One Piece

[Spark Of Spirit]

I just finished it. That was ridiculously longer than it needed to be. I'm hoping it gets better again from this point on.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

There is some material between this arc and the next that is still kind of slow-ish, but a lot of it is important to a later part of the stroy. Before Water Seven is the Davy Back Fight arc which is kind of pointless but really short nonetheless. Most people don't care too much for Skypiea, so you're not alone in your distaste for that arc. After this point the story takes a darker turn with Water Seven and I feel that the story gets a lot more interesting (its also one of the fan favorite arcs of the story in combination with Enies Lobby).

I think Water Seven is kind of slow-ish but definitely holds your interest and is MUCH more engaging than Skypiea. Enies Lobby is the first arc in the series that manages to come back to the heights of Alabasta and then completely tops it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, the manga has finally picked up and gotten interesting again with Hodi trying to take out Shirahoshi. I like how despite the fact that Luffy clearly overpowers Hodi under normal circumstances, