February 25th, 2009
One Piece movie 7 review
Anime Relations: One Piece Movie 07: Karakuri-jou no Mecha Kyohei
I put it here for posterities sake ..
A quick spoiler warning. This review does not contain spoilers to this movie, but it may contain spoilers to the main One Piece series, depending on how far along in that series you are.
Intro
One Piece: Karakuri Shiro no Mecha Kyohei is the seventh of the One Piece films. Chronologically it takes place between the time the crew leaves Sky Island and before they reach Water 7.
The basic plot of the movie is as follows. The crew discovers a treasure chest, in a pirate ship wreck which contains an old lady. The old lady promises that in exchange for rescuing her that she will give the crew a legendary treasure known as the Gold Crown. The crew eventually arrives at the old lady's home, Mecha Island. Mecha Island is full of clockwork devices created by the islands feudal lord and chief antagonist, Dr Ratchet. Upon the crews arrival they learn that obtaining the Gold Crown will not be as easy as the old lady promised and they set out on their quest for the legendary treasure.
Positive Comments
+ Great Animation. The animation in this movie is definitely above the quality of the regular series, as is to be expected of the One Piece movies. Extra attention is paid to animating the jiggles of Nami's boobs, Ussop's nose, etc.
+ Classic Comedy. All the Strawhats (up to Robin) are present and they all go threw their classic comedy routines. These always make me laugh out loud. Example: When someone is injured and Chopper start freaking out shouting for a doctor before remembering that he is the doctor
+ Excellent plot. It is a classic treasure hunt with riddles, and puzzles. The movie is basically a good old fashion adventure. This is something that is at times missing from the main series.
+ A good twist. I can not really go into much detail without spoiling the movie, but the main twist is excellent. You do not see it coming (although it is slightly foreshadowed), and in the end it makes sense.
+ Awesome Luffy moves. Near the end of the movie we get to see a never before used attack from Luffy that is EXTREMELY powerful and AWESOME!
Negative Comments
- Chopper's voice. Chopper's regular voice actor is not present for this movie and is replaced by a similarly sounding voice. This isn't a major complaint, but it is distracting.
- Lack of fights. There are no REAL fight scenes in this movie. The crew all get to show off their various abilities, but in the end there is not what I would consider a full fledged fight.
- Somethings do not make sense. I can not go into a LOT of detail without spoiling the movie. Here is an example though. At one point a trap is sprung on certain members of the crew which has them stuck, basically, on a roller coaster. Where this roller coaster track came from and why it even exists on the island is slightly puzzling. I feel that better writing would have come up with something better.
- Silly clockwork. Some of the clockwork devices are just silly. I mean all clockwork devices, imo, are pure fantasy but there are somethings that are ridiculous, for example Dr. Ratchet's castle, or the maids.
Neutral Comments
= A megalomaniac antagonist. Dr Ratchet turns out to be a bit loopy and has great ambitions. Usually I would not enjoy such a stereotypical "bad guy" but it works for this movie. To properly flesh out an antagonist would have taken away from time spent on the adventure.
= Foreshadowing of events in the main series. During the movie a certain event in the Water 7 arc is foreshadowed. If you have already seen that arc you will notice it right away, but if you have not you will be in for a treat. I thought it was really cool that they added this into the movie.
Who should watch this?
The perfect person to watch this series is someone that has just finished with the Sky Island arc in the main series. These people should watch this movie before continuing with the series. It will fit in perfectly with the story without spoiling what is to come.
Fans that have up-to-date in the main series will also find this movie enjoyable. Although certain crew members are not present, you will get over it quick.
People that should not watch this movie are people that have not at least completed the Alabasta arc. If you are not this far in the series, this movie will contain major spoilers. Completing Sky Island before watching this is not necessary, as nothing is spoiled, IMO.
Finally, people that have no experience with the One Piece series just looking for something to watch should also avoid this movie. There are things within the movie that you would simply not understand. For example; none of the main Straw Hats are ever really introduced to the viewer. It is simply assumed that you know who they all are.
Overall Opinions
Story
As mentioned above the plot is excellent, and it contains a great twist. Some of the clockwork in the movie was silly and I feel at times it was used as a "cop out" instead of writing good plot (ie the roller coaster). The story is far from perfect and thus I would give it an 8/10.
Art
I do not really like to comment much on the art, unless it distracts from enjoying the anime. Every animator has their own style and I prefer to merely see where they go with it. I mentioned above that the animation is definitely beyond the quality in the main series and it works. Thus, I give the animation a thumbs up.
Sound
Like art I really do not like to comment much on the sound for the same reasons. I mentioned above that Chopper's voice actor is different, but that is not a huge deal. Thus I also give the sound a thumbs up.
