So how is your OP adventure going. Man the anime is like nearly at its climax right now. Give or take probably another 6-10 episodes is my guess before the big ***** that i shall now spoil.
One of two things will happen, they will continue the series along beyond 500+ episodes but will end up in filler madness. OR They will put the show on haitus and continue it again in another anime adaptation similar to naruto. I would prefer them to do that so they have some time to work on the new designs and art work featured in the 2nd half of the manga storyline.
The current arc right now is just beyond epic. You actually took a great time to watch it cause one of the major plot twists and i think the end of the first anime adaptation is near so by the time you catch up. You will probably finish it.
The one man who had it all in this world was the great Pirate King, Gold Roger...whose fateful last words drove men to the sea.
"My treasure? If you want it, I will give it. All the riches in the world await the person who can but find it."
And so, brave souls set sail for the Grand Line in search of their dreams. The Great Age of Pirates had begun.
It's a pirate adventure like no other you've over seen.
Now, Monkey D. Luffy has set out on his own grand adventure. His goal, to fulfill a promise he made to his idol, the pirate Shanks, to seek out the Grand Line and find the Pirate King's treasure: One Piece. He is both blessed and cursed by having eaten of the Gum Gum fruit, known throughout the seas as the "Devil's Fruit". Though now unable to swim, his body is now able to stretch like rubber. With his newfound powers and the crew of the Going Merry at his side (famed pirate hunter Zoro, crafty pirate thief Nami, compulsive liar Usopp, and suave but kicking cook Sanji), Monkey sets out to follow in the wakes of the great pirates and write his own name in the pages of history.
One piece is by far the greatest action shonen series Ive ever come a crossed. People that try to ignore it because of the different animation style are totally missing out. I am just simply stunned and blown away by this series. As a huge fan that has seen various other genre's and is not much of a shonen junkie, i still consider one piece one of my top 5 anime series of all time. Its a shame that alot of shonen fans are turned off by it due to the fact of the different animation style. But usually shonen's have a mixture of action, story and very deep character development that keeps it running strong. I will tell you this, one piece excels in all of these area's. Perhaps one of the strongest aspects of the show is the character development. Ive never seen such deep and complex character development so strong in a shonen series, its usually linear, and one sided. One piece is just full of multi layer story telling and multi personalities for each of the individual characters.
One piece is the one show that people either hate or love. The people that usually hate it, don't even give it a chance, from my experiences 80% of the community that watches OP usually has it recommended by some one else or gets curious and wonder's what all those OP fanboys are gossiping over so much so they give it a chance.
If you look at alot of the topics on here. Particular the first few episode discussions. You will notice alot of people just kick them self's for hating it so to speak. Like i see people say "man i can't believe i talked so much crap bout this show" or something similar to that. Because it gives you the impression that the show is just really strange and weird (not original) due to the fact of the silly and awkward character designs. This is one of the MANY reasons why you can't solely judge an anime series based on the artistic quality of the animation. The story and character development are just 2nd to none when it comes to anime. I suffered the same miss belief of wanting to watch OP because i focused on the art. If you look long and hard, you will see some incredible plot devices such as foreshadowing, plot twists, and deep character arcs.
This show has been going for 15 years and i just recently started watching it like maybe a year ago. I didn't believe any one, even my friends tried to get me to check it out cause i was a huge naruto/bleach fan back in the day but i still turned them down, Finally i said hell with it and gave it a chance. This show completely changed my insight on how anime series can be portrayed to have old animation and still be a pure masterpiece.
Also fans alike have to remember that this show started way back in 1995 and its still on going. How is it possible for a writer to write a story so consistent and that makes sense from start till the current time. I mean that's like a 20 year time gap from the time the author first started publishing the manga. I think he actually planned the entire script before hand and i commend him for that, not alot of writers would do that and i think that's why one piece is so successful.
He even stated in a interview that he already knows what the ending of the show will be like way before the anime even came into existence.
Another thing i really love is the huge cast of characters. Not ever does the writer ever "kill off" the characters in the show. What i mean by this is that they are treated as a separate entity of the main plot of the show or a separate arc. Each character even the lesser ones has a huge meaning in the story and always has some significant part they play. This will become alot more noticeable as you get further in one piece. The way oda threads and ties these arcs together to create one massive story, is just incredible.
ODA really is a genius writer for being able to do this in a shonen show. Creating these many important characters and always giving them a certain role to play in this grand adventure is a feat that is extremely hard as a writer to accomplish for a show such as this that has been airing for 15 straight years. I don't mean cast dispersions on another anime series so if your a bleach fan, don't take this to heart.
You look at a series like bleach. Most of the antagonist characters are not fleshed out enough, there background and character development is just poorly executed. The show also kind of strays from the "central plot" of bleach and goes in different directions that just leaves the viewer wondering "is this show ever going to end" Alot of people would notice this if they watched beyond the soul society arc. But one of the things that kuba has failed to do for bleach, was create a story that keeps all the characters of the show being able to participate in some role of the central plot. In summary, (They do not get enough screen time, plain and simple) alot of people would agree with me in that respect.
