One Piece is a masterpiece of storytelling that anyone should watch during his lifetime! So what are the gems that lie beneath this story, in general? (I''ll comment about the anime version at the end of this review)

STORY 10: (personal importance factor [pif] x1.2)

Well, there is a lot that can be told about the story but I'll try to be really laconic. We have a newby young pirate named Luffy setting off on his adventure across the oceans to become the King of Pirates. Yes, it's really commonplace. But what's pulling you in on this grossly big adventure is Luffy getting new nakama and the wonderful experiences they come along with as a big family. My compatriot Cavafy's poem (written more than a century ago) describes Luffy's journey in a beautiful and exact way:

As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time:
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn’t have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled
you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas
mean.

WORLD-BUILDING: 10 (pif x1.3)

Luffy and his friends travel a long way through an enormous ocean with a major variety of strange and amazing islands, kingdoms and societies awaiting them. Each unique yet a part of a uniform whole. All these different places and societies broach many real-world issues, such as diversity, racism, political corruption and much more... And they are all tied together in a perfect way!

ART: 10 (pif x1)

Well, the art (both in manga and anime) complete the whole with respect to the detailed story, as well as the anime version adds an enjoyable liveliness.

CHARACTERS: 10 (pif x0.5)

Luffy and his nakama make such a great company that I wish I could become one of them. Their bonds are strong enough to consider them a family and, in another way, their journey is rather a family adventure. One's dream is everyone's dream! Their nakama lives are more important than theirs! This is One Piece!

AVERAGE: 10 (I want moreeee!)

In conclusion, I could type in front of my laptop's screen for hours but that would be much of a torture for the readers. If anyone reads this at all. :p :p :p