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Alternative Titles

Japanese: ONE PIECE

Information

Type: Manga

Volumes: Unknown

Chapters: Unknown

Status: Publishing

Published: Jul 22, 1997 to ?

Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Demographic: Shounen

Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

Authors: Oda, Eiichiro (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 9.22¹ (scored by 377,793 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #4²

² based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3

Members: 617,600

Favorites: 117,208

Available At

@Eiichiro_Staff

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Reviews

Filtered Results: 199 / 217

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Previous - More Reviews

Apr 9, 2021

Mikasa

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (933/? chp)

The way to success is consistent mediocrity.

One Piece is a manga that embodies the idea of 'comfort fiction,' a long quasi-episodic repition of events with the same characters.

The best thing about one piece in one has to be: familiary

Mind you, this is not a bad thing. Comfort fiction is an important part of life. It helps us wind down without having to worry too much, and is good for our mental health.

But one can wonder if the series could have become more had it taken more risks and had a proper plot to follow.

OP plays out like an arcade game. Same conflict over and ...

Jan 13, 2019

victor_s

Recommended

Preliminary (929/? chp)

One piece is one of the most well thought manga i have ever seen!

One piece does a great job in delivering the manga to all audience in my opinion. As an evidence, one piece become the highest grossing manga in the world. As a shonen story, one piece gives a dream, fulfillment, and enjoyment to every audience as it packs a lot of funny, emotional, and cool epic actions. One piece also shows a diverse backgrounds (places) and characters of the people and places (each people are different and some of them have unique personality).

In the other sides, while not emphasized, one piece also ...

Mar 20, 2019

TheFlier

Not Recommended

Preliminary (900/? chp)

One Piece is not a very good manga, and I highly suggest not reading it if you haven't started already. I also think Eichiro Oda is a mediocre writer. It's nothing but a waste of time and energy.

The story is very generic. The story is about a group of pirates that want to get treasure, and the main character wants to become "Pirate King". The story isn't interesting in the slightest, but that's not the only bad part. The plot in One Piece is formulaic, and can get boring really fast. Every single arc is essentially the same thing repeated over and over again ... ad nauseam. It got boring real fast.

The characters aren't very good either. Almost all of the characters are one dimensional and have absolutely no redeeming qualities. Luffy is the most basic shounen protagonist I've seen in any anime/manga. There is no character development to be found in One Piece. None whatsoever. Usopp is still a coward even though the manga is more than 900 chapters. Luffy is still being a bad captain as always. Infact, there's more character regression than development. Anytime Usopp does something brave, it wouldn't matter because next second he goes back to being a coward. Anytime Luffy acts like a captain, it doesn't matter because he'll be acting like an idiot soon. The characters and their relationships never change at all. They behave the same way they did back in chapter 1, therefore I don't find any of them interesting.

The characters become even worse after the time skip. Almost all of the characters are extremely underwhelming after the timeskip. Characters like Robin, Chopper, Zoro, etc. All of these characters are always in the background for the majority of post time skip. There's even an arc in which half the straw hats aren't even on the island for over 100 chapters. That's absolutely ridiculous.

Speaking about arcs, One Piece doesn't have any good arcs. Well I'd say Water 7 is a decent arc, but anything besides that is typical shounen garbage. As I said before, every arc feels the exact same. The crew goes to an island, befriends pepople, find out that bad guys are there, beat bad guys, and then go to another island. This is pretty much the entirety of One Piece. Now of course there are some arcs that are different, but most of the arcs follow that structure. Arcs like Alabasta, Skypiea, Thriller Bark, Fishman, Arlong Park, etc. There's just too many to name!

I'm sure everyone already knows this, but One Piece has awful pacing. Every single arc is dragged out to the point where it just becomes boring to read. Even the shorter arcs like the Baratie have awful pacing. That's just oe of the many reasons why I consider Eichiro Oda to be a mediocre writer. He's just not capable of making an arc with good pacing! I can't think of one One Piece arc with good pacing.

The fights in One Piece are very bad. They're just the typical shounen fights with two people punching each other around. The only good fight in One Piece was Luffy vs Usopp, because it wasn't just two people smacking each other around. That was the only One Piece fight that I actually enjoyed watching. The rest are absolutely awful. Almost every single fight involves the use of plot armor and asspulls. Well, at least the fights in the manga aren't nearly as bad as the anime. Either way, One Piece has poorly choreographed fights in genral. They're also dragged out for like 20 chapters.

