This review is mostly made for those who are interested in the series, but can't decide if they want to watch it or not. After watching the first hundred episodes, I feel I am able to adequately do so.
One Piece started as a manga all the way back in 1997 and written by Eiichiro Oda. The series is still going on today. The anime started in 1999 and has not stopped since. Adding to that is several OVAs, movies, and video games. So, let me help you decide to watch One Piece or skip it.
[HEADING=1]Story[/HEADING]
Our story starts with an intro about Gold Roger, the most powerful pirate of the seas, facing his execution. Before dying, Roger stated that he left his treasure "there" and "whoever finds it, gets it." This started something called the "Golden Pirate Age" where people took the sea, in search of the One Piece. We then meet Monkey D. Luffy. A young boy who constantly makes the claim "I'm gonna be the next Pirate King." and is willing to die to see it happen. So starts our protagonist's adventure to gain a crew and sail the Grand Line. Which leads to an island only Gold Roger and his crew have reached and the believed resting place of One Piece. I'll break down a few arcs below and give my input of them.
The stories are so far not bad. Every character so far introduced and has joined Luffy's crew all have some tragic back story. Some worse than others, for example, Usopp's really hit hard. The arcs have been kept to a decent length and I really was curious as to how the arc would end. After watching a hundred episodes, I've noticed Oda to have a real skill at drawing people in. They mention little things you could easily skip over, but if you see them, you'll want to know what their talking about. If you're a person who has to know what that one thing is, this anime will suck you in. The Flashbacks so far had been kept to a minimum and seemed to have some important stories, but as soon as I entered the Alabasta arc[footnote]The arc the spans from episodes 92-130[/footnote], I really started to notice some filler episodes kick in. Like episode 99 was just filled with, what I consider, a pointless episode that really didn't show much. They spend an entire episode showing how friendly a king was, which has already been shown multiple times already. Up until that point, even the filler arcs were rather solid. Though each arc seems to have the same ending. Something incipacites Luffy and his two other fighters have to hold off until Luffy gets free. Then he walks in and just slaughters them. I hope this changes in future arcs.
[HEADING=1]Characters[/HEADING]
I'm going to break down each character in a section and go into more detail for this section.
Monkey D. Luffy
Leader of The Straw Hat Pirates and the owner of the Gum Gum Fruit. Which gives him to ability to stretch his body to insane proportions. He takes less damage from punches, being thrown about, falling, and pretty much anything that isn't a bladed weapon. He's very easy going and able to be calm in almost any situation. The only way to make him angry is to hurt his friends. Pretty much think the exact opposite of a pirate and you have Luffy.
Watching this in 2014, Luffy seems like the standard Shonen protagonist... but taking into effect the release date of the original manga, Luffy may have been created before that trope became a common occurrence. My google searches have found nothing, so I have nothing concrete. To sum him up, if you like Natsu from Fairy Tail, you'll like Luffy.
Roronoa Zoro
A former pirate bounty hunter, now swordsman of The Straw Hat Pirates. He is a master of the three-sword style combat, choosing three Katannas as his weapons. Most of the time, he thinks clearly and is laid back in many situations. He actual posed when he thought he was going to die at one point. But, challenge him to a fight, hit him, or do anything to piss him off and he quickly turns aggressive. Anime aggressive that is. Shouting at them and becoming deadly serious in combat. Especially with another swordsman. His goal is to become the "world's greatest swordsman" after all.
I really like Zoro. His backstory is really forced, but his goal is amazing. He as a character somehow is just really easy to like. Easy going when he needs to be and serious when he needs to be. Watching him fight is always fun as well.
Nami
The navigator and thief of the Straw Hat Pirates. She usually acts as the straight-man in many of the groups antics and usually tries to beat sense into them. As of now, I'd almost call her the un-official captain. She's the voice of reason in a sea of idiots. Her only downside, is that she is greedy. Really greedy. She's pretty much the only person on the ship with money and taking a loan from her is not a good idea. Especially at a 300% payback with increased interest. She doesn't fight often and prefers not to, but she has shown herself capable with a bo staff. That mixed with charms and other skills, she is a very useful member to the team. Her dream is to chart the world.
Nami has had my favorite backstory so far. First one to get really deep and sad. Other than that, it's just really fun to watch her try and talk some sense into her idiot captain and crew mates. Though I'm really wondering how her breasts have increased in size so rapidly from episode one to a hundred.
Usopp
The crew's repairman, liar, sniper, coward, and inventor. He's usually responsible for dealing with the weakest of the bad guys in an arc. His usual tactic is to run away and then hit them with his slingshot when they comment on him running away. His aim is excelent, almost unnatural, but his cowardice really hurts him. He will frequently address himself as "Captain Usopp" and act like he's the hero of the arc. Though he is usually a wimp, he has proved that he can be brave when he needs to be. His goal is be a "great warrior of the sea" just like his father.
