One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure Blu-ray Movie Review

A great return to the roots of the anime classic

One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure is a television special (which feels like a theatrical feature-film) produced in 2017 as a re-telling of the origin story of the Straw Hat Pirates earliest escapades as the team bands together for the first time. Based upon the beloved manga created by Eiichiro Oda, the mega long-running anime series (which has surpassed 900 episodes and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon) is a must-see for any and all anime fans with it's unbeatable combination of breathtaking action sequences, laugh-out-loud comedy, and grand adventure. The television special has five segments introducing each of the main characters: Episode of Luffy, Episode of Zoro, Episode of Usopp, Episode of Sanji, and Episode of Nami.

The opening act of the special (entitled “Episode of Luffy”) explores Luffy as a young boy and his time spent with his father (before he ate the magical gummy-fruit which turned his body into rubber and allowed him to become elastic). It's a great introduction to the hero of the entire saga and his charming personality. Luffy is one of the greatest anime characters the medium has ever seen and for newcomers or longtime fans, the opening act of the special is a true tribute to the character that will impress with the hero's journey.

The second segment of the special (which is entitled “Episode of Zoro”) focuses on introducing the sword-wielding badass (who becomes the first official crew member to join Luffy's ship). Facing possible death upon him, Zoro is faced with two possible futures: one in which he dies a unpleasant death or another reality in which be befriends Luffy and joins in his wacky adventures. The camaraderie of two unlikely heroes unfolds. Thus the Straw Hat Pirates was born.

The Origins

Delving into the third segment (“Episode of Usopp”), it explores the origins of the wise-cracking Usopp and the plight facing his local community (before he ends up joining the team). Exploring his change from coward spewing lies to locals about menacing pirates approaching to becoming a true hero himself, this great segment has plenty of heartache and heroics to make Usopp another superb addition to the Straw Hat Pirates. The fourth section of the special (“Episode of Sanji”) explores the cook-turned-hero Sanji in his surprising origins and the final segment (“Episode of Nami”) introduces fan-favorite Nami by exploring her personal turmoils and the perilous dangers in front of her until Luffy befriends her and changes her life.

One of the elements of this special which most impressed was the remarkable animation quality on display. The series began with a simple 4:3 ratio origin and the presentation is rapidly different compared to what one experiences with the widescreen animation and it's vivid colors. Throughout the entire special, I was reminded of what the original saga looked like (including the animation and it's different approach). Though both the original and the new incarnation are beautiful to behold, the artistry of the animators in bringing together a fresh spin on the art style was terrific.

Though the film is largely a re-telling of the entirety of the East Blue saga of episodes on One Piece, each segment has new animation and there are moments which are explored in a different way. With subtle changes in the way the storytelling is explored, the experience feels much more like a genuine remake of the opening act than a simple clip-show with new animation. These elements ultimately help make One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure a more engaging and rewarding experience which doesn't feel repetitive or unnecessary. Even as someone who has seen all of the episodes being explored in this television special, it was a true joy to see the origin stories told anew. This is a quality special that all fans of One Piece should check out for its beautiful animation and excellent condensed storytelling.

One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from distributor Funimation, One Piece: Episode of East Blue features a superb 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This is not a high-definition upscale effort but a native presentation which has excellent detail throughout. Having reviewed so many of the series DVD sets over the years (when I wrote for a different outlet), it's a joy for me to see there be a massive upgrade in quality provided by the high-definition boost found on the release. (Here's hoping the HD episodes of the series-run will begin being released on the Blu-ray format as well.)

It's equally enjoyable to see that real effort was made to provide a native presentation (and not simply an inferior upscale effort as found on far too many of the sub-par Funimation releases). The line art looks terrific throughout the entire presentation: details in the image are crisp and beautiful to look at from start to finish. The character designs have never looked so colorful and vibrant as they do here. The fine detail of the animators has been kept intact and the end results are simply stunning. Though there are some minor scenes with slight banding on the image, the overall quality of the presentation is undeniably commendable and helps the film to be more engaging. A strong transfer worth recommending.

One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio has received lossless Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD Japanese 2.0 sound presentations. The sound quality on the release is generally impressive with exceptional dialogue reproduction which brings superb clarity to the vocals. The music score also sounds pristine with amazing depth and detail.

The release isn't a total knock-out when it comes to surround sound integration and most of the film is only slightly more enveloping than a standard stereo mix due to the more minimalist design from Funimation for the English dub presentation. The surround speakers and directional effects expand during the big action scenes and towards the end of the film there are some standout moments where the LFE opens up a bit more as well. English subtitles are provided for the original language version presentation.

One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Many anime releases are lackluster when it comes to the supplemental features. I'm thrilled to say that the release of One Piece: Episode of East Blue stands as an exception to the rule with a remarkably engaging supplemental feature.

One Piece: The Journey and the Legacy (HD, 54:26) is a loving homage to the long-running anime series as One Piece celebrates its 20^th anniversary. The supplement includes interviews with a huge array of individuals involved with the English production of the show. The documentary is even directed by Colleen Clinkenbeard (the voice of Luffy in the English version) and it's clear that this engaging extra was made with remarkable love and care for the characters and universe of One Piece.

What a fantastic supplement. It was wonderful hearing the voice-actors discuss their respective roles on the series and to hear from others who have contributed to the success of One Piece in North America: from the enthusiastic English dub scriptwriter to the behind-the-scenes producers, there are so many participants from the series who partake in the fun. Exceptional clips have also been selected to showcase the characters in some of their best moments. All in all, its a fantastic documentary which every fan of the English dub should see.

One Piece: Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One Piece is one of the best long-running anime series ever made and yet the fanbase in America is still not as gigantic as it should be. This is easily one of the most exciting, action-packed, and memorable series in the entire world and anime fans who have enjoyed other mega-hit long-running series like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, and Fairy Tail will find much to appreciate about the fantastic characters, epic action, and breathtaking world-building.

This television special, Episode of East Blue, recaps the beginning arcs introducing all of the main characters and serves as a reasonable introduction to newcomers to the franchise. Even so, I highly recommend that viewers start at the very beginning of the series. One Piece is enormously entertaining and you won't want to miss any of it. Featuring a strong presentation and a truly fantastic documentary (made for fans of the English dub and directed by Luffy's English voice-actor: Colleen Clinkenbeard), the release comes highly recommended. Don't miss it.