Characters
The movie has all the classic Strawhats and their vintage comedy. The character introduced just for this movie are unique, although rather two dimensional. However, in such a short movie adding dimension to characters that will never been seen again would simply take away from the main adventure. Thus, I would give the characters of this series an 9/10.
Enjoyment
I thought the movie was very enjoyable. It is one of the better One Piece movies. The one thing I really enjoy about the One Piece series is it's pure scoop; however, that is also a hindrance to the series as loose ends seem to never get tied up. In this movie you can enjoy the characters of the Strawhat crew, but still have the satisfaction of seeing a plot from beginning to end.
The adventure on the island highlights one of my favourite parts of the One Piece series, the adventure. A lot of One Piece fans focus on the action in the series. Personally I really like it when the crew first lands on a new island and then explore that islands particular uniqueness. And Mecha island sure is unique. Thus, I would rate my enjoyment as a 9/10.
Overall
I have stated my views about this movie above. This movie could definitely be improved a great deal, but in its current form it is extremely enjoyable, and entertaining. Therefore, I would rate this movie with an overall rating of 8/10.
A quick spoiler warning. This review does not contain spoilers to this movie, but it may contain spoilers to the main One Piece series, depending on how far along in that series you are.
Intro
One Piece: Karakuri Shiro no Mecha Kyohei is the seventh of the One Piece films. Chronologically it takes place between the time the crew leaves Sky Island and before they reach Water 7.
The basic plot of the movie is as follows. The crew discovers a treasure chest, in a pirate ship wreck which contains an old lady. The old lady promises that in exchange for rescuing her that she will give the crew a legendary treasure known as the Gold Crown. The crew eventually arrives at the old lady's home, Mecha Island. Mecha Island is full of clockwork devices created by the islands feudal lord and chief antagonist, Dr Ratchet. Upon the crews arrival they learn that obtaining the Gold Crown will not be as easy as the old lady promised and they set out on their quest for the legendary treasure.
Positive Comments
+ Great Animation. The animation in this movie is definitely above the quality of the regular series, as is to be expected of the One Piece movies. Extra attention is paid to animating the jiggles of Nami's boobs, Ussop's nose, etc.
+ Classic Comedy. All the Strawhats (up to Robin) are present and they all go threw their classic comedy routines. These always make me laugh out loud. Example: When someone is injured and Chopper start freaking out shouting for a doctor before remembering that he is the doctor
+ Excellent plot. It is a classic treasure hunt with riddles, and puzzles. The movie is basically a good old fashion adventure. This is something that is at times missing from the main series.
+ A good twist. I can not really go into much detail without spoiling the movie, but the main twist is excellent. You do not see it coming (although it is slightly foreshadowed), and in the end it makes sense.
+ Awesome Luffy moves. Near the end of the movie we get to see a never before used attack from Luffy that is EXTREMELY powerful and AWESOME!
Negative Comments
- Chopper's voice. Chopper's regular voice actor is not present for this movie and is replaced by a similarly sounding voice. This isn't a major complaint, but it is distracting.
- Lack of fights. There are no REAL fight scenes in this movie. The crew all get to show off their various abilities, but in the end there is not what I would consider a full fledged fight.
- Somethings do not make sense. I can not go into a LOT of detail without spoiling the movie. Here is an example though. At one point a trap is sprung on certain members of the crew which has them stuck, basically, on a roller coaster. Where this roller coaster track came from and why it even exists on the island is slightly puzzling. I feel that better writing would have come up with something better.
- Silly clockwork. Some of the clockwork devices are just silly. I mean all clockwork devices, imo, are pure fantasy but there are somethings that are ridiculous, for example Dr. Ratchet's castle, or the maids.
Neutral Comments
= A megalomaniac antagonist. Dr Ratchet turns out to be a bit loopy and has great ambitions. Usually I would not enjoy such a stereotypical "bad guy" but it works for this movie. To properly flesh out an antagonist would have taken away from time spent on the adventure.
= Foreshadowing of events in the main series. During the movie a certain event in the Water 7 arc is foreshadowed. If you have already seen that arc you will notice it right away, but if you have not you will be in for a treat. I thought it was really cool that they added this into the movie.
Who should watch this?
The perfect person to watch this series is someone that has just finished with the Sky Island arc in the main series. These people should watch this movie before continuing with the series. It will fit in perfectly with the story without spoiling what is to come.
Fans that have up-to-date in the main series will also find this movie enjoyable. Although certain crew members are not present, you will get over it quick.
People that should not watch this movie are people that have not at least completed the Alabasta arc. If you are not this far in the series, this movie will contain major spoilers. Completing Sky Island before watching this is not necessary, as nothing is spoiled, IMO.
Finally, people that have no experience with the One Piece series just looking for something to watch should also avoid this movie. There are things within the movie that you would simply not understand. For example; none of the main Straw Hats are ever really introduced to the viewer. It is simply assumed that you know who they all are.