His backstory is the first that got me crying. We learn that he isn't just the village punk, that he lies and does what he does for good reasons. Other than that, I haven't really cared for Usopp much. All he seems to do is either complain or lie and that just gets kinda old after a while. He makes for a decent comedy release character, but when I want action, his sessions just suck.
Sanji
The crew's cook and third fighter of the ship. Sanji is the former chief of a restaurant that sailed the sea. He's also the crew's residential pervert, showing favoritism to women and constantly flirting with Nami. He's fighting style was taught to him by his former boss, Zeff. Which is the art of kicking. Sanji shares many traits with Zoro. They're both calm and laid back most of the time, but when a woman or a challenge comes near, Sanji gets all worked up. He frequently gets in fights with Zoro as to who is second best of the crew. His dream is to find "All-Blue", which is a rumored ocean that has fish from all the four seas.
Like Zoro, I really like Sanji as well. His backstory is the only one not to stand on drama, focusing more on why he feels the need to feed the hungry and why how he came to be on the ship. Watching him fight is always fun as well, he seems to do as much as he can to keep his hands in his pockets. Gotta look cool right.
Tony Tony Chopper
Chopper is the crew's medic and mascot of sorts. He's a reindeer that ate the Human Human Fruit and gained the ability to shape shift into a human. He has three standard forms, a reindeer, a small human, and a large human. With use of his rumble ball, he adds guard form, jump form, and a few others I have yet to see. He's a master at the medical arts and is the youngest member of the crew. Though the show did not specifically state his goal, I'm guessing he wants to cure all disease in the world.
Chopper is pretty cool for me. I love characters that have multiple forms, especially combat forms. This is the only way for Chopper to fight, so whenever he steps up, I get really excited. He's easily likable, with his gullibility and naivety as well. I haven't had the chance to see him really get in the fighting mode, but I'm really excited to see it happen.
Side Characters, Bad Guys
The side characters so far have been pretty cool. Portagas D. Ace, Luffy's older brother is a pretty cool character I've just seen. Owner of the devil fruit that gives him the power to create, become, and control fire. Vivi is the princess of a kingdom that the Straw Hats are currently trying to save. She's been with them for a while now, as well as her bird compatriot.
The bad guys are were this show truly shines though. Buggy, the clown pirate, has the ability to move his limps as individual pieces and fight like that. Mr. 3 can create wax from his body. Don Krieg has so many weapons on his body it's insane. Arlong is a merman who's teeth can break nearly anything. Jango is a hypnotist who frequently puts himself under his own hypnosis. Captain Smoker, a marine captain obssesed with catching Luffy. He has the Plume Plume fruit, which gives him the power to turn, control, create smoke. He also is the first to note on the Will of D. The list goes on. The villains are very creative and unique.
[HEADING=1]Art[/HEADING]
The art is very well done for an anime that started back in 1999. It looks better than some I've seen from 2007. The only thing that I must comment on is the way they draw the female characters. Nearly every single one... is a barbie doll. Non-existent stomach, large chest, large hips, and a large butt. Only one has looked different so far and she eventually changes to a a barbie as well. This could be for wank material, but I just view it as Oda's art style. He draws quite a few characters in exaggerated2 ways.
[HEADING=1]The Action[/HEADING]
Now, don't get me wrong here. Action does happen. But it's usually over in either two seconds or we don't see it to the full effect. This could just be an issue with how old the anime is, or just laziness on the animators part. The show seems to rather focus on talking than actually getting to the damn fight. Some fights have been really cool, but others just have me sighing from boredom or just wishing they'd get on with it.
[HEADING=1]Soundtrack[/HEADING]
Oh. My. Fucking. God. If I here the "funny", "sad", or "serious" track one more time. I'm gonna punch a wall. They seriously throw these same three tracks out whenever these moments happen. I know the sad track goes all the way to at least the late 300 episodes.
[HEADING=1]Should you watch it?[/HEADING]
First off, can you make a long-term investment in an anime series. If you can't I would not suggest watching this series. At 670 episodes, to every think about catching up, you'll need to devote a lot of time to watching this. If you don't believe you can, I would suggest skipping this series. Second, do you even like Shonen? If you don't, skip this. You'll hate it. This show I would suggest watching until episode 20-30. If you haven't found a reason to stay, don't stay. You'll just be hurting yourself. By episode 30, Luffy has gained his first five crew members, so a majority of the main cast. If you can't like them, I doubt you'll want to wait until episode 81 to get another one.
