THE ONE PIECE - THE ONE PIECE IS REAL GOOD

MITCHELL MADAYAG - Writer, 3rd Year, Japanese and Economics

This one piece will probably be my last piece of writing. Okay I’ll stop haha.

It’s amusing to think that YouTube was the pipeline that had first introduced me to the rabbit hole of anime, starting with good ol’ Kill la Kill, yet it’s even more amusing that this same site had also introduced me to Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece and the world of manga prior to that. It’s quite funny how one innocently intrusive thought wondering how a flamingo would fare against a crocodile would lead to an impulsive YouTube search that showed me something I’ve never seen before. I am not sure if this video is the same one I saw back then, but it covers the same scenes from the One Piece anime that amazed 3rd grade me (just look up “crocodile vs flamingo” on YouTube and see for yourself). While this scene isn’t particularly impressive, both in and out of context, the whole notion of mature-looking cartoon characters donning fashionable clothing and strange superpowers had left an impression on me. It wasn’t enough though to get me to look further into the background of this show, but a fateful encounter with the printed manga of One Piece at a Borders would pique my interest once more. The shelves were lined up with covers full of vibrant characters of different stature, and I had even recognized the characters from the video that I would eventually know as Sir Crocodile and Donquixote Doflamingo. Yet, these badass figures weren’t even the main characters to this grand story, which had seriously blown my mind. Being the naive child I was, I picked out three volumes whose covers had stood out to me the most, and began my One Piece journey right then and there, even if it was out of order…

So much personality captured in these covers, no wonder they caught my eye.

If you couldn’t already tell, I got hooked into One Piece as soon as I read those volumes. I would return to Borders overtime to properly read from the beginning, before eventually sailing the seas myself, but I had essentially discovered a vast fictional world full of unique characters, creatures, and islands. For a shonen series, the setup of this expansive world by Oda is phenomenal, and is arguably one of the strongest points of the manga. I always find myself so excited to find out where the Straw Hat Pirates would end up next, and see what dangers and anomalies await them. From land to sea to sky, the Straw Hats have explored so many different islands, each of them different from the rest. Even the most bizarre settings with little impact on the plot, such as an island where everything and everyone is stretched to goofy dimensions, feel right in place in One Piece’s universe. The fact that the story has barely entered its final saga at the time of writing this means that there is still much more to discover, which makes for another exciting thought. If you think about it, had the Straw Hats just called themselves a group of adventurers without a Jolly Roger to wave, they’d be able to explore the world to their liking without the Marines interfering. But then that wouldn’t be fun at all would it?

You see, the Straw Hat Pirates each have their own ambitions that they’ve been chasing their whole lives, goals beyond one’s wildest dreams. Nami’s dream is to make a map of the whole world, Sanji’s is to discover a rumored sea of legend called the All Blue, and Zoro’s is to become the world’s strongest swordsman, just to name a few. And of course, the main focus of the manga is about Luffy’s dream of finding the mythical treasure One Piece and becoming the Pirate King. These themes of taking on the impossible spark this great sense of romanticism One Piece is known for, and watching the Straw Hats gradually near their respective goal as they face immense challenges makes the journey all the more thrilling. They’ll take on anyone who stands in their way, including those who deny or even share the same dream as them. However, even the side characters are worth cheering on as they got their own personal goals, too. Oda is adept at creating a countless number of memorable characters each with their own quirks and wacky designs, and it’s surreal how he keeps track of all of them. Most end up serving their role in the arc they’re introduced in, yet when some return to relevance in later arcs, it’s a welcome surprise that makes sense. The One Piece world is moving along with the Straw Hats, and Oda’s way of showing what many other parties are up to before eventually converging with the adventure of the main characters is what really makes the world feel connected.

Despite One Piece being over 1000 chapters long and still in serialization, I would never say it’s too late to get into the series. This article may have been written mostly for the purpose of satisfying my nostalgia, but I really wanted to express the admiration I’ve had with a series I closely grew up with. Though to be honest, that admiration has wavered over the years due to burnout of waiting on weekly releases, as well as disagreeing with some questionable choices Oda has made with its characters, yet I still find myself invested as I eagerly await the inevitable grand finale of a 25 year old manga. I wouldn’t dare suggest replicating my initial reading experience of course, but I implore you to at least give the series a try if you haven’t yet. The length may be intimidating, yet I won’t suggest something like “it gets good after X amount of chapters”, so be prepared to embark on an epic unforgettable adventure upon turning that first page of One Piece. It can only get much higher.