One Piece (Uncut) Collection 18 brings together episodes 422-445 of the anime about the pirate crew searching for the ultimate treasure. Apart from a few episodes devoted to an extended flashback filler sequence, the majority of the episodes present focus on Luffy’s attempts to rescue his brother, Ace, from a hell-like prison.
Because almost all of this collection features Luffy in the aforementioned prison, the rest of Luffy’s crew are virtually absent, only appearing in the flashback sequence. This will somewhat lessen the appeal to fans who tune to watch all of One Piece’s cast rather than just Luffy.
The episodes featured here do manage to have an ensemble feel to them despite the lack of a crew. The gap left by the usual characters is filled by the return of some faces who travel through the prison with Luffy and should be familiar to long-running viewers of the show. They have good chemistry, and the interplay between them results in not only good banter but some strong character moments as well. The villains in this arc are also a welcome addition to the show. The warden in particular aptly walks the line between comical and threatening. The prison itself is multi-faceted, and it challenges the characters in a variety of ways – it is inhabited by monsters which threaten them, but the very environment itself it also designed to kill them.
Most of the special features on offer with this release are standard fare, but there are a couple which stand out. Chopper Plays Doctor is essentially Brina Palenica playing “Operation” while her co-workers pretend to suffer from various afflictions. Cooking with Sanji is exactly what it says on the tin. It is a cooking lesson with Erica Vale, and it is a genuine cooking lesson with some helpful tips. These features aren’t great, but they are pretty decent and they offer something a little different. As with previous releases, a handful of episode commentaries have been included. They perfectly combine the information of a question and answer panel with the laid-back feeling of friends hanging out together on a sofa.
One Piece (Uncut) Collection 18 showcases One Piece’s perfect blend of wacky humour and dramatic tension. The episodes are missing a large part of the cast that viewers have come to love, but the characters that are focused on instead make worthy substitutes. Some of the special features offer viewers something a little different and help to make this a more tempting proposition in the age of mass streaming. A fine addition to any One Piece collection.
Special Features: Episode commentary for episodes 425, 432, 434, and 442 / Chopper Plays Doctor / Cooking with Sanji / Trailers / Textless Opening Songs, Textless Opening and Closing Songs
ONE PIECE (UNCUT) COLLECTION 18 / CERT: 12 / DIRECTORS: VARIOUS / WRITERS: VARIOUS / STARRING: COLLEEN CLINKENBEARD, MIKE MCFARLAND, DUNCAN BRANNAN, JEREMY INMAN, BRADFORD JACKSON, BARRY YANDELL / RELEASE DATE: 20TH AUGUST 2018
