One Piece dominates the last week of August in terms of new streaming releases, with little else of interest reaching us before September kicks off with a fresh set of offerings.

SERIES

One Piece

Netflix – 31 August

Easily the most highly anticipated release on streaming services is One Piece, Netflix’s live-action adaptation based on Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history, by Eiichiro Oda. In this legendary high-seas adventure unlike any other, Monkey D. Luffy has longed for a life of freedom since he can remember. Luffy sets off from his small village on a perilous journey to find the legendary fabled treasure, ONE PIECE, and become King of the Pirates! But in order to find the ultimate prize, Luffy will need to assemble the crew he’s always wanted before finding a ship to sail, searching every inch of the vast blue seas, outpacing the Marines, and outwitting dangerous rivals at every turn.

MOVIES

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

31 August – Showmax

Having skipped releasing on cinemas in South Africa, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On can be seen on Showmax at the end of the month. Nominated for a 2023 Oscar, BAFTA and Critics Choice Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Marcel The Shell With Shoes On follows an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colourful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and new hope for finding his long-lost family. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On has won 37 awards, including three Annies this year, for Best Animated Independent Feature, Writing and Voice Acting (co-creator Jenny Slate, of Zootopia and The Secret Life of Pets fame).

VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES

The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental as well:

Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse

Rental: TBA

Purchase: Apple TV – R169 / Google Play Movies – R183

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

Asteroid City

Rental: TBA

Purchase: Apple TV and Google Play Movies – R169

In Wes Anderson’s all-star latest comedy-drama, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.