In “One Piece: Season Five, Voyage Three” , it’s an all out fight as the Straw Hat Pirates take on CP9! Action-packed, hilarious and all-out fun, this latest volume is highly recommended!
Image courtesy of © 1999 Toei Animation Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: One Piece: Season Five, Voyage Three
DURATION: Episodes 288-299 (Duration: 320 Minutes, 2 DVD’s)
DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, English and Japanese stereo
COMPANY: FUNimation
RATED: TV 14
Release Date: October 15, 2013
Originally created by Eiichiro Oda
Directed by Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Munehisa Sakai
Series Composition by Hirohiko Uesaka
Script by Hirohiko Uesaka, Hiroshi Hashimoto, Junki Takegami, Michiru Shimada, Naoki Koga, Ryota Yamaguchi, Suminori Takegami, Yoshiyuki Suga
Music by Kouhei Tanaka, Shiroh Hamaguchi
Character Design by Kazuya Hisada, Noboru Koizumi
Animation Production by Toei Animation
Featuring the following voice talent:
Mayumi Tanaka/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Monkey D. Luffy
Akemi Okamura/Luci Christian as Nami
Hiroaki Hirata/Eric Vale as Sanji
Ikue Ohtani/Brina Palencia as Tony Tony Chopper
Kappei Yamaguchi/Sonny Strait as Usopp
Yuriko Yamaguchi/Stephanie Young as Nico Robin
Kazuki Yao/Patrick Seitz as Franky
Izo Oikawa/Philip Weber as Iceburg
Takahiro Yoshimizu/David Wald as Paulie
Bin Shimada/Jonathan Brooks as Foxy the Pirate
Tomokazu Seki/Jason Liebricht as Rob Lucci
Masaya Onosaka/Christopher Corey Smith as Spandam
Kumiko Watanabe/Alexis Tipton as Fukuro
Naomi Shindo/Shelley Calene-Black as Kalifa
Hiroaki Yoshida/Andrew Love as Kumadori
Ryotaro Okiayu/Alex Organ as Kaku
Masaya Takatsuka/Phil Parsons as Jabura
All hands on deck for a Straw Hat slugfest with the assassins of CP9!
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! Robin 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! The fists are officially flying, and the most epic One Piece arc ever just got brutal!
The Straw Hat Pirates take on CP9 in the latest volume of “One Piece”!
The Enies Lobby Arc continues as Luffy receives some help from Chimeney and Gonbe and continues his search for Robin (who has been taken by Spandam and Rob Lucci). Meanwhile, the one-on-one battles vs CP9 begins as Franky takes on Fukuro and Chopper takes on Kumadori, Nami vs. Kalifa and Zoro and Sogeking vs. Kaku and Jabura.
Find out what happens during the fight against CP9 in “One Piece: Season Five, Voyage Three”, available now on DVD courtesy of FUNimation!
What is “One Piece”?
“ONE PIECE” is a popular anime series based on the popular manga series serialized in Shonen Jump by Eiichiro Oda. Suffice to say, “ONE PIECE” is the highest selling manga for Weekly Shonen Jump and its popularity has extended to various anime (via the TV series, OVA and films) and video games in America and also worldwide. The series is so popular, the episode count currently in Japan is at 580 episodes and despite receiving a heavily edited version in North America via 4Kids Entertainment earlier on, FUNimation Entertainment began releasing the original, uncut versions since May of 2008 and here we are now with the DVD release of “One Piece: Season Four, Voyage Three”, available now, courtesy of FUNimation.
“ONE PIECE” is an adventure anime about a 17-year-old boy named Monkey D. Luffy who gained enormous strength (and stretching abilities) after eating a magical demon fruit. He eventually teams up with a group of pirates and have the name “The Straw Hats”. Luffy’s driven to one day obtain the most sought out treasure known as “One Piece” and eventually become the King of the Pirates.