One Piece has one of the worst art styles I've ever seen. The art just looks extremely childish and silly. The characters are drawn to be so hideous, and I have no idea why. Drawing hideous characters doesn't make your art style interesting Oda.

I just didn't enjoy reading One Piece at all. The characters are all underdeveloped and generic, the story is very childish and basic, and the art style is bad. One Piece literally has every cliche in the book. I'll still be reading it though, just to see if it gets better.

Dec 9, 2016

butthurtbrigade

Not Recommended

Preliminary (260/? chp)

I think I gave it a fair run, I got deep in the Skypiea arc but I just stopped caring so had to drop it. It's a shame because it did have moments where it intrigued me like the whole seven pirate gods and world government but the Straw Hats get distracted and go off on these side adventures and they sometimes last hundreds of pages.

The majority of the arcs have the same structure where Luffy goes to a new town or island, beats up the local villain and moves on. A couple of arcs did this differently and were the better ones but it ...

Jun 4, 2015

ironace

Recommended

Preliminary (789/? chp)

One of the most popular manga out there, one piece is definitely a piece of wonder. Sure, it has a few faults, but are they enough to to bash it? I'm not so sure I'll explain why.

STORY=8
Its story is quite simple, a boy named Monkey D Luffy wants to become the pirate king, and he goes on a journey seeking adventure and new crew members. It's not definitely bad, but people are now criticizing its 'repeated' story arcs. They reach a new island, see its culture etc. and then find out that this island is not as peaceful as it seems to be as the ... are ruled by a dictator like antagonist, the crew gets split and in the end the enemy ends up with a beaten up face. BUT, heres my problem, aren't there many mangas that have repeated story lines? (even though they are not shonen, en example of diamond dust and Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso will be an elaborate one) It does not matter that the story is repeated one, what matters is its execution, of which one piece is a master. The arcs are different in every aspect except for their basic plot.
Another problem is that people are saying that one piece post-time-skip is of lower quality, is strongly disagree with this statement. One piece has always been a manga that has gone up and down for me. I loved Alabasta and Jaya arc, hated skypiea, liked enis lobby arc, disliked Thriller bark, and was blown away by marineford and dressrosa arcs. So no one can say that it is worse then before. And one needs to remember that Oda is building up the second part for another big war. Just like before the time skip. I'm quite sure that it will be better the marinefore. So patience is virtue.

CHARACTERS=9
Oda uses his ultimate move to bring color to his characters, flashback, a move very few people pay heed to. It gives great depth to his characters and ,to be honest, I was moved to tears by Nami's and Robin's as well as Luffy's flashback. And through these flashbacks, secondary characters are also brought to life.
One piece has its fair share of characters that people love and hate.And most of them are diverse in their characters. The most unusual of the pack are made Straw-hat's cre members. I mostly enjoy Luffy's nakama's personalities ( with honorary mention to Robin's , Chopper, Sanji, Usopp, and Luffy ). And then there are people like Enel and Spandam as well that I absouletl despise. Even Blackbeard is an interesting character.

ART=8
One of the many reasons why one piece has not reached world domination is because a lot of people are swayed from reading it due to it's art, which they have termed as 'childish'. I have seen other mangakas draw Sanji, and to be honest, I really do not think that they will give me the same feel to the manga. Deal with it, this art is perfert for one piece.

ENJOYMENT=9
It is the type of manga where it will be more fun and emotional if you read at least 5 chapters together, other wise the pace will kill you. It is one hell of a good read, lets hope that it does not become retarded like it's brothers. (Naruto and Bleach)

OVERALL=8
It can be frustrating at times but I'm quite sure that it will always keep you interested.

May 11, 2020

Sanctuary_7

Not Recommended

Preliminary (262/? chp)

Given how popular the series is, I really expected more from it.

Thus far 250+ chapters in, the story arcs is very much like sitcom episodes in that everything resets in the end: every visited island are so remote and alien from one other that the events in previous arcs don't make any sort of satisfying connection with future arcs. you get a new crewmember joining each arc, but every member remains relatively stagnant and unchanged with each arc (happy-go-lucky idiot captain remains happy-go-lucky idiot, directionally-challenged swordsman..., money grubbing navigator..., casanova wanabe chef..., etc). The long-nosed sniper apparently becomes competent later on, but I'm not one ...