One Piece started as a manga all the way back in 1997 and written by Eiichiro Oda. The series is still going on today. The anime started in 1999 and has not stopped since. Adding to that is several OVAs, movies, and video games. So, let me help you decide to watch One Piece or skip it.
[HEADING=1]Story[/HEADING]
Our story starts with an intro about Gold Roger, the most powerful pirate of the seas, facing his execution. Before dying, Roger stated that he left his treasure "there" and "whoever finds it, gets it." This started something called the "Golden Pirate Age" where people took the sea, in search of the One Piece. We then meet Monkey D. Luffy. A young boy who constantly makes the claim "I'm gonna be the next Pirate King." and is willing to die to see it happen. So starts our protagonist's adventure to gain a crew and sail the Grand Line. Which leads to an island only Gold Roger and his crew have reached and the believed resting place of One Piece. I'll break down a few arcs below and give my input of them.
The stories are so far not bad. Every character so far introduced and has joined Luffy's crew all have some tragic back story. Some worse than others, for example, Usopp's really hit hard. The arcs have been kept to a decent length and I really was curious as to how the arc would end. After watching a hundred episodes, I've noticed Oda to have a real skill at drawing people in. They mention little things you could easily skip over, but if you see them, you'll want to know what their talking about. If you're a person who has to know what that one thing is, this anime will suck you in. The Flashbacks so far had been kept to a minimum and seemed to have some important stories, but as soon as I entered the Alabasta arc[footnote]The arc the spans from episodes 92-130[/footnote], I really started to notice some filler episodes kick in. Like episode 99 was just filled with, what I consider, a pointless episode that really didn't show much. They spend an entire episode showing how friendly a king was, which has already been shown multiple times already. Up until that point, even the filler arcs were rather solid. Though each arc seems to have the same ending. Something incipacites Luffy and his two other fighters have to hold off until Luffy gets free. Then he walks in and just slaughters them. I hope this changes in future arcs.
[HEADING=1]Characters[/HEADING]
I'm going to break down each character in a section and go into more detail for this section.
Monkey D. Luffy
Leader of The Straw Hat Pirates and the owner of the Gum Gum Fruit. Which gives him to ability to stretch his body to insane proportions. He takes less damage from punches, being thrown about, falling, and pretty much anything that isn't a bladed weapon. He's very easy going and able to be calm in almost any situation. The only way to make him angry is to hurt his friends. Pretty much think the exact opposite of a pirate and you have Luffy.
Watching this in 2014, Luffy seems like the standard Shonen protagonist... but taking into effect the release date of the original manga, Luffy may have been created before that trope became a common occurrence. My google searches have found nothing, so I have nothing concrete. To sum him up, if you like Natsu from Fairy Tail, you'll like Luffy.
Roronoa Zoro
A former pirate bounty hunter, now swordsman of The Straw Hat Pirates. He is a master of the three-sword style combat, choosing three Katannas as his weapons. Most of the time, he thinks clearly and is laid back in many situations. He actual posed when he thought he was going to die at one point. But, challenge him to a fight, hit him, or do anything to piss him off and he quickly turns aggressive. Anime aggressive that is. Shouting at them and becoming deadly serious in combat. Especially with another swordsman. His goal is to become the "world's greatest swordsman" after all.
I really like Zoro. His backstory is really forced, but his goal is amazing. He as a character somehow is just really easy to like. Easy going when he needs to be and serious when he needs to be. Watching him fight is always fun as well.
Nami
The navigator and thief of the Straw Hat Pirates. She usually acts as the straight-man in many of the groups antics and usually tries to beat sense into them. As of now, I'd almost call her the un-official captain. She's the voice of reason in a sea of idiots. Her only downside, is that she is greedy. Really greedy. She's pretty much the only person on the ship with money and taking a loan from her is not a good idea. Especially at a 300% payback with increased interest. She doesn't fight often and prefers not to, but she has shown herself capable with a bo staff. That mixed with charms and other skills, she is a very useful member to the team. Her dream is to chart the world.
Nami has had my favorite backstory so far. First one to get really deep and sad. Other than that, it's just really fun to watch her try and talk some sense into her idiot captain and crew mates. Though I'm really wondering how her breasts have increased in size so rapidly from episode one to a hundred.
Usopp
The crew's repairman, liar, sniper, coward, and inventor. He's usually responsible for dealing with the weakest of the bad guys in an arc. His usual tactic is to run away and then hit them with his slingshot when they comment on him running away. His aim is excelent, almost unnatural, but his cowardice really hurts him. He will frequently address himself as "Captain Usopp" and act like he's the hero of the arc. Though he is usually a wimp, he has proved that he can be brave when he needs to be. His goal is be a "great warrior of the sea" just like his father.