The Straw Hat Pirates consists of:
Monkey D. Luffy – A 17-year-old guy who is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and dreams to be a pirate king by getting his hands on the “ONE PIECE” artifact. When he was young, he accidentally ate a devil fruit which made his body rubbery and can stretch and blow up. An airhead of sorts, loves to eat but always believes and fights for his friends.
Roronoa Zoro – A 19-year-old skilled swordsman. A skilled and very strong fighter. Wants to be the greatest swordsman in the world.
Nami – The navigator of the group. The main female crew member and really good at weapons.
Usopp – A 17-year-old marksman. A talented inventor and artistic. Known by his long nose, his marksmanship with slingshots and weapons are great.
Sanji – The chef of the crew. A skilled fighter that uses only kicks in battle and is passionate towards Nami.
Tony Tony Chopper – A reindeer with a blue nose. Ate a devil fruit known as human-human fruit which makes him human in someways but keeping his reindeer look. Able to speak to humans, walk upright and also able to have transformations to become a huge beast. But his talent is his medical skills as he was trained by the Doctrine to become a doctor. Has very low self-confidence because he had been treated badly not only by his kind but also by humans and has not really had a friend but the Doctor and Doctrine.
Nico Robin – The former Vice President of Baroque Works who has become the newest member of the Straw Hat Pirates despite some of the crew not trusting her since she was a former enemy. Has the ability to use her body parts and project them elsewhere and other mysterious abilities not yet known.
While the FUNimation DVD release is listed as season five for America, in Japan, these episodes are actually season 9.
The “One Piece: Season Five, Voyage Three” DVD comes with episodes 288-289 on two DVD discs.
Here are the spoilerless summaries of each episode:
DISC 1:
- EPISODE 288 – Luffy continues to go after Robin, with the help of Chimeney and Gonbe. Frank vs. Fukuro.
- EPISODE 289 – Frank continues his fight vs. Fukuro.
- EPISODE 290 – Chopper vs. Kumadori.
- EPISODE 291 – A filler alternated reality “Grand Jipangu” episode about a small girl named Rika and taking in a person who needs help. Meanwhile, crimeboss Bugg the Clow tries to get rid of Detective Luffy.
- EPISODE 292 – Continuing the alternate reality “Grand Jipangu” storyline, Nami, Sanji and Chopper make their way to the Shogun’s Castle. Meanwhile, someone kidnaps Princess Vivi.
- EPISODE 293 – Chopper’s newest transformation. The conclusion of Chopper vs. Kumadori.
- EPISODE 294 – The Marines have arrived and Spandam tries to contact CP9 but instead, he accidentally invokes the Buster call.
DISC 2:
- EPISODE 295 – Luffy vs. Rob Lucci. Meanwhile, Nami and friends don’t understand what has happened to Chopper.
- EPISODE 296 – Nami vs. Kalifa.
- EPISODE 297 – Zoro vs. Kaku, Sogeking and Nami vs. Jabura.
- EPISODE 298 – Sanji returns to take on Jabura.
- EPISODE 299 – Franky goes to help save robin, while Zoro’s fight with Kaku continues.
VIDEO :
For most television series, because they are created nearly before they are aired on television, unlike film and OVA’s, there typically is not much detail involved in a Japanese animated television series. “ONE PIECE” is probably one of those rare exceptions in that it has really cool character designs and very detailed artistic backgrounds. Of course, since it is on DVD, you will see some artifacting, combing and edge enhancement but it’s not so noticeable unless you are really looking for it.
The anime series is presented in standard 4:3 definition but for a television series, “ONE PIECE” sports cool and unique character designs and beautifully painted artistic backgrounds. Definitely one of the better looking anime series that has remained consistent and has not downgraded since it first aired on television. Character designer Kazuya Hisada (who worked on the “Dragon Ball” and “Dragon Ball GT” series) and Noboru Koizumi (who worked on “Giant Robo”, “Dragon Ball GT” and “Tenchi Universe”) have been very good of capturing “One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda’s unique style.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
As for the audio, “One Piece” is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, English Stereo and Japanese Stereo. Of course, the English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound is the better audio choice to listen to, although one who has a receiver that can set their audio to all channels can definitely enjoy the Japanese stereo track as well. But both audio tracks are done very well and I have to admit that “ONE PIECE” has one of the most solid English dub tracks for an anime TV series. Very well done on both audio tracks but again, have been very impressed by the voice talent for the series thus far.