Feb 4, 2024

GuiltyLilty

Not Recommended

Funny

Well-written

Preliminary (513/? chp)

I approached One Piece optimistically. A friend was eager for me to get into it. There's no shortage of rave reviews for it online. I heard time and time again that Oda was an exceptional world-builder. I don't read all of the big shonen mangas, but I know I love a couple of series within the genre, so I had no reservations about the format. I was excited to see what all the hype was about. After reading 500+ chapters, I've dropped the series. I likely would have dropped it earlier if my friend hadn't urged me to make it to later arcs where it ... "gets good." Needless to say, I'm not a fan.

The story kicks off well enough. Characters are colorful, the tone is light, there's a charm to its old-timey seaside aesthetic, and the fantastical elements are intriguing. I imagine most readers would be propelled to read further as they're promised a grand adventure in distant lands, where great dangers, unfathomable sights, and the ultimate treasures await the crew.

From that point on, I'd sum up my experience as slowly realizing that the story has no real intentions of progressing beyond its initial setup. The formula of OP's arcs described in others' reviews is accurate. It's reused again and again without any real twists or turns in the major plot. I know it's technically a serialized manga, but I find OP's story most comparable to episodes of a show like Scooby Doo. In a Scooby Doo episode, you know what you're getting: The gang visits a new town, investigates clues, confronts the monster, and solves the mystery. They get split up at some point, Shaggy gets scared, Velma loses her glasses, etc. Reusing a formula isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I found that OP's characters and the dynamics between them weren't strong enough to entertain me for hundreds of chapters and dozens of repetitive arcs. Their shticks grew stale. Nothing they do is exceptionally funny, badass, or touching. It's all serviceable until it isn't.

The big difference between OP and something like Scooby Doo is that OP props up the illusion that a larger plot is progressing. Yes, certain things in OP change permanently, but almost never in a way that changes the course of the crew's adventure. There's a reliance on manufactured milestones (e.g., Grand Line, Shichibukai, the crew's bounty). At the end of arcs, Oda will maybe drip feed the audience some lore or give a character a new power. This is the illusion of change. It's all a carrot on a stick—an RPG grind. It crosses the line between keeping the audience hooked and stringing them along, intentionally tricking them. It truly felt cynical.

The praise for OP's world-building genuinely confuses me. Yes, there's a lot of stuff in its world—a lot of characters, species, apparel, tech, etc. Still, most additions to the world aren't pieces of a larger puzzle. The inclusion of giants, sentient frogs, and zombies are all inconsequential. Non-human species simply act like humans. A big, mountable duck is functionally just a horse. These aren't bad things; they're just not really examples of world-building. It's set dressing. I bring this all up because the praise of OP's world-building was what convinced me to check it out. 1000+ chapters was nearly flipped into a selling point—imagine how rich, complex, and interconnected a world could be built in a series with that chapter count! In reality, the world is very simple. There's some factions, some history, some key locations—nothing I couldn't explain to someone in a couple of minutes. That gargantuan chapter count is instead largely spent telling the same, self-isolated story on one-off islands.

As I've seen other reviewers criticize, characters never die in OP. It's not that characters need to die for a story to be good. What's bothersome about OP is that it constantly sets up "life and death" stakes as its source of tension. Once a reader catches on to the fact that Oda is not willing to kill a character, subsequent battles are understood as simply going through the motions, getting from A to B (sometimes I could at least appreciate the fight choreography or some visual spectacle, but OP doesn't excel in these categories). There's no worry that a character will be lost, devastating those close to them and changing the course of the crew's plans. That brings me to another issue with OP's stakes. I've seen some people point out that there's no romance in OP. I think, more generally, the problem is that no characters share close bonds. Part of what's exciting about strong relationships between characters is that something stands to be lost. The OP crew, on the other hand, feels sterile—their character sheets would state that they'd do anything for each other, but I never felt that that connection was earned or believable. There's a distance between them. They each do their own thing and are never truly changed by one another. I can't imagine the death of one crew member affecting the rest of the crew in any significant, long-term way. Without real stakes, tension and excitement were elusive feelings throughout my reading of OP.

