One Piece Film: Red

First off, I would like to acknoledge the fact this is a non-canon movie althought we will get back to this. It's non canonness doesn't change the fact that, althought being a movie that doesn't inscribe in any timeline, it's still pretty incoherent. The movie is a huge purge to watch and I have seen a lot of people online stating that this is an incredible movie, they should use those words more carefully. This movie has a lot of objective flaws that are not my opinion that are simply made here to attract the fans. At out the way, I would like to talk aboutthe good part of this movie. Some of the songs are great. UTA's singer does a pretty good job. She sings pretty well and some of the songs are a BOP. BUT, most of the songs are those kind of "disney princess" song where the caracter just talk about her fellings and it's really cliche. Now that i talked about what I liked, let's talk about what's not to like in this movie. And for a movie starring Shanks, It was clear that there would be some fan service, but damn. This is my main issues with the movie. It has numerous, to say the least, fan service that are for most, caracters doing cameos. We have caracters taking part in the film that are neither pertinent nor justified. The movie has plenty of caracters that are like this. It is clearly made just to attract the fan boys and nothing else. You can seriously wipe out half the cast and the movie doesn't change. It's like the infinity war of one piece but not in a good way. You also have elements that are still not in the anime nor the manga that appair in the movie. It's just here to spoil the anime and this not good at all. Also, another thing you can add that's pretty funny. One Piece's (the anime) biggest flaw is it's pacing. And right here the pacing is horrible. Everything happen really fast and you have things just coming out of everywhere. For the first hour, you just altenate beetween UTA singing and the lore of the island being explained to you. So you have all of these caracters that are completely disconected with the events that come here and just explain the lore and then she starts singing again. And another one comes and then she sings again. The ending happens also so fast you don't see it coming, not in a good way of course. Furthermore, the guys who wrote this should be ashamed. (it might be like my review) They should of reread the things they wrote because most of it is so bad, even a 5 year old kid would of done something better. It was really really bad. You have a bid deus ex machina. Characters that had no intoduction that just pop out of nowhere to save the situation. There is also a plot twist that completely ruins the movie by the end. The animation was also a big question for me. Sequences are action are just the caracters throwing their main signature attacks and that's all there is for the combat. No choregraphy, no movement except maybe for one scene. There is tho two characters who got some fire animation : Jimbei and Brook. But why them ??? And when you thought I was done talking about the flaws. There was a promess of Shanks being developed. And I'm sorry but Shanks is more developed in the trailer than in the actual movie. The only character in the movie that get's a tiny bit of developement is UTA and it's pretty bad. She transforms from a cliche girl that sings and is just nice, to a danganronpa character. She starts doing some wacky face and some weird poses it's random. Her developement is just really cliche. The writers clearly took no risk it was really a shame. And I could go on and on with this movie. The 2/10 is more than justified. If I was a One Piece fan, I would be embarrased. "New Gen" Toei animation is really lazy and cares more about the money they can found in your pocket that in the work they can put out. I suggest you don't watch this movie, especially if you are not up to date on the latest scan because it does spoil some things for you. You can always watch this movie later. But even so, the writing is straight up bad and lazy and really the only thing you will find out of this movie is just a warmed up fan service from the One Piece "saga"

Film Red is the second most idiosyncratic One Piece movie, thanks to its overt reliance on musical performances and the spotlight focused on Uta, a new female character. It also has the benefit of bringing out Shanks, who is one of the most important yet mysterious characters in the original work, as an active participant. While this is not a canonical story, I have found a lot to enjoy this time around and wish to share my thoughts and feelings with some open-minded readers. Of course, it is hard to ignore the commercial success of the movie's theatrical release, which proves Film Red has resonatedwith many thousands of people across Japan. However, I will warn those who are expecting more of the same that they may not always find it here. Thus I can at least respect, even in the midst of disagreement, those who felt this movie struck a discordant note. Why are there such vocal viewer reactions, alternatively expressing