Ranked #32

One Piece Film Z

Goda strikes again. I can't express in words of how amazing this movie is. All I have to say is go watch it for yourself.

For this review it will be broken down into four parts: Music, Animation, Characters and Story.

Music:
If you watched the trailers, you know that two tracks of Avril Lavigne would be played in the movie but you won't hear that until the credit rolls. First half was "How You Remind Me" and then "Bad Reputation" played after that. The original soundtrack was brilliant. It was different while at the same time maintaining that One Piece feel we all love; high tension to melancholy themes that played throughout different scenes.

Animation:
There was a lot of CGI just like Strong World. The action scenes were animated far better than anything I've ever seen in previous One Piece movies or the anime. The angles and camera movements following every scene was done fluidly.

Characters:
The title of the movie is quite self-explanatory. The movie focused on Z, at times even more than the Straw Hat gang. Character Z, also known as Zephyr had such deep story to him and if you love backstories of various characters in One Piece, you'll definitely love Z's. As for our lovable characters, the Straw Hats each got their turns to shine in this movie, however the stronger and prominent fighters such as the Monster Trio(Luffy, Zoro and Sanji) had their own individual opponent to fight. Franky was the next in line after the Monster Trio. Usopp also had good action scenes, but not quite on the same level. Nami and Robin at times were used for fan-service until the climactic battle at the end. Chopper was funnier than ever before, but not entirely important to the story. Brook didn't do a lot in terms of getting into battles, but he had his comedic moments just like Chopper.

Story:
This movie as an entirety was built around the Marine lore and back story. This will have it's drawbacks for some though. The story had lots of explanation regarding the principle themes of the Marines and some characters were basically used strictly just for the sole purpose of providing exposition. To fit the plot in a movie length time span, it was surprisingly well done. This was one huge gripes that I had with Oda's previous project, Strong World was a bit of a let down. With Film Z, I feel that he understood what it took to make a movie that retains the breathtaking aura of One Piece series, and he delivered it.

I would love to talk about just about every scenes in the movie but I want to keep it spoiler-free. If this movie doesn't win major awards in Japan, I will be very surprised. It surely deserves to be nominated in Japanese Academy Awards and win Best Animated Japanese Film Awards or even Best Picture of the Year Awards. read more

I love One Piece Movie 10: Strong World, but this one outshines it.

Usually the Straw Hats are fighting against the Navy or other pirates. In this case, they are fighting against neither. The antagonist in this movie is for sure one of my favorites. Z is really strong and admirable. In the fights against Luffy you will or have seen this. His resolve and objective are what lead him to be an enemy of both the Straw Hats and the Navy, but he is a hard man to hate as we learn of his past and the reason he objectifies himself...
Z aside, we get to see a lot of familiar faces, Navy faces that is. This brings a bit to light the positions of the Navy that we learned of during the Fishman Island Arc.
The Straw Hats of course do show their stuff in this movie. Nami and Robin, sexy as always. The rest, are strong....
...Just kidding, I'll say a little more. Luffy is very strong, he shows off his strength and haki really well. Zoro is very mighty as well, though his opponent wasn't on par with him, they weren't weak though. Usopp shows off more of his seeds. Chopper shows off his cuteness. Sanji shows that he won't lose to Zoro. Franky brings out the big guns. Brook is the always funny Brook. He really is funny here. And Robin and Nami, our two intelligent beauties, grace us with their bodies.

The art is great! All the effects and animations were flawless and the settings too. Like in all movies, the Straw Hats get new/different clothing and it looks great. What Franky is wearing in the beginning is a little weird though. The new characters designs were interesting too. Being One Piece, some of them do have interesting looks, but nonetheless, they look fantastic.

Usually I don't notice the music, but the sound track was really great. Those two songs you're waiting for are at the end though. Speaking of the ending, the closing credits give us a present.. Ready?... Baby/kid Admirals, Warlords, and Straw Hats.

The story also gives the question of what it means to be a hero in the form of a little boy saying he wants to be a hero, but isn't sure what he wants to be, a Marine or a Pirate. Touching stuff.

Of course, if you haven't really been keeping up with One Piece, you might be a little confused, or faced with spoilers of the New World, but if you can, you should really watch this movie. The enjoyablility is truly magnificent.

-I always appreciate feedback on my reviews! read more