I don't knock any points off for OP's art. I think Oda is a good artist. He's not a master, but I'm not expecting that from everything I read. My most negative opinion surrounding the subject has to do with his character design sensibilities. I think OP was visually strongest in the beginning. Oda kept characters looking simple, which there's a charm and memorability to. As the crew gets farther in their adventures, they come across wackier or more powerful characters. Oda often misses the mark in portraying these characters as bizarre, godly, fashionable, badass, or whatever else. Their body types and/or outfits can be described as garish. So, I wasn't liking where that trend was headed at the time I stopped reading.

Ultimately, I feel burned by this series. I don't believe it has respect for the reader's time. It's artificially lengthened: In a later arc, Luffy is offered the location of the One Piece (the ultimate treasure), and he declines because "What's the fun in that?!" At some point, it's all too evident that OP does not continue because it needs more time to express certain messages, wrap up a complex plot, illustrate a strong character arc, etc. It continues because it makes money. I'm usually not the person to bring that up, but the thought became hard to ignore while reading something so bloated and meandering.

Ironically, OP is devoid of adventure—something it claims to be all about. Its arcs are predictable. There are no real stakes or sacrifices. There aren't strong bonds made. The plot doesn't take surprising turns. I can't describe OP as a story with real heart, joy, or impact.

If you love the OP crew and like seeing them do their thing on playfully themed islands, then I understand having a positive opinion of the series. I would just disagree with claims that the appeal of OP amounts to much more than that. I know I've only read about half of the series, but I think I've given it more than enough chances to prove itself. Thanks for reading.

Mar 25, 2011

Riffs

Recommended

Preliminary (617/? chp)

One Piece is a legendary manga. Known for its absolutely crazy fans and forums, people often chalk One Piece up to be all hype and no substance. I know people who didn't want to try it because the artwork didn't appeal to them or they didn't want to go through the 300+ chapters that it would take to catch up. Most of the people who were initially hesitant to read One Piece fell in love with it right at the second major arc.

Of the 'Big Three,' One Piece was the last I started with and I wish that I had started it earlier. Ridiculously ...

Jan 27, 2011

johnnysrabu

Recommended

Preliminary (611/? chp)

One piece has gathered a lot of hype in the last few years, and i have heard many sceptical views of its rising popularity. But regardless of your view, the sheer number of manga being sold suggest that there is something which differentiates this series from others. Personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series, regardless of my general dislike of shounen manga.

Story: at the start of the series, the storyline is quite basic and a little cliche. There is the main character who gathers friends and sets off on an adventure, fighting a series of bad guys along the way. While the story is ... still exciting and enjoyable, it is understandable why many drop this series after reading the first 100 chapters or so, as it is almost underwhelming in the scheme of things. Oda also writes very long winded stories which may seem to drag on a little. However, if you power through, the plot which Oda has woven gains complexity and depth and somehow manages to move away from the typical shounen manga cliches. Each arc still has the typical structure of the main characters overcoming a group of enemies, but is far from typical in the originality of the world Oda has created and the underlying plot which strings each story together. One piece is not just about epic adventures, becoming stronger and battling pirates, but is centered around the key themes of friendship and dreams, ideas which are displayed liberally throughout the series.

overall, the story is one big epic adventure, an emotional roller coaster riddled with delightful humor, friendship, quirky characters, action and a surprising amount of depth.

Art: Oda's style is not something I would normally like at all, and it can be described as an acquired taste. Personally, I am usually guilty of picking manga by the style of art rather than story. Despite this, I have come to genuinely enjoy the art of One piece. If you like the style, great. If it is not you cup of tea, as you read, the story and characters will make up for the drawings. I think it would be a shame to miss out on this series because of the 'unusual' art style. Once I had started reading I found that I began to view the art as delightfully quirky and perfectly fitting for the story.

Character: My favorite part on one piece would have to be the characters. The nine main characters are intensely diverse and quirky, yet somehow manage to fit together and compliment each other. Each has a very strong personality and unique past, designed in detail down to their habits and ticks. Their crew is odd to say the least, but the three dimensional characters and the dynamics between them make one piece stand out as a quality piece of work.
In addition to the main characters, each and every enemy or subcharacter is almost equally quirky and unique. Every character of this series is odd and three dimensional, adding to the humor, quality and general feel of one piece. Character design is one of Oda's strong points.

