Title: One Piece Season Five Voyage Two and Three
Director: Hiroaki Miyamoto
Original Creator: Eiichiro Oda
U. S. Distributor: FUNimation
U. S. Release Dates: Part Sept. 3rd, 2013; Part 3 Oct. 15th, 2013
Format: DVD / 24 Episodes / 600 minutes
Genre: Fantasy, Action / Adventure, Shonen
Age Rating: TV14
Overall Personal Rating: C
Synopsis:
Voyage 2
The tragic secrets of Robin’s past are revealed in series of heartbreaking flashbacks! Bullied because of her unique powers, young Robin’s only friends were the kindly scientists who nurtured her genius intellect while her mother searched for the answers to life’s greatest mysteries. Lonely and afraid, Robin took comfort in the company of books until the day the World Government arrived.
Commanded by men who feared the might of science, an army of warships launched a brutal attack on the peaceful island of Ohara – an attack that threatened to separate mother and daughter forever! Robin’s dark past left her with a lifetime of scars, but Luffy and the Straw Hats never give up on family! Even if it means a deadly showdown with the assassins of CP9!
Voyage 3
While Luffy races to save Robin from the cowardly clutches of Spandam the madman, the rest of his mates fight for their lives against the heinous henchmen of CP9! Nami steps into save Sanji from taking a beating at the hands of a lethal bathing beauty, and Chopper goes on a rampage after eating one too many Rumble Balls during his showdown with a samurai lion!
Meanwhile, Franky teaches a zipper-mouthed freak a thing or two about the punching power of cola, Zoro’s swordplay is hampered by being handcuffed to Usopp, and Sanji reappears just in time to introduce his wolfish opponent to the burning power of the devil’s leg!
Commentary:
In the world of Anime there are very few series that have the longevity that One Piece has enjoyed. It has been on the air in Japan since 1999. That is a insane amount of time when you conceder that most series last anywhere from 13 to 52 episodes. There are a few that have been long lived shows, but One Piece just might be the one that carries with it the most devised fandom. The fact that One Piece is so huge in Japan is enough to show off its fandom and it garners a large fan community in the US and around the world and even with that said there are still some anime fans out there that just don’t see the draw to the series. Now I am one of the group that understands that there are a lot of people that think its great, but all I see when I watch it is how it appeals to the lowest common denominator which can be a good thing or bad. For me I just think it makes it all too silly and some what boring.
In these two box sets I find myself being even more bored than usual. On Voyage two there were all of the flash back episodes for the crew that left me wondering why it was even made. At least Voyage 3 followed through with some real action and moved the plot along.
The one real strength of One Piece are the characters and they are a full rich group. I’m not just talking about the crew I am also including the rest of the antagonist in that statement. Each of them have their quirks and strengths that make the confrontations both fun but lively. In may of the great shonen series out there the battles end up being both fights and somehow teaching moments, whereas in One Piece they are battles but at the same time explorations in the strange world of the series and an imaginative grouping of abilities and powers. I guess that is why so many people like the series and at the same time the only thing that drives it along.
Overall Grade: C
For these two box sets I was somewhat disappointed with the amount of waisted time and filler that is thrown at us. I did enjoy the some of the humor that come from the fights and how things were resolved. I guess that if all you need is a series about fighting and battles then One Piece is a reasonable option, but if you are looking for something that has some substance to offer then be sure to look elsewhere.
