One Piece: 3D2Y Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

One Piece: 3D2Y Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining One Piece television special made for the 15th anniversary

Based on the worldwide hit manga created by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece 3D/2Y: Overcoming Ace's Death! Luffy's Pledge to His Friends is a special fifteenth anniversary television special set in the anime universe. Produced by Toei Animation and Fuji Television Network, the film has non-stop adventure (and action) in equal measure. A blast of entertainment of fans of the One Piece series, devotees will find it a quality experience filled with charm.

Expanding upon the dramatic events which occurred during the Marineford Arc in the One Piece anime series, the storyline of One Piece: 3D/2Y begins with a brief recap of the events which led to the start of the television special. Picking up after the devastating turn of events which led to the loss of the Straw Hat Pirates crew-member Ace (who tragically died while helping save the life of Luffy), the journey is just beginning. The storyline starts out with our hero, Luffy, doing intensive training with Rayleigh by his side the entire way.

Attempting to get strong enough to be able to defeat all the sea-faring bad-guys from the New World pirate ship, Luffy gives the intense training his all: every ounce and fiber of his indestructible spirit becomes devoted to the challenge laying before him. With a ruthless villain named Byrnndi World complicating matters, Luffy faces new challenges at every turn in the story.

On the sidelines are the remaining members of Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates crew (who are still seen via flashbacks). A separate mission being led by the whimsical pirate, Buggy, also correlates to the main story arc. Buggy and his band of sea misfits are given a big part in the television special (which gives the peculiar pirate character a moment in the spotlight).

These events build to a confrontation and all out battle with both Luffy and Hancock at the front of the mission. Luffy must even help to save the lives of both Sandersonia and Marigold after Byrnndi World snatches them up in his diabolical lure. Can Luffy defeat all the bad-guys and bring hope back to the table?

Will Luffy ever become king of the pirates?

For those curious, the title of the television film is connected to the storyline at play. After headstrong Luffy promises three days of training to his friends (and it becomes a more laborious two years), the 3D/2Y title is directly tied to the story and its underlining progression. (I had thought the title might refer to the film being a 3D production: no dice.)

As with the other features produced in the world of One Piece, the quality of the animation on display remains altogether superb. Character designs are distinctive and impressive. The translation from manga to anime is a fluid one which consistently impresses. The line art is terrific and the action-packed sequences are so fluid that one can't help but become mesmerized by the visual eye-candy on display.

Featuring a screenplay written by Hirohiko Kamisaka, Tomohiro Nakayama, and Hitoshi Tanaka, One Piece 3D/2Y: Overcoming Ace's Death! Luffy's Pledge to His Friends is a fun, action-packed adventure saga that fits into the ongoing storyline of the anime series. While the film can be a little bit confusing at times for those not watching directly in-sequence with the episodes, the action and great characters within the One Piece universe keep everything entertaining for all series fans.

Naoyuki Itō (Sailor Moon Crystal, Casshern Sins) directed the feature-film special with as much enthusiasm as the One Piece universe requires. Every action scene is intense and the colorful animation on display is constantly a visual wonder that brings one into the experience with ease. Without a doubt, this is a total blast of entertainment. For fans only (but the fans are going to love every minute of it).

One Piece: 3D2Y Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from distributor Funimation Entertainment, One Piece: 3D/2Y features a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original production aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The television special looks quite stunning overall with exceptional color reproduction from start to finish. The heavily stylized world of the One Piece saga is brought to life with a generally strong encode. While there is some minor banding on display in a few scenes, the quality of the transfer is strong and there are few deficiencies in the presentation. A beautiful image for the Straw Hat Pirates journey.

One Piece: 3D2Y Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two different audio options for viewers: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD and Japanese 2.0 Dolby TrueHD. Either lossless audio track will provide fans with a lossless sound experience. In viewing the One Piece series, I tend to prefer listening to the English dub track (which has quality voice-acting from the Funimation cast) but both great options are included. Bass reproduction is somewhat disappointing and the soundstage is not as tight as it could be. The surrounds are also minimally used from a creative standpoint and are less enveloping than one might hope for. The experience is generally still solid overall with excellent, crisp highs but the track isn't quite as dynamic as it could be.

One Piece: 3D2Y Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release is about as bare-bones as can be. The only "bonus" included on the edition is some trailers (HD, 9:35) promoting other releases available from Funimation Entertainment.

One Piece: 3D2Y Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One Piece 3D/2Y: Overcoming Ace's Death! Luffy's Pledge to His Friends is an entertaining, action-packed experience that fans of the hit anime series should consider a must-see event. The film has enormous entertainment at every turn in the saga. The long-running One Piece anime celebrated its fifteenth anniversary with this television feature-film and the special production fully delivers with aplomb. The Blu-ray release lacks in the extras department but features a quality presentation. Fans should consider it a worthwhile release. Recommended.