One Piece: Stampede Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

One Piece: Stampede Blu-ray Movie Review

A must-see One Piece action-adventure

One Piece: Stampede is an entertaining 20^th anniversary special theatrical feature-film featuring a new story by the original manga author Eiichiro Oda. Produced by Hiroki Koyama (Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods), the story brings together the Straw Hat Pirates and co. Join Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Franky, Robin, Usopp, and the rest on a bold new adventure. Set sail!

Monkey D. Luffy and his band of co-pirates band together to head out on a new and exciting mission: attending the highly anticipated Pirate Festival! The festival gathers the greatest pirates for an epic competitive race to win a special treasure left behind by the greatest pirate of all: Gol D. Roger. Attempting to win the prize, Luffy and the rest are put to the test: which pirate will emerge as victorious?

The animation is simply breathtaking to behold. The production is extremely impressive. Given the 20^th anniversary of One Piece, the production had a lot riding on it. The art direction by Hotaka Okamoto (How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord) delivers something unique for this special anniversary film. The character designs by Masayuki Sato (One Piece: Episode of Skypiea) are impressive and background artwork is enormously detailed.

Time to set sail!

Once One Piece: Stampede explores the action-packed arena of the Pirate Festival, the animators took a dark and menacing approach to the material. The efforts were appropriate for the epic backdrop. A truly remarkable effort. The cinematography styled by Naoyuki Wasa (Paranoia Agent, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F') gives these sequences an extra sense of weight. While the series has many saga sequences which are light and airy, the feature-film produced for the 20^th anniversary is darker in numerous ways. The creative efforts here make the production stand out all the more.

One of the most badass elements of the anniversary film is the intense action sequences. The production has a number of non-stop fight scenes which carry out throughout the second half of One Piece: Stampede. These fight scenes had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. These were intense scenes that added a great deal to the overall experience. Luffy went up against intense villains with a sense of style that was entirely his own. There is a sense of rhythm to the action which makes this an even greater event-film. Dynamite!

The original music by Kōhei Tanaka (One Piece, Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy) is one of the best assets of the filmmaking. The epic score makes the filmmaking soar as high as a big budget Hollywood epic. The music fits the tone perfectly and amps up the action-scenes in good measure.

Directed by Takashi Otsuka (One Piece Episode of East Blue: Luffy and His Four Friends' Great Adventure, Futari wa Precure Splash Star), One Piece: Stampede is a blast of fresh air. The film features a fun adventure that will appeal to fans of the series. Working with the action-adventure screenplay by Takashi Otsuka and Atsuhiro Tomioka (Last Exile, Chrono Crusade), Otsuka finds a balance between the lighthearted and darker elements of the franchise. While not the best of all of the One Piece features, One Piece: Stampede is entertaining and worth a watch.

One Piece: Stampede Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, One Piece: Stampede is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Throughout the entire video presentation, I was impressed by the superb color reproduction and crisp animation. The transfer showcases excellent clarity and detail in the animation from scene to scene. This is a truly fantastic presentation of the film. There is a vibrancy to the colors that is outstanding to experience. The only nitpick is minor banding in a few scenes (but this could be source inherent). Fans won't be disappointed.

One Piece: Stampede Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

One Piece: Stampede features two lossless audio options: Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD Japanese 5.1 with English subtitles. Either option will provide viewers with a lossless presentation. The English dub is particularly enjoyable (especially given how fast-paced this series can sometimes be). The track sounds excellent. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The music score also sounds lovely and enveloping.

The surrounds are actively used to create a more exciting experience. The only drawback to the audio is a somewhat weak LFE presentation (as the bass is average-at-best). Even so, One Piece: Stampede still packs a mighty punch with its crisp and detailed lossless audio quality.

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

The set comes with a nice slipcover with embossing and a special shine effect on the print: the case also includes an inner full-color art print on the reverse side of the sleeve. Please Note: This is a Blu-ray + DVD + Funimation Digital Combo Pack.

On disc extras:

One Piece Stampede: Behind the Scenes With the Cast (HD, 15:27) features a discussion with English dub voice-actors Brina Palencia (Chopper), Stephanie Young (Robin), Mike McFarland (Buggy), Daman Mills (Bullet), Colleen Clickenbeard (Luffy), Eric Vale (Sanji), Luci Christian (Nami), and Sonny Strait (Usopp) as the cast delves into working on One Piece and their respective roles on the series. The extra takes viewers behind-the-scenes as well and showcases the voice-actors recording in the booth.

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

One Piece: Stampede is a blast of action-packed adventure. The journey takes some surprising turns which makes the film all the more special. The animation is top-notch and the production elements were altogether impressive. Fans of the anime series (and original manga) should make sure to see it. The Blu-ray release from Funimation Entertainment features a strong video-audio presentation and a special behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast. The release comes highly recommended.