The appeal and reviews of "ONE PIECE -FILM- Strong World": A thorough analysis of the masterpiece movie

"ONE PIECE -FILM- Strong World": An epic adventure depicting the path to becoming the Pirate King

■ Public Information

"ONE PIECE -FILM- Strong World" was released in theaters on December 12, 2009, distributed by Toei, and has an Eirin number of 118465. It is a 113-minute episode based on the manga "ONE PIECE" by Eiichiro Oda, directed by Munehisa Sakai, and produced by Toei Animation. Copyright © Eiichiro Oda / Shueisha, Fuji Television Network, Toei Animation © "2009 ONE PIECE" Production Committee.

■ Story

Pirates are engaged in a fierce battle over the "One Piece" treasure left behind by the legendary pirate king, Gold Roger. A young boy named Luffy (voiced by Mayumi Tanaka), who dreams of becoming a pirate, eats a "Devil Fruit" that was a prize of the great pirate Shanks the Red Hair, who was staying in the village. He gains the ability to stretch his body, but in exchange, he is unable to swim for the rest of his life. Luffy also incurs the wrath of a band of bandits who are enemies of Shanks, and is thrown into the sea. When the drowning Luffy is about to be attacked by a sea monster, Shanks sacrifices one of his arms to save him. Shanks gives Luffy his straw hat, telling him to return it when he has become a great pirate. Ten years later, Luffy sets off on a voyage. During the voyage, the Luffy Pirates add to their crew the three-sword master Zoro (Kazuya Nakai), the former female thief and navigator Nami (Akemi Okamura), the pachinko expert Usopp (Kappei Yamaguchi), the cooking and footwork expert Sanji (Hiroaki Hirata), the blue-nosed reindeer Chopper (Ikue Otani) who excels in medicine, the mysterious archaeologist Robin (Yuriko Yamaguchi), the robot shipwright Franky (Kazuki Yao), and the skeleton swordsman and musician Brook (Cho). As they navigate the Thousand Sunny and proceed along the Grand Line, the Luffy Pirates are confronted by Shiki the Golden Lion, a devil fruit user with powers on a par with the King of Pirates.

■Explanation

This is a film adaptation of the comic of the same title, which has sold a total of 165 million copies. This is the 10th film and the first to have a story written by the original author, Eiichiro Oda. The director is Munehisa Sakai, who served as series director for the TV version. The voice cast includes a star-studded cast, including Mayumi Tanaka from "Castle in the Sky" and Kazuya Nakai from "xxxHOLiC: A Midsummer Night's Dream."

■Cast

• Luffy/Mayumi Tanaka
• Nami/Akemi Okamura
• Zoro/Kazuya Nakai
• Usopp/Kappei Yamaguchi
• Sanji/Hiroaki Hirata
• Chopper/Ikue Otani
• Nico Robin/Yuriko Yamaguchi
• Frankie/Kazuki Yao
• Brook/Cho
• Indigo/Ryusei Nakao
• Scarlett / Galaxy Banjo
• Xiao / Paddy Wasabi
• Xiao's Mother / Mika Doi
• Xiao's Grandmother / Naoko Kyoda
• Madame / Tomoko Naka
• Billy/Yasuhiro Takato
• Ogre spider / Takahiro Fujimoto
• Garp/Hiroshi Naka
• Sengoku / Tatsuyuki Ishimori
• Nojiko/Wakana Yamazaki
• Pirate Kitajima / Kosuke Kitajima
• Ever/Aiko Kaito
• Shiki/Naoto Takenaka

