One Piece Film: Red is a newly-released movie set in the world of the anime and manga One Piece, written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. If you aren’t familiar with the story, here is an introduction into the world of One Piece.

Set in a world undergoing a new age of piracy, Monky D. Luffy, a young man who gained the ability to stretch his body after eating a mysterious fruit known as a Devil Fruit, sets out to sea to become a pirate, assemble a crew and eventually become the Pirate King. The crew of his ship the Thousand Sunny is composed of a ragtag group of misfits he saved from perilous situations. On board are his right hand, Roronoa Zoro, a man seeking to be the world’s strongest swordsman, his navigator Nami, a girl he saved from a ruthless villain who now seeks to use her freedom to chart the entire world, the doctor Chopper, a Reindeer that gained the ability to talk and move like a human after eating a Devil fruit, and many others. 

The crew, known as The Straw Hat Pirates,  named after Luffy’s signature hat he obtained from his mentor Shanks, encounters many strange islands and fearsome villains on their journey. They go to Alabasta, a desert kingdom being attacked by a man named Crocodile who has the ability to control sand.

They arrive at the mysterious Sky Island, an island built on magical clouds ruled by a wrathful self-appointed god, and they find themselves in Fishman Island, an undersea land filled with humanoid fish people. On their travels they also encounter The Marines and Navy, which are controlled by the world government,  powerful peacekeepers that oppose piracy, but not necessarily in the most moral way.

The world of One Piece is vast and mysterious yes, but One Piece Film: Red is focused on just one island, the kingdom of Elegia (also known as the Island of Music), a once great and prosperous land filled with people developing, practicing and teaching new music to one another and to share with the world. This kingdom is long gone when the crew arrives, and they don’t know what happened to it. There are two survivors: King Gordon and his adopted daughter Princess Uta. The princess is hosting a concert on the island and she invites the crew to watch, as she is old friends with Luffy. 

The concert is attacked by a number of different groups: multiple bands of pirates seeking an easy pay day by kidnapping a princess, as well as the Marines, on order from the World Government to capture Uta as they believe her songs possess a mysterious power when she sings them. Luffy and his crew are joined by Luffy’s old mentor “Red Hair” Shanks, captain of the Red Hair pirates, who has a mysterious connection to Uta to find the princess.

This film has some amazing songs sung by a popular Japanese idol named Ado, that work well accompanying the action scenes. The music works in tandem with great animation, resulting in some really fun action that pleases the eyes and ears.

One Piece Film: Red brings back characters from the series and offers fans some nice callbacks, while also being self-contained enough that a new viewer can watch with ease. One Piece Film: Red is in theaters now and for a limited time, so don’t miss out on becoming a fan or furthering your love for the series.