Hey, a fun resort town that all smiles and sunshine and even some cute flowers. What could possibly go wrong?
Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island is the sixth One Piece film in the long-running franchise, and notably the darkest of the films. The film was directed by Mamoru Hosoda, with the screenplay by Masahiro Ito. It was released on March 5, 2005.
The film opens with the Straw Hats receiving a bottle with a note inside challenging the recipients with a strong crew to come to their island resort. Enticed by the promise of food, recreation, and (in Sanji's case) women, the crew heads for Omatsuri Island. At first it seems the place isn't as advertised as no one greets the crew upon arrival. Heading in further, they manage to find their destination. But the owner, the titular Baron Omatsuri, won't let them relax without taking the "Ordeals of Hell", nearly impossible tasks that seem suited only for the strongest.
The crew is initially against the tests, but Luffy, thrill seeker that he is, is more than happy to take em on. However there are other occupants on the island that aren't part of Omatsuri's group and the crew slowly begins to find out that something isn't exactly right about the island and its staff...
Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island provides examples of:
- 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: A lot of it in this film especially the Goldfish Scooping game. One of the complaints against it that it didn't seem to mesh well with the 2-D animation.
- Anime Hair: Baron's hair looks like a dark-colored palm tree.
- Batman Grabs a Gun: Luffy doesn't kill his enemies usually. The Baron, after everything he put the Straw Hats through, is the only guy explicitly killed by him.
- Beard of Evil: Baron has a sizable beard and is the villain in this movie, yet he didn't start growing one until after his pirate crew died during a storm.
- Berserk Button: Don't insult DJ Gappa's Verbal Tic.
- Big Bad: Baron Omatsuri is the main antagonist of the film. Lily Carnation is the true threat though.
- Bittersweet Ending: Through the Baron nearly wins, Luffy beats him, frees his crew, and has his appreciation for them renewed in a big way. However his friends don't seem to remember anything from this adventure, and Luffy doesn't seem concerned with sharing what happened, meaning they went through the ordeal for nothing in the end.
- Breaking the Fellowship: As the games go on, the crew seem to start fighting more and more with each other. This is intentional, as the Baron wishes to break the spirit of pirate crews before he feeds them to Lily.
- Broken Pedestal: Rosa, the eldest daughter of the Tearoom pirates, lost all respect for Papa when he was revealed to be a coward. Later, Rick and Daisy also lose their respect when Papa forces them to leave Chopper to be devoured by Lily. It's restored when Papa kills Lily by himself with a single arrow near the end.
- Big Damn Heroes:
- Chopper pulls one to save the children of the Tearoom pirates from being eaten by Lily.
- Later, Papa shoots Lily to help Luffy kill Baron.
- Boom, Headshot!: How Lily meets her end, not by Luffy, but by the father of the Tearoom Pirates who shoots an arrow through its head.
- Botanical Abomination: Lily's true form
◊, Good God. Even Luffy was horrified of the thing when it finally revealed itself (though probably more due to his crew grafted onto its body and still in the digestion stage). - Children Are Innocent: Daisy, who believes that Papa is a strong and admirable person. Her older sister Rose (initially) tried to put an end to that.
- Covers Always Lie:
- The teaser poster shows the characters laughing, though the plot is notably darker.
- This◊ is the cover for the DVD version. Though it was likely intentional, it couldn't be any further away from the truth.
- Darker and Edgier: While the previous film was much darker than its predecessors, this film has some of the darkest and frightening images and soundtracks associated with the franchise. It may not seem like it is that dark at first but once it gets to the second half, it becomes a full on horror movie.
- Dead All Along: All the inhabitants of the island, except Baron, Brief, and the Teacup Pirates, were members of Baron's former pirate crew who died in a storm long ago.
- Deal with the Devil: Seems to be the case with Baron and Lily, considering that the latter needs to eat strong pirates in exchange for creating the pirate crew Baron lost to a storm.
- Death from Above: Well, not death, but Usopp wins the Straw Hats the second game by dropping from a glider and slamming the the last of the Wise Men with his Usopp Hammer.
- Near the end of the movie, Lily shoots a bunch of arrows into the sky and they all rain down on Luffy. Subverted in that it doesn't really kill him.
- Deranged Animation: This movie's animation style is very different from the typical One Piece film (a notable example happens early: when Muchigoro yells at Usopp for lying, a mini version of Muchigoro appears inside his mouth on the uvula, which is strange even by this series' standards). It can take some getting used to as the animation is similar to that of a Masaaki Yuasa film despite the fact that this was directed by Mamoru Hosoda.
- Determinator: Luffy. Not even being shot by Lily's arrows stops him from trying to get his friends back.
- The Dog Was the Mastermind: Lily, the innocent-looking flower on Baron's shoulder, is behind the whole on-goings of the island. The Baron just acts on her will.
