One Piece

The show is about people wanting to find the ultimate treasure inthe world 'One Piece' that was left behind by former King of the pirates Gol D Roger.
Meet Monkey D Luffy, a kid who set out to the seas with the Pirate King as his goal.With his crew of pirates, named the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy explores the Grand Line in search of the world's ultimate treasure in order to become the next King of the Pirates. He sail across the world fighting corrupt governments, bounty hunters and other pirates.
At first glance, One Piece presents itself as superficial light-hearted fun, but then it catches you off guard with its depth of characters, surprising plot twists, amazingly complicated and well developed world and it also deals with themes like freedom and racism. It makes you think that you've figured it out, and then it surprises you. Every story arc fits into place in a larger tapestry of the main plotline, and does so in amazing ways. One Piece certainly can be strange, but overall it contains some of the most fantastic and original character designs and locations that you will ever see.
One Piece will never fails to entertain you and will move you emotionally. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry and it makes you twitch with excitement leaving the viewers feeling better about life in general. One piece has a world you can picture, a world you can really talk about, a world to be excited for. It's different, to say the least but still One Piece is a world worthy of any others and is an absolute joy to experience. One Piece is definitely worth watching/reading no matter what type of series that you are into. It definitely won't leave you disappointed and will guarantee you a life of laughter and an awesome adventure. It's no surprise that One Piece is hugely popular.

10/10 for everything

Story: 10/10
It's probably the best long-run shounen out there. To put it aside Naruto, Bleach and Fairy Tail doesn't do it justice whatsoever. The 3 latter ones probably can only come up to OP's ankle at BEST when it comes to plot and characters.

Art: 10/10
The art just gets better and better

Character: 10/10
No need for words. Every character has their own purpose

Enjoyment: 9/10
Deducted 1 point because some scenes are a bit dragged but that's just me trying to be nitty picky

Overall: 10/10
Would rate it 11/10 if compared to the other "popular" shounen

This is the first review I'm writing in this website so far, so please, don't judge my grammar.
One Piece is the best-selling manga series in all history. I'm not the kind of people who care about "the more people read something, the better it is", but this fact at least shows us this manga is worth some shit.
Yes, it really is.
One Piece is a part of the team of the successful shonens of the third millenium, amongst Naruto, Bleach and currently Fairy Tail and Toriko, now that Naruto is finished. Nevertheless, One Piece is someway different from them. But why?
First of all, there's a question in a need to be answered: what makes a good shonen? I think most people would answered "comedy, adventure and action". One Piece definitively has it. The amount of characters in the story makes it stand in a rather unique ground. Every fighter have different abilities, different weaknesses. And the comic situations Eiichiro Oda create are just hilarious. But the real thing that makes One Piece unique among the others long-running shonens is: It is not just one story. Every arc is different, each one has a specific story to tell, a specific pack of characters to present, all of them with its exquisite characteristics and motivations. The Alabasta arc is completely different from the CP9 arc, which is completely different from the Marineford arc (just to make some examples).
But it is the time when I come to talk something about the story. Not too much, just a preamble.
One Piece tells the story of a person named Monkey D. Luffy. He is a good fellow who wants to be a pirate. But not the usual kind of pirate, the ones who steal, put some homes on fire and murder. He wants to be a pirate to make a really good group of friends, have fun and kick some asses. He is one of the most easygoing people you will ever find in a fictional story. He really doesn't care about things most people would complain a lot. And he is completely honest; he always tells the truth, even when he lies (paraphrasing Scarface). He's got his first crew member in the beginning chapters: Roronoa Zoro, a swordsman who uses three swords that has a great ambition: to be the greatest swordsman in the world, and his man after became Luffy's right arm. The other members of the Straw Hat Pirates appeared after, and most of them didn't really liked Luffy at first, but then they became fond of his unique personality.
The last thing I want to talk about is the art. This is quite a contentious subject, for I know some people who like to criticize it. I somehow understand why they complain about, but I don't agree with them. It is said that the characters of One Piece are not well drawn. This is mainly because One Piece doesn't have the characteristic design of a manga, with the tram-sized eyes and all that stuff. But all the places are magnifically depicted: the sort of details in the sceneries is just amazing. And it makes me really like it.
Overall, One Piece is the best shonen I read so far. I'm not a real fan of this genre, but this story captivated me.

This review will focus on the strengths in One Piece over other shonen manga and provide examples to support them, but less so on weaknesses in One Piece since they seem to be pretty obvious among the experienced manga readers.

First of all, characters. One Piece provides a strong cast of main protagonists with emotional backstories and unique characteristics. Each member in the crew doesn't overlap each other in terms of personality, appearance and abilities. Now you may think that is a common trait in all popular shonen manga but there's something different about One Piece.

There's consistency with the characters. Oda doesn't randomly make punchlines with his characters. The punchline is usually related to one's backstory. Usopp tells lies because he wanted his mother and people in the village to be happy; Nami loves money because she once had to steal money to save her people; Chopper loves when people praise him and he can't hide the pleasure when he try to because he has very low self esteem and refuses to befriend with others due to his trauma. He believes in everything Usopp says because he lacks life experience; Brook keeps cracking jokes because he had to keep lightening himself before he went insane when everyone in his crew died.......etc. It offers so much nuance to the characters when Oda put these comedic moments here and there.

Don't get me wrong. None of these character traits is exceptionally subtle. But when it comes to One Piece, it works incredibly well.

It is a manga with more or less the same main cast the cast only adds people but generally doesn't drop people. (If you don't count Vivi or Jinbei who didn't officially join.) This provides One Piece with a strong advantage. Oda can give a lot of nuance to the characters. While they go through different adventures, they react a wide range of different ways. Whether it be a escort mission of a ordinary, warm-hearted princess to her own country, a fantastic journey to the sky island or a slump of the crew where people leave for the greater good or for a small quarrel, strawhats seem don't run out of ways to interact with each other and with their adventures. This makes the cast incredibly fun to read. Also, Oda adds new members to the crew to keep the character dynamics among the crew fresh and fun. His wacky way to portray the characters fit perfectly with the vibe of the story.

