One Piece: Episode of Skypiea Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

One Piece: Episode of Skypiea Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining adventure with Luffy and co.

Based on the popular manga by original series creator Eiichiro Oda, One Piece: Episode of Skypiea is a must-see television special in the anime franchise. The television special re-tells the Skypiea episode arc from the One Piece anime series in a feature-film form. Fans of the series will be enormously pleased with the edit and the way in which the story unfolds.

Luffy and company set sail on a brand new adventure! Featuring an entertaining theme song performed by Namie Amuro, One Piece: Episode of Skypiea is full of charm and adventure. Fans won't want to miss it.

An epic adventure awaits the Straw Hat Pirates. Monkey D. Luffy (Mayumi Tanaka) and his friends receive a special map to the mythical island of Skypiea. A mysterious island in the sky: a magical island of mystery and treasure troves of gold. Arriving at Skypiea, can Luffy defeat the Skypiea leader Eneru and his clan of warriors?

The animation is astonishing throughout. The animation direction by Eisaku Inoue (Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, One Piece 3D2Y), Kazuyuki Ikai (Azur Lane, Arakawa Under the Bridge), Noriyoshi Yamazaki (Hunter x Hunter, Mr. Osomatsu), Shingo Fujisaki (Nobunagun, Yu-Gi-Oh! Seven), Tomohiro Koyama (Boogiepop and Others, Cutey Honey Flash), and Yusuke Isouchi (Girls und Panzer, The Everyday Tales of a Cat God) showcases the island of Skypiea in all of its wonderful magnificence – giving the production a nice edge. The art direction by Keito Watanabe (Digimon Adventure, Digimon Frontier) helps bring the production to life while the character designs by Masayuki Sato (Gilgamesh, Air Gear) are as effective as always.

A great odyssey for the Straw Hat Pirates.

The original music score composed by Keiji Inai (Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Alderamin on the Sky), Kohei Tanaka (Angelic Layer, Sakura Wars), Minoru Maruo (One Piece: The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventure in Alabasta, One Piece: Episode of East Blue), Shiroh Hamaguchi (Tari Tari, The Princess and the Pilot), and Yasunori Iwasaki (One Piece: Heart of Gold, One Piece: Adventure of Nebulandia) works well at balancing the action-adventure and the dramatics. The music provides excitement to match the animation as well as heartfelt pathos.

The screenplay by Tomohiro Nakayama (One Piece 3D2Y, One Piece Episode of East Blue) is quite entertaining throughout the television special. The television special capably condenses the Skypiea story arc and its key points. Events unfold with a solid pace. The story arc is highly entertaining and has a lot of good moments throughout it. The island of Skypiea is creative and compelling. A solid script by Nakayama that brings a lot of magic to the One Piece storytelling universe.

Konosuke Uda (Sailor Moon, One Piece) and co-director Tetsuya Endo (Hikaru no Go, Saiyuki Reload) provide One Piece: Episode of Skypiea with plenty of adventure and a lot of heart. There is much to appreciate. The action sequences are outstanding and never miss a beat. Fans of the franchise will be enormously pleased.

One Piece: Episode of Skypiea Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation, One Piece: Episode of Skypiea is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The presentation has wonderful colors and the image looks remarkably crisp throughout the presentation. The encode is superb and never struggles to present the action scenes. Though a few sequences seem to appear as standard-definition up-scale footage (as taken from the anime episodes themselves), One Piece: Episode of Skypiea looks outstanding overall.

One Piece: Episode of Skypiea Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The release has exceptional sound implementation and integration throughout the entire television special. Both the sound effects and music are crystal clear and dynamic during the presentation. Dialogue remains crisp, clear, and easy to understand. An impressive lossless audio track.

One Piece: Episode of Skypiea Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with an attractive o-card slipcover and the art-work sleeve features impressive interior art-work showcasing an iconic scene from the television special.

One Piece – Episode of Skypiea: Outtakes (HD, 3:21)

One Piece: Episode of Skypiea Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One Piece: Episode of Skypiea is an entertaining action-packed adventure full of whimsy and fun. The television special condenses the Skypiea episode arc. The animation is spectacular and the direction is impressive. The Blu-ray release from Funimation features a strong video-audio presentation. Fans of One Piece won't want to miss out on it. Highly recommended.