One Piece
(1997-Present, Ages 14 and Up)
1/1/16
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Here’s to the beginning of new journeys, new friends, and new life! With that toast, I think this is a perfect time to pay homage to a manga artist whose most famous story is synonymous with discovery, both of the self and of the world, Eiichiro Oda! And so, I’d like to celebrate his masterwork, and definitely my favorite manga.
Now, I realize that this may not seem very obscure, especially to fans of anime. That said, I still want to discuss it because it may not be known to non-anime fans, and considering the sometimes less-than-positive reputation of manga and anime that some believe, I personally think that it would be a shame to not give such an epic story as this a chance just because of the style it’s presented in. This goes back to the reason why I made this blog in the first place, to spread the word about works that people may have otherwise overlooked. Okay, now that I’ve said my peace! J Since its initial release, One Piece has become the most popular and best-selling manga series in history, and with good reason. It’s one of those rare narratives that can be very deep and heart-felt while also being delightfully bizarre and hilarious.
It is the story of a 17-year-old boy named Monkey D. Luffy, who travels the seas in order to find the legendary treasure known as “One Piece” and thereby earn the title of King of the Pirates. One of his major—and downright weird—assets is that he has eaten what is known as a Devil Fruit. There are many types of these fruits all over the world, granting element-manipulation, animal-transformation, and other supernatural powers and abilities, and it is the Gum-Gum fruit that has enabled Luffy to stretch any part of his body like rubber. The downside, however, is that whoever eats a Devil Fruit will never be able to swim again! Pretty ironic for a would-be pirate, right? Nevertheless, Luffy remains ever undaunted, continuing his quest while recruiting other characters to join his crew—each with their own dreams to pursue as well as their own quirks—and battling other pirates, strange creatures on both land and sea, the Marines, and even the World Government itself.
Here, Oda gives us a plot that paints a highly romantic picture of piracy—much of which was inspired by real-life pirates: traveling around the world in search of hidden treasures that only the strongest can obtain, and reaping the rewards of adventure and freedom on the high seas. But Oda takes this to a new level by including numerous lands, cultures, and phenomena that no sane person would ever believe possible in real, waking life. From islands of giants, dinosaurs, and never-changing seasons, societies of winged folk that live in the clouds, and undersea civilizations of mermaids and fish-people; to portals leading to time-frozen ship graveyards, parts of the sea where no wind ever blows, a village-sized ship of ghosts and zombies, and an island populated entirely by men ever dressed in drag; Oda peppers this world with unparalleled imagination.
At first glance, Luffy’s crew appear to be the epitome of motley (no pun intended), but they are as strong-willed and committed to their dreams as he is. As of volume 50 of the manga, his crewmates include:
Roranoa Zoro – first mate and former bounty hunter who aspires to be the world’s greatest swordsman, and who also sleeps constantly and happens to have the worst sense of direction
Nami – a beautiful, authoritative (and sometimes greedy) pick-pocketing navigator who dreams of charting a map of the entire world
Usopp – a somewhat cowardly sling-shot-wielding sniper who loves to tall tales of his supposed courageous exploits, and strives to become a “brave warrior of the sea” just like his pirate father
Sanji – the suave, cigarette-smoking, kick-fighting chef always on the lookout for any lovely, young women to flirt with while searching for the All Blue, the sea containing every fish in the world
Tony Tony Chopper – a reindeer and doctor whose anthropomorphic abilities stem from the Human-Human fruit; his shyness and naivety belie his skill and expertise in medicine, driving his compassionate desire to cure every disease there is
Nico Robin – a sexy but kindly former assassin and archeologist with the Flower-Flower fruit’s ability to sprout her limbs from any surface, and who is searching for the “Rio Poneglyph”, an ancient text said to contain the lost history of the world
Franky – the flamboyant speedo-wearing cyborg carpenter whose body and machines are powered by—I kid you not!—cola; his dream is to build a ship capable of sailing everywhere on the planet
Brook – a cheery cane-sword-wielding, music-playing skeleton who is still alive thanks to the Revive-Revive fruit; his dream is to find Laboon, the pet whale of his long-dead former pirate crew
Luffy and his crew are known the world over by the unusual but apt name, the Straw Hat Pirates; this is because of the straw hat given to Luffy by his idol, the famed pirate captain, Red-Haired Shanks, who once saved Luffy as a child from a giant sea serpant at the cost of his left arm. Before leaving Luffy’s village forever, Shanks left him his beloved hat, as a symbol of Luffy’s promise to Shanks to become a formidable pirate in his own right. And woe betide those, like the arrogant Captain Buggy the Clown, who dare to damage Luffy’s precious hat!
