One Piece Collection #15 (DVD Review)

Luffy’s impulsive attack on Gecko Moria ends up costing the rubber-man something he can’t 5live without – his shadow! When Zoro and Sanji find themselves in the same boat, the three fierce fighters must find a way to recapture what was lost, or face the possibility of death by sunlight. Luckily, their skeleton friend, Brook, knows the trick to defeating Moria’s zombie army, and he’ll gladly share the secret for a small price. Meanwhile, Nami narrowly avoids an undead trip down the aisle, and Zoro clashes with a zombie samurai in the hopes of adding a new blade to his arsenal. Armed with the secret to defeating Moria’s minions, things briefly appear to be looking up for the Straw Hats, but the onslaught of Oars, the towering terror powered by Luffy’s shadow, threatens to doom the crew.

One Piece Collection #15 follows the the Thriller Bark arc which sees Luffy and the gang journey into the Florain Triangle. There they encounter a ship called Thriller Bark where shadows are being stolen from their usual baddies the Shichibukai. This arc also introduces the antagonist of Gecko Moria and adds a new member to The Straw Hat crew in Brook. I'm not the biggest fan of One Piece I must confess to that. However from someone who doesn't watch too much of One Piece. I have to admit I was really won over by this arc and might even start watching the show from the beginning (help that's a lot of episodes). One thing that really made me a fan now of this show is the balance of comedy, drama and some really original likable characters. I will say that throughout the whole Thriller Bark Arc my favorite character is Gecko Moria. Not only is his design unique with his big body, pale skin and devil like features. I found his outlook and personality to stand out the most from all the characters in this arc. Gecko Moria goal is to be the pirate king and he only sees that happening if he has powerful subordinates. This is one of the characters greatest flaws. As Gecko strives to be the best he doesn't really like to get into combat and usually assigns someone else to do his dirty work. While there are plenty of villains who follow this same m.o. Gecko is just too damn entertaining with it. The best way to describe this antagonist is lazy. The type of villain who clearly has the potential but rather someone else do the work for him. I found myself glued every time the character was on screen. However this doesn't mean Gecko is a push over. In Thriller Bark arc is a force to be reckon with. He is maniacal, a great a antagonist and should not be taken lightly.  The Thriller Bark arc is just a brilliantly written, acted arc of One Piece. If you never seen the show, or haven't given the show a chance these episodes will definitely pull you in. There are some really good humor here especially one Luffy and a zombie trust me it's hilarious. 

The DVD collection follows the entire arc from 349 to 377. It's a four disc set with DVD commentary and behind the scenes look in the booth with Chris Sabat and Eric Vale. I actually wish more anime DVD's had behind the scenes look into the booth. I think as fans it  nice to see how the recording process works, how the actors get into character and makes us really love the art form of voice acting. The DVD also features commentary for 352, 356, 361 and 368. Each commentary gives more insight and backstory on scenes, voice acting and more. 

Overall if you're a One Piece this is a good buy to add to your growing collection. If your curious about One Piece and want to know what the show has to offer this might be a good start off point and then go back to episode 1.

Final Grade 4 Stars out of 5.