"Wan pîsu: One Piece" (1999) TV series 1999-????

Director:

Kônosuke Uda

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Release Date:

18 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Set sail for One Piece!

Plot:

There once lived a pirate named Gold Roger. He obtained wealth, fame, and power to earn the title of Pirate King...

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | Treasure | Navigator | Cook | Doctor

Cast

Mayumi Tanaka	...	Monkey D Luffy / ... (426 episodes, 1999-2009)
Kazuya Nakai	...	Roronoa Zoro / ... (376 episodes, 1999-2009)
Akemi Okamura	...	Nami / ... (367 episodes, 1999-2009)
Kappei Yamaguchi	...	Usopp / ... (357 episodes, 2000-2009)
Hiroaki Hirata	...	Sanji / ... (339 episodes, 2000-2009)
Chikao Ôtsuka	...	Gold Roger (287 episodes, 1999-2009)
Ikue Ootani	...	Tony Tony Chopper / ... (276 episodes, 2000-2009)
Mahito Ôba	...	The Narrator / ... (276 episodes, 1999-2009)
Yuriko Yamaguchi	...	Nico Robin / ... (244 episodes, 2001-2009)
Colleen Clinkenbeard	...	Monkey D. Luffy / ... (206 episodes, 1999-2004)
Luci Christian	...	Nami (193 episodes, 1999-2004)
Christopher Sabat	...	Roronoa Zoro / ... (188 episodes, 1999-2004)
Sonny Strait	...	Usopp / ... (173 episodes, 1999-2004)
Kazuki Yao	...	Franky / ... (171 episodes, 2000-2009)

Also Known As:

One Piece (International: English title)
Shonen Jump One Piece (USA)

Runtime:

Germany:22 min | Japan:24 min (original version) | USA:21 min (edited version)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | English | Tagalog | French | Italian | Portuguese | Spanish | German | Thai

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG | Japan:U | South Korea:12 | Australia:G | USA:PG (TV version) | USA:TV-14 (uncut) | USA:TV-Y7 (edit) | Singapore:PG

Company:

4 Kids Entertainment

Trivia:

Episodes from 207 onwards have been broadcast in high-definition at 720p resolution, in addition to standard definition.

Quotes:

Tony Tony Chopper: [after Luffy is taken off the ship by a giant bird] HELP! LUFFY... BIRD... DANGER... HELP!
Roronoa Zoro: [calmly] Did he ask for help?
Tony Tony Chopper: Well, no.
Roronoa Zoro: Then don't worry about it.
Sanji: Yeah, he can handle himself.
Monkey D. Luffy: GUM-GUM BAZOOKA!
[takes down the bird]
Monkey D. Luffy: Hey, Sanji, can you cook this up?
Sanji: Sure thing.
Roronoa Zoro: Dibs on the drumstick.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comic Book Villains (2002) (V)

Adventure, Comedy, Spirit--the best anime to date!

FIRST NOTE THIS: Any other reviews for One Piece before 2008 regarding the dub are out-of-date, and refer to the heavily-edited 4kids version (which is indeed appropriate for young children), not the Funimation version which is generally recognized as being extremely faithful to the original.

UPDATED 2008 review:

One Piece is the best anime I've seen to date! It is difficult for me to properly convey how great it is in a review.

On the surface, the story might seem typical: a wonder-boy who wants to "be the best" fights the bad guys and always wins. But I think what makes One Piece so popular are the details that you begin to appreciate as you stick with the series.

The situations the main characters encounter have their own back stories. Even minor characters can have a chance to have their stories told, and it usually gets connected back (eventually) to the main story. This makes the story vast, but amazingly, not over-complicated. Adding to the richness are other details such as real-life natural phenomena and folklore that are occasionally incorporated and explained in the series.

The series has a sense of wonder, playfulness, and conviction that pulls you in. The drawing style may look startling at first, but is an important part of the uniqueness of the series.

One Piece follows the dumb-but-strong-and-spirited Monkey D. Luffy in the pursuit of his dream--to become king of the pirates. He looks up to pirates who are not the typical villains you might think of. Luffy gives pirates a good name, at least with the people he meets and helps along the way.

On his journeys, Luffy recruits a diverse, yet small crew, each with their own dream. Despite having different goals and the fact they don't always seem to get along, the crew is dedicated and will put their lives on the line for their crew-mates.

The adventures the Strawhat Pirates go on are often action-packed and awe-inspiring. Along the way, there is plenty of comedy as well. There are also serious moments, especially when it comes to the crew sticking up for each other.

The new dub is good, but somehow I am still more attached to the original voices (I don't always necessarily prefer the original Japanese).