BUGGY: . . . Was I not supposed to scratch your face or something?
LUFFY: (Holding his nicked hat in suppressed rage.) . . . No one damages my lucky hat and walks away from it alive!
BUGGY: Heh?
LUFFY: (Screaming at Buggy.) THIS HAT IS MY ONLY TREASURE! AND ANYONE WHO SO MUCH AS LAYS A FINGER ON IT IS GONNA PAY!
(NAMI remembers a previous conversation with Luffy as she is watching the battle.)
LUFFY: (To Nami in said conversation.): Yeah, I made a solemn promise. I promised the guy who gave me this hat that I’d form a crew and become the greatest pirate ever.
NAMI: (Quietly to herself in wonder.) And I didn’t think that there was anything that could phase him. But look at him. He’s getting so upset about a hat.
A major aspect that makes this story so engaging is that it constantly blurs the line between good and evil, nobility and corruption. The Straw Hats want to be pirates not to cause murder and destruction, but to follow their dreams, explore the world, and heed the call to adventure, most often acting less like a traditional pirate crew than an absurdly dysfunctional “family” on a permanent vacation. Luffy himself seems the least likely person to survive among blood-thirsty pirates, let alone become their king. When relaxed, he acts with the maturity and attention span of a 3-year-old and the intelligence and manners of an unevolved animal with an appetite to match, and it often falls to his own crew to play babysitter, so to speak, and keep him in line. One of the best examples of this can be seen in episode 131 of the anime. The crew arrives on a deserted island; Nami proposes drawing lots to decide who will collect food and who will guard the ship, and Luffy completely misses the point in his typical, adorably stupid fashion:
NAMI: (Holds out some sticks in her fist.) Here.
LUFFY: Huh?
CHOPPER: What’s that?
USSOP: Draw lots?
. . .
ZORO: (Glares at Nami.) And just who made you captain? Why do you get to give all the orders?
NAMI: (Glares right back at him.) Back off. I may not be the captain but who else is gonna to do it?
LUFFY: (Looking at the lots now all in his hand.) Look! All of ‘em are kinda short!
USSOP: (Surprised.) Why’d you draw three?! You’re only supposed to take one!
LUFFY: I thought the person who grabs the most is the winner.
NAMI: (Visibly irked.) I don’t think further explanation on this subject is necessary, do you?
ZORO, USSOP, and CHOPPER: (Waving a hand dismissively.) Not at all!
LUFFY: (Laughs childishly.) I know! Am I great or what?
EVERYONE ELSE: YOU IDIOT! (They all punch Luffy.)
Despite this goofy, carefree nature, Luffy is much wiser than he appears and is given credit for. He could never care less about authority and will openly fight it if he believes it to be dishonest and exploitative, such as when certain Marine officials use their power to satisfy their own selfish and craven whims:
SPANDAM: (Thinking furiously.) My life and my promotion are the most important things right now. I have to be careful about this. If I let all my underlings run off, who’s going to protect me if something goes wrong?
. . .
SPANDAM: (Laughs evilly at the Straw Hat crew.) You can’t win, pirates! Look at this flag! . . . This is the world itself! . . . Do you realize how strong our organization is?!
. . .
LUFFY: (To Sniper King.) . . . Sniper King . . . Shoot down that flag.
Luffy will even challenge those he deems his friends if their ideals, no matter how honorable, are inherently flawed, like Vivi, princess of Alabasta:
LUFFY: (To Vivi.) You want it to work out so that nobody dies in this fight . . . You’ll never win that way.
. . .
VIVI: (Angrily.) And what’s wrong with that, huh? What is so wrong about not wanting to see people die or get hurt?
LUFFY: (Calmly.) ‘Cause people die, that’s why.
This is a world in which conviction in one’s dreams prove the merit of a person’s will and spirit, so much so that death means nothing. In fact, Oda himself address this directly in the manga. In one Q and A section, between chapters 30 and 31 in volume 4, a reader asks Oda why Luffy never kills his enemies after fighting them. Oda replies:
“. . . The reason why Luffy never kills is this: in his era, men live by their beliefs and risk their lives to defend them. Luffy shatters the beliefs of his enemies by defeating them. For them to suffer defeat and to have their beliefs destroyed is as bad as death. Killing their bodies is beside the point. I feel that, as pirates, Luffy and his enemies care more about victory and defeat than they care about their lives.” (p. 90)
LUFFY: (To “Black Arm” Zephyr [a.k.a. “Zed”].): I’m doing what I want, you get it? I don’t care what other people think! If I can’t beat you I can’t be King of the Pirates! That’s why I’m here!
