One Piece Film Red gets three awards at the 46th Japan Anime Awards

One Piece Film Red has won three awards at the 46th Japan Anime Awards, which was held on March 10, 2023. Following a recent announcement by the film's official Twitter page, the movie received an award for best animation. Along with that, it also won the Popularity Award for the best picture, while the music team rightfully earned the Special Award.

One Piece Film Red is an animated musical-fantasy film by Toei Animation that was released theatrically in Japan on August 6, 2022. While not canonical to the main storyline, this fifteenth feature film of the One Piece franchise grossed over 19.7 billion yen in Japan alone, attesting to its popularity. Set shortly after the Wano arc, the film follows the adventures of Monkey D Luffy. as he meets an old friend.

Disclaimer: This article might contain spoilers from the One Piece anime, manga, and films.

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One Piece Film Red was appreciated for its visuals, storytelling, and musical sequence at the 46th Japan Anime Awards

Back in November, the Japan Academy Film Prize Association announced that One Piece Film Red would win the Special Award at the 46th annual award ceremony. This special prize, reserved for a group for outstanding contributions, is well-deserved for the music team responsible for bringing out bangers such as New Genesis, Invincible, and Tot Musica.

The film also won the award for Excellent Animation of the Year. Before this, One Piece Film Red's visual merits were recognized at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival on February 9, 2023, where it won the best-animated film category, while the best-animated television category went to Spy X Family. Furthermore, the film won the animated award for best picture.

The Awards ceremony took place at the Grand Prince Hotel in New Takanawa on Friday, March 10, 2023. One Piece Film Red serves as the highest-grossing film in the franchise, the highest-grossing film produced by Toei Animation, as well as the biggest earner of 2022.

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One Piece Film Red sees an unlikely tragic villain in Monkey D. Luffy's childhood friend

The film features the Straw Hat Pirates relaxing as they prepare for the grand performance of Uta, a teenage star who had eaten the Uta Uta no Mi. The Japanese term "Uta" refers to music, and Uta's beautiful melodious voice rightfully serves as the highlight of the film. However, things rarely go smoothly when Luffy and his friends are involved, and over a series of incidents, Uta's true intentions come to light.

Uta is revealed to be not only Luffy's childhood friend but also Shanks' adopted daughter. Her hatred of pirates and the current state of the world is so intense that she chooses to use the power of her music to trap Luffy and his friends in an alternate dimension, along with the rest of the people present there. By doing this, she hopes that they can find solace in this pseudo-imaginary utopia where real-world troubles do not interfere.

One Piece Film Red follows the Straw Hats, their allies, and even Shanks and his crew, who attempt to stop Uta while trying not to hurt her. Things are made difficult when it is revealed that Uta's singing had manifested an ancient demon of music and sound named Tot Musica, who planned to destroy the world. The film's strong visuals are evident in the final battle where Luffy and Shanks team up.