“Both Luffy and One Piece [lensed by Nicole Whitaker, ASC] hold close to their hearts the idea that childhood dreams matter — that they’re not frivolities to be discarded as we age, but north stars pointing us to our most life-affirming desires and most fully realized selves. Nearly all the show’s heroes are defined by the goals they set growing up: to draw a map of the whole world, to become the greatest swordsman who ever lived, to find a possibly mythical zone where the oceans of the world come together. From one perspective, they might sound like the fancies of a naive schoolchild. From this series’, they’re goals pure and ambitious enough to reshape the world. By putting its faith in its characters’ youthful joie de vivre, One Piece delivers enough fun to thrill the inner child in tweens and grown-ups alike.”

Read the full review here.