This series can easily satisfy more than just fans of pirates. This is a tale for anyone who wants to believe in something greater than themselves without the often-annoying constraints of normalcy and logic getting in the way. One Piece is a strange, vibrant, funny, touching, action-packed adventure that definitely lives up to the praise.
CREDITS:
All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.
MAIN THEME:
“The Call” – Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund
Now, I realize that this may not seem very obscure, especially to fans of anime. That said, I still want to discuss it because it may not be known to non-anime fans, and considering the sometimes less-than-positive reputation of manga and anime that some believe, I personally think that it would be a shame to not give such an epic story as this a chance just because of the style it’s presented in. This goes back to the reason why I made this blog in the first place, to spread the word about works that people may have otherwise overlooked. Okay, now that I’ve said my peace! J Since its initial release, One Piece has become the most popular and best-selling manga series in history, and with good reason. It’s one of those rare narratives that can be very deep and heart-felt while also being delightfully bizarre and hilarious.
It is the story of a 17-year-old boy named Monkey D. Luffy, who travels the seas in order to find the legendary treasure known as “One Piece” and thereby earn the title of King of the Pirates. One of his major—and downright weird—assets is that he has eaten what is known as a Devil Fruit. There are many types of these fruits all over the world, granting element-manipulation, animal-transformation, and other supernatural powers and abilities, and it is the Gum-Gum fruit that has enabled Luffy to stretch any part of his body like rubber. The downside, however, is that whoever eats a Devil Fruit will never be able to swim again! Pretty ironic for a would-be pirate, right? Nevertheless, Luffy remains ever undaunted, continuing his quest while recruiting other characters to join his crew—each with their own dreams to pursue as well as their own quirks—and battling other pirates, strange creatures on both land and sea, the Marines, and even the World Government itself.
Here, Oda gives us a plot that paints a highly romantic picture of piracy—much of which was inspired by real-life pirates: traveling around the world in search of hidden treasures that only the strongest can obtain, and reaping the rewards of adventure and freedom on the high seas. But Oda takes this to a new level by including numerous lands, cultures, and phenomena that no sane person would ever believe possible in real, waking life. From islands of giants, dinosaurs, and never-changing seasons, societies of winged folk that live in the clouds, and undersea civilizations of mermaids and fish-people; to portals leading to time-frozen ship graveyards, parts of the sea where no wind ever blows, a village-sized ship of ghosts and zombies, and an island populated entirely by men ever dressed in drag; Oda peppers this world with unparalleled imagination.
At first glance, Luffy’s crew appear to be the epitome of motley (no pun intended), but they are as strong-willed and committed to their dreams as he is. As of volume 50 of the manga, his crewmates include:
Roranoa Zoro – first mate and former bounty hunter who aspires to be the world’s greatest swordsman, and who also sleeps constantly and happens to have the worst sense of direction
Nami – a beautiful, authoritative (and sometimes greedy) pick-pocketing navigator who dreams of charting a map of the entire world
Usopp – a somewhat cowardly sling-shot-wielding sniper who loves to tall tales of his supposed courageous exploits, and strives to become a “brave warrior of the sea” just like his pirate father
Sanji – the suave, cigarette-smoking, kick-fighting chef always on the lookout for any lovely, young women to flirt with while searching for the All Blue, the sea containing every fish in the world
Tony Tony Chopper – a reindeer and doctor whose anthropomorphic abilities stem from the Human-Human fruit; his shyness and naivety belie his skill and expertise in medicine, driving his compassionate desire to cure every disease there is
Nico Robin – a sexy but kindly former assassin and archeologist with the Flower-Flower fruit’s ability to sprout her limbs from any surface, and who is searching for the “Rio Poneglyph”, an ancient text said to contain the lost history of the world
Franky – the flamboyant speedo-wearing cyborg carpenter whose body and machines are powered by—I kid you not!—cola; his dream is to build a ship capable of sailing everywhere on the planet
Brook – a cheery cane-sword-wielding, music-playing skeleton who is still alive thanks to the Revive-Revive fruit; his dream is to find Laboon, the pet whale of his long-dead former pirate crew
Luffy and his crew are known the world over by the unusual but apt name, the Straw Hat Pirates; this is because of the straw hat given to Luffy by his idol, the famed pirate captain, Red-Haired Shanks, who once saved Luffy as a child from a giant sea serpant at the cost of his left arm. Before leaving Luffy’s village forever, Shanks left him his beloved hat, as a symbol of Luffy’s promise to Shanks to become a formidable pirate in his own right. And woe betide those, like the arrogant Captain Buggy the Clown, who dare to damage Luffy’s precious hat!
