| One Piece: The Princess and the Pirates - Adventures in Alabasta Movie #8 [Blu-ray] | ![One Piece: The Princess and the Pirates - Adventures in Alabasta Movie #8 [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tIorNtYwL._SL500_.jpg)
| List Price: $24.98
Buy New: $15.99
You Save: $8.99 (36%)
Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 1 reviews)
Sales Rank: 18267
Category: DVD
Actors: Charles Baker, Troy Baker, Anthony Bowling, Luci Christian, Leah Clark
Director: Takahiro Imamura
Publisher: Funimation Prod
Studio: Funimation Prod
Manufacturer: Funimation Prod
Label: Funimation Prod
Format: Color, Ntsc, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Subtitled), Japanese (Original Language), English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Media: Blu-ray
Running Time: 90 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
UPC: 704400095795
EAN: 0704400095795
ASIN: B001K98M7I
Release Date: January 27, 2009 (In 20 Days)
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Not yet released
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
A desert may seem like an unlikely place for pirates, but Luffy and his Straw Hat crew fight for Princess Vivi in the eighth One Piece movie, subtitled "The Desert Princess and the Pirates: Adventures in Alabasta." Crocodile and his Baroque Works gang foment a civil war in Alabasta, so they can control the country after most of its warriors have been killed. Crocodile also hopes to gain control of the Pluton, an ultimate weapon that may or may not exist. But Luffy and the Straw Hats charge to Vivi's rescue. Having eaten the Suna Suna or Sand Fruit, Crocodile can turn any part of his body into sand--a trick that may remind viewers of Gaara in Naruto. The climactic battle between the two pirate leaders pits Crocodile's sand transformations against Luffy's Gum Gum limbs and wits. Despite its title, One Piece: Movie 8 consists of recut footage from the "Alabasta" story arc of the TV series with some bits of additional animation. The repurposed footage doesn't always fit together: the film opens in the middle of an adventure and some important story elements get lost in the shuffle, including how Luffy is saved from the poisoned wound Crocodile inflicts. These inconsistencies probably won't bother One Piece fans. (Rated PG-13: violence, risque humor, tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Description
The island kingdom of Alabasta is about to erupt in civil war – a war engineered by Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and his criminal organization Baroque Works. Monkey D. Luffy, his Straw Hat pirates and Princess Vivi race to the island, where the strongest warriors of Baroque Works wait to stop them. Can Vivi and her friends stop an entire war? And how can Luffy fight Crocodile, when Crocodile can turn into sand?
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| Customer Reviews:
She's my friend November 7, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
For the record, anyone who hasn't seen the goofy pirate anime "One Piece" won't have the slightest idea what is going on.
For my part, it took the mighty power of Wikipedia to understand "One Piece - The Desert Princess and the Pirates." But once I had the slightest idea who these people were, I found this particular movie to be an entertaining, fluffy little action anime, with plenty of wild powers and overwhelmingly elastic bodies.
After an encounter with a shapeshifting transvestite assassin (I am not making this up), our heroes realize that Vivi's desert homeland of Alabasta is in trouble. Her father King Cobra is being framed for stealing rain by the villainous Crocodile, a power-hungry psychopath who can turn his body into sand. Now a rebel army (run by Vivi's childhood sweetheart) is about to invade the capital city.
So of course our heroes rush in to help, but are stopped along the way by various superpowered Baroque gang of Crocodile's. Vivi desperately charges through the city, hoping to somehow stop the war -- but Crocodile is holding her father hostage, and is ready to destroy the entire city. Can Luffy's rubbery body somehow defeat a man whose body isn't solid enough to strike?
"One Piece - The Desert Princess and the Pirates" is your basic save-the-locals adventure story, with lots of one-on-one fighting and fantastically violent villains. Each of our heroes has at least one strange, uberpowerful person to defeat, and Luffy dominates the movie with a smash-down battle with Crocodile. Those coinciding climaxes are really quite impressive.
Bespite lots of blood and serious injuries, the bendy-looking characters and ceaseless comic relief don't really let up, such as Nami fueling a giant crab with her cleavage. The movie is at its best when it focuses on comedy and action, but it falters someone when it trots out the friendship-love-peace stuff. Admirable, but it doesn't really gel until late in the movie.
And it's worth noting that since this is a "middle of the series" story, several plot threads are left dangling -- we never find out about the Pluton, Robin's nebulous backstory, or how this motley crew came together. Don't start watching this first.
Despite that, the characters are pretty likable -- they bicker, they squabble, and generally prove to be pleasant people despite the fact that only Vivi gets any development. Luffy in particular proves to be an enjoyable hero, with more guts than brain, a rough gluttonous disposition, and a dogged insistence on continuing to fight no matter what the odds.
"One Piece - The Desert Princess and the Pirates" is not the place to start with this series, but it's an enjoyable fantasy-adventure with lots of sandstorms, crazy fighting and wonky heroes.
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