His backstory is the first that got me crying. We learn that he isn't just the village punk, that he lies and does what he does for good reasons. Other than that, I haven't really cared for Usopp much. All he seems to do is either complain or lie and that just gets kinda old after a while. He makes for a decent comedy release character, but when I want action, his sessions just suck.
Sanji
The crew's cook and third fighter of the ship. Sanji is the former chief of a restaurant that sailed the sea. He's also the crew's residential pervert, showing favoritism to women and constantly flirting with Nami. He's fighting style was taught to him by his former boss, Zeff. Which is the art of kicking. Sanji shares many traits with Zoro. They're both calm and laid back most of the time, but when a woman or a challenge comes near, Sanji gets all worked up. He frequently gets in fights with Zoro as to who is second best of the crew. His dream is to find "All-Blue", which is a rumored ocean that has fish from all the four seas.
Like Zoro, I really like Sanji as well. His backstory is the only one not to stand on drama, focusing more on why he feels the need to feed the hungry and why how he came to be on the ship. Watching him fight is always fun as well, he seems to do as much as he can to keep his hands in his pockets. Gotta look cool right.
Tony Tony Chopper
Chopper is the crew's medic and mascot of sorts. He's a reindeer that ate the Human Human Fruit and gained the ability to shape shift into a human. He has three standard forms, a reindeer, a small human, and a large human. With use of his rumble ball, he adds guard form, jump form, and a few others I have yet to see. He's a master at the medical arts and is the youngest member of the crew. Though the show did not specifically state his goal, I'm guessing he wants to cure all disease in the world.
Chopper is pretty cool for me. I love characters that have multiple forms, especially combat forms. This is the only way for Chopper to fight, so whenever he steps up, I get really excited. He's easily likable, with his gullibility and naivety as well. I haven't had the chance to see him really get in the fighting mode, but I'm really excited to see it happen.
Side Characters, Bad Guys
The side characters so far have been pretty cool. Portagas D. Ace, Luffy's older brother is a pretty cool character I've just seen. Owner of the devil fruit that gives him the power to create, become, and control fire. Vivi is the princess of a kingdom that the Straw Hats are currently trying to save. She's been with them for a while now, as well as her bird compatriot.
The bad guys are were this show truly shines though. Buggy, the clown pirate, has the ability to move his limps as individual pieces and fight like that. Mr. 3 can create wax from his body. Don Krieg has so many weapons on his body it's insane. Arlong is a merman who's teeth can break nearly anything. Jango is a hypnotist who frequently puts himself under his own hypnosis. Captain Smoker, a marine captain obssesed with catching Luffy. He has the Plume Plume fruit, which gives him the power to turn, control, create smoke. He also is the first to note on the Will of D. The list goes on. The villains are very creative and unique.
[HEADING=1]Art[/HEADING]
The art is very well done for an anime that started back in 1999. It looks better than some I've seen from 2007. The only thing that I must comment on is the way they draw the female characters. Nearly every single one... is a barbie doll. Non-existent stomach, large chest, large hips, and a large butt. Only one has looked different so far and she eventually changes to a a barbie as well. This could be for wank material, but I just view it as Oda's art style. He draws quite a few characters in exaggerated2 ways.
[HEADING=1]The Action[/HEADING]
Now, don't get me wrong here. Action does happen. But it's usually over in either two seconds or we don't see it to the full effect. This could just be an issue with how old the anime is, or just laziness on the animators part. The show seems to rather focus on talking than actually getting to the damn fight. Some fights have been really cool, but others just have me sighing from boredom or just wishing they'd get on with it.
[HEADING=1]Soundtrack[/HEADING]
Oh. My. Fucking. God. If I here the "funny", "sad", or "serious" track one more time. I'm gonna punch a wall. They seriously throw these same three tracks out whenever these moments happen. I know the sad track goes all the way to at least the late 300 episodes.
[HEADING=1]Should you watch it?[/HEADING]
First off, can you make a long-term investment in an anime series. If you can't I would not suggest watching this series. At 670 episodes, to every think about catching up, you'll need to devote a lot of time to watching this. If you don't believe you can, I would suggest skipping this series. Second, do you even like Shonen? If you don't, skip this. You'll hate it. This show I would suggest watching until episode 20-30. If you haven't found a reason to stay, don't stay. You'll just be hurting yourself. By episode 30, Luffy has gained his first five crew members, so a majority of the main cast. If you can't like them, I doubt you'll want to wait until episode 81 to get another one.
