The Best Animated TV and Movies of 2022

One Piece’s theatrical movies have generally been fine. Well, they used to be terrible until creator Eiichiro Oda started getting more hands-on with them, but generally they all ended in the same way—Monkey D. Luffy and his crewmates, and maybe a few more popular characters, teaming up to fight some new, ultra-powerful, non-canonical foe. But Red is different in almost every way, and for the better. It fills out Luffy’s backstory by introducing Uta, the daughter of One Piece’s most enigmatic character, Shanks. When a tragedy separates them, the present-day Luffy discovers she’s become a good-hearted pop idol who wants to save the world with her music—but at a sinister cost. Red gives Luffy a foe who isn’t transparently evil, and one he can’t beat by punching them. The result is One Piece’s most introspective, unique film yet. And Uta’s songs are absolutely killer, too.

One Piece’s theatrical movies have generally been fine. Well, they used to be terrible until creator Eiichiro Oda started getting more hands-on with them, but generally they all ended in the same way—Monkey D. Luffy and his crewmates, and maybe a few more popular characters, teaming up to fight some new, ultra-powerful, non-canonical foe. But Red is different in almost every way, and for the better. It fills out Luffy’s backstory by introducing Uta, the daughter of One Piece’s most enigmatic character, Shanks. When a tragedy separates them, the present-day Luffy discovers she’s become a good-hearted pop idol who wants to save the world with her music—but at a sinister cost. Red gives Luffy a foe who isn’t transparently evil, and one he can’t beat by punching them. The result is One Piece’s most introspective, unique film yet. And Uta’s songs are absolutely killer, too.