- Easy Amnesia: The entire crew sans Luffy have their entire memories of the island wiped and wake up after Lily and Baron's defeat wondering where they are.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Papa of the Tearoom Pirates, who has no real name other than "Papa" (since he is a father).
- A Father to His Men: Baron was certainly this to his entire crew when he was a pirate captain. When he lost all of them to a violent storm, it made his grief and subsequent madness all the more devastating.
- Foul Flower: The Big Bad is accompanied by a cute little flower named Lily Carnation who is actually an eldritch abomination and the true villain.
- Freudian Excuse: The Baron lost his crew due to a storm and grew bitter from the loneliness afterwards. Seeing other pirate crews happy just reminds him of what he once had, so he figures if he can't be happy, no one will.
- Forced to Watch: A rather painful scene in which the Baron pins Luffy's limbs with his arrows as his crew is absorbed into the Lily Carnation and he's helpless to do anything about it. Brief likewise had this happen to him as well.
- Girlish Pigtails: Daisy.
- Goggles Do Nothing: Baron's goggles are only for show.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: Living alone on a strange island combined with dealing with the deaths of his entire pirate crew completely drove Baron over the edge.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Lily. One of the most terrifying things the Straw Hats ever face. We never even learn what it really is.
- Harmful to Minors: The children of the Tearoom Pirates had the misfortune of seeing Chopper getting shot with an arrow by Baron right in front of them. They also would've gotten devoured by Lily if Chopper hadn't saved them, and possibly saw Luffy outright murder someone with his own bare hands (even if said someone really deserved it).
- Headphones Equal Isolation: Averted with DJ Gappa, who is fairly socialable and often comes across as a Bratty Half-Pint.
- He Knows Too Much: The reason why Baron takes out Robin due to her sneaking around and discovering the beached ruins of Baron's old pirate ship.
- Heroic BSoD:
- A little earlier, Luffy has one after Sanji blames him for the disappearances of their friends, causing him to be so depressed that he doesn't even notice or save Nami from being targeted by Baron's crew.
- Luffy suffers one after his first battle with Omatsuri and failing to save his crew from being absorbed into Lily. Amusingly, this was a while before the Sabaody Archipelago Arc in the manga, where a similar event happened. Foreshadowing, perhaps?
- Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: The third game, Shooting, involves the Baron's crew hunting down the remaining Straw Hats through the island.
- Idiot Hero: As per usual, Luffy is this; at one point, he tries to save Chopper from drowning during the Goldfish Scooping game, only to realize he can't swim either due to being a Devil Fruit user. Sanji ends up saving both of them. In essence, the film is a bit of a deconstruction of this as well, as Luffy's hasty actions and inability to recognize all of the suspicious red flags on the island allows Omatsuri go on working his plan and nearly costs him his friends' lives. Only when he and Brief actually make a plan, and understand the severity of the situation, does Luffy make headway and land his first successful blow.
- Innocent Bystanders: The Tearoom Pirates, a family consisting of a father, two daughters and a son who just wanted to come to the island to have fun, but wound up stranded there when they couldn't complete the Tests. The Baron has Lily try to eat them as a leftover after absorbing the other Straw Hats (save Luffy) but Chopper manages to rescue them at the cost of his own safety. They return the favor though by ultimately killing Lily, breaking the spell she has over the island and freeing the crew before they're devoured.
- Island With A Dark Secret: And how!
- Kappa: DJ Gappa seems to be based on this, down to the spelling and pronunciation of his name.
- Killed Off for Real: Baron is killed by Luffy, making him the first antagonist ever in the series to warrant Luffy to kill someone. It's somewhat subverted in that he was already thriving on Lily to extend his lifespan.
- Lovable Coward: Papa of the Tearoom pirates isn't particularly strong or brave, especially when stopping his children from saving Chopper from Lily, but he is shown to be a very Doting Parent (especially towards Daisy). Then he redeems himself at the end of the movie where he gathers up his courage to shoot and kill Lily.
- Love Makes You Evil: Baron loved his pirate crew so much that when they all drowned during a storm, it drove him insane. He made a bargain with Lily to resurrect his dead crew in return for feeding her strong pirates, which he has been doing ever since.
- Missing Mom: The mother of the children of the Tearoom Pirates died sometime before the movie. its implied there was trouble between her and Papa, as Daisy reveals her ability to hear extremely well while sadly handling her father's wedding ring. Its likely due to the Baron as well, considering how his M.O. is.
- Meaningful Name: Omatsuri means "festival" or "gala" in Japanese. The man is an owner of a famous island resort except it was a trap to lure strong pirates to their doom via being devoured by Lily.
- Megaton Punch: This is how Luffy finishes off the Baron: he decks him so hard with a single punch the color leaves the screen for a moment upon impact. This is the only time in all of One Piece where Luffy outright kills the antagonist.
- My Greatest Failure: Brief, one of the residents on the island who isn't part of the Baron's crew. He's the last remnants of the Mustache Pirates and was forced to watch his crew be eaten by Lily.
