(MINOR SPOILERS)
Directed by Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island tells the story of the Straw Hats' sidetrack visit to a vacation island owned by Baron Omatsuri, where it offers many great pleasures, good for relaxing from a grand journey. There is a catch, and that is they have to overcome the challenges given by the Baron to experience these pleasures. As Luffy and his crew continue to compete in these challenges, slowly they discover the dark secrets of the Baron and the island and while this happens, the crew's relationship gradually fall apart which makes them more vulnerable to the incoming adversities.
Just from the early minutes of the movie it is very obvious that the animation style is different. For first time viewers it looks weird with the evident dull coloring, lack of variety of shading and dimension and whatnot in contrast to the anime series' bright visuals. It still has the silly character designs for the non-Straw Hats, except for a few which resulted in some of the most frightening images associated with the entire franchise. For those familiar with Hosoda's other works, it is easy to get used to and you may even notice some angles or shots unique to him. Either way, the visuals work well with what the movie tries to do: a more serious approach on One Piece. Watch as the dull colors eat away at least one-third of the film's duration and you will feel the heavy atmosphere taking over what lightheartedness you know about One Piece.
The only complaint I have is the CGI. Most of the time, they do not mesh well with this movie's 2D animation. The film swapped the series' time-tested background art with full CGI (imagine a CG tropical island/forest as the setting). And it happens at the early stages of the movie which can only increase the possible disgust the audience has for the animation style alone.
Despite how much I said it gets heavier as it progresses, the early minutes exudes with the typical One Piece slapstick humor. Character introductions are being done by this point to help us again familiarize the Straw Hats. But as the conflict slowly arises, all that energy fades away too little by little. The story is also not the same for other OP titles, with one example in which the main cast does not approach the conflict but instead the conflict approaches the main cast.
Unlike other OP titles, the story moves because of the characters, not because the plot demands so. And thanks to the animation style, the storytelling is greatly enhanced. It adds mystery to the narrative that fits perfectly and just flows naturally. And with mystery comes the plot twists. They may not be among the best, but these twists were properly built upon with the few hints thrown throughout the entire duration of the film that makes the biggest reveal satisfying.
As I said earlier, this movie flips over some One Piece elements, and one of them is the friendship theme. The movie adds several possibilities to the Straw Hats' relationship concerning their situation in the film (when experiencing great, unexpected pressure), that there are times fights occur despite how strong the bond is forged, and trust can be hard to build again when these bonds are shattered.
The common criticism the movie gets is how the Straw Hats are out of character thanks to how they are portrayed. I have to disagree with that. The movie thinks like “how would we react to each of the Straw Hats' personalities in real life?” or along those lines.
*SPOILER*
The best example would be the comical Nami-Usopp relationship. Aside from being greedy, canon Nami can be bold but bossy. And canon Usopp, despite being a liar, is frank about other people's negative points. Now what would happen if these two personalities clashed in a realistic way, minus all the comedy and fun attached to it?
*END OF SPOILER*
What I am trying to say is the movie only adds a new perspective to their character, not completely destroying it. These new perspectives really give you a feeling that this crew may be just one step away from disbanding.
There are other things to look out for. If you have been watching this the intended order, you get to see one of the earliest moments Luffy's leadership being challenged by his crew. As for the villain, Baron Omatsuri is the typical bitter villain who wishes for others to suffer the same fate as him, but the way the movie presents his characters makes him an interesting one. Once you've learned of his anguish, you can't help but feel sorry for him. But don't expect too much from Robin, since her character was still a mystery when this was released (during Water 7 arc).
And all the uncomfortable atmosphere that surrounds the movie are accompanied by timely-placed soundtracks. Those familiar with the anime series will recognize few soundtracks from it. Despite that, it is not short of movie-originals. It is also worth discussing is how the movie can have minutes of full silence. The mute scenes grab your attention easily and can make you really nervous about how will the next event unfold.
Final thoughts and recommendation:
This movie is clearly far from being a masterpiece. But to blast it just because it's not the usual One Piece is unfair. Movie 6 clearly accomplished something and that is worth crediting. So, do I recommend this to everyone? For the newcomers, whether you plan to catch up or not, wait until you've finished Skypiea arc. For the longtime fans who missed this, just readjust your One Piece knowledge back to how things were during Water 7 arc. Not really leaning to it as a stand-alone, but those not following One Piece but has little knowledge about it are free to watch.
As always, thank you for reading this review until the end.
