I don't think you should just go read One Piece ; I think you should go read One Piece RIGHT NOW. It's been about 18 years since i started reading OP regularly and this is the best thing that has happened to me and that I absolutely do not regret. I would even go further, I surely won't be the person I am today without One Piece in my life. No joke.
Anyways, onto the actual review now. And it will be long so thank you for those who will read it.: D
STORY / ENJOYMENT : The greatest strength of OP is its history. And
...
what a story... One which has lasted for 24 years now and which never ceases to make its readers dream and intrigue more than one. Such is the strength of Eiichiro Oda with his story.
Monkey D. Luffy is 17 years old boy, and since he was a kid and acquired this brilliant ability to be elastic, he proclaims loud and clear that he will be a pirate, better still, the Pirate King, whose title was once given to Gold Roger, the pirate who braved the Grand Line and saw the end of it.
If the basic pitch is simple, and can clearly lead to believe that it is shamefully far-fetched, it is what surrounds and adorns this fairly basic plot which is simply Dantesque, and is all the interest of reading diligently One Piece. Rich in twists and turns, rich in absolutely any emotion likely to be perceptible in a work, and a story much more complex and dense than it seems, without it pulling towards nonsense. All this is handled by Eiichiro Oda with a stunning ease and with a prodigious inspiration, which can only lead to forcing admiration, even frightening, so many ideas overflow without giving a single sign of exhaustion.
Its main asset is its creativity. Indeed, if the diagram of the manga seems repetitive at the beginning of the manga and the different arcs that we can read, the originality comes on the other hand: each arc has its provided plot, and the stakes of each of them. These stories are fraught with consequences, which also gives a serious tone to the adventure, above all the good humor that emanates from it.
And that's one of the best things of OP, you never get bored. You are fascinated by the huge and diverse OP world and you just can't let go of it. Everything is interesting and everything is fun, Luffy and his crew never chose the easy path, but they strive for adventure and excitement and they almost pass their feelings to us, the readers. That's something very rare, especially in a manga and OP handles that expertly.
OP is also rich in mystery, because as said previously, Oda handles his story very well and knows how to put his readers in suspense, whether they want to continue, without knowing how to stop, the adventures of our friend with the straw hat. Also, during all this progression we will have the opportunity to ask questions on several points, which enrich the scenario among which: What does the "D" represent in the name of several protagonists of the manga, including Gol D Roger? What happened during the “Void Century” ? What does the “Rio Poneglyph” tell us and what is the role of “Ancient Weapons” ? What is the goal of the Revolution led by Dragon ? Where does the Devil Fruits come from ? And especially the One Piece, what is it ? So many questions whose answers will have enormous repercussions in the future, for sure, for all the development effort that is put on it.
OP has a whole complex universe of its own in which we travel, with its own rules that we have decided to follow. Indeed, Oda defines the rules of his universe, and tackles them with rigor, sometimes going so far as to give completely fanciful and barred explanations of such and such a phenomenon, but which always “hold”. Once again we must play the game to let the master fascinate and amaze us, by this constantly evolving environment, from arc to arc more and more enriched.
We are also entitled to politics, however very light and treated very succinctly. And in fact, the World Government, totalitarian, repressive and under the guise of the rubbish of nobles, which governs the order of all these good people. In their pay: The Marines, armed forces of the WG, powerful, present in almost every corner of the globe and hierarchical like any army. Its role is to eradicate all garbage, and therefore pirates included, which may be rampant on sea and on land, the WG judges them and enforces their sentence. Another paradox of this manga, the WG and the Marines, despite everything they have to blame each other and their methods, represent good and justice in the world of One Piece, but in return present themselves as an obstacle to the Mugiwara and like their enemies. A shift taken by the author which also has an effect of freshness in the beautiful world of Shonen, which we know very summarily Manichean. In addition, One Piece also deals in its own way with fairly strong subjects such as slavery, class and privilege, racism, censorship and lies at the state level, not to mention justice. Of course, this remains treated lightly, so that everyone can understand it, but the message remains there, and keeps its relevance.
