One Piece Film: Red is a Musical Wonder!

One Piece Film: Red Review

I feel like this is a given for those who love anime, but I love J-Pop music! The sound, the rhythm, the raw emotions it invokes in me. I may not understand any of the lyrics, but the truth is, I don’t need to. I can understand the meaning behind the lyrics through the tone and intensity of the music and singing alone. If its meant to sound serious, I’ll feel it. If the music makes me want to dance, I’ll do it. Music is like a universal language that connects all of humanity together, and it’s why I loved One Piece Film: Red.

The fifteenth movie in the One Piece franchise, One Piece Film: Red was highly anticipated by fans all over the world for one reason: it had to do with Shanks. Red-Haired Shanks is one of the coolest characters in One Piece. He’s Luffy’s hero, the whole reason he became a pirate, and essentially the in-universe avatar for Eichiro Oda himself. Whenever Shanks shows up, fans pay attention to him. So when we learned this film would center around Luffy and Shanks’ daughter, Uta, fans went nuts. Shanks has a daughter!?!?!?

Uta is an Amazing Character, Change My Mind

Despite Luffy being the main focus of One Piece, the real star of the film is Uta, whose singing voice’s provided by J-Pop singer Ado. I loved Uta. She may have been created for One Piece Film: Red, but she’s such an amazing character with the voice of an angel. When she starts singing, she manages to light up the faces of everyone around her, lifting their spirits and bringing them joy. Music is meant to make people feel emotions, and Uta’s music brings joy to everyone the world over, which is her whole life goal.

Despite having the voice of an angel and a dream to make the world happier, Uta’s story’s marked by tragedy. She’s disgusted by all the suffering that pirates inflict on the world, and wants to put a permanent end to it. And with her Devil Fruit Powers, she can actually do so, only for her childhood friend, Luffy, to oppose her. She wants Luffy to quit being a pirate altogether, not wanting him to be like the people who hurt so many innocents. It’s a clash of ideals that Luffy must overcome if he wants to continue his journey. The end result is all the chaos and mayhem we’ve come to expect from One Piece.

Music Makes up for Pacing Problems.

Despite being an absolute banger of a film, there are two issues to be found in One Piece Film: Red. First, it’s not exactly the best for a newcomer to the series. It’s for those caught up on One Piece and understand the context behind everything, and given how massive the series is, that can make a lot of newcomers worry. The other issue is the pacing. It feels like the movie’s dragged out just so we can hear more of Ado sing as Uta. Having heard the music, though, I can say that it’s worth the almost two-hour runtime. When paired with the insane visuals of the film, the music more than makes up for the pacing issues. 

My final verdict? One Piece Film: Red is a must-watch for any One Piece fan. It’s got a great story that tugs at your heartstrings, awesome fights, and a killer soundtrack. I loved it and may see it in theaters again.

I Give One Piece Film: Red a 4.5/5.

Now go and read my recap/review for the latest chapter of One Piece.

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