• One Piece: Season Two, Fourth Voyage

  Filed under DVD Complete TV Series
  Feb 8

  

  Description
  Voyage of the desert pirates!

  As Luffy’s crew prepares for a treacherous trek across the parched sands of Alabasta, they are joined by Chopper, the ship’s new doctor. His healing powers are sure to come in handy with Crocodile and the assassins of Baroque Works plotting to take over the country by force. Meanwhile, Captain Smoker, a foe Luffy is powerless to defeat, continues to pursue the merry pirates to the far reaches of the globe. But thanks to some new friends and a fiery ally from the rubber-man’s past, the Straw Hats just might survive long enough to help Princess Vivi restore peace to her beloved kingdom.

  One Piece: Season Two, Fourth Voyage

  5 Comments

5 Responses to “One Piece: Season Two, Fourth Voyage”

1. 

   Jack Brimstone said on February 8th, 2010 at 8:32 am

   liek I wrote in the review of the last one piece box sets, I’m a lil disturbed as where Funimation is trending with its season labeling. For example, the episodes displayed in this box set is acutally from season 4 and not 2. Corse this is the arc that most ppl who have gotten into One Piece in America would remember the most. the Alabasta Arc. From hear the Straw Hat Pirates with Princess Vivi in toll make it to her home country of Alabasta to Stop a Ruthless Warlord from destroying a country. Corse if ya saw the One Piece Movie “the Desert Princess and the Pirates Adventure in Alabasta” you get a brief rundown on how this arc is gonna measure up. Unlike the film, this arc will be more detailed and include more characters into the mix including a return of Mr.3, Smoker from the Marines, and Ace (who we learn in this arc is Luffy’s Brother) Overall the arc is gonna be epic and well dubbed. I just wish Funimation would get the season labeling problem fixed.
   Rating: 4 / 5

2. 

   A. Gift For You said on February 8th, 2010 at 11:01 am

   the last one was great but this one was even better. I really thought that it was amazing.
   Rating: 5 / 5

3. 

   Dennis A. Amith (kndy) said on February 8th, 2010 at 11:18 am

   “ONE PIECE” is a popular anime series based on the popular manga series serialized in Shonen Jump by Eiichiro Oda. Suffice to say, “ONE PIECE” is the highest selling manga for Weekly Shonen Jump and its popularity has extended to various anime (via the TV series, OVA and films) and video games in America and also worldwide. The series is so popular, the episode count currently in Japan is over 400 episodes and despite receiving a heavily edited version in North America via 4Kids Entertainment earlier on, FUNimation Entertainment began releasing the original, uncut versions since the May of 2008 with a total of 13 episodes per volume.

   “ONE PIECE” is an adventure anime about a 17-year-old boy named Monkey D. Luffy who gained enormous strength (and stretching abilities) after eating a magical demon fruit. He eventually teams up with a group of pirates and have the name “The Straw Hats”. Luffy’s driven to one day obtain the most sought out treasure known as “One Piece” and eventually become the King of the Pirates.

   In “One Piece – Season Two: Fourth Voyage”, the group finally arrives at the country of Alabasta, a desert that has its fair share of trouble. But the Straw Hat Pirates are determined to bring Vivi back home and help her take on Baroque Works which is led by Crocodile. With Crocodile planning to overthrow the Alabasta government, Luffy reunites with his older brother Ace who joins the gang during the trip through Alabasta. Vivi quickly learns that things have changed so much in her country that the villages affected by the drought are hurting and people are starving for food.

   The “ONE PIECE – Season Two: Fourth Voyage” comes with episodes 92-103 on two DVD discs.

   VIDEO & AUDIO:

   For most television series, because they are created nearly before they are aired on television, unlike film and OVA’s, there typically is not much detail involved in a Japanese animated television series. “ONE PIECE” is probably one of those rare exceptions in that it has really cool character designs and very detailed artistic backgrounds.

