It’s time to set sail for One Piece, except this time, it’s a Stampede. Funimation and Toei Company have gathered together for another grand adventure in One Piece Stampede, the latest cinematic adventure in the famed anime and manga series, One Piece. One Piece Stampede comes on the 20th anniversary of the anime. It is the fourteenth film in the franchise and has Eiichiro Oda, One Piece’s writer and illustrator, as a creative consultant for the film. Directed by Takashi Otsuka, One Piece: Stampede is a triumphant tour-de-force of energy, excitement, and a celebration of the entire world that One Piece encompasses.
One Piece Stampede is a standalone film that takes place outside of the canon of the anime and manga. Luffy and The Straw Hats attend the world-famous Pirate Festival, where the world’s most renowned pirates gather to feast and celebrate their lives of piracy. During the festival, a competition begins to find the legendary treasure of Gold Roger and Luffy is determined to win. However, an old crew member of Roger’s seeks to disrupt the festival for his own nefarious gain and turns the festival into a warzone. The competition brings about a plethora of pirates and crews, including many notable ones from across The Grand Line. In this pursuit of the great treasure, a grand showdown erupts, the likes of which have never been seen before.
One Piece Stampede is the Mad Max: Fury Road of anime films of 2019. While the two movies could not be any more different in setting and atmosphere, stylistically they are similar. One Piece Stampede hits the ground running from the opening frame with momentum and kinetic energy that comes at the viewer at great speed. Stampede knows that it is a story bent on the action, thrill, and spectacle that One Piece is known for, and as such, the movie begins with everything that fans want. The action starts straight into a large ship-racing competition, and shortly after, the over-the-top action skyrockets. To put it simply, One Piece Stampede is one giant action sequence and it makes for an exciting frenzy of super-powered pirates and clanging swords. Nothing like this has been seen in anime or film, at least from me this year.
It’s a testament to the animators and filmmakers that so much calamity can occur within a single frame of One Piece Stampede. Yet, the film is neither overwhelming nor confusing. A kaleidoscope of effects and colors splash on screen, from meteors falling from the sky to Luffy’s signature Kong Punch blasting into a giant beast. Several dozen instances are happening at once during the film’s action sequences. One sequence, in particular, had one pirate transform into a dinosaur and another pirate transforms into a fortified castle, all in an effort for supremacy of the island. A multitude of duels and battles erupt and One Piece Stampede maintains focus on it all, even as it happens. Each minute was filled with moments that had my jaw dropping, completely surprised at the level of hysteria and action the film goes through.
Stampede goes full-throttle with each of its moments in an explosion of particle effects and color, with a strong music score to aid in the fierceness of the event.
For One Piece veterans, Stampede gives fans everything they could want and presents the very best of what the series is known for. Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Usopp, Nico Robin, and many others return in dynamic fashion. Surprisingly, Stampede is a nice view for casual audiences as well. As someone that isn’t terribly familiar with One Piece, I found One Piece Stampede to be incredibly thrilling and a joy to watch, even if I was rather unfamiliar with the pantheon of characters on-screen. My familiarity comes from one of my best friends Brett, a writer himself, as well as playing the arena-brawler J-Stars Victory VS+ on PlayStation 4. Having understood only the basics of One Piece, I found the film a joy, if a tad bit too much at times.
Perhaps the only real drawback to One Piece Stampede I can make is the fact that the film doesn’t pump the breaks. At most, it applies only slight pressure to those brakes at only a handful of points in the movie, usually to quickly take a breather and set up the next chain of events. The big focus of One Piece Stampede is the action, as the story takes more of a backseat and serves to carry what happens next. These moments are serviceable, filled with emotion and humor, but do not expect any kind of in-depth character studies or video essays. For a newcomer like me, I did care what would happen next, though. For One Piece fans, they will greatly enjoy the story more as they likely have the story of the manga and the 900+ episode anime under their belt.
One Piece Stampede is The Force Awakens of anime films this year. It’s a triumphant, thrilling, fun, and immeasurably exciting action film that celebrates the sheer enthusiasm of anime and the excitement it can bring. Form the sheer, jaw-dropping, nearly limitless energy of its action sequences to the flamboyance and color of its artistic direction, One Piece Stampede is a hell of a voyage from start to finish.
Find more information on One Piece Stampede on the official Funimation website. For more anime reviews, check out our recent look at Promare.
