Could it possibly be that good? If you’re an anime or manga fan, there’s certainly no way you’ve never heard of the infamous One Piece. You know-that anime that never ends and has a million episodes. The manga that’s cool to hate on because of its immense popularity. The anime or manga you probably want to try but are intimidated by its length and the fact it’s ongoing. Is it a typical Weekly Shounen Jump battle manga or is its popularity and sales deserving? Let’s find out.
One Piece is a manga series written and drawn by Eiichiro Oda. It’s the bestselling manga of all time and was in the Guinness Book of World Records for “most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author.” So with that in mind you’re probably thinking that it’s only sold the most because it has so many volumes and it’s been out for so long. Truth be told, that’s a fair argument. One Piece has been an ongoing series since 1998 and currently has 84 volumes (863 chapters). In addition to that, it’s nowhere near being done. So naturally, the numbers would eventually add up, correct?
One Piece also has an anime being animated by Toei Animation that’s extremely popular. One Piece in a nutshell is the story of a boy named Monkey D. Luffy who wants to become the King of the Pirates. Gold Roger, the previous Pirate King started the Great Pirate Age with his final words before being publicly executed. Luffy and his eventual crewmates will sail the oceans in order to attain the One Piece and make all their hopes and dreams come true.
Herein lies one of the greatest things about One Piece off the bat: the central plot is simple. Often you’ll read super interesting synopses’ for an anime only to be later disappointed. It’s typically the narratives with a simple main story that thrive. Why? Because the sub plots and deeper context come alive easier when the focal point isn’t overly complex. One Piece contains powerful themes, references, allusions, some psychology, some philosophy and so much more.
This is a well-crafted, well thought out narrative. You can tell the entire story has already been mapped out and outlined by how it’s told. Oda isn’t just making it up as he goes. The story takes it’s time and is a great example of proper story progression. Instead of trying to swing hard and hit the reader with a haymaker from the get go, One Piece instead hits the reader with a couple of light jabs. World building, helping the readers understand the universe and how it’s constructed and progressing at a good pace. The One Piece world is clearly mapped out and fully explained, being divided into four oceans separated by a line that divides them. That line is called the Grand Line.
Moreover, the characters are properly developed as the series goes along. Every character fills a thematic role, has well fleshed out backgrounds and has depth. It’s got so many great characters it’s hard not to become overwhelmed by the number of badass, cool characters. From the over the top zany characters to some of the cooler, calm, more collected ones. And lots of characters have personal character quirks that are hilarious. For example, Zoro’s sense of direction is so bad he could probably get lost in a one room apartment. Oda is extremely good at making people care about characters very quickly. Recently he introduced a character in a heart wrenching flashback that stole the hearts of many fans in a mere seven chapters.
One Piece is an emotional roller coaster. One of the main reasons many people don’t give One Piece a chance is because it looks childish. Didn’t you ever learn not to judge a book by its cover? The cartoony, eccentric artstyle in addition to its comedy is a veil. Because underneath the surface, One Piece is an extremely dark manga with pretty intense themes. Slavery, racism, discrimination, hierarchy and an insight into the dark side of human nature. You’d probably cry nonstop tears if it weren’t for the comedy and artistry. Some of these flashbacks will have your eyes flowing like Niagara Falls. And you thought you were a tough, hah.
With that being said Oda is a clever man. The artstyle that hides context beneath the surface is the reason why it appeals to all ages. Kids can laugh and enjoy how silly it is, teenagers can enjoy phenomenal action while older folk can find deeper meaning in the story. Oda’s also very good at basing every name, character, character design and even certain settings off of things from real life, western culture and even history. From real famous pirates like Blackbeard to Donquixote Doflamingo of Don Quijote de la Mancha, a Spanish novel. There’s even a character named Borsalino that has his character design based off of Japanese actor, Kunie Tanaka. Borsalino even has all of his currently known attack named after the Imperial Regalia’s of Japan.
The most common form of supernatural abilities in the One Piece universe comes from eating something called a Devil Fruit. After eating one, the user will gain powers and abilities normal people do not possess such as: the ability to shapeshift, fly, harden your body into diamond or even become an element like lightning. However it comes at a price. Devil Fruits users lose their ability to swim, they sink like an anchor in the ocean. That’s right! This is a show that predominantly takes place on the sea where the pirates and marines that roam them literally sink like a bag of rocks. How is that not brilliant?