■ Main staff

• Original work, movie story (plot production), costume and creature design, executive producer: Eiichiro Oda
• Produced by Hidenobu Muramatsu, Hiroshi Takahashi, Kazuhiko Torishima, Chihiro Kameyama, Kazuhiro Takenaka
• Director: Munehisa Sakai
• Planning: Hiroaki Shibata
• Screenplay by Hirohiko Uesaka
• Music by Kohei Tanaka and Shiro Hamaguchi
• Production manager: Matsuzaka Kazumitsu
• Edited by Masahiro Goto
• Recording: Erina Watanabe
• Effects/ Hidenori Arai
• Digital Director of Photography: Kazuhiro Yamada
• CG Director: Nishikawa Kazuhiro
• Art Director: Takeshi Waki
• Art setting: Masahiro Sato
• Color setting: Kunio Tsujita
• Animation director and character design: Masamasa Sato
• Storyboard: Munehisa Sakai, Tetsuya Endo, Naoyuki Ito, Naotoshi Shida, Kenji Yokoyama
• Assistant animation directors: Takeo Ide, Masahiro Shimanuki, Yuki Hayashi, Katsumi Ishizuka, Hitomi Hasegawa, Shingo Ishikawa, Yuji Hakamada, Hideaki Maniwa, Naoyoshi Yamamuro, Kohei Hashimoto, Ken Ueno, Kumi Nakajo, Daiki Harada, Naoki Tate, Seiya Numata, Ryo Ohnishi
• Opening music/Yasuharu Konishi
• Production: Toei Animation
• Produced by: "2009 One Piece" Production Committee (Toei, Toei Animation, Shueisha, Fuji Television, Bandai)

■ Related works

• ONE PIECE TV Series
• ONE PIECE FILM STRONG WORLD Package Version

■ Theme songs and music

• TM1
• Fanfare
• Lyricist: Kazutoshi Sakurai
• Composer: Kazutoshi Sakurai
• Arrangement: Takeshi Kobayashi & Mr.Children
• Sung by: Mr.Children

■ Review

"ONE PIECE -FILM- Strong World" is the first film story written by the original author Eiichiro Oda, and for that reason alone it holds a special meaning for fans. The story reaffirms the bond between pirates and the meaning of adventure as Luffy and his companions face off against a new enemy, Shiki the Golden Lion.

The greatest appeal of this film is that it faithfully reproduces the worldview of the original work while developing new characters and storylines. Shiki the Golden Lion is a legendary pirate whose name also appears in the original work, and his presence and strength are beautifully portrayed in the film. In addition, as Luffy and his friends' adventures are depicted, the personalities and growth of his companions are carefully portrayed, and there are many touching scenes for fans.

Visually, the film has also been praised for its attention to detail, such as the battle scenes on the pirate ship and the depiction of the island. In particular, Shiki's abilities and battle scenes, which make full use of CG, have a visual impact and have the power to draw the audience in. In addition, the theme song "Fanfare" by Mr. Children adds to the atmosphere of the film and doubles the excitement of the story.

As for the cast, the voice actors, including Mayumi Tanaka, are excellent, expressing the emotions of the characters realistically. In particular, Naoto Takenaka, who plays Shiki, has a strong presence as the villain, adding depth to the story.

■Recommendation

"ONE PIECE -FILM- Strong World" is a film recommended not only for fans of the original work, but also for those who want to enjoy an anime movie. This film faithfully reproduces the worldview of the original work while depicting new adventures and characters, allowing you to enjoy an epic story depicting the path to becoming the Pirate King. In particular, the scenes depicting the bonds and growth of Luffy and his friends as friends are moving and touching. The visuals and music are also superb, making this a film worth seeing at the cinema. Be sure to experience the excitement at the cinema.

■ Additional information

While the film links to the original story, it offers fans of the original a fresh experience by showing its own unique developments. In particular, the character of Shiki the Golden Lion is mentioned by name in the original work, but not described in detail, so his background and abilities are revealed in the film, which has become a hot topic among fans. In addition, as Luffy and his friends' adventures are depicted, the personalities and growth of his companions are carefully portrayed, and there are many touching scenes for fans.

Visually, the film has also been praised for its attention to detail, such as the battle scenes on the pirate ship and the depiction of the island. In particular, Shiki's abilities and battle scenes, which make full use of CG, have a visual impact and have the power to draw the audience in. In addition, the theme song "Fanfare" by Mr. Children adds to the atmosphere of the film and doubles the excitement of the story.

As for the cast, the voice actors, including Mayumi Tanaka, are excellent, expressing the emotions of the characters realistically. In particular, Naoto Takenaka, who plays Shiki, has a strong presence as the villain, adding depth to the story.

"ONE PIECE -FILM- Strong World" is a film recommended not only for fans of the original work, but also for those who want to enjoy an anime movie. This film faithfully reproduces the worldview of the original work while depicting new adventures and characters, allowing you to enjoy an epic story depicting the path to becoming the Pirate King. In particular, the scenes depicting the bonds and growth of Luffy and his friends as friends are moving and touching. The visuals and music are also superb, making this a film worth seeing at the cinema. Be sure to experience the excitement at the cinema.