BUGGY: . . . Was I not supposed to scratch your face or something?
LUFFY: (Holding his nicked hat in suppressed rage.) . . . No one damages my lucky hat and walks away from it alive!
BUGGY: Heh?
LUFFY: (Screaming at Buggy.) THIS HAT IS MY ONLY TREASURE! AND ANYONE WHO SO MUCH AS LAYS A FINGER ON IT IS GONNA PAY!
(NAMI remembers a previous conversation with Luffy as she is watching the battle.)
LUFFY: (To Nami in said conversation.): Yeah, I made a solemn promise. I promised the guy who gave me this hat that I’d form a crew and become the greatest pirate ever.
NAMI: (Quietly to herself in wonder.) And I didn’t think that there was anything that could phase him. But look at him. He’s getting so upset about a hat.
A major aspect that makes this story so engaging is that it constantly blurs the line between good and evil, nobility and corruption. The Straw Hats want to be pirates not to cause murder and destruction, but to follow their dreams, explore the world, and heed the call to adventure, most often acting less like a traditional pirate crew than an absurdly dysfunctional “family” on a permanent vacation. Luffy himself seems the least likely person to survive among blood-thirsty pirates, let alone become their king. When relaxed, he acts with the maturity and attention span of a 3-year-old and the intelligence and manners of an unevolved animal with an appetite to match, and it often falls to his own crew to play babysitter, so to speak, and keep him in line. One of the best examples of this can be seen in episode 131 of the anime. The crew arrives on a deserted island; Nami proposes drawing lots to decide who will collect food and who will guard the ship, and Luffy completely misses the point in his typical, adorably stupid fashion:
NAMI: (Holds out some sticks in her fist.) Here.
LUFFY: Huh?
CHOPPER: What’s that?
USSOP: Draw lots?
. . .
ZORO: (Glares at Nami.) And just who made you captain? Why do you get to give all the orders?
NAMI: (Glares right back at him.) Back off. I may not be the captain but who else is gonna to do it?
LUFFY: (Looking at the lots now all in his hand.) Look! All of ‘em are kinda short!
USSOP: (Surprised.) Why’d you draw three?! You’re only supposed to take one!
LUFFY: I thought the person who grabs the most is the winner.
NAMI: (Visibly irked.) I don’t think further explanation on this subject is necessary, do you?
ZORO, USSOP, and CHOPPER: (Waving a hand dismissively.) Not at all!
LUFFY: (Laughs childishly.) I know! Am I great or what?
EVERYONE ELSE: YOU IDIOT! (They all punch Luffy.)
Despite this goofy, carefree nature, Luffy is much wiser than he appears and is given credit for. He could never care less about authority and will openly fight it if he believes it to be dishonest and exploitative, such as when certain Marine officials use their power to satisfy their own selfish and craven whims:
SPANDAM: (Thinking furiously.) My life and my promotion are the most important things right now. I have to be careful about this. If I let all my underlings run off, who’s going to protect me if something goes wrong?
. . .
SPANDAM: (Laughs evilly at the Straw Hat crew.) You can’t win, pirates! Look at this flag! . . . This is the world itself! . . . Do you realize how strong our organization is?!
. . .
LUFFY: (To Sniper King.) . . . Sniper King . . . Shoot down that flag.
Luffy will even challenge those he deems his friends if their ideals, no matter how honorable, are inherently flawed, like Vivi, princess of Alabasta:
LUFFY: (To Vivi.) You want it to work out so that nobody dies in this fight . . . You’ll never win that way.
. . .
VIVI: (Angrily.) And what’s wrong with that, huh? What is so wrong about not wanting to see people die or get hurt?
LUFFY: (Calmly.) ‘Cause people die, that’s why.