Though One Piece suffers from a formulaic way to characterize new members by having everyone a tragic backstory in a flashback, the character development in the main story is interesting enough and their flashbacks are effective enough to make the characters work.

Next, let's talk about the story. It's obvious that the main protagonists are supposed to be unstoppable. Every arc it's very clear that strawhats would beat the villains and the conflicts are going to be resolved at the end of the arc because the story is progressed by having strawhats travelling to different places and meet new people and opposing forces. The same villain won't stick around for a long time. But One Piece is less about who's gonna win and rather focuses more on how they inspire people they encounter to fight for their lives and dreams. Though every arc follows a formula of strawhats meeting new people, knowing their lives suffer, then fighting for them. Lots of arcs tell a different story with a different theme with alasbasta being an escort mission, Jaya being how should men fight for their dreams, skypiea being a romantic story between two men, Water Seven being a romantic story between comrades by the disobedience of the tyranny etc.

The story does repeat itself after time skip. All in all Oda is still a human being, he runs out of ideas.

The art is probably the weakest aspect for One Piece. While the fight scenes feel powerful, the way Oda design the panels lacks fluency. From time to time when there is too much stuff in the panel, the drawing feels messy. The color covers are really good but they aren't related to the story.

Overall One Piece is a really exceptional manga for romantist who is looking for a story about friendship.

At first you think that One Piece is a typical Shonen with ridiculous fights and shitty drawing. In fact, these two never improve. But there are things that make One Piece soooooo... much better than Bleach, Naruto and even Hunter x Hunter. And these things are the story, characters, foreshadowing and the unique One Piece universe. There are also nice concepts about will inheritance, man's dreams and giving up personal goals for the sake of close friends/relatives.

Ok. So here are my scores:

Art: 0/10
Music: 0/10
Fights: 0/10
World design: 0/10
Characters: 10/10
Story: 50/10

So Overall: 60/60. Deal with it.

The problem with One Piece is that you need to understand all these foreshadowings, concepts and not complain about PIS's (Plot Induced Stupidities) which can be quiet difficult. So there will be a problem if you are mature enough to see all the stupid and ridiculous things but not mature enough to enjoy the good things.

P.S.
Sorry for the bad english.

This is a review from a Chinese boy so it may be hard to understand what I want to express because of my poor English. Anyway, let's start:
story：as we can see, the story part of op is exactly what makes it unique and amazing. The structure may be simple: just luffy with his crew going to different islands and helping others coincidently or not. But to be precise, every arc is full of good plot and amazing events. And even the backstories are hitting!
art: oda's art may not be the best,but his art is definitely unique and impressive, the buildings in op are always splendid and attractive, and oda is always trying his best to draw every chapter. Even though some female characters' face may look the same, but most time it is acceptable to me.
character:I think it's easy to find out oda put much effort on the characters, even a unimportant role may give you some chills and feelings.
enjoyment: for myself, it's the best reading experience with so much fun and other mixture of feelings. every arc I am impressed by some themes oda want to show us .
overall: a masterpiece without doubt. Personally, there are not many series can "impress" me from some aspects, but one piece does impress me a lot.

Eichiro Oda has to be the most interesting and skilled story writer plus manga artist! With a powerful story backing him, he goes on to make a wonderful manga that is filled with interesting and delightful characters: Luffy to Blackbeard and so on. What's kept the readers hooked is the anticipation of what is yet to come, since all those who thought that the manga was just for kids were proved wrong by the Marineford arc!

Looking foward to the One Piece, Mr.Oda!

I feel like some reviews either love One Piece to death or just hates it at most its most of the time gets a 10 or gets a 1 which I feel like as a manga One Piece is neither of those. It isn’t a Godsend of a Manga or such a trashy manga that is just straight poop. I will review One Piece as non-bias as I can but no promises. Spoiler Warning intensified.