Though i won;'t deny it, one piece is a heaivily action packed show, but the mood of the show can change drastically from being intense to downright depressing. It's really not the action which is what makes one piece amazing, its the references, the themes and types of story telling devices he uses. Viewers can really witness his incredible story phrases that he uses in the show and its that, which what really grabs the viewers attention. For example. This phrase "When does a man die? When he is hit by a bullet? No. When he suffers a disease? No. When he ate a soup made out of a poisonous mushroom? No! A man dies when he is forgotten!" That has such deep meaning to it and it just grabs and pulls at your inner self. Very emotional phrase, but true. It's these types of things that people don't see because they drop the show after a few episodes and never give it a chance.
Another cool plot devise that is used in one piece is the significant small foreshadowing events that are used to portray certain plot twists for future arcs. Some things that happen at the very begining of this incredible journey will significantly become a HUGE development in the future of the show. Some of these are so subtle that its really hard to pick them up, but the writer does a fantastic job to clear things up once you get to that certain point in the story. The viewer is just left breathless when they finally reveal the past revelations of the foreshadowing events. It is just a phenomenal plot technique to use, and i have to be honest, Ive seen alot of anime i have not seen this technique used that much.
The Music definitely deserves a mention in this series. It is just amazing. Without it, it would not be the same. The music suits the scenes of battle marvelously, it gives the people who's watching seeking for more and more action. The orchestrated trumpets and trombones, mixed with the drums fit the action scenes very nicely and the piano themes that you hear during some of the drama, really creates a powerful scene that is trying to bring out your emotion and just tingles your heart and soul. You really do feel for these characters as almost living in there world. Believe me, you will cry, you will laugh, and you will even get angry during some of the more intense dramatic moments in this show.
I have seen anime before where they trying to portray a certain scene where its supposed to be very dramatic and just downright depressing, but the music just doesn't match that particular scene. So i don't end up expressing any emotion what so ever. So im thankful one piece is able to execute that very nicely with there incredible sound tracks used throughout the show.
Each opening and ending suits the mood of the particular arcs that you are watching. It has that kind uplifting and upbeat type of tune and during the more dramatic and depressing arcs, it goes for a mellow theme song. Usually most of the ending themes have the more mellow song. The background music is also very capable of strengthening suspenseful or triumphant moments. There is just something about it that fits the story of pirates sailing to sea so well.
The voice acting is also Phenomenal. I am of course referring to the Japanese subs. One piece's translations have there own personal and special language. It helps the viewer to become more involved in its own unique world. Its also much more fitting for a series that takes place during a piracy era. You can relate to it from history to, so the VA's do a great job of showing all these different characters and how they have different unique qualities that define who they are. In fact some of the pirates used in this show were famous pirates from world history. Other terms used in the show are references to other great persons or things used in history such as "moby dick" the whale. You can educate your self alot if you dig deep enough.
I am sorry this review is so long, but there really is alot to talk bout with this series and i wanted make sure that i covered everything. I personally watch anime because of the character development and story progression. Those are the two main things i pay attention to with anime. Having good character interactions and background stories and just all around awesome mixture of comedy, action and strong emotional drama is truly what makes a anime series wonderful. The only downside i can possibly think of to put as a "con" for the show is the animation style is old and not eye candy. But when your focusing on something with incredible multiple plot twists, action, and outstanding character growth, incredible foreshadowing developments, outstanding music scores then the animation really doesn't deteriorate the over all experience of the show. This series breaks all those boundaries which separates it from being a masterpiece and an average anime series.
So what are you waiting for. Oi mateys! git yur self in gear hoist the flag at port bow and set sail for the OPEN SEA'S!!
Because this is one GRAND adventure you don't want to miss!!
Hey just noticed your checking out OP. If your a fan of shonen's you should really appreciate it. For a more indepth review on the show, check out my review i wrote on my profile page. Ive seen ALOT of anime so im not just your typical shonen fan only. But i have to say OP has alot of things that other shonen's just lack in comparison. All the shonen's ive seen, naruto, bleach, hitman reborn, there just sub par compared to OP. Check out my review though for a more in depth look at the show.
Btw i want to stress that around episode 20+ or so is when people usually really start to get hooked on it. So if you find your self not liking it, try to watch around 20-34, if beyond that you still think its bad according to your view on the show. Then its just not your type of show.
Just wanted to say it really picks up when you get to the Baratie / Arlong arcs so if you're feeling it's a little slow beforehand I urge you to at least keep going up until that point before deciding you don't like it.
![Futsuu no Joshikousei ga [Locodol] Yattemita. OVA](https://cdn.myanimelist.net/r/80x120/images/anime/4/78297.jpg?s=ae8ded21e4e4b2738f35192ba1f41deb){kind=small}
All Comments (15) Comments
One of two things will happen, they will continue the series along beyond 500+ episodes but will end up in filler madness. OR They will put the show on haitus and continue it again in another anime adaptation similar to naruto. I would prefer them to do that so they have some time to work on the new designs and art work featured in the 2nd half of the manga storyline.
Btw did you know Hitman reborn is also ending.
Btw i want to stress that around episode 20+ or so is when people usually really start to get hooked on it. So if you find your self not liking it, try to watch around 20-34, if beyond that you still think its bad according to your view on the show. Then its just not your type of show.
Just wanted to say it really picks up when you get to the Baratie / Arlong arcs so if you're feeling it's a little slow beforehand I urge you to at least keep going up until that point before deciding you don't like it.
Hope you enjoy~