Originality, creativity and innovation. One Piece is the most refreshing shounen battle manga that isn’t Hunter x Hunter. It’s the ultimate adventure story with settings that will blow your mind, weather phenomena that inspired concepts in manga like Toriko and crazy abilities like the Ope Ope no Mi. You never know what to expect. This is a world with sky islands, islands under water, giants, cyborgs, zombies, fairies, mermaids, massive hybrid sea creatures, lightning rain and so much more creative craziness. It’s easy to get lost in the wold of One Piece once immersed in it because anything is possible. Just don’t get lost the way Zoro would.
That doesn’t mean that One Piece is without some generic shounen themes, tropes and staples. There’s the friendship theme, perseverance in the face of adversity, a perverted guy and your jungle child main character. These don’t hurt the series much because it isn’t over done and the tropes are actually funny. You could argue that some are so over the top that it’s meant to be satire against said trope but we’ll save that for another day. Either way, the things that you can find in other manga that are present in One Piece, are done better in One Piece.
Let’s talk aesthetics. We explained why One Piece is drawn the way it is stylistically, but is it good? Yes, it is good. Sure lots of the characters are goofy looking, disproportionate, huge, and monstrous but the artwork is still solid. The backgrounds, action, characters and fashion are well drawn. He’s very good at making expressive art; the characters are vibrant as they are eccentric. And it’s not like he doesn’t draw “normal” characters and such, he does and they look very cool. The action is also well drawn; Oda’s good at making compelling battles. The fights are engaging, intense, imaginative and suspenseful.
Last but not least the psychological, philosophical and more powerful themes in One Piece. Themes such as what is justice? Do you arrest pirates that just saved a kingdom from other pirates when the marines did nothing to save it? Is the practice of utilitarianism okay? Can you sacrifice four innocent people in order to apprehend one hundred cold blooded pirates? Lots of different marines practice different versions and extremes of justice. It’s interesting to see those beliefs clash with one another. There are also psychological themes such as codependency and the effects of slavery on one’s mind. The physical and psychological trauma from being forced to be a slave and how it’s hard to break from that mindset, even when freed.
One Piece isn’t perfect by any means. The anime is lackluster comparatively which is why I suggest you read it instead of watching it. But if you decide to go the anime route, be patient. This anime started in 1998 so the animation isn’t the cleanest right off the bat but it progressively gets better. All I’m saying is that if you give the manga or anime a FAIR chance, you’ll understand why it’s popular. You’ll understand that it’s good, it may not be your favorite or the best thing you’ve ever seen, but you’ll respect it. So is One Piece that good? You bet your fucking ass it is. One Piece will go down as one of the greatest pieces of art and literature to come out of Japan forever.
One Piece is a manga series written and drawn by Eiichiro Oda. It’s the bestselling manga of all time and was in the Guinness Book of World Records for “most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author.” So with that in mind you’re probably thinking that it’s only sold the most because it has so many volumes and it’s been out for so long. Truth be told, that’s a fair argument. One Piece has been an ongoing series since 1998 and currently has 84 volumes (863 chapters). In addition to that, it’s nowhere near being done. So naturally, the numbers would eventually add up, correct?
One Piece also has an anime being animated by Toei Animation that’s extremely popular. One Piece in a nutshell is the story of a boy named Monkey D. Luffy who wants to become the King of the Pirates. Gold Roger, the previous Pirate King started the Great Pirate Age with his final words before being publicly executed. Luffy and his eventual crewmates will sail the oceans in order to attain the One Piece and make all their hopes and dreams come true.
Herein lies one of the greatest things about One Piece off the bat: the central plot is simple. Often you’ll read super interesting synopses’ for an anime only to be later disappointed. It’s typically the narratives with a simple main story that thrive. Why? Because the sub plots and deeper context come alive easier when the focal point isn’t overly complex. One Piece contains powerful themes, references, allusions, some psychology, some philosophy and so much more.
This is a well-crafted, well thought out narrative. You can tell the entire story has already been mapped out and outlined by how it’s told. Oda isn’t just making it up as he goes. The story takes it’s time and is a great example of proper story progression. Instead of trying to swing hard and hit the reader with a haymaker from the get go, One Piece instead hits the reader with a couple of light jabs. World building, helping the readers understand the universe and how it’s constructed and progressing at a good pace. The One Piece world is clearly mapped out and fully explained, being divided into four oceans separated by a line that divides them. That line is called the Grand Line.
Moreover, the characters are properly developed as the series goes along. Every character fills a thematic role, has well fleshed out backgrounds and has depth. It’s got so many great characters it’s hard not to become overwhelmed by the number of badass, cool characters. From the over the top zany characters to some of the cooler, calm, more collected ones. And lots of characters have personal character quirks that are hilarious. For example, Zoro’s sense of direction is so bad he could probably get lost in a one room apartment. Oda is extremely good at making people care about characters very quickly. Recently he introduced a character in a heart wrenching flashback that stole the hearts of many fans in a mere seven chapters.