Art (7/10) – For my own personal preference, I love One Piece’s style, but I know it isn’t the best around. The drawing are nice and easily looked at, with panels making you follow in accordance making it a breeze to read at times. But sometimes there are a tad bit too much happening at times that jokes and interactions can be miss. For as many manga as I read, One Piece art is not the best but It’s not the worst. Does your manga have to have a good art to tell a compelling story, if so tell ONE that his stories bad because his art is bad compared to something like berserk, which is of course false since those two tell two very different but compelling story also. Still of course I do find his creation of male character are fine and dandy compared to his female characters. I was sadden when Robin went from a nice tan to an almost Hancock look alike in the time skip(there was a concept art to give Robin short hair which I thought would have had made her stand out more compared to now but Oda probably wanted to save that for Koala). Also, almost most females are either babes, kids, old hags, or fat; most being the former. After time skip almost all the girl characters have giant boobs, which I don’t mind but was it necessary for every female.
Characters (7/10) – I do personally love all the characters in One Piece but know that they get little developments for such a long running series. Yes, most time the characters are one note at times and they feel like there are no development, but character wise they are all enjoyable and mesh well against each other. I do feel like with all the adventure they had there must be some growth in the characters. But like many stated before Oda likes to treat each arc as its own self contain story, which may be his downfall. They should all mesh together better which I felt he did well when the crew reach Shabody Archipelago. So many things happening but it felt like they all connected well compared to the other parts. Not saying that the other arcs and saga didn't bode well together, just not as well. But like many stated, Usopp could and should be braver with all the adventures they been through, Luffy less of a numbskull, etc. But how I feel about it is that the Strawhat crew is that they accept you for who you are no matter if you are weak or not. That is why Luffy after his fight with Aokiji felt he needed to get stronger because he knows he got weaker people in his crew. He knows if he doesn't get stronger, he will lose people on the way to finding One Piece and he doesn't want that. Usopp reaffirm that desire in their fight, because Usopp saying he feels like he will be thrown away one day for being weak, hurt Luffy deeply and made him find ways to be stronger. Same for Robin which I felt like had the most development as a character in the story, since for her trusting people wasn't a given. She has been targeted for years by the government and after being in the crew she was scared that the people she been so close with might turn their backs on her. After saving her from the world government Robin opened up even more toward the crew and became more relax than normal around them. Also, there are so many side characters that are use and reuse which I felt like other manga should do so more often. Like how Dragon that we met in the beginning and was a mysterious is being use more now and is a big player in the story. Or how like Luffy friend Coby didn’t just become a run of the mill Marine after they separated in the beginning but now is a Marine Captain. Plus another benefit is that I feel like all the characters gets growth and are use properly compared to other shonen series. For example, like in Naruto where beside team 7 did any of the other fan favorite characters matter in the last fight as much. Team 7 are fighting gods now and everyone else can’t really fight on par with them anymore. Or like in Dragon Ball where Saiyan’s is all there need now, characters like Picollo or Krillin are just there to fill in spots. While in One Piece the crew are given a role to do stuff and while not everyone is strong, they all got a power boost and are still very prevalent in the story. Which is why I feel like there is a need for Luffy to be an idiot because for that very reason his crew matters even more to the story and won’t just all of a sudden be him focus only.
Story (8/10)- Honestly, One Piece is my all-time favorite read but I can see the flaws in the story and how there are better stories out there. Yes, yes each arc is the same with Luffy them fighting a bad guy with a time limit with Luffy knocking out the bad guy saving the trouble island. Ends with a celebration and the crew leaves for a new island to get closer to Raftel. Which does sound boring when you put it that way anything would. But sometimes knowing the ending isn't a bad thing because we are here to find out how the characters will get to that point and what occur in the middle. Even if most of the arc are the same format, the adventures in those arcs are different. The world is change by Luffy and his crew but they aren't the only one that are causing all the changes. Blackbeard cause way more change to the world more than Luffy did. He did the impossible by having two devil fruit power, he killed White Beard(albeit it he was close to death already), he injured Shanks(but of course a sea king did also LOL), he cause the Summit War between Whitebeard and the Marine, and became a new Yonkou. He sounds way more dangerous than the most wanted man right now Dragon, but of course we barely know anything about Dragon himself. Which is another reason why I like the story in One Piece. There are so many mysteries still left in the story even after 900 chapters, which sounds stupid but it just makes it more enjoyable. Like who is Joyboy, what is the void century, when will Noah's ark be use, why will Luffy destroy Fishmen Island, and so forth. These don't take center stage at all and sometimes even be forgotten because the story is so long, but still they are a foreshadow of what to come. Also, the world building is great, even if it does feel like an LSD fuel world, but why is that a bad thing. It just makes the world way more unique in my mind.
On a personal note I give One Piece a solid 10 out of 10 for me, but for a manga review note One Piece is a 7.5. That may seem like it is a bit harsh but honestly it isn’t One Piece’s fault at all. It is how Manga are written faults, especially for long running shonen manga. Popular manga are kept as long as possible until their popularity falls down greatly before getting ax like Bleach or if it’s still popular enough it gets a proper send off like Naruto and Dragon Ball to only be brought back to be use as a cash cow again. Oda even stated that the series was to be concluded back in 2002 five years after he started on it and even written an ending for One Piece since then but of course the popularity demands it to continue. Which is why I felt like One Piece does a better job at this than most long running fight series, there are still mysteries, we seen the power ceiling with the Summit War but not all of it since White Beard was already an aging and sick man, and the adventure still feel fun but of course can be a tad bit to long at times in arcs. If anything One Piece is an enjoyable Manga, that isn’t a Godsend or shit manga. It doesn’t change the fabric of story telling but it doesn’t just straight bore you. Last thing I want to mention Overhyping something almost always kills most of the enjoyment of a story, which is did for me for Hunter X Hunter, which is why instead stop listening to other people opinion and just read One Piece as a manga not as the Giant titan it is but instead as any other regular stories out there.

I originally wanted to make it short. I'm pretty sure a long positive review is not really needed since a fan already know it and a hater would deny everything. I make it for anyone who never read One Piece, standing in neutral ground, purely want to know the secret behind its success.

One Piece is a mainstream shonen battle manga. The story is really simple, about a boy who goes on an adventure because he wants to be a pirate king. You can even change the dream part in the premise to anything like 'the strongest man', 'number one man in cooking department', 'hokage', anything. It sounds really mainstream, right? But why does ut feel so different with any other mainstream shonen battle manga?

Maybe the story is too captivating, yes. With a lot of plot twist to the point of infinite number of people's predictions are just wrong. Eiichiro Oda is capable to foreshadow a huge revelation, even for hundreds chapters after. If there's someone say One Piece has similar and repetitive plot, don't trust him. Believe in Oda; he promised to make a story unlike we've ever read before.

From the simple story, it's getting complex and more exciting, to the point of you will laugh at people judging One Piece as manga for little kids. There's a lot of things going on and you'll start to regret not to read carefully every single panel before. Enjoy wondering how huge Oda's notebook is.

And the characters are too adorable. Nothing easier than liking the awesome main character but the other characters are awesome too. They are different, they have their unique traits, and they are have their own charms. Pfft. One Piece don't even need good looking ikemen main antagonist to make him likable.

For you who are curious to start reading it, you will be surprised with the art. It his unique style, the art which makes you instantly recognize. You'll get used to it in instant. Beside Oda's art shows how much he put effort to describe the awesomeness of One Piece universe. Haters keep saying it sucks, but actually it sucks for them because they don't know the art's charm, maybe they can't draw with their own style, so don't let it bother you.

Review One Piece (East Blue Saga)

This will probably be my last attempt to make a review on this particular series, as still being an ongoing manga. And thus, shall we begin?
The anime adaptation done by Toei Animation is probably the cringiest thing ever done since trendings, which you know, is something too dumb to exist. The manga though is something too good to be true, especially the beginning which I will be talking about in this review.

The manga of "One Piece" begins with Gold D. Roger (King of the Pirates) about to be executed. At that moment, he shouts to the crowd that his treasure is exactly where he left it but that to find it, one must search the whole world. This sparked the Golden Age of Pirates in which countless pirates raise their flags and set off to find One Piece.

East Blue is the introductory saga of the series, this is when Monkey D. Luffy meets Shanks as a young boy living in East Blue and where Luffy recruits most of his crew, which, ultimately, is where the adventure begins. Also, this saga is made up of six story arcs, which are Romance Dawn, Orange Town, Syrup Village, Baratie, Arlong Park and Loguetown which leads to Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, and Drum Island.

The East Blue Saga focuses mainly on Luffy setting off for the "Grand Line" and gathering crewmates. During the saga, Luffy gains four comrades: Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji and earns a bounty of 30,000,000 berries. The first crewmate is Zoro, a brutal swordsman that was being held captive by the son of a maritime chief, Helmeppo. Then, the second crewmate is officially Usopp since Nami used Luffy for her own purpose. Usopp is a boy that is always causing chaos telling lies to the people of the village. He has three boy friends who follow him on their adventures of making lies, making Usopp a real "pirate." In the city of Syrup, there is a girl named Kaya who is a young girl who lives in the largest mansion in the village and who has two butlers, one named Merry and one named Kuro. But Kuro is also introduced to the reader as the chief of the Black Cat Pirates. He intends to take over the city but Usopp discovers the plans from behind and tries to stop him but as Usopp is already recognized as a liar, the villagers do not believe him and therefore only Luffy's crew is able to stop him. Luffy and his crew manage to contain the situation and rescue Kaya and the rest of the village, causing Usopp to join his crew and win an official boat they call Merry Go/Going Merry. The next arc of the story is the Baratie Arc. Since Kaya has given them a new ship, Luffy's crew tries to get a logo for the name of the pirates and the name they choose is Pirates of the Straw Hat (or "Mugiwara Pirates" / "Straw Hat Pirates"). Luffy and Usopp begin to experience the things that the boat offers them and end up accidentally firing a cannon at a ship that apparently passes through that area. The hunters attack back and Zoro recognizes that it is their fellow hunters, Johnny and Yosaku. The crew let Zoro's companions ship and Nami ends up healing her wounds. The crew quickly realizes they need a cook because it is very important not to die and to stay healthy in the middle of the sea, so the two hunters tell them about a floating ship that exists called Baratie. When they arrive, they enter a fight with a Marine called Fullbody and this one has to shoot a cannon but Luffy uses (once again) the skill of its fruit and sends back the cannon that had been fired, nevertheless it fails in the boat of the marines and Hits the floating boat, Baratie. While Luffy tries to arrange an alternative for the damage he has caused to the owner of the boat, Sanji comes on the scene. After Luffy defeats Krieg, Sanji ends up joining Luffy's crew (because his dream is to find All Blue) and the crew follows in a small boat towards the next adventure. The crew then keeps looking for Nami and the Merry Go. Johnny and Yosaku suspect she is going to Arlong Park because, by the time they were together at Merry Go, Nami kept looking at the wanted poster of Arlong, and moreover, there is nowhere else to go from that particular place in the middle of the sea. When Nami arrives near the big gates of Arlong Park, she sees a little boy who is trying to avenge his father's death. Right now, Nami gives him his stick upstairs and gives him money for him to go home and it is at this point that the reader is told that (actually) Nami is part of Arlong's crew. Usopp, Zoro, and Johnny arrive on the island but Zoro is left behind by the other two. Zoro ends up being caught by the pirates while Usopp is inconsistent with the boy from earlier and so Johnny is the only one who escapes. At the same time, Luffy, Sanji, and Yosuka are attacked by a sea cow but Luffy deals with the situation, using it to get to Arlong Park. Usopp wakes up at Nojiko's house, a village villager who quickly discovers that she is Nami's sister. At the same time, Zoro discovers that Nami works for Arlong as an official navigator, Nami's past is here discovered and so it is here that she discovers why what her goals are and why it is so difficult for her to be like this. Very briefly, Nami wants to save the village from the tyranny of Arlong and that for this, had the plan to raise enough money to buy the island to Arlong, making with the island was independent and that, finally, it did not have to do with the Arlong Park. The crew of Luffy enters the scene at the same time and before Arlong manages to identify who Luffy is, Luffy punches him with a brave punch by knocking him against one of the walls of his Arlong Park and is starting from this punch that begins The fight between the man-fish pirates and Luffy's crew. Eventually, Luffy wins and Nami decides (definitely) to join the Mugiwara as an official navigator. It is in the passage from Arlong Park to Loguetown that Luffy discovers that he had his head on the prize, thus worth 30 million Berries but he feels confident and happy even though Nami makes him see all the responsibility that is going to be to flee to the Marines not to be captured. The trudge decides that Loguetown is a good place to refuel some supplies and to get something to eat. Zoro decides to buy new swords since Mihawk has destroyed his old ones but inside the store, he encounters a familiar (or so he thinks), the crew separates and each one will buy things to his liking. This girl named Tashigi is extremely similar to her childhood friend, Kuina, and inside the store, she helps him choose some swords.
Meanwhile, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami decide to buy supplies for the boat and finally, Luffy decides to see the place where the king of pirates was executed, Gold D. Roger. Captain Smoker, a Marine, is informed of the situation and decides to execute Luffy before being involved. Nami foresees a storm soon and therefore prepares the ship ready for departure, Zoro and Sanji will save Luffy while Usopp stays with Nami in the boat. After the whole fuss, Luffy is miraculously released and flees to the Merry Go but Smoker chases him in his personalized speck. Eventually, Luffy and Sanji are saved by the Revolutionary leader, Dragon (who is an all-out figure), and they manage to escape along with the rest of the crew at Merry Go and that's how the crew sees their destiny, the Grand Line.

The East Blue Saga is a great start to the series and possibly one of the best sagas I've ever had the pleasure of collecting. The saga is slowly introducing characters as it develops small information about people previously revealed. It also has small cultural references as the concept of each character for each crew or from where came the idea of writing a story of pirates.
It is mainly the art that makes the manga, as the story is interconnected between the characters, the reading of the story is continuous and from there, it is simply impossible to stop reading. There are some things defined by Eiichiro Oda that I don't agree with, like Luffy's followed victories or Luffy's excessive protagonist during the saga, although I find normal the conviviality between the characters. However, I feel that Usopp or Sanji didn't have their 'zen' moment but I believe in its potential.

I recommend the East Blue saga to anyone who believes in Eiichiro Oda, One Piece and all the potential that the introduction story makes known to the reader.

Story: 8 | Art: 10 | Character: 9 | Enjoyment: 9
Score: 9

Personal Note: The actual manga volumes done by VIZ are my all-time favorite volumes and look awesome on the shelf and I personally love the shiny volumes which are almost exclusively to East Blue and Alabasta arcs, respectively.

This is my first review, and after 1000 great chapters I think it is time.

One Piece is in the top books ever written up there with the Bible, Torah, and Quran. Oda has some how been able to make these story for over 20 years and 1000 chapters never feel draw out or repetitive, he has been able to talk about racism, slavery, and world order, history, geography, anarchy, socialism, absolute justice, and more and disguise it as a manga about pirates. This is the best piece of fiction every written, and if all books were going to be burned and I could only chose one I would save One Piece over any other fiction or non-fiction book ever written. 100/10 best story ever.

CONTAINS ONE FAMOUS SPOILER AROUND CHAPTERS 550-600

First of all, I tip my hat to the genius Eiichiro Oda and his clever assistants for creating this on-going masterpiece. I can't believe we're 903 chapters in and still going strong without a drop in quality. That point is exactly why I think One Piece is the greatest long-running series of all time. Let me explain why:

A lot of people judge One Piece ostensibly and think of it as no more than a generic battle Shōnen, but they're wrong. I used to be the same. I judged it based on its childish art and thought it was a mere children's pirate story, but once I started it, I gradually got more and more interested in the series, and I would never have known it would be this sagaciously crafted piece of art. It truly awed me every time I underestimated it. I'd get more and more dumbfounded after each arc, and when I got caught up to the manga, I was amazed at how all this was laid out, even now.

One Piece is a pirate story in a nautical setting. It's about a 17-year-old boy aiming to be the King of the Pirates. Simple, right? I don't think so. That description is pretty underwhelming by all means for an enormous world as fleshed out as this. The intricately detailed world-building, from the unique and well-placed geography, the lively characters that occupy that geography, the profound backstories that make up who they are, the grounds on which they are afoot, the seas on which they sail, and to the dark history that encompasses the paradoxically lopsided universe of One Piece, is wholly splendorous. I believe the thing that One Piece emphasizes the most throughout what we've seen, the recurring theme of this series is none other than ... simple freedom, such is the protagonist's main goal. Freedom is an abstract concept. It is palpably deep, yet it's so simple. That very thought speaks volumes of the core that makes up Luffy, the man who aspires to be the Pirate King who is driven by his immense desire for freedom ... the very freedom that took his late brother's life away. One would think that would crush Luffy's inextinguishable enthusiasm towards attaining his final quest, yet it only added fuel to the fire. Luffy is inspired by the triumphs of the Pirate King, his potential predecessor, though he does not wish to follow in his footsteps. He is his own man; ironically, he does not want to be someone important either, nor does he think of himself as someone special. He simply sees becoming the Pirate King as the only way toward attaining true freedom. Luffy has vowed to return his treasured Straw Hat to its original owner, Shanks, only when he believes he is great enough to do so, and he has also vowed himself to his end goal.

One Piece's story is very well above the standards of a typical battle Shōnen story. It does not fall in the pit of discarding characters that could be of some use in the story, nor does it belittle the consequences of the critical decisions made by the Straw Hats or any other character. Defeat is a thing! It does not make light of character deaths, but it also isn't overly depressing. Happiness, love, and freedom can be starkly juxtaposed with bleak, depressing and disturbing themes at times. One Piece doesn't always take itself seriously, but when it does, you sense an uplifting and strong transition to a much more serious tone, and these sudden transitions can be one of the most satisfying things in the series. It tackles a lot of real-world problems that may or may not have come to pass, such as slavery, racism, oppression, corruption, poverty, sexism and even more. Every character gets its due exposure, and a lot of the characters have amazing character designs that add to their overall appeal. Character development is well-done, and it's appended into the story at the right times. The bonds of the Straw Hat crew and their interactions are an amazing sight to see. The more you read/watch this series, the more attached you get to them, and I mean: Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

One Piece also has an amazing surprise element that resonates with the many plot twists it has, and I think it does this best. The paneling is arguably the greatest in manga, even toppling Toriyama's exceptional skill at it, as far as I'm concerned. If you want eye candy, then Oda most certainly has one of the most bizarre, but keen understandings of aesthetics, and you won't go wrong with the art either since it's really consistent. A lot of the villains are written in a masterful manner with the exception of a few. The build-up is gradual, and the more you progress by reading this series, the more absorbed and engrossed you get. Every arc feels like it serves a purpose, and it's not just there for show. Oda does an amazing job by linking short-term storytelling with the long-term. The powers, the power-scaling, and the power-balance of the One Piece world feel spot-on. One Piece is also filled to the brim with subtle hints, hidden meanings, foreshadowing, parallels, symbolism, and it derives a lot of inspirations from Greek Mythology and other innumerable real-world myths, thusly becoming a godsend haven for anime theorists, and even though we have gotten a lot of revelations, we still have so many more things left to be uncovered.