Enjoyment: One piece is a series which can be enjoyed by anyone. Oda has created a world of pirates which is very unique and highly entertaining. The characters are spectacular, the story exciting and action packed and the message one of chasing dreams and true friendship. The entire series is wonderfully hilarious, riddled with just enough humor unique to one piece. It is a series that will make you smile, laugh, tense and cry, while taking you on an epic adventure.

Overall, one piece is a very good series once you get into it. It is well balanced for most of the part, though some parts are a little long. It is my favorite manga, even though i don't like shounen manga. (chapter 450/500 onwards is so good!)

The most unfortunate thing about this series is that so much is lost when it is translated. Oda portrays characters largely through dialogue, almost all of which is lost in translation. The language and its nuance is so vital to characters and story and it is almost depressing how little makes it into the translated versions. Most unfortunate is the loss of the humor. While still funny in english, Oda's humor does not translate well at all. The uniquely Japanese humor, the style of boke and tsukkomi, nuances and tempo can not really be translated or sometimes appreciated in english. Having tried to read it in english, I gave up very quickly. It is a shame if you can not read Japanese or do not know the culture very well because a ridiculous amount is lost in translation. One piece really is 10000000X better in Japanese

Jun 17, 2020

YaAAbu

Not Recommended

Preliminary (982/? chp)

the reality : zero
the progress of the story : Zero
the development of the character : BIG Zeeeeeeeeeeero

it was nice story at the beginning but not more
in the world of pirates , a world with many fights and killing ,the strong kill the weak however during 1000 chapters there are only 2 death for side character, really realistic man. the fist that destroy entire building and the sword that cut steels didn't kill anyone during all that "legendary" fights maybe because cut steels made of butter , actually the pirates who supposed to steal kill and spread the fear are ...

Jul 19, 2023

GrandioseHD

Recommended

Preliminary (1061/? chp)

The whole thing is about revolution, can't get more based than that. People who say One Piece is overrated are cretins incapable of understanding media on any level beyond pretty colors and cool noises. It is a long read, but entirely worth it for the narrative pay-offs of later chapters. I also appreciate its comedic style. The character's abilities are no less absurd than those of any other shounen manga, but with the comedic elements they make sense and work. Lesser shounen fail due to their strict seriousness, One Piece succeeds in its unabashed absurdity. One Piece is a breath of fresh air in a ...

May 9, 2020

OuKi971

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (500/? chp)

Story: 5/10. I have to say, the overarching metaplot of One Piece is actually quite interesting, and each arc contributes to adding another piece into the puzzle to allow the reader a deeper view into the world and end-goal of OP. Unfortunately, that interesting plot is hampered by abhorrent pacing. Not to mention the repetitive formula that is employed 90% of the time: sail to an island -> find the people are oppressed -> crew fights main bad -> some character has a dramatic backstory -> crew wins and saves the day -> rinse and repeat.

Some will say "formulaic is fine because there's a ... ton of different elements behind that formula". No, not really. If you read a single One Piece arc you'll know how all of them go 70% of the time. The other 20% might be changing how the side characters look, or changing the locale, but it's more or less the same. Moreover, there's no variety in how these situations play out; it will always end with a climax of the strawhats getting separated in some way, the minor ones fighting the minor villains and Luffy fighting the main bad and (probably) winning, and if he doesn't win the first time, he'll win in the near future after some deus ex machina powerup. It's a shame because if One Piece actually dried to diversify its arcs and not have them play out the same way every single time, it could easily skyrocket in quality.

The other 10% of the time is the actually interesting backstories we get, but they don't really add value because the character who gets the backstory ends up becoming a bland set piece as soon as the arc is over.

Art: 7/10. Oda is clearly a good artist, but the art style itself doesn't resonate well with me. I find it goofy and hard to take seriously.

Character: 2/10. I find the characters of OP unfortunately bland. They have moments in the spotlight, and each one typically gets an arc in which they're the main focus and get to shine. Outside of that arc, however, they are just a caricature of 1-2 personality traits; one likes to flirt with women and cook, the other likes to just lounge around and say a cool line once in a while, etc.

Moreover, once I was like 200 chapters deep into this series I realized, these characters don't change or offer anything interesting at all. I've read 30 chapters of manga with more character depth, exploration and nuance than these guys. None of them are memorable, charismatic or interesting in any way. Around 400 chapters in is when maybe ONE character got some interesting development, but then again...when it takes 2x some other manga's runtime to stuff some barebones depth, you're doing something wrong and your manga is bloated to all hell.

