Fuji TV’s Mezamashi TV news show dedicated a brief segment to the recent world premiere of One Piece Film: Gold that was hosted in Abu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates. This world premiere took place on July 15, eight days before the theatrical release in Japan.

The following is a very rough translation of the clip:

One Piece Film: Gold was a great success in Abu Dhabi! “This is the premiere hall, but look! The red carpet is already overflowing with locals!” The world premiere of One Piece Film: Gold, scheduled for a theatrical release [in Japan] this weekend, was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Guest voice actresses Hikari Mitsushima (Karina) and Ayaka Miyoshi (Bit), as well as voice actress of Nami, Akemi Okamura, appeared dressed in kimono. The story takes place in Gran Tesoro, a giant entertainment city floating in the sea. There, the Straw Hat crew faces off with the emperor of gold, Gild Tesoro, who proceeds to wreak havoc. With over 60 million copies of the comic sold overseas and the anime currently airing in over 30 countries, One Piece appears to be very popular in the Middle East as well! The screening took place in Abu Dhabi’s first-class “seven-star” hotel, made possible thanks to the United Arab Emirates’ request. Over a thousand fans gathered from numerous countries in the Middle East, including Kuwait and Qatar. Once Mitsushima and the guests made their appearance– “ONE PIECE! GOLD!” “The enthusiasm in the air is incredible!!” The three guests were overwhelmed by the crowd’s excitement, which surpassed their expectations.

“Everyone was beaming with so much excitement as they welcomed us, I was very surprised.”

“It’s a movie that everyone can enjoy even if they’re not familiar with the language so–”

“Nami-swaaaaan!”

“NAMI-SWAAAAAN!”

“They even [stay true to the original comic and] call you ‘Nami-swaaan’!” Once the screening began, the audience appeared completely spellbound. And each time Luffy and his crew stole the spotlight… *roar and applause* And so, the screening came to an end. How did the Middle Eastern audience feel about it? “It’s funny, fantastic. Impressive, the gold.”

“You wanna laugh, you will laugh so hard. You wanna cry, you will cry so hard. Sugoi! Sugoi movie!”

“It’s really…the best day of my life!” It appears that the premiere screening was VERY satisfying.

The official One Piece website released the following comments from the three voice actresses about the premiere in Abu Dhabi:

Hikari Mitsushima (VA of Carina)

“The people of Abu Dhabi were very enthusiastic and overflowing with happiness, I had a lot of fun. After the stage greeting, there were some people who approached Okamura and told her, “You are my crewmate!” (laughs) Their eyes were beaming with excitement and joy, it was very cute. It was an interesting experience for me in that we were able to visit a country that was themed very similarly to where the actual film takes place [Gran Tesoro]. But for the people of Abu Dhabi, this movie full of gold probably wasn’t an unusual sight (laughs). I’m looking forward to telling the director and everyone else involved in the creation of this movie about today when we have our stage greeting back in Japan.”

Akemi Okamura (VA of Nami)

“I’m very happy that I was able to represent the Straw Hat crew and share this film with the world this time! It was my first time visiting Abu Dhabi so I was worried about language barriers, but everyone greeted us with all the Japanese they knew, it was very heartwarming and sweet. It made me realize just how powerful an impact Japanese animation has. I’m so glad that I was able to meet these people directly. But if there’s this much support in Abu Dhabi, I’d love to visit a country even farther away from Japan next time. I hope One Piece will continue to spread across the world and will eventually receive support from countries much, much farther away from home.”

Ayaka Miyoshi (VA of Bit)

“I’ve been watching One Piece since I was a little girl, so it was a great honor to be able to participate in [the series] like this. We rode camels, went to the beach, walked the red carpet — our time here has been very fulfilling. The locals were very welcoming and accepting of us, so it really warmed my heart. It’s not a place I get to visit often, so I’m very grateful for this precious experience. I’d love to come back with my parents next time, during the winter (laughs).”

One Piece Film: Gold is set to release in Japan on July 23. One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda will reprise his role as the executive producer of the movie. The film will be directed by Hiroaki Miyamoto, who also worked on Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island as the assistant director, and was written by Tsutomu Kuroiwa, who wrote the live action Liar Game: The Final Stage and Liar Game: Reborn films, as well as the live-action Black Butler film. The veteran actress and musician Mayumi Kojima will provide the theme song “Gold & Jive ~ Silver Ocean” and GLIM SPANKY will provide「怒りをくれよ」(ikari wo kureyo) for One Piece Film: Gold. The original soundtrack for the movie is scheduled for release on July 27, and Crunchyroll recently announced to release the movie tie-in anime special One Piece: Heart of Gold this week!

Along with Japan, One Piece Film: Gold has been confirmed to get a theatrical release in:

Asia:

Europe:

FUNimation has yet to announce the movie’s acquisition.

SOURCES: Mezamashi TV, One-Piece.com