their love and hate for the end product? It's because Film Red brings together a relatively unique mix of rock opera, character drama and all-star battle through a couple of daring artistic choices. Thematically speaking, this movie also implicitly challenges a few of the assumptions that are common among a certain percentage of the One Piece fanbase. As you can easily imagine, that approach will not sit well with everyone. For me, Film Red doesn't seek to establish a new standard in terms of shonen battle spectacle, but it still reflects a key part of the emotional core of One Piece. There is plenty of merit in this. From a certain perspective, one of the great virtues of Eiichiro Oda's manga masterpiece has to do with the value of found family and the clash between different ideals of justice in a world that can simultaneously be incredibly colorful and whimsy while also continuing to be fundamentally unfair and occasionally outright cruel. Despite all of the twists and turns of this latest cinematic narrative, I would say the movie remains true to an interpretation of this idea. STORY: 7.5/10 In many fictional stories, the most admirable heroes are those who simply fight against absolute evil and win. In the case of One Piece, there are plenty of those situations and our hero Luffy usually has his heart in the right place, but for me some of the best parts of the original story focus on the struggle of those characters who combine virtues with flaws and imperfections. Even if their motivations are ambiguous or even misguided, I have always been more interested in the little stories of characters who, whether important or not, at least try to stand up against the world to fight for what they believe in. Sometimes they win, sometimes they fail. Regardless of the merits or even the desirability of either side's beliefs, there can be a lot of poignancy in those moments. It doesn't matter if you're part of the Marines, Shichibukai or Yonko...your position doesn't necessarily mean all of your beliefs are right or wrong. Sure, we all know that One Piece is ultimately a Shonen Jump publication and this means there are certain ethical limits. I don't expect the grand tale of Luffy and his friends to end on an unhappy note, to be honest, but the story has occasionally reached towards exposing a darker underbelly than what its colorful surface suggests. In the long run, we trust those glimpses into a dark reality are only obstacles and a brighter future is waiting for our cast of characters. On the other hand, there is also a degree of artistic value in the act of depicting what would happen in the One Piece world when the pressures are just too strong and you'd rather escape from reality...both for yourself and for the sake of others (or say, to meet the expectations and demands of others). In a way, that same sensation of tension and determination is part of what I can appreciate about Film Red's script. Predictably enough, it isn't simple to make One Piece: Film Red fit into any specific part of the larger One Piece story. You would quickly find small and large inconsistencies upon looking at the chronology. Yet, speaking only for myself, I was able to watch the movie as a standalone project with ease. When we are dealing with an alternate non-canonical storyline, as almost all One Piece movies are, the screenwriter can afford to play rather fast and loose with the absence and presence of various characters, abilities or locations. Is it perfectly written? No. Does it need to be? Nope. While the formal narrative is arguably the weakest link in Film Red, it has also incorporated quite a few of the themes of One Piece while bringing a certain amount of fresh air into the room. I happen to find the features and consequences of that decision to be worth appreciating in multiple ways. In short, Eiichiro Oda himself supervised the creation of this movie and he was getting tired of creating "legendary old men". With a small number of honorable exceptions, most of the One Piece theatrical entries have fallen into a rather typical methodology: Luffy and the Straw Hats run into a new and seemingly all-powerful male foe, leading to a great battle where this enemy is inevitably defeated. Everyone can go home and be happy. The End. That's all well and good, but at some point it's nice to add a little variety. Based on that premise, the story of Film Red is less of a straightforward pirate action adventure and more of a vehicle for the exploration of a new fictional character, Uta, through the use of musical expression. It would not be out of line to say that the term "musical battle" has been applied both literally and figuratively to this production with controversial yet arguably excellent results. Specifically, Uta, the idol and songstress who is the undeniable center of this movie, represents a concrete departure from the norm. Saying too much would be a spoiler, but the first half of Film Red is essentially built to introduce us to a set of mysteries. Mysteries with a degree of useful foreshadowing, as a matter of fact, although not everything