One Piece, the treasure of a lifetime, is being sought by every pirate in the seven seas. One boy's dream is to find that treasure and to become King of the Pirates. That boy is Monkey D. Luffy, and with his rag-tag crew he will sail the Grand Line searching for a treasure that will make any pirate's dream come true.

Synopsis: Sargent066.

Story & Characters

This is the only story that has ever managed to move me to tears in more than one occasion. It is a story about what true friendship means, and what it means to have faith in your "Nakama" (friends..). One Piece is amazingly detailed and in-depth, and it is quite obvious that the mangaka put much work and effort into the plot. That is also probably why this series has already reached ~35 volumes and ~200 episodes (give or take a few), and it is not even near completion.

Many times you will find yourself asking, "Why did he/she do that?!" because the characters often do things that you don't understand. For example, why does Nami steal all that treasure for? or why does Zoro fight with three swords? Even though you are left in the dark at the time, the author does eventually explain his/her history and answers these types of questions. But more than that, it allows for the reader to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of the characters, and why they do what they do. These characters become multi-dimensional personality-wise, and not just the usual heroes/heroines. Even the minor characters get the same attention, such as the that man wears a pinwheel on his hat.. That is why this is my favorite aspect of One Piece.

One notable trait of this series is that very few characters ever die in the story. I must praise Oda-sensei for making that an integral part of the story. I certainly hate seeing characters that I have grown to admire die. Another important theme throughout One Piece is the idea of following your dream. And although Luffy can be stupid at times, his pure-heartedness and steadfastness is what makes him so lovable.

Rating: 10

Art

Because the art for the anime/manga is so unique, I must admit that at first I did not like it all that much. But as with many things, I have grown to appreciate it. The author has really created a style all his own. It is refreshing to see that the characters are not carbon-copies of each other with different hairstyles/colors. Everything about each character is special. And while it is not the most "beautiful" artwork I have ever seen, it definitely has its merits. Luffy's expressions are so adorable!

Rating: 8

Sound

My favorite songs for the series happen to be opening theme songs: "We Are" and "Believe". Those, as well as several other songs (that I have heard) are very akin to the overall feel for the show -- triumphant and uplifting. The ending theme songs changed more often than the opening songs, so there is not as much attachment for me to them. But they are all good in their own respects.

And as expected, the Japanese voice artists did an excellent job bringing each character to life and giving them their own personality. I cannot speak for the dubbed version (if it exists) since I have never heard it myself.

Rating: 8

Presentation

This series is definitely original, the likes of which I have never seen before. When I first watched One Piece, I was honestly expecting a darker theme rather than what it actually is -- encouraging. Each character is vastly different from each other, even the "villians" have their own unique qualities. And the world itself is also special. I was amazed that anyone was able to come up with such elaborate and intricate ideas!

One gripe I do have about One Piece is that the battle scenes sometimes take forever. It almost reminds me of Dragonball (which I never got into..). Each large-scale battle has individual fights for each main character. And because of that it usually spans several episodes. I guess I am just very impatient when it comes to this because I am anxious to know the outcome. And even though I know the main characters will always win, the author is still able to keep it suspenseful until the end. It is not the same tactics over and over.

I know that all I've ever mentioned about this series is how deeply moving it is, but there are a lot of extremely hilarious moments in the anime/manga. There are just so many memorable moments! I find myself on the verge of tears one moment and laughing the next. Once I started this story, I just kept coming back for more. It's the type of series that I never want to end.. yes, it is that good.

Rating: 10

Final Verdict

9.33 (very good)

Reviewed by Sereneness, Oct 22, 2004

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