42 replies to this topic

[storyeater]

One piece was always an unsurpasingly tasty story.I believe Oda is a true artist:one who writes from the soul,not from the wallet.He drags it out just because he has more to say,and I am sure that the moment he loses interest or when he feels his story is concluded will be when OP ends.

[Gyresxj]

Out of 3 mainstreams naruto / bleach / one piece. One Piece is no doubt the best. Naruto and bleach qualitiness dropped hugely last time, they are not stable, and their animes is 50% fillers based.

Eichiro Oda manages to put so much story in each small chapter, that One Piece didnt have fillers for ages. + The quality of drawing is very good.

Though toriko is getting better now, quite good last arc.

Edited by Evgeny, 14 June 2012 - 03:58 PM.

[2snobal]

Personally, One Piece is a "bible" for me and a friend of mine. Not religious in any sense, but a guide for how to live a life. Oda made a story where, unlike most, right and wrong plays no part. If it did, the World Government would not be the bad guy. One Piece shows you can obtain that freedom everyone yearns for if you just want it bad enough. The stories go deep, paralleling with history in our reality (missing periods of human civilizations, corrupted governments, using names of pirates that actually existed, the chosen few reserving the right to enslave anyone and get away with it (big business, that whole 99%-stock-market issue)). Not to mention One Piece is the only manga I've read that includes a variety of animal and flora species (most series you only see a handful of animals outside the main characters). There are so many side stories in the main one, that it often feels like there is no main story outside what Luffy does chapter-to-chapter (mystery of the lost century, what the D. in the names mean, Luffy returning the hat to Shanks, etc.) I mean, the guy made not just a manga, but a modern day mythology.

Its also one of the most realistic in terms of if a character looks like he's gonna die, he most likely will; Naruto and Bleach have a reputation where almost no major characters die. Many times a manga's main characters lose vital traits that give way to plot holes (Why is Naruto learning all these great techniques if he's the dumbest in the class? Why does Ichigo no longer worry about his physical body when he enters spirit form?). Luffy and crew still steal treasure, they still throw gigantic parties and get everyone wasted, they still have no care who they go up against, and they still do whatever they want to do.

So, you know, what I'm trying to say is: I like the guy. He's a storyteller writing a narrative that has very few plot holes, outstanding character consistency, and delivers tales that we all at times are envious of. This opinion does go against a lot of what Darkwings stated, but it sounds like we both dig the mangaka so its all good with me. And yeah, I did just make this account to type this one response.

You are a true fan. Respect. On a separate note, I agree with the whole "modern day mythology" thing. Oda goes in so deeply with all of his characters (especially the whole Arlong-Jimbei thing that occurred like 400 chapters later) that you become attached. Tite Kubo ruined Bleach for me because they were trying to milk it: there is no clear cut goal. More bad guys pop out of the sky even MORE powerful than the last and Ichigo just keeps getting these random ass freaking powerups without any real effort (what was it, a couple days to achieve Bankai?). No character development, no plot twists, and the characters are all shallow. OP and Naruto do have their end goals, it's just OP has a more measurable one (Luffy is exactly halfway) compared to Naruto (Naruto can drag on for all eternity until he becomes Hokage or w/e).

I apologize for the bad grammar, but you get the idea. e.e

[HDark]

A brilliant author AND artist (I love his artistic style, and his varied character design is divine!)

He created my favorite series, also the series I have read for the longest time and reread the most. I am now in my second year of college and I have been reading One Piece continuously since I was eleven (technically watching the anime then transitioning to reading later). No other series has captivated me for so long.

He is one of the few people gifted with the ability to create and express genuine emotion through his work. One Piece never feels melodramatic (aka, forced emotion)

His characters are well developed, and even with a huge cast they continue to feel unique and relevant.

He has ingeniously avoided the traps of other long-running manga series; for example, many series gain incredibly unbalanced power levels as they go on because the protagonist is simply made too strong and after a certain point it becomes difficult for the author to advance the story without pulling stuff out of their ass. Oda has avoided this splendidly.

