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The only 2 good things this show has is comedy and power concepts. The comedy isn't top notch per say, it is decent enough to get some guaranteed laughs though. The power system is a great idea; it wasn't used to it's maximum potential, more ways to use powers than just kissing for example or a longer story could have presented a variety of situations where the powers were more than just a plot device.

The story beats pass by way too quickly; this in turn compromises the mystery aspects and makes everything solvable before the show presents it's ta-dah moments. I think ... you can tell no-one took this project seriously when both sub and dub voice actors sound like they rushed through it and/or just kept their first take.

I'm not suggesting a slow pace like Monster Anime; I'm just saying this story would have benefitted from the plot being taken seriously and more flushed out. Although the aim may have been to use such a serious premise to present it in a more light hearted fashion or the manga may have had a plot that wasn't so rushed.

Oh well; not like it's my demographic anyway, although I do remember being in that demographic and I would have thought the same then.

Betwixt premise conception and concept adaptation lies a philosophical passion which exudes brilliance. With the absence of hell and demons it becomes clear that anathema can coincide with peace in empyrean domains; duality itself is part of any form of existence, creation and creators... divine or not. It can be said that this series is the most beautiful Shakespearean tragedy to ever grace a visual format. Keep in mind I haven't read the manga though, so I may not know what changes were possibly made or if anything was missing or taken out. So from this perspective my disposition is that ... of a naive spoiled audience with lack of knowledge on the source material. Despite that it isn't fair to say my opinion is not valid as that would be a foolish claim of privileged self congratulatory backslappers who selfishly believe their experience would be the only way to understand this material.

Also, keeping the "power system" basic worked for this type of story telling. Going in depth with it would simply deter the audiences' focus from philosophizing about the various concepts this story presents in every moment. Instead it's like rock paper scissors; seems basic until you analyze the psychological trichotomy of choices that are imposed within it's modus operandi, in my opinion it eliminated a simplistic dualistic concept like heaven vs hell which always places humanity in the middle as a casualty.

Bottom line, A modern day allegorical masterpiece pervaded in metaphorical parables akin to an eye/mind opening documentary. If the audience decides to interpret it straightfowardly without dissecting & analyzing the narrative, they will be left with askew interpretations of the exposé. Alternatively if they descry the diegesis which exhibits perfect exemplum to any prospect; then it has fulfilled it's role, which is in service to the people. Genius incarnations are seldom bestowed upon our fickle existence which presents edification from a performance of artistic entertainment.

At the very least exercise this while watching: what your thoughts think, what your thoughts feel, what your feelings think, what your feelings feel, and remember that the characters are trying to do the same. Although it may be impossible to ignore the negative consequences of positive sound decisions which most humans never realize even exists - it will all be clear once you reach the end credits of episode 24.

To start off: Season 1 was great in its own right yet compared to season 2 - this season is on another level. Don't get me wrong I like season 1 yet it's pace and style is totally a set up for season 2 which is a masterpiece.

It's made in a way that seems like a live action movie director had a camera in his hands with his presence in the editing room post-production. Understand; the magnitude of this season's delivery makes me question if other anime's will keep up. I know; it's quite the wrong thing to say in a ... medium that offers many styles compared to their contemporaries, yet it feels right to state it as such.

Nothing fell flat here, I can name the list of categories like visuals / music / scenes / characters / etc. Yet it would be long winded and pretentious. Plus it is unneeded because most of you understand what I mean anyway.

What I will say is the way it was executed to convey the characters' plethora of situations "camera angles" "shots" etc, is expert level. It's a shame if anyone turned away from this series after not enjoying season 1 because they will be missing out big time.

2nd season was so great that I cannot find better words than I have to describe it. I don't fall for hype or clout. I don't care about manga opinions because when I read I educate myself, preferring my stories in visual format. When I watch a season; I wait until it's completely released so I can actually enjoy what is being presented in a cohesive way. I don't watch, read or poke around the internet for details or spoilers, I go in blind.

I wasn't particularly anticipating this release as other anime's / season's are filling that bill for me. I'm just happy I enjoyed season 1 enough to check out what was going to happen next. This will forever be a rewatch for me.