will be immediately clear. To be sure, there are at least two big plot twists that aren't even remotely hinted at in the trailers. One of them is rather typical and can be found in plenty of other fictional works, yet it is still comparatively new within the context of the One Piece universe. Unsurprisingly, resolving any mystery usually requires exposition. Around the midway point of the movie, the pace does tend to drag. This mystery-solving, so to speak, does provide a number of secondary characters with a chance to shine, but I agree it can feel rather heavy in the moment. That said, the musical sequences were able to revive my interest whenever it threatened to drop. Now, strictly speaking, it would be incorrect to label Film Red as a complete musical. There's been some hyperbole about most of the movie being nothing other than songs in the old-school Disney fashion, which is objectively inaccurate. However, I can find a grain of truth in that statement. The viewers' ability to enjoy this project will rely, to a considerable extent, on their willingness to open their hearts and minds to what the movie is trying to do. Frankly, this is always more of an emotional process than a purely logical one. If that fails, then the entire house of cards will crumble and you'll leave the theater bored and bitter. Not my personal case, yet I can understand why other folks might reach such a conclusion. Once certain narrative keys have all been unlocked, Film Red's story pace speeds up during the second half and there is a large-scale battle waiting at the end. Yet this time, I would readily recognize that the outcome of the battle is the least interesting part. As spectacular as it is to see certain unexpected team-ups and so many powerful attacks being used...the real threat is not the external enemy, but an internal one. It is there that the Film Red script will play its final card and, for my money, the gamble was worth my investment. Naturally, this will vary depending on the viewer's own preference, tastes and capacity for empathy. To put things in perspective here...any truly action-based movie like the mega-hit One Piece: Stampede would place far more attention on the battle choreography aspect. Yet Stampede, for all of its adrenaline, felt comparatively emotionally shallow. I dare to say that One Piece: Film Red is almost the exact opposite. For me, the relatively underwhelming combat was compensated by more of a theatrical and engaging approach to the drama. CHARACTERS: 8/10 Oh boy. I'll only discuss a limited number of individuals in detail, because there's a large cast involved here and it would take too long. Ironically enough...they're a lot, but not near the level of Stampede's famously enormous list of participating pirates. That said, I found even the secondary or tertiary characters to have a more convincing in-universe reason to show up. You still need a certain amount of key One Piece figures to really sell the scale of the threat. Quite a few get their own small moment too. Is that fanservice? Sure, but celebrating existing characters is fine. When it serves a valid narrative objective it actually doesn't bother me. In a perfect world, I'd have liked to see the Straw Hats taking on a more formal leading role, yet one of the unique freedoms provided by the concept of a non-canonical One Piece movie is that the staff can afford to experiment. In other words, the camera can temporarily move away from them a little bit to serve other purposes. They'll continue getting more than enough development and a strong public profile in the main story, so there's no overwhelming urgency to feature them at this point. Having said that, let's talk about the more central players. Without being the deepest psychological examination ever, I think the storytelling's focus on the new character of Uta adds up to a fairly complex and potentially appealing characterization. From a bird's eye view, you could even draw a couple of contrasts with Nami's and Robin's arcs from way back in the day. All of which is part of why I'll honestly give Film Red a good amount of credit here. Uta's motivations are tricky, because there's technically three of them, depending on what part of the movie you want to consider and how you interpret the meaning of these events. In this regard, her status as the daughter (!?) of Shanks provides a common starting point of understanding. Uta's background allows us to compare her with Luffy and his own aspirations. In practice, this achieves the goal of successfully introducing her to the existing One Piece world. The flashbacks are quite helpful as a method of humanization in this respect. Which is vital, given the twisted path the movie takes. In a few words, there really isn't any other music-related character in One Piece with quite the same combination of positive and negative traits, especially not in the movies. She can go from genuinely funny and friendly to courageous, selfless, selfish, frustrating, annoying, pitiful, desperate and, yes, endearing. As a result, we can almost track Uta's emotional journey as communicated