Not many people acknowledge how extremely hard it is to maintain a long-term story, connect all the dots eventually, link the plot points, and keep the receiving audience interested. This story hasn't lost momentum and I doubt it ever will.

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching, Love like you'll never be hurt, Sing like there's nobody listening, And live like it's heaven on earth.” ― William W. Purkey

One Piece is about chasing after grand treasures while going up against the status quo, and it handles this differently compared to other series like Naruto, Bleach, Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan, etc. The biggest notable difference is that it does this through "laughter in the face of danger". In most other series, our characters just can't have comedy right in the middle of a fight against an antagonist because it'd ruin the tension and not fit within the gritty world/theme it wants to portray. One Piece manages to do both comedy and gritty tension, and this is what allows Oda to draw unique and interesting movements that surprise the reader and makes them laugh. If you're a confident person, you can handle jokes and have some self humility, but if you're un-confident, you smite down all attempts. A king sits on the throne with his back against the wall, with guards on either sides of him, because there he can't be stabbed. In truth, he holds a fixed image of himself that refuses to be vulnerable. The fool on the other hand, can play any role and is at the center of vulnerability.

In One Piece, our characters try to HAVE FUN along the way towards accomplishing their goals, which can be off putting to some because it seems like they're not taking it seriously, which is just not true because if you aren't having fun, you'll end up quitting, which is why our main characters ARE having fun, because it leads them to not want to quit. Their goals aren't an obligation to do for the greater good, not to get external validation, but to satisfy their internal ones. "The real world is not fun and games", is the point of view that gets pushed down to our characters and while other series has their characters trying to adapt to a cruel world, One Piece responds with, I don't care.

One Piece is just a blast to read, I couldn't stop flipping the pages when I was little because it just constantly had things moving as much as possible. Oda is immensely creative in surprising me and I'm just going to fanboy my thoughts to convey what i mean, so:

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

When Luffy got hypnotized by django and their plan backfired rofl.
When Luffy was fighting Crocodile, and nothing worked because all the punches went through him, and it just seemed like an impossible up hill battle, aojfagja0e9g, like HOW IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO WIN? I was on the edge of my seat(same with katakuri).
When Nami was fighting DoubleFinger, your weapon is fricken terrible lolol!
Sanjis wanted poster is a drawing of an actual person

...I really don't want to spoil more, so please find out for yourselves!

Overall One Piece is a fun comedic journey across a giant world with lots of inventive places and characters that are a joy to follow.

This is what gets me through the week. One Piece is easily my favorite comic in the current Weekly Jump. Unlike Bleach and Naruto, this shonen comic doesn't take its self too seriously and isn't afraid to kill off a character or two.

The characters have unique personalities. strange abilities and very obvious weaknesses. This creates dynamic relationships between characters that while reading will make you feel like you are apart of the crew.

Each of the story arcs are comfortably familiar to the last, but with a whole new cast of supporting characters. This keeps each adventure feeling fresh and new. The comedy is part of what makes this manga so great, a perfect blend of slapstick and manzai will keep you chuckling between the fight scenes.

One Piece isn't just a manga story about pirates. It's a true epic about the great pirate era, and the many events that took place during such a time. In all my time reading manga, I have never found a series that I've enjoyed nearly as much as One Piece.

The story is massive, yet simple. You wouldn't expect such a simple idea of a plot to become to grand and massive, but it does. What's more is unlike many other long time manga writers who have succumbed to the pressures of writing a long term series, One Piece doesn't fall flat on it's face. It's story has been very well thought out, to the point where it's writer knows exactly how it's going to end. It's just about getting there that makes the story fun. The story is just as fun and investing now as it always has been, and many will argue that it's even more investing now.

Many people critique One Piece's artwork for being too "outlandish" or "weird". However, it's style is exactly what makes the series so great. It's the very foundation it stands on. A manga where animals can talk if you don't say they can't, where attacks are stronger the bigger they are, and more. They are manga characters living in a cartoon world.

I have also found that it's artwork is what sets it apart from the lot. A problem that I've found with many manga is that they suffer from a form of "sameness". By that I mean many characters wouldn't look out of place in another series. Let's be honest here, a lot of manga look very similar in style. There are some unique styles in the bunch, but the majority look similar, if not the same. This is where One Piece steps in. Even in a sea of manga series, you'd immediately be able to pick out which series is One Piece, even if you've never seen it.

Additionally, speaking on the art itself rather than the art style, it can be very gorgeous. Shots of islands made up of pretty much anything you can imagine, and everywhere you can imagine. Imposing figures, imaginative character designs, and more. While it may not be the most visually intense or impressive, there is certainly a uniqueness to love in One Piece's art.

I will speak something on the art style, and a lot of people point to this to critique...the way many women are drawn. Often drawn with an exaggerated hourglass frame, may women are drawn to look...well, very sexually attractive. However, I believe a lot of people are just pointing to some examples of similar modeled characters, and trying to blow it out of proportion. Yes, there are women who are drawn to look attractive. However, there are also plenty of women with just as weird bodies as any of the men. Short and round, or massive and hulking. There are plenty. Additionally, I've found that many of the people arguing about the way women are drawn also never speak on how muscled the men are drawn, so there's a bit of hypocrisy there.

