One Piece 3D: Mugiwara Chase

I am a huge One Piece fan, so when this came out I of course had to watch it! But I was a bit nervous because it is called "One piece 3D"... and my worries were correct. It doesn't look much like the show at all. It really resembles a video game cut-scene.

Once I saw that, I was thinking "crap, this is going to suck." So if you're thinking the same thing, you are not the only one! Trust me. However!! After a few minutes, I got used to the art and started to pay more attention to the actual story. Which I did ... in fact enjoy a lot!


Story: 8 (Very Good)
Basically, this short 'movie' is about Luffy frantically trying to retrieve his hat. As all One Piece fans will know, his hat is very important to him! So of course he would go crazy looking for it, and the crew helps him as well... but of course for the Straw Hat Pirates, nothing is ever simple. That's basically all there is to the movie. It sounds rather boring in a summary, but is actually quite entertaining to watch!


Art: 8 (Very Good)
Like I mentioned before, I didn't like the art at first just because I wasn't used to it. But once I got adjusted to the style of the movie, I started to like it. It was nicely detailed and their movements were much more smooth and clear than I thought they would be. I can tell the artists put a lot of effort into making this very eye-appealing.

The fighting is also very awesome and well-done! Unlike some video-game cut-scenes, the fights in this actually reminded me of the fights in the show. (Zoro's fight was one of the coolest parts of the entire movie! If anything you should watch it just to see Zoro in action!)

The backgrounds are also very beautiful. The water, icebergs, smoke, and such are all very realistic


Sound: 9 (Great)
The voice acting in One Piece is as good as ever! The voices of each character are perfect for them and are exciting to hear! They have lots of emotion and seem to put a lot of effort into making their character sound perfect!

The music is also pretty good, not amazing or mind-blowing, but it was still a good addition to the animation.


Character: 9 (Great)
Sometimes with One Piece OVAs, movies and side-stories, the characters are completely out-of-character and make me angry. Something I really loved about this movie was that everyone acted very in-character. Just like they would act in the show.


Enjoyment: 9 (Great)
I would definitely be willing to watch this movie again, the story was great and the art was also very awesome. I only wish I had 3D glasses to watch it with, that might make it even more epic than it already is!

One of the things that really made me enjoy this movie was that we get to see all of the Straw Hat Pirates fighting together, which is something that rarely ever happens (a lot of times they're all off fighting their own battles). It's great to see them team up and work together so nicely!


Overall: 9 (Great)
Despite wanting to give it a 4 after the first 30 seconds (because I was too quick to judge it), I really loved watching this short movie! If you are a One Piece fan, I can almost guarantee you will enjoy this 30 minute movie.

One Piece 3D: Mugiwara Chase is surprisingly well written, for it is pleasant and relatable, especially if you are a pet owner, and involves a goal that any One Piece fan knows must be achieved at all costs. It doesn’t try to be bigger than it really is. And it’s truly quite short, only a half-hour.

As in the show, the humor is spot on and the character interactions are solid. Everything One Piece fans crave in the writing is there. Unfortunately, the 3D animation is disorienting and distracting, and did lessen my enjoyment of the film during times that would normally elicit a reaction from ... me, such as moments of hilarity or action scenes that should be cool but just aren’t the same in 3D. The most awkward sequences are those involving the more extreme expressions often seen in One Piece, which are intensely amusing in the show’s normal style but peculiar here. Clearly, the style of One Piece is not suited for this alternative medium and I genuinely wish it was animated normally.

Mugiwara Chase is a lovely watch, but the animation can get in the way of the experience. If you don’t mind or even like the different animation, you will have absolutely zero problems with it.

First of all for me a 30min episode seems like more of a special episode rather than a movie.

The story is Luffy's hat goes missing one morning. He has searched all over the ship but can't find it. Usopp has an idea of the thief but no one believes him. So the search begins for Luffy's treasured hat, along the way they run into sea kings, navy and an old man and his friend.

The 3D was a new twist to things but it wasn't my cup of tea. It seemed like they wanted to involve the viewers and make it seem like you were actually ... there. Most if the action scenes made me feel like I was on a roller coaster. Some fight scenes felt like they were made to be in 3D as you will understand once you watch it.

Overall it wasn't bad, wouldn't mind watching it again but it will have to be 1hr long minimum.