The first time I watched this series; to be honest, once I got into Shippuden it was so great that I ended up underestimating the original 220 episodes. After a long time since then I'm realizing how much foreshadowing the first show sets up for Shippuden's greatness, things I totally forgot were introduced so early in the story and now I appreciate the original show much much more. The first time I had my sights set on action before anything else in anime and that made me blind to everything else this show has to offer and immediately compared the sequel to it ... claiming to myself that the sequel was better. They are great together as one unit, believe it!

MOTTO?
Why do people get so annoyed by Naruto's believe it motto, it's better than Sakura's chaa! At least believe it means something. Point is, a lot of characters have their repeated catch phrases so stop the nonsense about this.

SUB or DUB?
First time I watched this show was subbed, this time around I'm doing dubbed. It just happened that way. I like both honestly. A great way to find out which you'd prefer without someone else's opinion - just pick one, when you get to a sequence of scenes that you really like rewatch it in the other language then pick the one you prefer. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter - I read really fast when there's subtitles, I don't read them to myself in my mind, as quickly as I skim with my eyes I have absorbed the context and dialog and yet still you miss some visuals that way so it's up to you.

FILLER?
Honestly in any long running show not every cannon episode is something so great. Some filler episodes are crappy, some cannon episodes are crappy. The only reason that is is because our minds are constantly comparing things, so you just have to shut it off and let the story consume your attention.

The story is lackluster at best and lets be honest, it takes a backseat to the hip-hop/rap performances. Nothing about the story was interesting; I know I'm not familiar with Japanese hip-hop culture, even though I do listen to a lot of rappers (artists & battle rappers) from that area. Maybe that's why it didn't jive with me like it should have.

The odd hip-hop segment will have 1 character with awesome rap flow but that's it. The beats are terrible; well written on their own, just not good enough to freestyle or rap to. I suggest someone remix it - I ... don't care enough about the show to do it myself.

The lyrics are the point of how powerful their attack is and I challenge anyone to find good bars in any lyric of this show. Japanese battle rap leagues have great f*ckin' bars so a little more research from the creators or collab would have benefitted that aspect greatly.

A few characters are cool, most are meh... I don't suggest watching this if it's only for hip-hop/rap purposes.

I gave it a 4, it's bad.

Although it's one of my favorites; there is one big reason it's not a 10, too many flash backs. Get ready for that before starting this series. The flashbacks themselves are written in great fashion; it just always ruins the momentum of the main story, like getting a commercial when the show is just about to get to the good part. It got to a point where it would make me curse out loud sometimes.

It's still a favorite because of it's unique premise and great characters. You're on Mars with them most of the time and as episodes pass you realize ... things aren't much better on Earth either. There's politics involved yet for those who don't like that sort of thing it doesn't get too much into it as you may think. Just enough for context and added pressure on the stakes.

You won't get the impact of season 1 in season 2 as much; I can see why season 2 isn't as beloved, it does however provide resolution for how season 1 ended on a cliffhanger. The prequel to season 1 has intense moments it just lacks proper pacing, it felt mashed together to cover the important plot points. I can't find the 2 sequel episodes of season 2 anywhere yet I heard it could only be understood with references covered in the manga. Basically season 2 ends on a cliffhanger as well.

So it's up to you if it's worth watching or not. I recommend highly because it's a great sci-fi that legitimately keeps you guessing what will happen next, no plot armor in this story. At least not even close to how much others have.

So... this show is like Death Note; you'll expect so much because of the hype and be like... meh. With a main characters' name which translates from French to English into The-suspicious Red-lamp... meh.

It didn't feel like a waste of time; I just preferred Cross Ange, which I found to be a pretty close similarity as far as story type goes. What is supposed to be intense, falls flat compared to other shows that did similar things in my opinion.

Basically I don't recommend it; yet, if you choose to watch it... it's not trash. Restored my rating system to default so I ... gave it a 5, average is fair.

I changed my rating system back to default out of being fair to the creators. I think this show is average, so 5. With that out of the way I can get into this.