As for the characters, well, the characters is one of the biggest selling points of the manga. Even with 600+ characters, so many of them are unforgettable thanks to either their crazy powers, their unique quirks, or the amount of time and effort the series puts into them. One Piece has the most lovable main cast I've ever seen. Not just in Shone Jump, but in all of manga. Each of them are so unique, respectable, and what's more is that they're all necessary to the series in some way, or to characters within the series. They all depend on each other. This is all that I will write on this, otherwise I risk getting into spoiler territory by writing examples of great characters. But truly, One Piece has some of the best characters in all of Shonen Jump.

My enjoyment? I've never enjoyed a series more. Everything is incredibly spot on. Whether it be the story, artwork, characters, or anything else. And whenever there's an arc that may feel slower or lacking, it doesn't last too long, and soon you're heading to the next island, that promises so much more fun and adventure.

Overall, One Piece is a series that any Shonen Jump fan should check out. This manga is absolutely brilliant, and always seems to be thinking not about how the arc will end, but how the arc will tie into the next one, and how that will tie into the world as a whole, and the story's ending. However, I am ranking it a "9" instead of a "10", since it's not over yet. Still, from what's been written so far, I believe it's the best that Shonen Jump has to offer.

First of all sorry for bad english this is not my home language

I know One Piece for like 10 years, thinking it was something like Naruto or Bleach level of comics (comics that are kind of meh to me). I just finish the pre timeskip without almost any spoiler (just knowing all the strawhat crew and that luffy father is alive), reading the manga and seeing the epic scenes in youtube and i can almost be certain that this is one of my favourite fictions of all time...
One Piece is emotional rollercoaster definition in dictionary. in almost 600 chapters i laughed a lot, be amazed at some panels, cried of sadness, cried of joy and not gonna lie being bored at sometimes, but all in all without a doubt loving this manga a lot.


Story 8.5/10

Almost 600 chapters without knowing almost nothing about the main plot can be a symptom of the series being dragged on, but One Piece is not the case because is not about finding the One Piece, is about the adventure... One Piece story is a summary of sagas, from east blue to summit war (at least the one i just finish) that gives hints about the main plot.
In each arc there is a main plot, now the problem with this is there are arcs that for me are better than other ones, but at least all (maybe except thriller bark) are good at their own thing. The problem with the story is that is very visible that this is a shonen manga more in the side of kids with childish humour and some battles, instead for example Hunter x Hunter that is more in the side of adults, so for people that are searching for complex and detailed series this is not your cup of tea.
I give it an 8.5 because while one piece give me some of my favourites sagas of all time like Summit War or Water 7, it also gave me sagas that i didn't like very much like Thriller Bark.


Art 8.5/10

I don't read manga a lot, but i had read JoJo part 7 that is my 10 in art, so judging by that base and the base that this is a weekly manga that is going on for 20 years and counting the art is really good, the draws are very good and the epic or emotional panels really gives emotions, the only problem i see in the art is that some battles are kind of confusing in black and white (i had to see them in colour to understand them)


Characters 10/10

One piece has the best cast of characters i ever saw, almost all of them are extremely charismatic in their own way, from Shanks and his crew to the fighters of Marineford all of them has their charm... is a fact that in this manga there isn't almost character growth because like i said earlier this series lacks complexity, but really anyone cares about character development when you have a cast like this one? Franky is my favourite strawhat and Ace or Shirohige or Kizaru or Hancock or Kurohige or Bon Clay or Doflamingo or... i can't decide one at the moment... is that good.


Enjoyment 11/10

The most emotional anime/manga series i witnessed. I laughed a lot by their humour (but sometimes don't like gags that are really too childish, but that's a problem of my age not a problem of the series), cried of sadness, cried of joy, cried AT AN OPENING, being amazed at plot twist, being amazed at epic scenes or fights, being amazed at nothing because nothing happened at that time. sometimes i didn't like some things like the giants arc or the beginning of skypea but is like 1/25 of the chapters i read that i didn't like... One piece is pure enjoyment if this is you cup of tea.


Overall 9/10

Is mindblowing that people compare this with Naruto or Bleach... i understand that this is not a series for anyone (like every other series) but this is to put the very least a very great manga until this point and a serious contender to Hunter x Hunter for being the best shonen. Hunter x Hunter is the goat serious shonen... this is the goat heartful shonen.

One Piece goes with JoJo Part 7 and Hunter x Hunter as my favourites anime/manga

EDIT: in the day with the manga, 900 chapters with lots of emotion, hype, unsolved history, worldbuilding, interesting and charimastic characters, humour, sad and joyful moments, epic battles, epic speeches... yup as a whole this is the best shonen history bar none, the funny thing is that according to oda the last past of the series are going to be the best one and make marineford look like a filler. I really dont know how he are going to do this but if i learned something with 4 months reading one piece is believe in oda, one piece exist... and is a god tier manga

I'm not sure how to explain One Piece, you will always see fighting amongst the Big Three fans over whose is best, so I won't pick favorites here it really depends what you are looking for. If you are looking for pure on battle manga which is filled with the greatest ever fights, than Naruto and Bleach may be of better quality to you then One Piece, this is not to say One Piece doesn't have good fights, it's just not what the emphasis of the manga is on.

Instead One Piece emphasizes adventure and story. On the adventure criteria One Piece is the standard, the environments are diverse and detailed, the art style is quirky yet approachable, and the characters fit to the same descriptors. There is a lot of hype about the One Piece story (and some criticism on this is justified) but One Piece is very, very well done especially considering for how long this series has been going. I realize my review says I am at Manga 99 right now, but I have watched the anime further than this, and read some of the most recent chapters on the Dressrosa Arc and the quality of the writing is so much more developed and interesting than it was when it first started. That is saying a lot!!! Many complain about it's length, and perhaps this is justified - especially for those with short attention spans. However, I also have a very short attention span and usually can't sit through 30 minutes of any movie but I managed to get into One Piece.