   The anime series is presented in standard 4:3 definition but for a television series, “ONE PIECE” sports cool and unique character designs and beautifully painted artistic backgrounds. Definitely one of the better looking anime series that has remained consistent and has not downgraded since it first aired on television. Character designer Kazuya Hisada (who worked on the “Dragon Ball” and “Dragon Ball GT” series) and Noboru Koizumi (who worked on “Giant Robo”, “Dragon Ball GT” and “Tenchi Universe”) have been very good of capturing “One Piece” creator Eiichiro Oda’s unique style.

   As for the audio, the series is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, English Stereo and Japanese Stereo. Of course, the English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound is the better audio choice to listen to, although one who has a receiver that can set their audio to all channels can definitely enjoy the Japanese stereo track as well. But both audio tracks are done very well and I have to admit that “ONE PIECE” has one of the most solid English dub tracks for an anime TV series. Very well done on both audio tracks but again, have been very impressed by the voice talent for the series thus far.

   Subtitles are in English.

   SPECIAL FEATURES:

   “ONE PIECE – Season Two: Fourth Voyage” comes with the following special features:

   DISC 2:

   * Audio Commentary for 103 – Spiders Cafe at 8 O’ Clock! The Enemy Leaders Gather! – Featuring audio commentary with director Scott Sager and voice talents Barry Andell (Mr. 2), Leah Clark (Miss Doublefinger).
   
   * Textless Songs – Textless Songs for the opening song “Believe” by folder5 and the closing song “Fish” by Kaleidoscope.
   
   * Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailers

   JUDGMENT CALL:

   I absolutely love “ONE PIECE”. The characters, the action, the involving and well-written storylines and of course, the wonderful voice work via Japanese and also the English dub tracks and the refreshing and unique artwork.

   With the release of “One Piece – Season Two: Fourth Voyage”, finally the group arrives in Alabasta and for those who watched the eighth “One Piece” film, this is the volume that kicks off the storyline with the full episodes and the traveling and dangers the gang faces around the desert.

   Although not as battle intensive as the previous two volumes, this latest volume focuses more on Princess Vivi and what her country has endured but also we see a little of her past. Also, we are introduced to Luffy’s brother Ace (who is one of the most popular anime characters in Japan according to a Shonen Jump poll) There are a good number of hijinks with these episodes as the group are in a hot desert and are lacking food/drink supplies but for the most part, what I found enjoyable are the number of Baroque Works top members being introduced and needless to say, you can tell that this is setting up for a major battle between them and the Straw Hat Pirates (which I am definitely looking forward to).

   As for the DVD release, you get the uncut and unedited videos featuring “marathon play” (watching all episodes seamed together without the credits) and an audio commentary for one of the episodes plus clean opening and ending themes.

   For “ONE PIECE” fans, this saga is definitely an entertaining saga and the Alabasta arc is definitely one of the more exciting storylines of the series, so although this volume doesn’t have as many action sequences as the previous two voyages, the episodes are more character driven and we get to learn more about those characters, especially Vivi. Some viewers may find the filler episodes of the gang traversing into towns a bit too repetitive but the writers made these storylines a bit more intriguing and fun and not boring at all. But definitely, this volume is definitely setting the viewers up for a possible major battle with Baroque Works (which I definitely look forward to).

   Overall, “ONE PIECE” continues to be a fantastic anime series that has a great combination of humor, action, artwork, great voice acting and cool animation. Highly recommended!
   Rating: 5 / 5

4. 

   ONENEO said on February 8th, 2010 at 11:57 am

   As is the case with each and every one of my One Piece reviews, I have to open by confessing a certain unwavering approval-factor of this series right off the bat. For a property with the word “shonen” right there in its title, the show is surprisingly devoid of the usual formulaic clichés that bog down most entries into the genre. Rather than endless fighting in some mystical tournament, One Piece has absolutely mastered the art of giving fighting fans what they want and blending it with a nice adventure-driven plot with unique (and likable) characters to boot. Suffice to say, I was hooked immediately.

   That said, Season Two, Fourth Voyage contains episodes 92-103 of the ongoing saga across two discs. The packaging, as has been the case with all of the Region 1 releases thus far, consists of two thin packs within an attractive cardboard outer slipcase. Runtime comes in at 320 minutes and the show wears an appropriate if not slightly conservative TV 14 rating (due to a steady dose of cartoony violence rather than inappropriate language, nudity, or gore).