This is a world in which conviction in one’s dreams prove the merit of a person’s will and spirit, so much so that death means nothing. In fact, Oda himself address this directly in the manga. In one Q and A section, between chapters 30 and 31 in volume 4, a reader asks Oda why Luffy never kills his enemies after fighting them. Oda replies:
“. . . The reason why Luffy never kills is this: in his era, men live by their beliefs and risk their lives to defend them. Luffy shatters the beliefs of his enemies by defeating them. For them to suffer defeat and to have their beliefs destroyed is as bad as death. Killing their bodies is beside the point. I feel that, as pirates, Luffy and his enemies care more about victory and defeat than they care about their lives.” (p. 90)
LUFFY: (To “Black Arm” Zephyr [a.k.a. “Zed”].): I’m doing what I want, you get it? I don’t care what other people think! If I can’t beat you I can’t be King of the Pirates! That’s why I’m here!
This series can easily satisfy more than just fans of pirates. This is a tale for anyone who wants to believe in something greater than themselves without the often-annoying constraints of normalcy and logic getting in the way. One Piece is a strange, vibrant, funny, touching, action-packed adventure that definitely lives up to the praise.
CREDITS:
All images, audio, and links belong to their respective owners; no copyright infringement is intended.
MAIN THEME:
“The Call” – Briand Morrison and Roxann Berglund
EPISODE SONG:
“Yo Ho Yo!” - Andrew Lipke
“Yo Ho Yo!” - Andrew Lipke
All other music and sound clips are from the English dub of One Piece (licensed by Funimation; produced by Toei Animation)
OST SONGS:
- “We Are!” – Hiroshi Kitadani (One Piece Opening Theme #1)
- “Luffy’s Theme”
- “Zoro’s Theme”
- “Nami’s Theme”
- “Ussop’s Theme”
- “Sanji’s Theme”
- “Chopper’s Theme”
- “Robin’s Theme”
- “Franky’s Theme”
- “Brook’s Theme”
EPISODES:
- Ep. 7 - “Epic Showdown! Swordsman Zoro vs. Acrobat Cabaji!”
- Ep. 104 - “Luffy vs. Vivi! The Tearful Vow to Put Friends on the Line!”
- Ep. 131 - “The First Patient! The Untold Story of the Rumble Ball!”
- Ep. 275 - “Robin's Past! The Girl Who Was Called a Devil!”
- Ep. 278 - “Say You Want to Live! We Are Your Friends!”
- Movie: One Piece Film: Z
Download the full 15-minute episode here!
One Piece on Wikipedia
Eiichiro Oda on Wikipedia
One Piece's Official Website
One Piece on Crunchyroll
One Piece on Fandom
One Piece on Common Sense Media
One Piece on Tv Tropes
Buy One Piece manga on Amazon
Buy One Piece anime on Amazon
Buy One Piece manga at Barnes & Noble
Buy One Piece anime at Barnes & Noble
Buy One Piece manga on EBay
Buy One Piece anime on EBay
^^ Back to Adaptations, Retellings, and Old Tales in New Light
OST SONGS:
- “We Are!” – Hiroshi Kitadani (One Piece Opening Theme #1)
- “Luffy’s Theme”
- “Zoro’s Theme”
- “Nami’s Theme”
- “Ussop’s Theme”
- “Sanji’s Theme”
- “Chopper’s Theme”
- “Robin’s Theme”
- “Franky’s Theme”
- “Brook’s Theme”
EPISODES:
- Ep. 7 - “Epic Showdown! Swordsman Zoro vs. Acrobat Cabaji!”
- Ep. 104 - “Luffy vs. Vivi! The Tearful Vow to Put Friends on the Line!”
- Ep. 131 - “The First Patient! The Untold Story of the Rumble Ball!”
- Ep. 275 - “Robin's Past! The Girl Who Was Called a Devil!”
- Ep. 278 - “Say You Want to Live! We Are Your Friends!”
- Movie: One Piece Film: Z
Download the full 15-minute episode here!
One Piece on Wikipedia
Eiichiro Oda on Wikipedia
One Piece's Official Website
One Piece on Crunchyroll
One Piece on Fandom
One Piece on Common Sense Media
One Piece on Tv Tropes
Buy One Piece manga on Amazon
Buy One Piece anime on Amazon
Buy One Piece manga at Barnes & Noble
Buy One Piece anime at Barnes & Noble
Buy One Piece manga on EBay
Buy One Piece anime on EBay
^^ Back to Adaptations, Retellings, and Old Tales in New Light