One Piece Film: Z (2012)
The 12th One Piece movie was just as awesome as the 10th one, if not even more so. These two movies have one thing in common: the fact that they are called films rather than movies. Oh, and also that Eiichiro Oda himself (the creator of the series, *) wrote the scripts for them, and partially directed them, and with his total freedom in immersing the movies within the main storyline made them not only so much more awesome but also so much more relevant than the rest.
The movie deals with the Neo Navy, an unofficial fraction of the Navy led by one of its former admirals: "Black Arm" Zephyr, Z, who's recently stolen a set of doomsday devices from the Navy and plans to use them to end the reign of piracy once and for all! He runs into Luffy & Co by accident, and things quickly get interesting. All the higher-ups of the Navy get involved. And Avril Lavigne made the credit covers! I wasn't expecting that. I liked the first track, but not sure the latter fit the mood. Apparently Avril is one of Oda's favorite artists, which explains the choice, but it still feels so strange hearing her voice in a One Piece movie!
The animation's great, as is the plot, the battles, the bashing, the personalities, the emotion, the simple and yet so rich and compelling backstory. Oda really knows how to weave together something simple to a real coat of arms, and legs, and a flurry of limbs as the showdowns commence! Great watch.
rated 5/5: friggin awesome