Overall Opinions
Story
As mentioned above the plot is excellent, and it contains a great twist. Some of the clockwork in the movie was silly and I feel at times it was used as a "cop out" instead of writing good plot (ie the roller coaster). The story is far from perfect and thus I would give it an 8/10.
Art
I do not really like to comment much on the art, unless it distracts from enjoying the anime. Every animator has their own style and I prefer to merely see where they go with it. I mentioned above that the animation is definitely beyond the quality in the main series and it works. Thus, I give the animation a thumbs up.
Sound
Like art I really do not like to comment much on the sound for the same reasons. I mentioned above that Chopper's voice actor is different, but that is not a huge deal. Thus I also give the sound a thumbs up.
Characters
The movie has all the classic Strawhats and their vintage comedy. The character introduced just for this movie are unique, although rather two dimensional. However, in such a short movie adding dimension to characters that will never been seen again would simply take away from the main adventure. Thus, I would give the characters of this series an 9/10.
Enjoyment
I thought the movie was very enjoyable. It is one of the better One Piece movies. The one thing I really enjoy about the One Piece series is it's pure scoop; however, that is also a hindrance to the series as loose ends seem to never get tied up. In this movie you can enjoy the characters of the Strawhat crew, but still have the satisfaction of seeing a plot from beginning to end.
The adventure on the island highlights one of my favourite parts of the One Piece series, the adventure. A lot of One Piece fans focus on the action in the series. Personally I really like it when the crew first lands on a new island and then explore that islands particular uniqueness. And Mecha island sure is unique. Thus, I would rate my enjoyment as a 9/10.
Overall
I have stated my views about this movie above. This movie could definitely be improved a great deal, but in its current form it is extremely enjoyable, and entertaining. Therefore, I would rate this movie with an overall rating of 8/10.
Posted by OmegaRed | Feb 25, 2009 5:06 PM | 0 comments
December 18th, 2008
User Reviews ... the 10s
Quick little rant here.
One of my guilty pleasures on MAL is to rate all reviews that give out 10s as not helpful. There are two things that go through my head when I see a perfect 10 review. One, the person has nothing critical to say in their review thus it is not helpful. Two, the person does make a critical comment, yet they still gave out a PERFECT 10? That just makes me think they are dumb, and thus the review is not helpful.
A good solid review that I want to read are ones where the anime gets a 7. These tend to be the most helpful reviews. This is a review where the person has both good things, and bad things to say about the anime. It allows a reader to form an opinion about the anime before they see it. They read the review and see what the person writing the review both liked and disliked. This allows the reader to form their own opinion. A review that is close to 10 tends to be a fanboy going on and on about how so and so is the best character ever, or such and such is the best anime ever. And chances are if you go to their list they will have rated everything 8 and above.
If you are thinking about writing a review and giving it a 10 think twice. It is not helpful to read a review by someone that absolutely loved the anime, and loved the animation, and loved the characters, and loved the story... Instead review an anime that you had mixed feelings about. Express those feelings so that the world can see them. Those are your useful feelings. These are the feelings that will make you say, well in the story I like such and such a feature, but when it came to so, and so I just couldn't get over whosit.
Right now try and experiment. Go to the page for an anime you have never even heard of. And read the reviews that give out 10s, and ask yourself if that helps you determine if you want to watch that anime. Then find a review that rates it ~7. See the difference?
One of my guilty pleasures on MAL is to rate all reviews that give out 10s as not helpful. There are two things that go through my head when I see a perfect 10 review. One, the person has nothing critical to say in their review thus it is not helpful. Two, the person does make a critical comment, yet they still gave out a PERFECT 10? That just makes me think they are dumb, and thus the review is not helpful.
A good solid review that I want to read are ones where the anime gets a 7. These tend to be the most helpful reviews. This is a review where the person has both good things, and bad things to say about the anime. It allows a reader to form an opinion about the anime before they see it. They read the review and see what the person writing the review both liked and disliked. This allows the reader to form their own opinion. A review that is close to 10 tends to be a fanboy going on and on about how so and so is the best character ever, or such and such is the best anime ever. And chances are if you go to their list they will have rated everything 8 and above.
If you are thinking about writing a review and giving it a 10 think twice. It is not helpful to read a review by someone that absolutely loved the anime, and loved the animation, and loved the characters, and loved the story... Instead review an anime that you had mixed feelings about. Express those feelings so that the world can see them. Those are your useful feelings. These are the feelings that will make you say, well in the story I like such and such a feature, but when it came to so, and so I just couldn't get over whosit.
Right now try and experiment. Go to the page for an anime you have never even heard of. And read the reviews that give out 10s, and ask yourself if that helps you determine if you want to watch that anime. Then find a review that rates it ~7. See the difference?
Posted by OmegaRed | Dec 18, 2008 8:06 PM | 3 comments
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