“Grandiose” or “involuntary LSD trip”, One Piece

The feature film One Piece – Red, released Wednesday, August 10 in dark rooms, is derived from the best-selling manga in the world. Goro Taniguchi, director of an animation series, therefore had the heavy task of adapting to the cinema, the world of crazy pirates, created 25 years ago by Eiichiro Oda. In the film, mischievous Captain Luffy and his crew arrive on the island of Elegia which is about to host superstar Uta’s first concert. Songs galore (performed by Hoshi in the French version), impressive fights and a visual whirlwind coexist for almost two hours.

For anime specialists, all the ingredients are there to have a good time. Alexander S. of Gamergendescribes the film as “a clever mix, which knows how to treat us without overdoing it” with a “grandiose staging”. “We came out of it with stars in our eyes, music in our heads and a certain euphoria not far from equaling the discovery of the famous moment. “He laughed”», he declares, adding that he attacked “full view”. Indeed, for Simon Cherner of Figaro , “the story straightforwardly assumes its function of pure indulgence for connoisseurs and other aficionados of its fantastic and colorful universe”.

The reviews of Parisian, Catherine Balle and Michel Valentin add that “Fans should appreciate this work full of twists and turns, punctuated by pretty songs and revelations about the character of Shanks le Roux.” An opinion shared by Pierre Siclier from film series who recognizes that the film “offers a great show for One Piece fans and anime devotees in general.” So he had fun “before a long fight where each of the many characters will have their say”, even if this “visual whirlwind borders on exhaustion”.

“Bringing together all the ingredients that made the salt of the saga, the film achieves the feat – not without a few visual missteps – of addressing aficionados as well as the uninitiated”, believes Simon Hoarau in Cinema Cards. However, Marie Sauvion, in the columns of Telerama, does not share this opinion: “Unfortunately, Goro Taniguchi’s film is only aimed at an audience of aficionados, conquered in advance”she regrets.

Difficult indeed to understand who is who and who wants what

Barbara Théate, The Sunday Journal

point of view shared by the Sunday newspaper where we had, it seems, difficulties of understanding. “You probably have to have put your nose in some of the 101 volumes of the odyssey one day or be a parent of teenagers addicted to the exploits of the captain in the straw hat to appreciate this teeming and crazy universe on the big screen, explains Barbara Théate. It is indeed difficult to understand who is who and who wants what in the plethora of characters who love each other, confront each other and betray each other. From there, it’s an explosion of fights, songs and twists that follow. It screams, it grimaces, it plays muscles in a visual maelstrom with garish colors which is not always pretty to look at and in which we drown if we do not have the codes.

For Pierre Siclier of film seriestoo, this multitude of characters was not appreciated. “We can still regret that by combining all these protagonists (real fan service), very few have a real impact on a set that unfortunately tends to stretch too much. In this, One Piece Movie – Red is not a great movie, he regrets. Second disappointing point, Alexandre S. de Gamergen recognizes that some shots are not very polished. A lack of details, also pointed out in the columns of the Sunday newspaper, where Barbara Theate “is surprised that the details of the faces are not drawn in the crowd scenes”.

Open your eyes wide, to try not to miss anything of the virtuosity of the graphics, sent at triple gallop, and get ready to endure the long sweet pop ditties of Uta

Clarisse Fabre, The World

In addition to the colorful universe that is sometimes a little kawai, to fully appreciate the anime, you have to like the musicals because the songs follow one another from the first minutes. “Excellent animation, songs galore (only hits in power)”, says Amandine Schmitt for The Obs. Pleasure shared by Pierre Siclier, “several songs follow one another at the beginning of the film, accompanied by an impressive visual. Colorful and ultra-rhythmic during these sequences, the film leaves little respite”, he describes. Don’t miss anything “the virtuosity of graphics”, adds Clarisse Fabre, critic at the World, but above all be ready “to endure Uta’s long sweet pop ditties”, she completes.

Other “little downside” raised by Alexandre S. for Gamergen, the voice changes between speech and singing, quite disturbing between Kaori Nazuka and Ado – actress and singer – in the original version which could also be seen for the French voices. The musical anime “switches to the melodrama” without real depth according to Clarisse Fabre of World. “Has Uta become an ungrateful girl? Did his father rise to the occasion? Well-meaning, the film does not load the boat too much with its characters”, she says disappointed. In conclusion, as Marie Sauvion puts it, “One Piece Film – Red turns out to be a little stiff, in the kind of involuntary trip of LSD of which one could not say if it was perfectly ugly or horribly beautiful.