It wasn't until the sixth film of the franchise, Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island (directed by Mamoru Hosoda), that I realized how good these stand-alone stories can be and how even despite these movies limitations, they can still deliver a fun, even suspenseful adventure film. As a result, the films can seem somewhat formulaic or, dare I say it, fan fiction like with narratives that do little to expand the world or develop the main cast (since they can never show it in the series proper). Like most films tied to an ongoing anime series, One Piece movies act as stand-alone stories set in the ongoing narrative. Though I have long admitted to being a fan of the quirky yet adventurous romp that is Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, I have never been very enthused to be a part of the Straw Hat's trips onto the big screen. The Straw Hat crew takes to the casinos in style.