STORY

First time I watched One Piece I made it to episode 626 - 625 being my last episode and quit. Second time I made it to 'Water 7 Arc' somewhere between these episodes (227–263), I quit because it makes me fall asleep even after a good nights rest and can't finish an episode. Been trying for two months now and same result. The reason I restarted instead ... of continuing from 626 is because I waited too many years to start back. Forgot too much of it and wasn't willing to read or watch 3rd party recaps which is what I should have done.

I don't like Franky or Brook anyway so no loss there. Never saw Jinbe yet, never made it there.

From the beginning all the way to 'G-8 Arc' (episodes 1 to 206) is great story telling and I can stay invested and entertained. It would honestly be in my favorites just for those, although it being only one fifth of the show I can't favorite it or like it. In my opinion 'Long Ring Long Land Arc' (episode 207 & on) is where it sours as far as personal taste goes. It's not a testament to the show - just preference. Maybe the films can get me back into it somehow, never watched them though.

STYLE

Unique and honestly as a kid left something to be desired. Now it's just cool, I can't picture it having another art style - it just fits with the premise, the story, the adventure, all of it and that is a great testament to the shows qualities. Avant-garde is an understatement yet presented very well because it doesn't jar the viewer at any point. Eventually after some episodes you don't even realize the style difference.

CHARACTERS

Great, there is a plethora of them and they are all unique. Without them the One Piece world would feel smaller; it's not just the idea of a big adventure or the vastness of the sea/terrain that encapsulates the shear scale of a the world in a story. Some will irk you, some will piss you off, some will make you chuckle, some wanting to roll in the aisles out of hilarity, yet what makes this show great is when you get further; just like real life, you'll start to remember this person, then that one. Honestly reminiscing is a great aspect One Piece has and offers that many shows don't.

TOO LONG?

Nah, never. Be honest with yourself. If it was shorter would the actual premise of the show make any sense? Think, if a Final Fantasy game was 1 to 2 hours, is that an epic journey or just a long hike?

CONCLUSION

Not a favorite or a like for me, I do recommend watching it... and don't feel obligated to finish the story to enjoy it. If you make it to episode 300 for example and get tired of it, come back to it later or next year - it's like waiting for a new season release anyway.

IT WASN'T A WASTE OF TIME regardless what I have stated in this review. At least it feels more pirate of a story than pirates of the caribbean and that says something about the qualities of One Piece.

This is an old tale which has many different mediums covering it's epicness, all of them taking their liberties and changing it for modern audiences. Those aside, so far this has been the best abridged version since the original tale/book.

Not from the same era yet it rivals Shakespeare in my eyes. It has the same qualities in many regards for those who are a fan of Shakespeare. King Lear being my favorite, I guess it's not an understatement to the testament of my opinion on the comparison.

It starts as a slow burn, getting you at ease with the environment, the elegance, ... prestige & characters. Introducing philosophy and psychological fencing within your mind to arouse a sense of - where is this going? Once you cross that threshold you will be at the edge of your seat wanting to see what happens.

I'm glad it took the liberties to introduce it differently than the original and I ended up liking it more for it. This studio is the first to do it right and give the story a fresh take. Some don't like a 10 rating because it is generally viewed as a biased one; makes sense, I just can't ignore that it is in my top 20 of all time for good reason. Perfect isn't a 10; nothing in life is perfect and the rating system was made within it so, then a perfect score would be 11.

Expect the unexpected!

This one was great as a child, I would rent it at a video store over & over. With that said; that is the mindset you need to get into this one. It does have some mature themes going on yet introduced in a soft manner for basic understanding.

It does fall flat however when you are older and watch or re-watch it. I never had the privilege to watch the SUB so the DUB is all I'm familiar with. The voice for 80's TMNT cartoon Donatello is the main protagonist's voice in this show.

Essentially it has slice of life vibes that ... turn into an unforeseen adventure in a modern context. Growing up in a small village in the outskirts to eventually come across a metropolis, learning the anthropological culture differences between the two and finding out the difference between right & wrong and how that morality varies for different people.

Definitely fun to watch with the little ones and a great way to introduce subject matter that can be discussed with them.

I chose mixed feelings/rating 5 because on a personal level, I'm older and it is simply not my demographic. The other side of it is that it is definitely a good one to enjoy as a family. Nothing woke here for those who are tired of that sort of thing in recent releases, having run out of media to enjoy without it. It's average at best..