One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island

Hungry for some One Piece with a little twist? Look no further, because here it is. On one hand I quite liked the story. The Strawhats, as always, are out on an adventure. It is wacky, funny with some slapstick and the good old jokes. On the other hand the story is different from the usual One Piece we know, this is both good and bad as the story becomes interesting, but I will try to write them in a list. Good points: - You do not know what exactly to expect to happen, so the plot twist is more satisfying - The usual deal about a bad guywho needs to be beaten is not all this story is about - The Straw Hats are seen in a desperate situation which test their relationship to one another - the plot twist also makes the movie seem like another movie altogether. The tone, so to say, change drastically and magnificently. Bad points: - Plot holes. In the end this alternative story is indeed refreshing, but it does leave some things unexplained. - After the first initial start of the movie I found the pace to be slow for a while. However I believe it is because of the mystery presented in the movie and the viewer is left question what direction the movie is going into - The internal struggle which the Straw Hats goes through is not resolved. It simply disappears, which I find to be a huge letdown and it also reflect my Character score The art is wholly different from the standard One Piece art, but this is not necessarily bad, I just find it to be bad in this case. Both the background and the characters, especially the expression on the crews faces is different. Much of the story has buildings in its background, and those are amazing to look at. The things is though, that they are too different from the characters design, it just does not mix well together, at times it looks as if the characters has been plastered on. The expressions and characters designs seen one the crew is refreshing. The expressions seem more cartoonish to me, a big plus. The music used is a mix of the standard from the series and and some original mixed together, they mix okay together. The voice actors also do a pretty good job. In short I found the sound to be the most satisfying in the movie. The characters could have shined in this movie, but ultimately failed to do so. The movie put the Straw Hats up against each other, but fail to do it trustworthily, as they act out of character and the conflict is never resolved, it simply disappears. All in all this movie has it shortcomings, but it does not fully take my joy from watching this movie. It was pleasing to see a different story, even if it did not fully do its job.

At first when I saw this I was suprised, mainly because the art style was so different, it was anyhting but original one piece style, it was really different, the animators mixed in CG and 2d together into this movie, and I felt they did a brilliant job,. The story and the setting and even the personality of the characters really help to set in the art style. and it really does help to show how the characters reactions and feelings begin to shift in the story. The story was weird at first, but it almost immediately begins to make sense. the action in this movie was decentand very enjoyable, especially the finale, which I really enjoyed, that scene just engraved itself into my head. OVerall the story was more of a ghost tale, but at the same time it also held a important message of freindship. which I also enjoyed. the voice acting was brilliantly done as usaul, and the character were well thought out. Overall I enjoyed this movie, more then some of the other one piece movie releases mainly because of the difference in the style and maybe due to the story itself, either way I really enjoyed it and have found my self rewatching it for more then 7 times.

Forgive me for I have not caught up far enough in the anime to watch Strong World, but for a moment lets imagine that I'm a person watching this movie when it was released to the public. Up to this point there have only been 5 One Piece movies. The first 3 are good for the most part, and then once Nico Robin joined the Straw Hats the qualities of the movie went up significantly. You then hear that the sixth One Piece movie will be different and under a new team. The die hard purist are screaming, "WHAT!? HOW DARE THEY!? THEY CAN'T JUSTDO THAT TO ONE PIECE!" Then you hear that the director is Mamoru Hosoda, who at the time was only known for the Digimon Movie. Today, people would be freaking out hearing this going, "The guy who did Summer Wars and The Girl who Leapt Through Time did a One Piece movie?" Yes, yes he did and the final verdict: Mamoru Hosoda should do it again because for me this is the best One Piece movie I have seen yet. Right from the beginning, you know that this movie is going to be unlike anything One Piece has ever done before because this is not traditional One Piece animation. Instead, it has the more gritty animation that we know Hosoda for today. However, even with the gritty animation, this movie is still the colorful One Piece that we all know and love. It's expected though, it's a movie therefore I expect a big budget to come out of it. Therefore, everything is detailed down to the wind blowing into Nami's gorgeous red hair. What's even nicer is that later this movie get very offbeat and probably the darkest I have ever seen One Piece ever be. Visually, the movie is perfect and makes me begs the question: Should One Piece be animated like this for rest of the franchise? Audio-wise, there's not much really to say. It's the same great voice acting from the Japanese track of the show so not much to say. Though, why Funimation dubbed the unnecessary and pointless recap movie and not this or any of the other movies for that matter just boggles me. The score is also pretty good with the orchestrated piece that you expect to hear from the One Piece franchise. So yeah, audio is pretty good. So if you are reading this review then chances are you are probably a huge One Piece fan like I am and want to know which of movies you should watch. Well here's the thing, you can actually watch this movie right after Nico Robin joins the Straw Hats (actually I recommend movie 4 first, but you can skip over 5, and go right to this one, then watch 5 after). So what is the plot of this movie exactly? Well, The Straw Hats come across a resort island and decide to anchor for a little R&R. However, the owner of the island, Baron Omatsuri, tells them that staying on the island is not as simple as it sounds as they have to partake in...THE ORDEAL OF HELL DUN! DUN! DUN!...yeah I know it sounds silly but remember this is One Piece, a show that perfectly blends childish antics with adult themes, and this movie exemplifies that here as well. It's hard to talk about this movie without spoiling anything but here's what I love about this movie that makes it the best of the One Piece films I've seen so far: The character relationships. At this point, the Straw Hats are a family and despite how much they get each other's nerves, they still care for each other to the point where they save each other's hide through thick and through thin (It's the lyrics to the to first theme for Pete's sake). Luffy even says, not exactly of course, to the others, when they are looking at him crazy for accepting the terms of the challenge that basically "Listen, we can do this, we have been through worst shit before and survived, we can do this, I trust you." It was at that point that I realized that I was going to like this movie a lot and understand where the movie was headed. It is then later in the movie, that we see all the characters have one instance where they conflict with each other. However, there is one problem with the movie that I do want to address. While I do love these character relationships, the ending never resolves them that well, and doesn't really show what happened. Did Zoro apologize to Sanji for his lack of support? Did Nami talk to Usopp again right after? Why didn't we see Robin and Chopper ever have a moment? So many questions! However, I don't mind because we all know that in the end that the Straw Hats will be the Straw Hats. Overall, really check out this movie. It shows what One Piece excels at the most: Great Characters and the bonds that occur between them. If it's not to much to ask, I would love this see movie brought to the states and dubbed nonetheless. Especially considering the animation is fantastic and the story telling is above par and probably one of the darkest that One Piece has ever gotten. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if I can find a pirate crew just as cool as the Straw Hats.

One Piece has always been known for its festive atmosphere, its wacky characters and the strong bonds that tie the main cast, the Straw Hats, together: the bonds of "nakama." Even in all of its non-canon OVAs and movies, these qualities are present and what mold the story in every title belonging to the franchise. There is one movie however that flips over these elements. Yes, I hated and never enjoyed this movie the first time I watched it just because it was not the typical One Piece and I felt stressed about the events in it. It took me courage just to rewatch itand appreciate what it tried to show. And I will simply declare that this sixth movie is gloomy, unpleasant and horrifying. (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.