through the different songs. That's quite a novel approach for a One Piece project and, in and of itself, already makes her stand out. Furthermore, I recommend paying a bit of attention to her facial expressions. I am not entirely surprised that people will either find a lot to love or a lot to hate in her, because both evaluations can be objectively supported. If we asked ten different people, we would get a significant split in terms of their judgments of Uta. Similarly, my own range of emotions towards her went through a lot of highs and lows...until the end, which left quite a lasting impression. With that in mind, I believe the creators of the film made the right decision to focus on Uta. Rather ambitious and even risky as an artistic decision, yes, but you'll never win big if you only ever dare to make entirely safe bets. The other new individual of note is Gordon. Even though his screen presence in Film Red is significantly less than Uta's and his looks aren't anything special, I think Gordon was a surprisingly good fit for this story. While it's easy to dismiss him, especially without going into spoilers, there's a reason why ageless wisdom teaches us to avoid judging a person by his or her external appearance. Next, there's the significant matter of Luffy. He is still Oda's eternal protagonist for the larger story of One Piece, by all rights and with all the benefits this position brings, but in this particular movie it's going to be a little different from the usual. Luffy's still going to participate in battles and remains our nominal entry point into the situation. Yet, for once, his normal level of importance was held back by the nature of a standalone narrative focused on, gasp, someone else. Imagine that. All the same, he still serves an interesting role in Film Red. In a sense, it's another way of putting him to the test compared to the usual type of enemies he has had to deal with. You can also ask a number of questions as a result, not necessarily in the strict canonical sense but as general themes. What is Luffy's exact relationship to Uta? Does Luffy share her beliefs or does he maintain his own way of thinking? Can Luffy really solve every problem? What does Uta's story imply about Luffy's? While it would require spoilers to address those points here, for me Luffy's role was still more of a positive than a negative. Now I've finally come to discuss Shanks, who is the obvious elephant in the room. Most viewers will be incredibly glad to see Shanks in Film Red. In fact, Shanks gets to do a lot more during this one movie than you might expect. More than what he's done in years, regardless of whether or not you're up to date with the manga. This inclusion might be debatable, because some other One Piece fans would prefer to keep Shanks strictly away from the spotlight until the original creator gives us all the details about him in a completely canonical work. I can respect this way of thinking, despite not sharing it. Sure, there is also going to be some skepticism in light of the commercial nature of anime production. After all, Shanks was part of the promotional materials for the movie, but he isn't the protagonist. If you haven't paid any attention to the trailers, which make clear he isn't supposed to be the one central figure in this new story, that might be disappointing. And yet, I would argue using Shanks in Film Red was a valid creative choice for two reasons. First, because it's naturally cool to see Shanks as an active player in the action after so long. Why shouldn't we be hyped about that? They even found a creative solution to the "impossible problem" posed by Shanks being in a movie featuring Luffy. Second, perhaps more importantly, because the movie does serve to tell us more about him. Both directly and indirectly. There's his relationship with Uta, which has value in and of itself by developing Shanks as a father figure as well as by providing us with a curious method to reflect about the meaning of his relationship with Luffy. The way he reacts (or doesn't) to the events of this movie can show us more about his personality. While almost the totality of the movie can never happen in the original storyline, I am confident that Oda made sure to supervise how Shanks would be depicted to guarantee he would be fully in-character here. Plus, as a bonus, we also get a couple of pieces of extra information about the past of Shanks that can add fuel to the fan theories about what's really going to happen with him. ART AND ANIMATION: 8/10 Film Red was a very nice looking movie, for the most part. In particular, the musical performance scenes are a visual highlight for anyone who cares about this medium. Outside of the minor use of 3D with mixed results, I was pleased by the presentation, including quite a few nice storyboards. Great job! Let's get this out of the way: yes, you can still find a number of less relevant sequences with pre-Wano arc levels of animation, particularly during a bunch of regular conversation scenes. It doesn't bother me, but I can see why those moments could take a few of the viewers