I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing the previous movie on this site but this time around they have to battle a gravity-controlling pirate named Gold Lion, who wants to conquer the world and overthrow the world’s government. As a whole, One Piece Strong World is very good, however to me, this feels like a mini arc out of the main story, and they could’ve easily expanded it into a longer version for the manga. Unlike on previous films, Oda had personally overseen the new film’s production last year. He also collaborated on the film’s story and designs for the costumes and creatures. The story was a little bit predictable, but who really cares when you can enjoy the kick ass fight scenes, and Oda’s signature strange animals, all at a pace to which you can follow the storyline.

The movie made me laugh a few times; there were some clever gags, but they were few and far between. The main star of this anime film was definetely Sanji, as he really was on fire in this movie, but the other characters did play out their parts really well.  It really made me think about how hard it is to tell a story in two hours and it is tiny aspects like that that drove me to forgive some of the nitpicks I had. I’m a big fan of One Piece, so maybe that was a factor as well.

As I touched a bit in the first paragraph, in the new film, Luffy’s path to becoming Pirate King is blocked by another person with powers gained from demon’s fruit called “Gold Lion Shiki”. This is really important to know since I usually tell people not to worry about watching the One Piece movies as they aren’t written by Eiichiro Oda and they’re basically almost like filler episodes that dont really progress the main story. In this case, Luffy meets several companions along the way and forms a team of Straw Hat Pirates to help him on his journey. This does add to the story and I urge all One Piece fans to check this film out.

One Piece is all about pirates trying to find the ultimate treasure hidden somewhere in the world. The characters are funny and their motivations for their journey will keep you watching. You’ll cheer when they win and you’ll hate the baddies that try to stop them. I didn’t see anything new in terms of trope avoidance: The same villainy schemes and I was expecting to be wowed by this film, but was a little disappointed. It still hovers above average and should satisfy people who are looking to revisit the One Piece universe. If it turns out it’s not your cup of tea, then thanks for looking anyways. But you’ll never know what you might be missing if you don’t try it, right? Check out the series, then the previous movies and strap yourself in for this thrill ride.