Enjoyment: 5/10. It was ok. I really only enjoyed a handful of arcs out of the 500+ chapters I read. I'd say the best were Arlong Park, Skypiea and Water 7. But it never captivated me like it seems to do with everyone, so I know I'm in the minority. Perhaps it's because I didn't grow up with the series and don't have those rose tinted glasses.

Overall: 5/10. One Piece is one of the most mediocre shounen I have ever read. It has tons of potential: great art, coherent and expansive world-building, and a very consistent passion behind the series that has persisted for decades upon decades. However, it really holds itself back with shallow, static characters, a repetitive formula that has lost its luster and an unfortunate tendency to always play it safe.

Jan 25, 2011

The513Cyclone

Recommended

Preliminary (611/? chp)

One Piece is the most successful manga in the history of Japan for a reason. It has been going strong for over a decade now and seems to be only hitting its peak. As shonen manga goes, One Piece far and beyond surpasses the likes of similar titles such as Bleach and Nauto in my personal opinion, and it mostly has to do with the characters.

One Piece has some of the best characters in a manga. Each of them gets a heartfelt and tragic story arc in which we get to see their past and the tragedy that of them had to go through. ...

Aug 16, 2023

freudentraenen

Mixed Feelings

Funny

Preliminary (1190/? chp)

One Piece is a masterpiece, but as much is it a slow starter.
I didn´t enjoy the first 200 Chapter of this Manga at it all, after this it gets much better with the Water 7 saga starting at Chapter 322(if you skip Long Ring Long Land, what you really should as it is one of the worst arcs in manga history) Water 7 is a masterpiece and for me it was the Saga were I finally thought that not having dropped OP earlier was the right choice,but...
Then comes Thriller Bark, it isn´t nearly as bad as the arc mentioned before, but especially after this ...

Apr 19, 2021

moumen

Not Recommended

Preliminary (1010/? chp)

I'm actually trying to understand why this manga in the top three.

1010 chapters of non-since structure. repeated scenarios and ambiguous power in addition to bad character development like any other normal manga (low-rated manga).

From the beginning up to the now, the same scenario where Luffy loses the fight and wakes up to beat his enemy, how many times this scenario has been repeated?

1010 chapters contain disgusting character development, going into each chapter and hoping that this chapter will increase something in rating criteria, but unfortunately, nothing changes.

Creating many characters that will make the reader happy, because when one piece fan joins any anime discussion he ...

May 31, 2021

Doofenheimer

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (1014/? chp)

After dedicating 3 months of my life to catching up to this behemoth of a show, I feel obligated to say something about my journey. Was it worth it? To be able to tell people that I've caught up to One Piece, yes. Was it worth it in terms of the story and plot? Eh. One Piece really needs no introduction to the anime scene and I heard about it years before taking the plunge and reading over 1000 chapters. Everyone around me always talked on and on about Whitebeard this, Wano that, and I guess you could say I wanted a taste of that ...

Mar 13, 2014

N201_ASYLUM

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/? chp)

I think we’re all familiar with what a fantastic adventure epic that One Piece is. Oda has created a world that is so brilliantly imaginative and exciting that I can almost confidently say that no other mangaka will come close to matching or surpassing what he has done. One Piece will make you laugh, cry, smile along with all the characters; it will make you feel like living in their world. I won’t review the plot or the battles and such, since that has already been comprehensively well-done by other reviewers, but I just wanted to share one aspect of One Piece that will always ...

Feb 21, 2011

AnimeloverYori

Recommended

Preliminary (500/? chp)

One Piece is a beautiful, beautiful manga; however, many people overlook it because it stands in the "Big Three" manga, which are highly criticized.
I admit, I did NOT like One Piece at first, and it bored me to tears at points. That was about 4 years ago, when I still did not have a full grasp on the struggles life had to offer me. I resumed OP around 2 months ago, and I saw it in a very different light.
What I saw once as a silly pirate story became a ongoing, complex story about finding one's passion, friendship (or in this case, "Nakama"), adventure, and ... overall, growing up (this is especially evident in the later chapters).