out of the experience if they're used to the best parts of the TV series in terms of animation. When the animators put their skills and resources at work, however, Film Red can be a feast for the eyes. SOUND: 10/10 Perfect. No, seriously. If you're going to make a movie where the use of music plays a central role in the storyline and one of the main characters is a singer, then the songs should be excellent. Otherwise, what would be the point of such an enterprise? I'm glad to report that Film Red's creative staff made an impressive decision when they selected Ado to provide Uta's seven songs. She's great. Ado's collaborations with many famous artists cover a wide spectrum of emotional expression and musical genres, which bring a welcome variety to the sound of the movie and also feeds into Uta's characterization by reflecting her mental and emotional state. They're used very well. I would say my favorites are "Backlight", "New Genesis", "Tot Musica" and "Where The Wind Blows". Significantly, even the lyrics gain a different layer when you sit down to listen to them after watching the movie. ENJOYMENT: 9/10 I like One Piece. Not as the most hardcore of fans, but enough of one to appreciate Oda's skillful storytelling and follow along with the storyline at my own pace. At the same time, I think it's good to have movies where different aspects of the world of One Piece can be explored, even outside of strict canon. I welcome creators who try to do something new, even if it means taking a risk and not pleasing all of the audience. The real goal of these movies isn't to satisfy every single person, which is almost impossible in this age, but to add new blood to the property and, at least in a manner of speaking, provide a path for new people to come in (and to make money, yes, but that is already evident to anyone reading this). For me, Film Red has achieved the majority of what was required in this respect. As a work of entertainment, you don't necessarily need to be an expert on One Piece to appreciate this movie. In fact, I have heard of former One Piece fans in Japan who came back to see this film and had a good time. If at least some of them decide to pick up the manga or the anime, then this represents a net gain to the community. Even so, there are specific things that will be more appealing to existing fans, especially those who are less interested in the result of a battle than in the emotional fallout. As mentioned elsewhere, this is less of a rollercoaster of action than a rollercoaster of emotions. If you are strictly logical and not particularly romantic (in the classic sense of the term, mind you), then Film Red may disappoint you. In my personal case, I would like to invite anyone who found anything of interest in this review to give the movie a chance. OVERALL: 8.5/10

See? This is the evidence of why Divas/Idols element would never work inside this medium. Please, please! stop creating a character with their sole characterization is only "Good At Singing". A character development contained solely on a progress of: "from a good singer, to a great singer, to a world famous singer solving a world wide problem with a song" it's so fricking lame! cringe! and lazy! It's doesn't work on Black Clover with their mermaid diva. It doesn't work on Belle. The most boring part of Vivy and Kongmin is the singing part. And the only things that make Zombieland Saga became atleast a bearableidol anime, is because it's a fricking parody! Can you guess why? why is this formula became one of my most hated tropes in all anime? Because idols or divas in real life, are relaying so much on the "fame factors" that they've had from the established fanbases. So, creating a fictional character or group based around this premises meaning that you're also have to create, fabricates and establish that fame factors from a fictional fanbases to make that character alive. And a fabricated fame, just like a sign on the audience seat that says "cheers", would always be counted as a plot armor!. Not to mention that the taste on music are varies on everybody, that'd just make the narrative became more and more unaccessible. Uta is the embodiment of plot conveniences. And for some people that says Uta is the condensation of every themes in One Piece, yeah, no wonder it feels shit. They're trying too hard for basically making a speedrun of creating a likeable character by expositioning everything. So yeah sure, for some who doesn't understand what exposition means, she would appears soo deep. I mean, the only themes that i found aligned with Uta from the canon-piece, is the child abandonment. Why Oda? Why would you tarnish your reputation like this? From Stampede to this, it's a lazy work to create a scenario with its sole objectives just to incorporates as many cameos as you like. No! more character does not mean more fun! The more crowded it is, the more lazy work has to be done! Are you happy that all of your characters are reduced to be just a hollow animated figures with an attack name and catchphrases?: The Straw Hat Pirates turned from a lovable protagonist into a squad of Power Rangers, shouting their secrets moves. Shanks crew turned from a mysterious figures into a boring deus ex-machina, solving all the problems with a biblical power. The Admirals and the Navy's are turned from a terrifying forces into a party tricks, just to enliven the ensemble. I mean what else could i say? Great job! *clap**clap* Seems like it would be a long way for me until i see the next movie Z. And oh yeah, for the positives,... atleast most of the songs are banger! Would surely jamming to the soundtrack when it's released

