Eiichiro Oda News

With the Launch of One Piece's Newest Film Site, the Release of Another Official Trailer For One Piece Film Z

With the launch of the new official website for the upcoming One Piece Film Z, a new trailer has been released for it. Creator Eiichiro Oda will be serving as the Executive Producer for the film, and promises fans of the franchise that this film will be more impressive than One Piece: Strong World was. The film takes place in the post-skip One Piece universe, with Luffy and crew facing off against the villian Z, who appears to be a former Admiral of the Marines. The full story and video can be found below:

Full Story Link #1: http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/07/11/preview-luffys-showdown-with-one-piece-film-z-villain

Full Story Link #2: http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/07/13-1/video-new-one-piece-film-z-trailer-debuts

Punk Hazard Island Arc

ONE PIECE Ch. 673 - Vergo and Joker

As Caesar Clown goes to retrieve the children ha had been experimenting on. An incredibly truth is revealed about the mysterious Vergo. Luffy and his gang may have been locked in a cage with Smoker and Tashigi, but the lighthearted hero sure doesn't seem to let that get him down.

The Good

If it wasn't a big enough shock to find out that mysterious Vergo introduced two chapters ago is a Vice Admiral for the Marines. He's actually a pirate who infiltrated their ranks as a spy 15 years ago. All as part of the will of his captain, Donquixote Doflamingo. Color me intrigued.

I should probably slap myself for not realizing who this "Joker" actually is. The name has been tossed around quite a bit recently. It was a nice feint in story telling. Code names aren't common in ONE PIECE. Joker is in actuality Donquixote Doflamingo, a member of the Shichibukai. Now that I look at how Doflamingo always has that creepy grin and controls his own men and government officials through fear of his powers. I wouldn't be surprised if he was partially based around the Clown Prince of Crime. Oda's based characters on Michael Jackson and ROCK HORROR cast. I wouldn't put it past him.

I was sensing some deja vu with the whole scene of Luffy locked in a cage with Smoker. It's funny that Robin is the one who points it out. Seeing how last time something similar to this happened, Robin was on the outside looking in. It's a nice touch of Oda to add. Anyone who's followed this series would make the same comparison. It also highlights the kind of protagonist Luffy is, as well. All this deep drama going on around him. A big new villain revealed, trapped with enemies, wrapped in chains that takes away his powers, and no apparent path of escape. And Luffy has a big grin, and he's laughing at the irony of his situation. Poor, self-serious Law trapped in the middle. Add that to the list why ONE PIECE is always a fun read.

The Bad

The early pages do serve a purpose, but feels a bit off place. It just seems to hammer home that to most of the world Vergo is a trustful and loyal man to the Marines. All this to hide his part in a grand conspiracy. It's just the introduction of such a random character as Yarisugi in the middle of it was overkill - pun intended**

It's also a little frustrating that we still aren't even clear on why Luffy suddenly passed out while fighting Caesar a few chapters back. The conventional wisdom is that the gas got to him, but I'm not so sure.

Verdict 4/5

The plot is thickening to an almost head spinning degree. No one can claim that Oda is slowing down or going in circles. Here I was ready for just another fun adventure on a strange island of fire and ice, but it's turning into a deep and meaningful plot with some incredible twists. One that's using some of my favorite characters in amazing ways. I just home we get a bit more action soon.

**See character Yarisugi character page for explanation of that joke.

-Kristoffer Remmell ( FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek.- Follow for news updates: @ FoxxFireArt

You can now have your wedding aboard the Thousand Sunny. Don't tell Hancock!!!

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Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park

Who needs Vegas or conventions anymore of your wild themed weddings? We now have the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. For the past year they have had a special cruise attraction that allowed guests to ride a life sized, working recreation of the Straw Hat Pirates' ship, the Thousand Sunny. This ship reportedly has a working Gaon Cannon that it fires, a souvenir shop with exclusive merchandise, statues of the Straw Hats for photos, and an aquarium bar. Admission for adults is ¥1,000 and children under 4 are ¥600 yen. The cruise lasts for 20 minutes.

Thousand Sunny at Huis Ten Bosch Theme Park

The latest ONE PIECE Ch. 668 that was released this week included an announcement that starting June 1st people could now register to have their weddings aboard the Thousand Sunny cruise that Huis Ten Bosch holds. Since the advertisement talks about having your wedding "with the Straw Hats on the Thousand Sunny". It makes me wonder if there could be actors to officiate, or are they just talking about the aforementioned statues. Luffy is the captain. I guess he would have the authority to marry you. Just don't let him anywhere near the buffet table.

Since the ship's capacity is rated at 250 people (not sure if that includes staff), you could have quite the blow out for your wedding. No real word on the cost of this reservation. Would any of you like to have your wedding aboard this ship of dreams?

-Kristoffer Remmell ( FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek.- Follow for news updates: @ AnimeVicers/ @ FoxxFireArt

The publisher VIZ Media announces a release date for the sixty-fourth volume of the ONE PIECE series and their cover image.

One Piece Vol. 64 US (Sep 2012)

This volume is the setting for the first major battle in the post time-skip era of Eiichiro Oda's ONE PIECE. The release date is set for September 4, 2012, and is currently available on Amazon.com for preorder.

-Kristoffer Remmell ( FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek.- Follow for news updates: @ AnimeVicers/ @ FoxxFireArt