Story (10/10):
You might not see it this way if you are still young, or rather, in the "I-don't-know-where-I-belong age group" (around 12-14). If young enough, this is an comical adventure story. If old enough, the plotline is amazing and the characters -- just right. I started OP when I was 12, but only after 3 years in high school did I notice the similarities in the challenges faced in this manga and real life. Whether it be a quest for an "impossible" dream or just pure acceptance, One Piece touched many edgy topics in a way that was both serious and comical.

Art (8/10):
The art is simple and unique when it comes to characters, but the background is GORGEOUS. So gorgeous that it draws away sometimes from the actual action. For example, if two characters were fighting in a room, the detailed curtain drapes might confuse you. But, overall, the feeling is not lost. The characters' features were hard to get used to at first, but then I realized Oda was a genius for making them this way: the features were perfect for both extremes of the emotional spectrum. Comical because they were flexible (especially Luffy, ha) and stoic because they were firm. One flaw I see, though, is the women are anatomically disproportionate, even for manga, being incredibly skinny with huge breasts. Huge.

Character (10/10):
Oh my goodness, this makes up the whole show. No joke. With each addition to Luffy's crew, you feel a certain connection, all because of two major points: bizarre characteristics and awesome background stories. My goodness, the BACKGROUND STORIES. I wish I could tell you more without spoiling, but I can't! They're just beautiful! However, characteristics you may see that no other character possess are Zoro's complete (COMPLETE, COMPLETE) lack of direction (COMPLETE), Chopper's insulting gratitude, and much much more.

Enjoyment (9/10):
One Piece keeps you on your toes because you don't know what's going to happen next. Of course, an adventure, but where? These places are not for ordinary people with ordinary actions. The rest of the enjoyment comes from many of the qualities above (character, especially).

Overall (9/10):
I love this manga so much. So much. It makes me feel better when I'm down, and laugh even through the saddest times. It makes me cry with the characters and yell at the pages sometimes. Just don't judge it by its first few chapters, because it WILL get better and mature along with you.

Feb 5, 2014

taigataiga

Recommended

Preliminary (Unknown/? chp)

Ok so I gave 10s to all: story, art, character, enjoyment, and overall.

I gave this manga a 10 even though it deserves, like, 1000.

One Piece is a battle mainstream manga. It is full of action and fights, and at first glance might seem stupid and random, but oh gods believe me, this is so very likely to be the BEST battle shounen manga you guys will have ever read. Widely classified as the top three most popular battle series alongside Naruto and Bleach, I've got to admit that One Piece is just.... way above those two. One Piece stands on top, the pinnacle of perfection, ... so posh and fabulous and flawless and pretentious.

Story - The story tells us about the adventure of Monkey D. Luffy, a very fiery young boy who dreams to be the Pirate King. The story starts from when he first set sail, and he gradually collects one member at a time to join his pirate crew. To me the story is original (I mean, who talks about pirates nowadays?) and the execution is nothing less than PERFECT. Can't talk about all the arcs because this manga has more than 700 chapters at the moment, but from the very start, when Luffy met the first man to join his journey, from that time on, the story progressed real smoothly, and real intriguing.

One Piece is one of the most complex series I've ever read-- it's full of unanswered questions at the moment. All the mysteries waiting to be solved-- ahh the thrill! Even though there are still so many holes until the main story is fully revealed, it doesn't make me feel agitated at all. My curiosity is perfectly fine and healthy, and I will patiently wait until everything gets explained. On the other side, I have a rather high expectation for the revelation, but looking at past experience and how Odacchi, the author, has brought the story so far, I have no complaints.

Odacchi also doesn't seem to run out of ideas. One Piece is overflowing with wild, wild imagination. So many awesome things support this manga and make it even more surprising. I mean how many people in this world would ever think of making snails as a medium of communication? How many people would ever create mermaids with specific fish types? How many people would ever think of creating the Void Century, mysterious devil fruits, poneglyphs, the Marines and their posh Justice cape, Will of D, Sea Kings, and Yarukiman Mangrove?? I suppose nobody but Odacchi could ever make these epicness possible.

Art - The art starts off rather funny and functional, but Odacchi has always had this intricate, unique style to his drawings that is impossible not to notice. As time flies and chapters by chapters go, the art metamorphosed into something, not entirely new, but more brilliant and more beautiful. The art is really cool and it goes really well with Odacchi's wonderful imagination. There are sceneries and odd stuffs drawn so well you can't help but go whooaaa. The only minus I can note is how Odacchi draws with such vigor the fight scenes can be really confusing if you're not following well. But it still doesn't change the fact that the art is amazing.