I do attribute that though to where I was introduced to the anime as a kid which was in the Arlong Park arc, which intrigued me into finding out more about the series. For people looking to pick up One Piece, I do think the earliest arcs (up to the first 7 volumes) are nothing special and can be a bit boring, Arlong Park has the reputation of being where most of the readers to One Piece get hooked, and the story becomes far better from there on out. If you are looking to pick up this manga you may have to suffer through the first arcs to get to Arlong Park arc, if you don't like Arlong Park arc than this may be a signal that One Piece is not for you!!!

Overall, a light-hearted, fun, yet sometimes very serious manga that is a pleasure to read! If you love immerse worlds, adventure and story then One Piece is probably your manga.

I just don't see what makes One Piece revered as the greatest shounen manga of all time. I just don't. The characters are one-note caricatures with little to no development, the fights aren't particularly well thought out or interesting, and every arc plays out the same way so that, as you read further and further, you can predict the general direction of what happens.

However, I still found myself having some enjoyment of the series, although this enjoyment is now short lived as I've become used to the 'One Piece formula' and can't stand reading another arc that rehashes it. Which is why I probably won't be continuing with the series

Story: 6/10. Honestly the core of the series is pretty standard for a shounen: attaining a goal that requires a long journey. And for a while, that journey was interesting. The world-building was great, and arguably remains good, and early arcs really had a sense of urgency and merit. I felt like the characters were going to go somewhere. Yet as I read further and further, despite the occasional good arc or two, I was just given a bunch of empty promises and an empty crew.

Art: 3/10. I hate the art design of one piece. It's nonsensical and I can't take any of the situations seriously. I prefer the minimalist art of Togashi to this outlandish art.

Character: 4/10. Uninteresting. I feel so apathetic to every character, which is strange because usually I either love or hate a character. Yet every character in this show besides some villains are so one-note and forgettable (even among the main crew) that I just don't care.

Enjoyment: 7/10. This 'enjoyment' really only stems for the first 50 or 60 volumes. After that it's pretty much a 2-3/10 for me. But before that, the OP world was really interesting and there were some BANGER arcs. There were times where I quit the series out of boredom, but there were also times I read an arc in a day because it was just that good. Unfortunately, the story so far has been nothing but below mediocre for me.

Overall: 6/10. OP is a good time pass but you'll probably forget most of what you read because the story and characters are forgettable. Nothing in this series sticks with me except for some occasional moments.

I'm not trying to be at all objective with this review, as I have grown up reading this manga, so it's inevitable that my partiality is going to shine through just a bit. Well, more than a bit. My "review" is, more or less, a praise bonanza.

One Piece has been a part of my life for a long time, now. It was only the second manga I ever caught up to so to speak, and it's been going on for so long that it's damn near impossible for me to write a proper review for for the series. There have been so many arcs that I don't even know where to begin, and, truth be told, the storyline has never truly been what drives me to continue looking forward to new chapters week after week, anyway.

What makes One Piece truly special to me is it's light hearted characters, fun sense of adventure, and humour. Few Manga have been able to invoke audible laughter from me, and One Piece is on that list. With the exception of the Impel Down and Marine Ford arcs, the series seldom loses sight of these elements.

Another especially notable aspect of the series is it's characters. There are a wealth of stand-out characters in One Piece. Not only are almost all of them unique and peculiar in their own ways, but each and every one of them is fleshed out over the course of the various arcs. By the time I'd caught up to the weekly releases, Luffy's crew, and even a surprising number of the side characters, had begun to feel like old friends, and that "bond" has only grown stronger over the years.

Furthermore, One Piece's artwork is uniquely stylistic, and aids the overall light hearted feel of the manga brilliantly. The backgrounds are nicely fleshed out. The various islands the crew visits throughout the series are uniquely themed. The characters who inhabit them, almost without fail, have their own quirky traits to coincide with the crazy lands they live in.

Character design is an area in which One Piece both excels and fails. In the early chapters, it is sometimes difficult to tell some of the characters apart. This is a problem many manga seem to have, especially when it comes to female characters. A chief example of this is Vivi, Nami, and Kaya; Without the aide of unique hair colours to tell them apart, they look nearly identical. Later chapters more or less rectify this fault, though, as the new character designs begin to look more fantastic, even as the art style grows more realistic.

One Piece receives a great deal of hate from certain Anime fans, some of it deservedly so. It is most certainly not a series that everyone can enjoy, but, if you're looking for a fun, quirky series, and you don't mind a few Shounen clichés, I would highly recommend that you at least give it a chance.

Overall, reading this series has been an almost entirely positive experience for me. That's not to say that it hasn't had it's low moments, but the highs far outweigh the lows in this grand adventure. I have yet to find another anime or manga that embodies the spirit of kinship and adventure in quite the same way as One Piece. This is a series that, to me, will never grow old.

one piece ... the manga is very good, only some old bows and sleeves have aged very badly and are very boring, I liked it when I read it for the first time but when I try to read it again I realize that there are many not He likes to read it since it is somewhat boring and slow, lately it is good although it continues with that effect that to put suspense increases some parts that are very fomes or do not take out the full potential of the characters to occupy them in the next but when doing that Now it will only make that in the future when I occupy it they say oooohhh I take it out of nowhere, at which moment it became so strong, like for example Sanji, with the big mom arc they only made him look much more devil, even that this arc of wano looks good he keeps doing that, causing kaido to look uncomfortable when he transforms into a dragon and cannot move, only that is the bad, characters, designs, almost everything is very good, you have to give it a try and after a time catches you, although that is long it's good, more time to read and watch it.