One Piece 15th Anniversary Best Album is a three-disc set that includes the first 15 opening themes, all 18 ending themes, as well as a handful of additional music tracks that appeared in One Piece prior to the release of this CD set.

One Piece 15th Anniversary Best Album
Publisher: Avex Entertainment Inc.
Release Date: January 16, 2013

I really liked how the songs in this set were sequenced. The 15 opening themes included in this set are all back-to-back on the first disc, most of the ending themes are back-to-back on the second disc, and the final disc contains the remaining ending themes and has the additional music tracks sequenced after the ending themes. What really sells me on this sequencing is that it allows me to hear how the opening themes progressed in chronological order, and this chronological order isn’t broken up by trying to insert the ending themes between the various openings. I can also say the same thing about the closing themes.

The set obviously opens with “We Are!,” since that was the first opening theme for One Piece. If you listen to this set, it will help if you’re a fan of “We Are!” There’s not just one version, not just two, not just three… there’s a total of five different versions of “We Are!” that are included in this set. Three versions appear on the first disc (but are fortunately spread out a little), and two versions are back-to-back on the third disc. My least favorite version of “We Are!” is the one on disc three that is credited to Fake Luffy. I don’t know who sings that version, but whoever they are better not give up their day job! I really enjoy the original version of “We Are!,” but the Seven Straw Hat Crew rendition comes in at a close second. I still remember being caught off-guard the first time this version appeared in the anime and kind of laughed at it at the time, but it’s a version that’s actually really good. It’s awesome to hear the voice actors singing together.

When it comes to the various themes that appear in One Piece, some are very memorable (such as “We Are!,” “Believe,” Memories,” and “Run! Run! Run!”), the series also has its fair share of themes that are kind of “meh” and can be forgettable. But that can be the case with any anime, though, especially one that has run as long as One Piece has (and still is at the time of this writing).

For those who are curious, the non-theme song tracks that appear on disc three are “Family” (a song by the Seven Straw Hat Crew), “Bink’s Sake” (a song by the Nine Straw Hat Crew), Fake Luffy’s version of “We Are!,” AAA’s version of “We Are!,” and Hyoue Ebata’s “Eternal Waves” (from the One Piece: Romance Dawn videogame).

I was blown away by “Eternal Waves,” since I had never heard it prior to listening to this CD. It’s a really good song, and it’s something I would have expected to hear in a movie instead of a videogame.

If you’re a fan of One Piece and enjoy the theme songs, then I would highly recommend acquiring One Piece 15th Anniversary Best Album. The best way to acquire this set is to look around at sites that sell Japanese import CDs and trying to find the best deal.

I wrote this review after listening to a copy of One Piece 15th Anniversary Best Album that my husband purchased for me as a birthday gift.