May 3, 2024
People will always ask "when does this get good?" and answers will vary. My answer to that is around 450 chapters in. I don't understand how people can claim that One Piece is a god-sent masterwork from Romance Dawn. It's slow, obnoxious, repetitive, predictable, and unbelievably annoying. The identity of the series is also steeped in juvenile misogyny that gets gross pretty quickly. Dragon Ball did it for a couple volumes. One Piece did it for 20 years.
The Story is basic but fine. Clear motivations, clear goals. Nothing wrong with that. The art style is sometimes overwhelming. You get used to it and it's
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definitely a key aspect to the identity of OP but sometimes less is more. The characters are pretty hit and miss, with one half being really endearing and sympathetic and the other half being detestable. There are so many characters that I despise (including some of the main cast), which does not help me enjoy the series. I didn't like a lot of the humour but there were some laugh out loud moments. The world building is phenomenal. This is my favourite part of One Piece. The problem I found with this is that the cool stuff was metered out way too slowly. I was always thinking "when are we going to get to the cool stuff, why are we wasting time with some stupid shit when there's so much potential for more interesting stories?" Maybe that's a "me" problem.
The fights are always good, that's one area where OP shines, although a lot of the villains suck. Over-the-top evil, obnoxiously arrogant, usually over-confident. And it's the same end result every time. Luffy gives the guy a big punch. Wow! He got what he deserved! Who could have seen that coming?? It's painfully transparent. I don't understand how a person can watch this happen 4 or 5 times and clap and cheer every single time. Also no one ever dies ever (I can count like 4 significant deaths in over 600 chapters). It really takes the tension away. How am I supposed to care about a fight if I no that there are no real stakes because the writing is predictable? Suspension of disbelief only goes so far.
I'm happy for everyone who loves OP and gives it a 10. I don't get it but I'm happy for you. Clearly this series just isn't for me. And don't get me wrong, OP has some really great moments. There's a lot of good stuff to find. The only problem is that those gems are buried in an ocean of tedious mediocrity. I did not enjoy the journey. The destination was okay. An overall unpleasant experience.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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