Okay, listen up! For all those who are bored to read a long review just know this: "I found a lot of subjective flaws in this movie and I don't recommend it. Heck, as a fan of the franchise for more than 20 years I even found it insulting." For all the others fellow OP fans, keep reading... Firstly let us look at the summary of this movie. Cruela de Vil's daughter, dyes the black part of her hair red (because of her daddy issues with Shanks), becomes a famous singer a la Katy Perry, gets high on cute addictive mushrooms on stage and creates her owncolorful Matrix so she can sing endlessly to her zombie fans and consequently wipe out piracy. Her sasaeng fans (this time in the form of the Straw Hats) were not very happy with that as they have other idols' concerts to attend to, thus decide to ruin all her fun.The end. What you've just read is a summary to a very mediocre fanfiction story I would glimpse on a lazy Sunday. Unfortunately, for all of us, somebody from the OP team, also read this idiotic plot and decided that it would be a great idea to make an OP movie out of it. Well, here is my own short plot if I would have any say in creating an OP movie called Red: Shanks, the captain of the infamous Red Hair pirate crew ventures to seize a mythological artifact known for being able to cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely. Little did they know though that this artifact demands a great sacrifice in return for its gifts, thus leaving the Red Hair pirates decimated. As the world gets restless at the sudden loss of one of the most powerful crews, Shanks, asks for help from the only pirate crew he trusts: The Straw Hats. Together, they strive to unravel the mystery of the artifact, save his crew from its guardians and bring back balance to the world. And now be honest, which one of the aforementioned plots would you rather watch and think better suits One Piece and a movie called RED???!!! Okay, back to being serious now. What is trending for the last two years in Japan? Ado, the singer behind Uta's songs. What is trending in Japan since 1997? One Piece manga/anime. Let's make a musical combination of those two. Eeeeh... wrong! You could have done that if your anime was Cardcaptor Sakura or Little Witch Academia. But, in relation to the two aforementioned shojo anime, One Piece's grand franchise is the only beacon attracting such a massive audience to watch Red. A pirate themed anime that has more that 70% male audience is not supposed to be this girly and wishy-washy. This whole thing screamed that the marketing team of OP just wanted to attract more females to the franchise or in plain English, the huge fan base of Ado. The only thing I can give kudos for to the marketing team is that they had the audacity and ruse to name the movie Red and make it look like we would see more of Shanks' involvement. Don't get me wrong, I liked Ado. I googled a couple of her songs after this movie and her voice was enjoyable. Nevertheless, a movie in this franchise can’t be carried only by it’s soundtrack. I would have been more satisfied if the songs focused more of their lyrics on the world of OP instead of being another pop cliche single ready to be sold after the release of the movie. My experience with this movie has been quiet straightforward. After watching Gold and Stampede my expectations were low to say the least. Red was an overall mess with no structure that's almost impossible to follow as the previous two movies. It keeps most of it's focus on Uta (Heck, she even has more lines and screen time than Luffy!), but everyone else feels like jam-packed in and there for the sake of it. Even Marvel's Infinity War had a lot of characters but they all had a purpose. As for the battles... hahaha! What battles? They seem like cut scenes from a video game. Especially if you see that the final battle is a full-on clusterfuck against something that wasn't even supposed to be in a pirate themed anime. How much weirder this franchise is going to be? The only things that made me give this movie a 3 were a couple of songs, Usopp's link with ****** at the end and Uta's devil fruit (which was a fantastic power but unfortunately very badly used). I understand One Piece is huge and there's so many great characters outside of the Straw Hats, however I think future movie entries could stand to tell more intimate, shorter stories going on instead of being two & a half hour, poorly made money grabbers. Even Marvel learned their lesson and stated: "We will be focusing more on quality over quantity."