His world is incredibly imaginative and well-thought out. The world persists outside of the actions of the main characters and it has both depth and breadth. The various islands are unique and charming. Political and historical mysteries are not cheaply thought up on the spot but are rather carefully created and slowly revealed in such a way to keep things both interesting and delightfully uncertain.

His sense of humor is wonderful. One Piece is absolutely hilarious, and if you read the SBS you'll see that as a person it is genuine. He loves what he does.

Finally, he does tend to drag the story along occassionally (Fishman Island being the most recent example) but I think that is characteristic of many great works I've read, and it often happens simply because the author gets too absorbed in an aspect of their world that they particularly like.

In short, he is a genius and an inspiration. Fangirling done.

Edited by HDark, 30 July 2012 - 08:21 AM.

[GZeppeli]

He's adorable. Just look at his face.



But yeah, I think One Piece is what a shounen manga should be; fun. I've been following it for almost 10 years now and it still manages to feel fresh, somehow.

[GodOfAll]

well i think you shouldn't say that about naruto because it does what it says on the tin which is a boy who not accepted by his village strives to become hokage and if think about it goes with how the story progress but anyway oda sensei is really good i like how he writes and his ability aas a mangaka are awesome i like how the character growth is and the depth emotiobn especially when ace dies and luffy starts to cry i will admit this i kinda cried. i think u seem to forget in naruto he is able to do these great techniques because of his own chakra and kurama's chakra( as he is known now (9 tails)) which is so vast so due to these 2 opposing chakras he isn't able to do simple techs, for bleach he disregards his physical body because of the mod soul that inhabits his physical body when he leaves his body. i think you my friend are plain biased because naruto's power is what is there that is his own vast amount of chakra and the kyuubi's and the fact that he like his mentor learnt the sage arts which allows him to be powerful

Eh imagine a normal person during a "simple" technique with 1 charka. Now, with 3 chakra in his body, he can suddenly do even harder techniques? Shocking, I thought more stuff to control results in harder work, not vice versa.
Btw, the thing about mod souls, I think that wasn't the point. Remember how ichigo receives the damage the soul receives all at once? Now imagine...

[ValorantX]

I'll just say this, I read One Piece over a year ago and it's so far been on my mind at some point of the day almost everyday since then. It's kind of a strange question to me asking what the author rather than the series means to me, since this is his only series really. I wrote a review on baka-updates (https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=33&method=useful#comments) that summarizes my thought on the series.

Before becoming a part of the manga fandom, as a resident of the U.S, I saw One Piece as a cartoon that was more suited for kids. The fact that Naruto and Bleach is more popular than One Piece here among the "Big Three" is mostly the fault of the American cartoon company, 4Kids, who licensed One Piece and heavily censored and edited the anime. (please, it's not even close to what's it's supposed to be) When I learned that One Piece is the best selling manga in history (over 260 million volumes sold as of 2011) as well that 88% of its readers in Japan are adults, it gave me the motivation to seriously start reading it. The experience was a pure joy and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Each arc gets more and more exciting as you read on and everything from epic battles to comedy relief brings the characters to life. As one of the comments said, it's all about the journey and not the destination. And it's a very epic journey. (in fact, at one point in the manga, Luffy says he doesn't want to know where One Piece is right away or it'll make the adventure boring) That's why you have to experience the adventure thoroughly to properly understand how good the series actually is. I myself didn't really get why it was considered one of the best after reading several volumes. Continue on without question and you won't regret it. Personally I found the Enies Lobby Arc the climax of the series; after that I considered One Piece to be one of my top favorites and certainly the best mainstream shonen manga.

