Writer: unknown
If having to go at selected water parks and such places to see the 3D featurette Trap Coaster seemed asking a lot, don’t worry, this time you – only – had to go to One Piece Tokyo Tower, the only One Piece theme park in the world, situated inside Tokyo Tower (in case the name wasn’t clear enough), open since 2015… and closed – permantly, to boot – this 31th of July 2020.
Gomu Gomu no Bummer indeed.
This specific featurette not only was shown exclusively there, but only for the “Luffy’s Endless Adventure” Exhibit in 2018, so it’s just thanks to whoever filmed this with their phone (or hidden camera) that we can actually see this featurette in any form. Sure, it’s not ideal, since the short was supposed to be seen in location on a panoramic multi-screen fashion (with some lights used to enhance the experience, like for Kizaru’s attacks), but it’s still better than it being lost media.
The premise is that Tokyo Tower exists in the One Piece universe as an island, Tongari Island, and the Straw Hats reach it after being told of a secret treasure by Trafalgar Law. But after merrily eating at the food stands, checking out the shops and enjoying a bit of roulette, they reach the cave Law told them about, and they’re ambushed by the Marines, complete with Sentomaru, Fujitora, Sengoku and Kizaru.
Law reveals why he “betrayed” them, and eventually they join forces, and thanks to the Tongari Island’s Den Den Mushi (who apparently runs on “friendship powah” energy), they get a power boost so big they actually manage to beat Kizaru. It’s literally the power of friendship to the rescue, which is cheesy as hell even for One Piece standard , i can’t (and won’t) make this shit up. So it all ends well, with the two pirate crews partying on the island, as the narrator really hammers on the “power of the bonds” spiel.
On one hand, it has a lot of action in its 12 minutes runtime, it’s the only featurette when Luffy uses Gear 4 in the Boundman form, a lot of characters from the series, even big shots Marines, it looks exactly like the TV series, it’s well animated… on the other, it’s even more cynical in conception and purpose than Jango’s Dance Carnival. That was a vehicle for a song by a popular band, yes, but this is almost propaganda for the One Piece theme park itself, this is even more a marketing tool, completely unsubtle advertising as well, not that it would be better the other way around.
IFY, this isn’t the first animation short shown exclusively at Tokyo Tower, there was also a previous one simply called “One Piece 4D”, which was in 3D CG and retold sequences from Fishman Island, Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, but changed some things around, especially for the Dressrosa bit, since it was released before the arc’s conclusion in the TV series. Couldn’t find any recording of it.
If you are a ravenous One Piece fan like, hungry for the obscurest pieces of media related to Eiichiro Oda’s opus, you eventually will want to see this.
You know where to get it.
Wise Cafe (International) 