One Piece is an emotional roller coaster. One of the main reasons many people don’t give One Piece a chance is because it looks childish. Didn’t you ever learn not to judge a book by its cover? The cartoony, eccentric artstyle in addition to its comedy is a veil. Because underneath the surface, One Piece is an extremely dark manga with pretty intense themes. Slavery, racism, discrimination, hierarchy and an insight into the dark side of human nature. You’d probably cry nonstop tears if it weren’t for the comedy and artistry. Some of these flashbacks will have your eyes flowing like Niagara Falls. And you thought you were a tough, hah.
With that being said Oda is a clever man. The artstyle that hides context beneath the surface is the reason why it appeals to all ages. Kids can laugh and enjoy how silly it is, teenagers can enjoy phenomenal action while older folk can find deeper meaning in the story. Oda’s also very good at basing every name, character, character design and even certain settings off of things from real life, western culture and even history. From real famous pirates like Blackbeard to Donquixote Doflamingo of Don Quijote de la Mancha, a Spanish novel. There’s even a character named Borsalino that has his character design based off of Japanese actor, Kunie Tanaka. Borsalino even has all of his currently known attack named after the Imperial Regalia’s of Japan.
The most common form of supernatural abilities in the One Piece universe comes from eating something called a Devil Fruit. After eating one, the user will gain powers and abilities normal people do not possess such as: the ability to shapeshift, fly, harden your body into diamond or even become an element like lightning. However it comes at a price. Devil Fruits users lose their ability to swim, they sink like an anchor in the ocean. That’s right! This is a show that predominantly takes place on the sea where the pirates and marines that roam them literally sink like a bag of rocks. How is that not brilliant?
Originality, creativity and innovation. One Piece is the most refreshing shounen battle manga that isn’t Hunter x Hunter. It’s the ultimate adventure story with settings that will blow your mind, weather phenomena that inspired concepts in manga like Toriko and crazy abilities like the Ope Ope no Mi. You never know what to expect. This is a world with sky islands, islands under water, giants, cyborgs, zombies, fairies, mermaids, massive hybrid sea creatures, lightning rain and so much more creative craziness. It’s easy to get lost in the wold of One Piece once immersed in it because anything is possible. Just don’t get lost the way Zoro would.
That doesn’t mean that One Piece is without some generic shounen themes, tropes and staples. There’s the friendship theme, perseverance in the face of adversity, a perverted guy and your jungle child main character. These don’t hurt the series much because it isn’t over done and the tropes are actually funny. You could argue that some are so over the top that it’s meant to be satire against said trope but we’ll save that for another day. Either way, the things that you can find in other manga that are present in One Piece, are done better in One Piece.
Let’s talk aesthetics. We explained why One Piece is drawn the way it is stylistically, but is it good? Yes, it is good. Sure lots of the characters are goofy looking, disproportionate, huge, and monstrous but the artwork is still solid. The backgrounds, action, characters and fashion are well drawn. He’s very good at making expressive art; the characters are vibrant as they are eccentric. And it’s not like he doesn’t draw “normal” characters and such, he does and they look very cool. The action is also well drawn; Oda’s good at making compelling battles. The fights are engaging, intense, imaginative and suspenseful.
Last but not least the psychological, philosophical and more powerful themes in One Piece. Themes such as what is justice? Do you arrest pirates that just saved a kingdom from other pirates when the marines did nothing to save it? Is the practice of utilitarianism okay? Can you sacrifice four innocent people in order to apprehend one hundred cold blooded pirates? Lots of different marines practice different versions and extremes of justice. It’s interesting to see those beliefs clash with one another. There are also psychological themes such as codependency and the effects of slavery on one’s mind. The physical and psychological trauma from being forced to be a slave and how it’s hard to break from that mindset, even when freed.
One Piece isn’t perfect by any means. The anime is lackluster comparatively which is why I suggest you read it instead of watching it. But if you decide to go the anime route, be patient. This anime started in 1998 so the animation isn’t the cleanest right off the bat but it progressively gets better. All I’m saying is that if you give the manga or anime a FAIR chance, you’ll understand why it’s popular. You’ll understand that it’s good, it may not be your favorite or the best thing you’ve ever seen, but you’ll respect it. So is One Piece that good? You bet your fucking ass it is. One Piece will go down as one of the greatest pieces of art and literature to come out of Japan forever.
Written by: Nya Hemmingz, One Piece fanatic and future Pirate King
Twitter: @LolitaZenpie
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