Anime fans will probably enjoy “One Piece Film Red,” the latest feature-length extension of manga artist Eiichiro Oda’s popular comic series and, as of this writing, Japan’s highest grossing movie of the year. Everyone else will likely struggle with this particular action-fantasy since most of its singularly appealing qualities — its J-pop score, attractive character designs, and impressive computer graphics — get bogged down by the project’s nature as the 15th theatrically released movie adaptation of a manga series that started 25 years ago.
An introductory “original story” credit for Oda clearly indicates that pre-existing fans are the ideal audience for “One Piece Film Red,” which continues the adventures of happy-go-lucky pirate Luffy (voiced by Mayumi Tanaka) and his misfit gang of spell-casting seafarers.