Character - One Piece as a long running series is also supported by its diverse characters. We have seen a lot, so much characters in more than 700 chapters and despite all of the cliches and the i-will-protect-my-nakama type of people, they are still real fun and real engrossing. Our main pirate crew even consists of three inhuman beings: a living skeleton, a talking reindeer, and a cyborg wearing Hawaiian Aloha shirt. What do you guys expect? Good characters don't always have to be humans yanno. There is Surume the kraken. Even Going Merry has her own human personification. I mean, I have so many characters in my mind when I want to write their names my mind go blank. But that's it. You guys take my point.

Enjoyment - F*ck, how I enjoyed this manga. I enjoyed it too much, in fact. This manga is just simply entertaining and every arcs will keep you glued to your seat. I spent so much words describing my feelings above I can't seem to make anymore words to express how I love this manga. In short, this is a real masterpiece that nobody should ever miss, regardless of whether this is their cup of tea or not. One Piece is exceptional. When you realized it, you'll find yourself craving for more, not wanting to stop.

Apr 19, 2015

sadpandamisaki

Recommended

Preliminary (594/? chp)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

This series is where it all began for me. The "Romance Dawn" if you will. I remember starting the fifth grade back in 2007, I hit it off real quickly with this one boy in my class. We had loads of things in common and were constantly sharing new interests. One thing we didn't share was his love anime and manga. This wasn't because I didn't like it, rather I just hadn't experienced it yet. One day he shoved One Piece volumes 1-3 in my backpack and told that I would love it. And love it ... I did. I read through all 13 novels available at the time in a flash. I read and re-read them while I waited for the next to be released. In me grew a love for manga and anime of all sorts, it was like junk food (I feel like many of you would agree). Incidentally, One Piece was, and still is, my favorite manga of all-time.

But enough about me, on to the actual review! I promise that this will be a completely objective review. I think I will start with what is great about this manga, as it vastly outweighs it's flaws.

The most important part of any story is, well, the story! One piece tells a grand tale of adventuring pirates all searching for the ultimate treasure. In a story like this, the world is absolutely massive, and Eiichiro Oda handles it so well. Every new place our characters travel they are faced with trials and tribulations. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose. You never know. Each story arc is unique in setting and character development. There are new problems to solve or maybe another pirate warlord to defeat. Either way it feels pretty fresh every time. And it is all very memorable, I can’t think of a single time I felt that a chapter was just filler-garbage.

At the core of the story is its wonderful characters. All of them have their quirks, but they are not defined by these, which unfortunately happens very often in manga. This makes them feel very real. For example, the main character, Monkey D. Luffy, at face value, seems to be just a lovable idiot. But underneath this is a shocking deep, passionate person who looks out for his friends at all costs. For Luffy there are no truly sad goodbyes, everyone has a purpose and a plan so as their friend, he lets them go. The characters are what I love the most I think, you can connect with them so closely on different levels and they never get boring.

But even with a good plot and characters, what is a story if it is not enjoyable? One Piece is a fun and ofttimes, absolutely insane story. It can leave you in stitches or it will make sob like a baby. It is a well-crafted roller coaster of emotions and plots. No matter how old you are, no matter what kind of manga you like, you WILL enjoy One Piece.

Now to the bad. There is not much about One Piece that is truly bad, but nothing is without flaws. I feel like my points are nitpicky things that don’t really hurt the story.

The artwork in One Piece is normally really great. It is generally clean and simple. But occasionally the fighting scenes can get very messy and it can be a bit difficult to tell what is going on. Also worth noting, there is a lot of visual humor and the mouths especially can get very crazy looking, I can see where this would put some people off. It put me off until I got used to it.

The story can sometimes feel a little repetitive. But I feel this is very understandable, last I heard, this story is meant to take up 100 novels (if you bought the whole series new it would cost you around $1300!) so this inevitable. Although, Oda does a really great job of spacing out the similar story lines, so this is not incredibly noticeable.

Overall, One Piece is a great story and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great series!

Also worth noting: the anime follows the manga series pretty perfectly, so if you are more a watcher than a reader, you will miss out on almost nothing.

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