Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

One Piece: Collection 34 Blu-ray Movie Review

One Piece: Set 34 is an action-adventure epic. Based on the manga by Eiichiro Oda, One Piece: Set 34 features episodes 819 to 842. One Piece: Set 34 features animation production by Toei Animation (Digimon Adventure 02, Dragon Ball Z). Produced by Yoshihiro Suzuki (Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture, GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka). One Piece: Set 34 continues to reward fans with plenty of spectacle in spades. Released in North America by Crunchyroll for physical media and streaming, One Piece is a worthwhile endeavor for fans of epic long-running franchises.

The Straw Hat Pirates are always encountering new missions and adventures. The journey is never over for the Straw Hat Pirates as they set sail on the sea and explore uncharted territories. The entire crew joins the stretchable Monkey D. Luffy (Mayumi Tanaka) for a wild ride. With Nami (Akemi Okamura), Sanji (Hiroaki Hirata), Tony Tony Chopper (Ikue Ōtani), Usopp (Kappei Yamaguchi), Franky (Kazuki Yao), Roronoa Zoro (Kazuya Nakai), Brook (Yūichi Nagashima), and Nico Robin (Yuriko Yamaguchi) along for the fun, the big crew never fails to explore and fight enemies hand- over-fist – and as a result things become pretty intense for the crew.

Luffy has to maintain his strength as his fights a swarm of new enemies. Sanji is also there for the adventure. Sanji has plenty of strength, too – and helps out when trouble strikes. Meanwhile, Nami sets forth on a mission to help Brook. An unexpected detour happens when Bege works on an assassination of Big Mom. Luffy won’t stop from being a hero and the missions become more epic and dangerous at every turn of the saga. Can the Straw Hat Pirates rise to the challenge?

The characters add so much joy to the series. Luffy and co are enormously enjoyable and it is easy to be engaged by the cast of characters. Nami remains a lovable supporting character with a clear sense of energetic charm – and determination to succeed. Franky remains a fan- favorite for a reason – an undeniably fun character. Tony Tony Chopper may be my personal favorite of the supporting cast, reminding one of a Pikachu-esque character with a sense of charm that makes the series all the more fun.

The character designs by Noboru Koizumi (One Piece: The Curse of the Sacred Sword, One Piece Special: Adventure in the Ocean's Navel) are well-done and are faithful to the manga. The designs work well in adapting the characters. The large ensemble of characters are impressive and there is plenty worth appreciating, too. The designs are creative and stick to the vision of the manga and its creative idiosyncrasies.

The animation is spectacular and a sight to behold. One Piece features chief animation direction by Keiichi Ichikawa (One Piece: Heart of Gold, One Piece: Episode of Sabo). The animation is a joy – a magnificent wonder. It is one of the key strengths of the series. One Piece would never have managed to become such a huge hit without the talented animation team. The animators bring their A-game to the long-running series. The creative display of animation is top-notch.

The cinematography by Hirosato Ōnishi (Digimon Adventure, One Piece: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventure in Alabasta) is vibrant and sunny – beautiful in spades – and there is so much to appreciate. The effort is top-notch. The cinematography brings out the best in the animation. The results are stunning.

The score composed by Kōhei Tanaka (Project A-ko: Uncivil Wars, Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy) and Shiroh Hamaguchi (One Piece Special – Adventure of Nebulandia, The Princess and the Pilot) is a favorite of mine. The themes of One Piece are often stuck in my mind – much more so compared to the average anime series. The fun and upbeat themes are hum-worthy and I even find myself occasionally humming the tunes. Tanaka and Hamaguchi are gifted composers. The music fits both the character-based charms of the cast and the swelling sense of adventure – even the action-based thrills, too.

Written by Shoji Yonemura (Digimon Fusion, Pokémon Journeys: The Series), One Piece: Set 34 continues the journey. The beloved cast of characters return with more fun dialogue and a sense of charm for the series. Action, spectacle, and comedy go hand-in-hand.

Directed by Toshinori Fukazawa (Digimon: Data Squad, Toriko), One Piece: Set 34 brings more fun to the table. One Piece is the longest running anime series of all time. As such, One Piece is a phenomenon – a cultural milestone. The manga is always on the best seller list in Japan and the anime is always breaking records. The anime has been going on for decades and shows no signs of slowing down. The series is a ton of fun and any anime fan looking for one of the best long-form anime series will want to see the adventures of Luffy and company.

One Piece: Collection 34 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, One Piece: Set 34 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is crisp and vibrant. The visuals are top-notch and the presentation capably shows an abundance of wonderment to the series. The animation and line art are well detailed.

The video quality is superb and looks great in native high-definition. Early seasons of the series were in standard-definition originally (before subsequent upscales) and it is nice to see how vibrant the native high-definition visuals are for the later episodes – as the series continues to progress. Colors "pop" with plenty of sophisticated style.

One Piece: Collection 34 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio is crisp and engaging. The English audio sounds clear and vibrant. The original Japanese language audio option also provides a robust offering for audiences wanting the original language version.  The score is well reproduced and a worthy highlight of the presentation.

One Piece: Collection 34 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a large clear oversized DVD case (to remain consistent with the myriad of DVD releases in the same collection). The DVD case includes an o-card slipcover. In order to maintain a consistency to the previous DVD edition collection releases, the box-set includes both Blu-ray and DVD discs inside of the oversized case.

While I would have preferred a standard Blu-ray case or better yet a steelbook option for the release with just the Blu-ray discs, it is unsurprising to see Crunchyroll decide for a standard/basic packaging design to maintain consistency with the previous releases. As a result, the height of the case is taller than a standard case and some fans might feel the nice to place it on a different shelf than one alongside their other Blu-ray discs.

On disc supplement –

Special Feature:

Textless Opening Song "Hope" (HD, 2:32)

Unfortunately, the One Piece collection box-set includes a lackluster supplemental package. This is no significant surprise but it is nonetheless underwhelming. Supplemental fans aren't going to be that pleased with the results. The box-set would have had extra value with a few featurettes, interviews, convention panels, photo galleries, art galleries, and more. Alas, Crunchyroll opted to only provide the textless opening song "Hope" – and nothing else. What a wasted opportunity by Crunchyroll. Especially in the age of streaming when more and more people are simply opting to pull out their remote and push the streaming button.

One Piece: Collection 34 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One Piece: Set 34 provides action-packed thrills for fans of the series. The anime is a fan-favorite with one of the biggest fanbases with good reason. Luffy and the supporting cast of characters are fun. An imaginative series full of splendor and wonder – there is so much beauty on display with One Piece. Action-adventure fans will find plenty to enjoy.

The Blu-ray release provides a quality high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. Unfortunately, the supplemental package on the release is sparse and there isn't much of note in regards to the extras. The release does come with an o-card slipcover. The set comes in a standard oversized DVD case for consistency with the previous DVD collections. Fans of the series who want to add to their growing collection will want to consider a purchase. Recommended.