- Mood Whiplash: The first half of the movie is fairly slapstick, typical of One Piece. Then the second half hits beginning with Chopper's discovery of the graveyard and all of that quickly goes bye-bye.
- Near-Villain Victory: Omatsuri and Lily actually came close to winning despite taking a few hard hits, nearly killing Luffy with the below mentioned attack. It's not even Luffy who stops him but Papa, the father of the Tearoom Pirates. Luffy just finishes the Baron off once he's depowered.
- Nightmare Face: At some point in the movie, one of Baron's pirate crew is talking with Nami and a second later, he's turned into a shriveled, plant-like husk with a very creepy face.
- No Ending: Downplayed, Luffy beats Baron Omatsuri after all the torture and challenge he's been put through, and his crew is alive and well, and Omatsuri is reunited in the afterlife with his crew; but the movie just kind of ends after that, with no wrap up for the Tearoom Pirates, Brief or what, if anything, Luffy learned from the ordeal.
- No Ontological Inertia: Once Lily is destroyed, all of the resort staff turn into plants.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Sanji, who would never deny food to even his worst enemy, telling Zoro that he can't have any food just because he wasn't watching Sanji show offnote , is a major indication that the Baron's plan to split the crew is working.
- Luffy leaves Brief's hideout without his hat! He doesn't even ask where it is.
- Luffy also kills Omatsuri. The Baron really, really deserved to die.
- Oh, Crap!: A massive one on Luffy's part once he discovers Lily's true form.
- One-Winged Angel: Lily for most of the movie appears as a fairly cute, yet slightly creepy flower-like plant that is resting on Baron's shoulder. All of that is thrown out the window near the end after she turns into a demonic beanstalk that is full of the people she's recently devoured.
- Perpetual Frowner: Baron, to the point where you can count the smiles he makes with one hand.
- Photo Montage: A rather tear-jerking one shows up near the end of the movie after Luffy kills Baron, while in the background Baron converses with the members of his dead pirate crew.
- Plant People: All of the resort staff are just plant replicas of Omatsuri's crew powered by Lily. Feeding her strong pirates allows her to keep them going, otherwise they'll shrivel up and turn into real plants.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: Baron says this trope at the end, begging the spirits of his pirate crew not to leave him like they did during that stormy night many years ago.
- Rain of Arrows: Luffy takes a full brunt of this thanks to Lily. Amazingly, he still manages to stay on his feet despite being a pincushion.
- Really 700 Years Old: Implied with Baron, who was a pirate who lived in a time when Gold D. Roger was still alive, so he must've been pretty old by the time of the movie, what with Lily expanding his lifespan.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: DJ Gappa gains these after his Berserk Button is pushed.
- Secret Test of Character: Baron puts pirates through grueling and impossible challenges so he can see whether they are strong enough to be fed to Lily.
- Sole Survivor: Both Brief and Baron were the only remaining survivors of their pirate crew; Baron lost his to a violent storm, while Brief's friends were devoured by Lily.
- Sore Loser: After the Straw Hats win the Goldfish Scooping game, Omatsuri instantly calls for another one.
- Stealth Pun: Robin identifies the only flower on the island as "Lily Carnation". Because the closest sound to "L" in Japanese is their "R" sound, the name of the flower would be something like "Riri Carnation" in the original language. Or, Reincarnation.
- Strange Salute: Brief shows Luffy his, which involves putting a finger under his nose in representation of a mustache.
- Super-Senses: Daisy, the youngest daughter of the Tearoom Pirates, has "very good hearing", such as being able to hear the the conversation between Chopper and Papa as well as the voices of the absorbed Straw Hats within Lily. It's implied, though never stated, that she has Kenbunshoku Haki (which at the time was known as Mantra).
- Took a Level in Badass: Papa of the Tearoom Pirates manages to gather enough courage to face Lily by himself and kill her with just a single shot from a bow and arrow.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: The Straw Hats start getting hostile towards each other over the course of the movie. Special mention to Nami giving Usopp the cold shoulder and Sanji angrily blaming Luffy for everything. Turns out to be intentional, since Baron wanted to separate them and feed them to Lily.
- Verbal Tic: DJ Gappa adds a "-pu" at the end of every sentence. He's also very sensitive about it.
- Villainous Breakdown: Baron loses his composure at the end after the father of the Teacup pirates shoots down Lily, since he needs the plant to keep his dead pirate crew alive.
- Wide Eyes and Shrunken Irises: Luffy, along with a Jaw Drop after seeing Lily's true form.
- Muchigoro has these when he starts remembering a terrible past memory, right before gaining a nightmarish face.
- Chopper also gets them after discovering the numerous graves of Baron's former pirate crew.
- Wild Hair: Baron loses the tree-esque hair and lets it loose when he confronts Luffy, to symbolize his grief-induced madness.