Subtitles are in English.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“One Piece: Season Five, Voyage Three” comes with the following special features:
DISC 1:
- EPISODE 289 Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by Mike McFarland (Line Producer/ADR Director) and voice talents Alexis Tipton (Fukuro) and Patrick Seitz (Franky).
- EPISODE 290 Audio Commentary – Audio commentary by Mike McFarland (Line Producer/ADR Director) and voice talents Sonny Strait (Usopp) and Brina Palencia (Chopper).
DISC 2:
- On the Boat: Behind the Scenes of One Piece with Jonathan Brooks – (16:59) Featuring an interview between Mike McFarland (ADR Director/Line Producer) and Jonathan Brooks (Foxy the Pirate).
- On the Boat: Behind the Scenes of One Piece with Jason Liebrecht – (14:34) Featuring a video interview between Mike McFarland (ADR Director/Line Producer) and Jason Liebrecht (Rob Lucci).
- Textless Song – Textless opening song for “Crazy Rainbow”
- Trailers – Trailers for upcoming FUNimation releases.
We have watched as Robin has tried to leave the Straw Hat Pirates to protect her friends but how Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates will not stop in order to rescue her.
We have seen the sheer power of CP9 and now it culminates in these episodes as members of the Straw Hat Pirates go one-on-one with members of CP9.
Franky takes on Fukuro and Chopper takes on Kumadori, Nami vs. Kalifa and Zoro and Sogeking vs. Kaku and Jabura. Suffice to say, this is an all action-packed volume as this latest fight is their most difficult challenge yet.
So difficult that Chopper has to do another transformation that literally makes him a terrifying beast with hardly any control. While Zoro, Sanji and Nami grow from their battle.
While the episodes are primarily all fighting, all-action-based episodes, there are two filler episodes that take on an alternative reality where Luffy is a detective and everyone must try to save Princess Vivi. Fortunately, these filler episodes are only two episodes long. But what I love about this volume is the opponents that the Straw Hat Pirates must take on.
From the zipper mouth Fukuro and his distinguished laugh, the lying and very tough wolf fighter, Jabura and to see Kaku turn into a fighting giraffe. It was no doubt an odd and unusual fight for the Straw Hat Pirates and yet, CP9 constantly fight as if they have no weaknesses. So, it’s interesting to see how the Straw Hat Pirates try to counter the opponent in their solo battle.
As for the DVD, you get 11-episodes and picture quality is very good. Especially in Japan, all “One Piece” episodes since 2007 have been broadcast in HD and widescreen in Japan, it would be interesting if that means the series would get a Blu-ray release in the United States. But for the DVD, picture quality is colorful, vibrant and looks good as one can expect on DVD. Audio is good, dialogue is clear. And for special features, it’s awesome to see FUNimation featuring more special features and in this case, two one-on-one video interviews between Mike McFarland (ADR Director/Line Producer) and main cast members. There are also two fun audio commentaries featuring the English dub voice talent, textless opening and ending themes plus trailers.
Overall, I enjoy the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Ennies Lobby Arc is quite fascinating and with this volume, very exciting and a lot of action that will keep One Piece fans glued to this arc and its episodes.
A great combination of unique storylines, plenty of action and humor. The characters are awesome, the anime are well-acted (Japanese and English dub) and it’s definitely one of the better action anime TV series to be released in the U.S. and continues to air in Japan. “One Piece” is the longest running action anime series in Japan and the fact that young and old continue to read and watch this series, its a testament of how addictive “One Piece” really is and how people gravitate towards this series.
In “One Piece: Season Five, Voyage Three” , it’s an all out fight as the Straw Hat Pirates take on CP9! Action-packed, hilarious and all-out fun, this latest volume is highly recommended!