A lot of ideas for manga are based on real life examples with a fictional twist. One Piece brings together pirates vs. marines with mythical beasts and devil fruit powers. This allows for a lot of leverage for the design of many interesting characters. We have our protagonist, Luffy, a rubber man who's ability to stretch combines close combat with long ranged attacks (I mean seriously, who else but Oda would think of this) and his crew who goes up against a multitude of villians with their own unique devil fruit powers and developed abilities. The fights in this story become more and more epic as the challenge becomes tougher and tougher with the result of the characters becoming stronger each time as well. Not only do each individual's abilities evolve, their teamwork becomes phenomenal. The creativity put into this series is simply GENIUS, meaning no one else could've written anything like it.

Oda Eiichiro-sensei was fully aware that his art style might put off some people (that's where some of the bias comes from in America) but as One Piece's popularity grew, his unusual art was shown to be be one of One Piece's selling points. It allowed him the freedom to draw interesting battles, funny scenarios, and bizarre characters. Rather than getting "used to the art," you'll find yourself immersed in it.

Another selling point of the manga is that although there is always the comical annoyance between the crew members, all the members loves and values their crew dearly as all of them have joined Luffy's crew because of some sort of dream; dreams that were inspired by some sort of tragedy they experienced or by some person they have met. You'll find yourself touched by the characters interactions as you see them go through hardships as well as joyful moments, with their dreams becoming the drive force that makes each individual powerful. You'll have fun with the characters as they all have their own role in entertaining the reader; comedy and seriousness is blended together perfectly in series as each one of them has their own very unique personality. This allows for a plenty of hilarious gags intricately put in each chapter. As you observe their adventures, jumping from one island to the next, you'll see the crew always getting into some wacky situation as troublemakers and how they're always ready to be heroes and save anything from a small village to an entire nation. Because of how they always meddle into the affairs of others, the tiny crew starts off as nobodies only to become infamous worldwide as the plot progresses into something enormous.

The idea of many people is that many shonen manga reach its peak at some point and only get worse if the author attempts to keep the series going on for too long instead of ending it, but One Piece has been going on for 600+ chapters and has only gotten more interesting. Oda always knows how to take the series into the right direction. (he says at chapter 597 that the series reached its half point then)

I was told by a friend that he agrees with almost everything I say here except the fact that he feels that the post-time skip arcs have dropped in quality, an idea on which I'm kind of divided on.

Edited by Saphsin, 28 August 2012 - 11:47 AM.

[vampiricsloth]

i came to one piece quite late in the story i think it was around chapter 550 or so(like january this year) and since then i've reread it once through and seen the anime twice ^^ i love his work its unique and original and i think i want to see it go for many more years

[ValorantX]

I loved the manga but I feel that in many parts of the anime, the pacing is just terrible..... Like some episodes are hardly longer than one chapter of the manga, spread out in 20 minutes. There are many battle scenes in the anime I enjoyed and those that I didn't, such as the recent Fishmen arc of the anime.

[Roxis]

can't be helped if they make it too fast,the anime plot will catch up manga current plot
one burden to be happening in every long running anime series

[Pingve77]

An inspiration. "One Piece" is a series upon which i grew from teen to an adult. First time i came across it was when i was 13 (i think), Polish Korean watching anime on MTV Germany. I did not understand a bloody word but it was so engrossing i was literally counting hours 'till the monday so i can watch. Recorded on VCR cassettes and rewatched so many times that my father got concerned about me learning German he forbid me from watching for a time. Stumbled upon the manga some year later. First time i came across such a comic (raised on Tintin). It was so fantastic/phenomenal/WAAAH! to the young me that it motivated me to study art followed by languages at an age where most teens wanted to be models or ballerinas/ski dancers. I am 24 now and i still consider it the best imagination exercise there is and keep all the cassettes and booklets (buy them online and wait for delivery even though i read it on manga-reading sites). Eiichiro Oda's works brought so much joy and color to my life that really and i mean really there is nothing i can compare it with. Sure there are/were more artistic and deeper works than it, but not one of them will ever motivate a person to play/pretend she is a rubber pirate .

Totally agree, practically i grew up with One Piece

[whitenuts]

Oda is one of the best storytellers writting manga nowadays. Unlike some mangakas, he really knows how to conduct his story and characters well.