   Language options are standard sub & dub, which means the viewer has the choice of the original Japanese dialog track (stereo) or an English dub (Dolby Digital 5.1) and the option of running English subtitles with either.

   Special features consist of textless songs, Funimation trailers, and marathon play option (turns each disc into one continuous episode), and an English staff commentary over one episode (note: this last one is not located in the Special Features section but rather in the episode selection. It is very easy to miss!)

   The One Piece Season Two Fourth Voyage finally delivers our zany crew of pirates to the island of Alabasta after many, many episodes of anticipation. As has been the trend with the show of late, a majority of the “meat” of this set takes place on dry land, in fact in this case on parched sands.

   Adorable talking reindeer, Chopper takes on the role of the ship’s lead doctor. In pursuit this time around are the villain Crocodile and the laugh-out-loud antics of Captain Smoker.

   Hopefully by now fans have come to expect the fact that the show will end on a cliffhanger (which may or may not be considered a good thing to those of us forced to wait patiently for the next installment to arrive!)

   Fans of the show will continue to enjoy the unique, washed-out visual style that has become One Piece’s staple over time. The sound work is spot on in both language options with the English dub working just about as well in every aspect as the original Japanese track.

   At times it’s almost hard to believe that it has been exactly a decade since this collection debuted on television airwaves. While advances in animation process and technology are undisputable, the charm that made One Piece a gem then is undoubtedly present now.

   In all a must-own collection for those of us who have been taking the voyage thus far. The special features are quite nice (the English staff commentary track actually contains the harshest language of the whole compilation believe it or not) and the packaging maintains the excellent look and feel of its predecessors. My only complaint comes in the form of the ending of episode 103 as its inconclusive nature has me anxiously awaiting the next One Piece release. You would think I would be used to this pattern by now…
   
   Rating: 4 / 5

5. 

   Steven R. Peck said on February 8th, 2010 at 1:17 pm

   After several setbacks and the addition of Tony Tony Chopper, the ship’s doctor, to their crew, the Straw Hat Pirates and Princess Vivi continue unhindered to the kingdom of Alabasta. Just before leaving Drum Island (now renamed the Sakura Kingdom in honor of the late Dr. Hiruluk’s dream to heal the troubled land), Luffy receives a message from a certain Portgas D. Ace to meet him at Alabasta’s port city of Nanohana. It turns out that Ace is Luffy’s big brother whom Luffy has not seen for 3 years. Like Luffy, Ace is a pirate and has a prodigious appetite and occassional attacks of narcolepsy. Ace also has a Devil Fruit power that is probably more awesome than his little brother’s. While Luffy can stretch, Ace can literally burst into flame, earning him the nickname “Fire Fist Ace.”

   Thanks to Ace’s power, Luffy’s crew is able to elude both Commodore Smoker and a number of Baroque works ships as they begin their long journey to the capital city, Alubarna. Ace has his own agenda in Alabasta (to hunt down the pirate Blackbeard who had committed a grave crime against Ace’s crew). This was the same Blackbeard who had chased Wapol away from Drum Island. Ace had come to Drum Island looking for Blackbeard, but Blackbeard had already left for some reason. Ace agrees to travel with Luffy for awhile and they share a few adventures, but once Ace finds out Blackbeard is not in Alabasta, he parts ways with the Straw Hats promising to meet Luffy again someday.

   In the meantime, Vivi has met with a old friend named Kohza who is leading a revolt against Vivi’s father, King Nefertari Cobra. Kohza has been deluded by Crocodile, the leader of Baroque Works, into believing that the king has released the drought producing Dance Powder onto the land, when in fact it was the BW’s fault. Vivi fails to convince Kohza of the truth, but she and the Straw Hats agree to find a way to stop the Dance Powder. This leads them to the city of Rainbase, where Crocodile is at that moment meeting with his Officer Agents and revealing his master plan (Project Utopia) to make Alabasta his personal kingdom!

   The war for Alabasta is just beginning! Stay tuned for the next DVD set!
   Rating: 4 / 5

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