Posted on: May 1, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Funimation has done a tremendous amount of working trying to get all of the One Piece episodes captured onto DVD in the last few years. This April, 2011 release sees episodes 196-205 captured, with the “marathon play” option perhaps being the most interesting inclusion of them all. This “marathon play” feature allows viewers that may have a few hours to watch the show the ability to cut straight to the show without the introductory and ending credits. Viewers can either watch One Piece in a subtitled or dubbed format, which can decidedly change the motivations and angles in which each of the characters act.

In this story arc, Luffy and eir ship the Going Merry are captured by a Marine flotilla. With various escape plans failing, it is up to Luffy to break the crew out, free themselves from the Marine island, and actually get the treasure back from the seamen. For those that are picking up the show from this DVD release, this treasure was actually taken during the events of the last saga, which was taken from Skypiea. The conclusion of this story arc closes things up nicely, but there are quite a number of possibilities for the crew of Going Merry in the episodes and arcs to come.

There are a few bonus features for viewers to sink their teeth into, as well. For those that wish to see what the show creators’ privilege, there are a number of trailers present. The marathon play option represents an additional bonus feature, while the clean animations will showcase exactly how talented the art crew on One Piece is. Make sure to continue buying these DVD sets, as solid sales will ensure that Funimation goes beyond the episodes aired by Cartoon Network – in a few years, we may yet have the entire show run in a convenient form.

Rating: 7.3/10

One Piece: Season Three, Fifth Voyage (DVD) / 2011 Funimation / 325 Minutes / http://www.funimation.com

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