[rkitty]

An amazing Author and Artist... He has made me laugh, cry, get motivated, and excited like a 11 year old... Very few authors and mangakas can make people feel such emotions, Oda has done it beautifully...

[Baltringue29]

turtlejake almost expressed all of what i feel about one piece. Pretty agree with all of you that Oda is one of the best manga author i've come to see the work. I read much of the manga and listen to the anime as well because some things aren't in the manga and vice-versa (like the toughts and comments about each others which are almost inaudible in the anime or when they come up to talk all in the same time + the "around the world" 1st page of the manga that give us info about what's going on with other precedently meeted caracters). They are actually 8 on the ship crew (Luffy originally talked about having 10 nakama) and i'm rooting for Jimbe to join it (which lead to the question who will be the tenth crewmember?) So in essence i hope one piece continue for another 10 years at least!

[Gravewolf]

Of the big 3 the only one I still read is One Piece, because it still manages to offer me lots of good entertainment and it doesn't feel milked to death. The characters are well fleshed along with the villains and side characters. It's amazing how many memorable moments and characters this manga has. Oda is a real genius in my opinion considering One Piece has been around for a long time. His stories are just as strong today as when One Piece started and that is a rarity in most mangas.

[Vice Admiral Luffy]

To me he is an artist who has the amazing ability of surprising me constantly. It is almost impossible to predict what will happen (Unlike certain other manga's that I shall not mention ) in his future chapters and the story has kept me on the edge ever since i started reading it.

The man is a creative mastermind.

Edited by Raul1331, 01 March 2013 - 03:47 PM.

[Noof]

A god

[Dragon88]

To me he is an artist who has the amazing ability of surprising me constantly. It is almost impossible to predict what will happen (Unlike certain other manga's that I shall not mention ) in his future chapters and the story has kept me on the edge ever since i started reading it.

The man is a creative mastermind.

 

 

To me he is an artist who has the amazing ability of surprising me constantly. It is almost impossible to predict what will happen (Unlike certain other manga's that I shall not mention ) in his future chapters and the story has kept me on the edge ever since i started reading it.

The man is a creative mastermind.

Actually to me OP is lot more predictable then lot of other stories but still its just awesome.  I would just say ODA is probably like the best writer of fictional story I can think of.  His story is just awesome and what amazes me mostly is the details in his story as well as the suspense.  This guy is just superb.  Also not to mention his drawing is excellent.  One thing that I like about OP is that the characters look so real like not like super beautiful and abnormal.  They look like real people who you can meet in the streets, except for obviously Chopper, Brook and Franky.  But rest of the shs I can just see someone looking like them and hanging out.  He really brings the characters alive.

[adib_14]

Oda is an angel in a human shape!!

He has changed my life for ever. Earlier I was always stupid, I was bad in school and I was bullied every day, but after I began to watch ONEPIECE I realized that the life has more to offer and I must have to change myself! I can't think of how my life would be if Oda wouldn't exist.. I'm just very thankful to god that he gave me (us) an angle who changed my (our) life! He changed my life only by drawing hahaha 

 

THANK YOU, ODA!!

I LOVE ONEPIECE!!!!!!!!           

Edited by adib_14, 16 May 2014 - 11:38 PM.

[pijoed]

I just fall in love with his drawings...... unique, has realistic head-body scale and very expressive. ex. Furry dragon. plus, each time we read OP, there are always 3-4 out of the obvious posters to go with it. There are always desserts before and snack after the main course.

 

 

Of the big 3 the only one I still read is One Piece, because it still manages to offer me lots of good entertainment and it doesn't feel milked to death. The characters are well fleshed along with the villains and side characters. It's amazing how many memorable moments and characters this manga has. Oda is a real genius in my opinion considering One Piece has been around for a long time. His stories are just as strong today as when One Piece started and that is a rarity in most mangas.

same here..... the other two is beach nin.....

Edited by pijoed, 02 June 2014 - 08:52 AM.