Directed by Gorō Taniguchi
Written by Tsutomu Kuroiwa
Starring Mayumi Tanaka, Shuichi Ikeda, Kaori Nazuka, and Kazuya Nakai
Unrated
Running Time 1 hour and 55 minutes
In theaters November 4

by Charlie Brigden, Staff Writer

Going blind into a long-running franchise is not the greatest of ideas, especially one that's run for so long as One Piece. Originally a manga, then a television show, and then a movie, Eiichiro Oda's pirate odyssey has been going for decades, with the fifteenth film installment, One Piece Film: Red, heading into theaters. However, how easy is it to get into One Piece if this is the first time reading or watching anything about it?

Created by Oda in 1977, One Piece takes place on an alternative version of Earth during a Great Pirate Age. The protagonist is one Monkey D. Luffy, a boy in a straw hat who can turn his body into rubber and do unbelievable things with it. Luffy sails the high seas with his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, avoiding the World Government and their Navy while searching for the title's mythic "One Piece." The One Piece is an artifact belonging to the legendary pirate Gol D Roger and would bestow the title of Pirate King upon anyone who might claim it.

One Piece Film: Red, which has killed at the box office in Japan, sees Luffy and his crew attend the deserted kingdom of Elegia, where pop superstar Uta is performing. While several groups of other pirates crash the show and try to kidnap Uta, she quickly subdues them through the magical powers that come from her singing, where she can conjure all sorts of things up to help her out or add to the fun. Unfortunately, Luffy, an old friend of Uta's, accidentally reveals to the world streaming the gig that she is the daughter of Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, a group of pirates known to be the most powerful on the planet. With this information, the World Government decide she is potentially dangerous and cannot be left alone, despite her optimistic songs of love and peace.

Flashbacks reveal Luffy and Uta's childhood rivalry of wanting to be the best pirate, but he is lost when he discovers she did not return from a voyage with her father. Despite saying that she wants to usher in a new age of utopian peace using her magic, she attacks Luffy and his crew when he refuses her request for him to stop being a pirate. He tells Luffy that she has left the crew to become a singer; however, it is clear that something has happened. In the present day, she seems to have a strong dislike for pirate kind, and even her mentor Gordon knows it is time to act when she reveals she may unleash the demonic monster Tot Musica upon those who oppose her.

One Piece Film: Red is brilliantly insane, the kind of thing that animation is made for because not only would this be prohibitively expensive in live-action, but it would probably lose something in the translation. Things like Uta's powers that present themselves as Technicolor musical notes before turning into all sorts of things, or Uta's ship, which is a large mix of musical instruments on the base of a violin that hovers while being surrounded by more notes. And then there are the Straw Hat Pirates, whom all have special abilities, even the skeleton in a leisure suit. There is also a pigeon in a trenchcoat. I have no idea who he or she is; I thought it was worth mentioning.

What is impressive is how the film uses Uta's songs. It is basically a musical, with much of the narrative wrapped around the songs and how they are used to show her plan to the world and subdue her enemies. It doesn't hurt that the songs are all outstanding, with the main theme song 'New Genesis' composed by score composer Yasutaka Nakata. Others are by rock band Mrs. Green Apple and Yuta Orisaka, among others, with Japanese pop idol Ado performing the vocals.

Uta herself is a fascinatingly complex character, relentlessly cheery and upbeat. However, this is to hide her pain, linked to the mystery of Elegia and what happened to it. This is a seriously disturbed young girl whose trauma is at the center of the whole piece.

Another aspect of Uta's madness involves addiction, with her consumption enabling her powers. That, in turn, helps fuel her desire not to be lonely as she was when she first arrived at Elegia, with only Gordon for company. Hers is a tragic tale, even more when it reveals why she despises pirates so much.

The story is quite heartbreaking. The animation quality is excellent, and the design work is wonderfully weird and imaginative. The voice acting is excellent, especially with Kaori Nazuka as Uta. I watched the subtitled version, but there is also a dubbed version available.

The only real qualm is that the pacing feels slightly off because it is so constantly wild. However, it is a minor thing. The film has a fair bit to say, so it takes time to fit it all in.

One Piece Film: Red is surprisingly easy to get into if you have yet to become familiar with the franchise. It's big, broad, and imaginative, and it has things to say, with its central emotional and moral conflict a relevant one. One thing is for sure - it's definitely the best Part 15 of a series I have ever seen.