ART : The drawing style is very particular, know that if you do not hang on the first try, it is imperative to give it your own to hang on to the very particular line of Eiichiro Oda: very exaggerated expressions, inhuman proportions, very design. For my part, I was immediately hooked on it.
The style is particular, but that does not make it poor drawing. At the beginning of the manga, the line is rather simple, nothing which does not impress in the first boards of One Piece but which has its charm. But like any mangaka, Eiichiro Oda over the years has improved on his drawings. If the style remains, on his technique he is refined to give more and more complex shots and postures, and as for the richness of his boards, it is quite simply spectacular. Since yes, each chapter of One Piece is now quite dense with information, so dense that Oda draws taking all the available space of his paper to embed as many details as possible. Just compare the first volumes to the last ones released. Extremely detailed pages, but which do not interfere at any time with the narration remaining fluid and pleasant.
One Piece is also very beautiful landscapes, and is its biggest strength in terms of design. We admire each island on which we are made to travel, each island has its peculiarities and a very strong identity. In general, we are offered a panorama in double page of great beauty, like a pretty postcard. Many of the islands drawn are moreover inspired by real places that Oda has carefully observed. It's a real journey.
As for the characters, they're just awfully and ridiculously wacky and funny, as they can also exude a lot of elegance in a more standard register. It should be noted that the author is inspired and draws a lot of folklore from the whole history of our humanity and a lot - but not only - in Japanese culture, references that will always please anyone who notices them. His drawings during the fights are also not lacking in punch and there is everything to convey the intensity of the fights.
CHARACTERS : This is where OP really shines too. Each character is presented with great detail,they are all quite unique. Everyone has their own backstory explained thoroughly and we get to see why they are who they are,why each one of them has their very own ambitions and dreams. Due to their different experiences they have very different personalities and through good character development, we see how they interact with each other and how they get closer to each other. We see how they become comrades and everyone is looking for each other, they become something very close to a family. It is a family actually. That's the kind of bonds they make. Each character has their story and development, which can affect different readers depending on their experience and all have an importance to the story. I have never been more touched by characters than those I have discovered in this manga…
What I also like about his characters is the very family relationships that the characters create among themselves without necessarily talking about the crew. Family relations are hugely evoked and it is one of the themes most dear to Oda's eyes, without they coming from the same blood. It is not the blood that counts in One Piece but the bond that is created. Wonderful links are transcribed and a lot of love emanates from these relationships that we get to know. And all of this is accurately detailed in the manga so that we can feel all the possible emotions that emanate from it.
Furthermore, we not only see the history and personality of the straw hats, but many others too, like members of the marines, others pirates, the villagers they meet etc. We see why they make the kind of choices they make. Nobody is entirely evil and nobody is purely good. Everyone has a good reason behind what they are doing and they strongly believe in their own cause, in their own justice and in their own dreams.
OVERWALL : For me, it’s just the best work I have read. One Piece is not just too good, nor is it an action and comedy-oriented shonen, it would be highly reducing and an insult to the work of Eiichiro Oda, so much there is to side, which make the adventure of One Piece, a memorable, mythical adventure, and which manages to make us travel in a world which has absolutely nothing to do with ours, but which is greatly inspired by it to leave make way for a whirlwind of ideas brought together to make us dream awake. Even if some will deplore in their eyes a rather long rhythm of the progression and a work "too long", One Piece is a whole universe which fully deserves our attention, and which only asks to be explored from top to bottom.
One Piece is anyway a great, a great great great manga, but also a great work, which would deserve a place in the pantheon of the greatest adventures of all time for me. First and supposedly last manga of Eiichiro Oda, he signs in passing a tenor of the genre, the work of a lifetime, we start One Piece as a kid, we finish it as an adult. And I could never thank Oda enough for that.
All (8)FriendsAlso Available atRSS Feeds |
Apr 6, 2021
I don't think you should just go read One Piece ; I think you should go read One Piece RIGHT NOW. It's been about 18 years since i started reading OP regularly and this is the best thing that has happened to me and that I absolutely do not regret. I would even go further, I surely won't be the person I am today without One Piece in my life. No joke.
Anyways, onto the actual review now. And it will be long so thank you for those who will read it.: D STORY / ENJOYMENT : The greatest strength of OP is its history. And ... |
