Funimation hosted a special screening of Toei Animation’s “One Piece Film: GOLD” in West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center Silver Screen Theater on January 6th. They treated guests to a viewing of the English dubbed version along with an after party filled with fun.

As Captain Luffy of the infamous Straw Hat Pirates continued on his quest to become the Pirate King, he and his crew took a pit stop at one of the most luxurious places on the sea, the Gran Tesoro. A quick glance would make one think it was an island, but it was a common assumption about “King” Gild Tesoro’s six mile long monstrosity of a ship. The place had the fun and flair of New Orleans, the bustling vibes of New York and all of the Last Vegas casinos and attractions covered in a thick layer of gold. While the area was known for a neutral site, something felt fishy as everyone on the ship gambled their money away. Not even the headstrong Straw Hats were able to evade the traps and fell into a terrible debt to Tesoro. The pirates must find a way to pay back Tesoro and head back to the open waters. However, it will take more than luck to beat the man with the golden touch.

Eiichiro Oda’s hit series has been reaching for the skies since its 1992 release and still seems to have no limit to the amount of imagination put into the creation of its strange and wacky world. This time the creative team went towards a heist story that seemed to have the pirate’s known thief Nami as the leading lady. It was refreshing to see her take charge and have a louder voice of reason than some of the earlier with her simply as support. At times, the pace of the movie was faster than expected, but it was fitting since the pirates only had such a short time on the Gran Tesoro. For those that had doubts about the English dubbing would be surprised how well they casted the movie-only characters, though some can do without a handful of the silly puns.

While “GOLD” is a standalone film outside of the anime’s main storyline, it would be best for fans to at least be caught up to the New World Saga portion of the anime and manga to know some of the supporting characters. Still, anyone that loves a fun action-packed movie will enjoy “One Piece FIlm: GOLD.” It will be showing from January 10-17th in selected theaters so visit Funimation’s site to find out if there is one in your area.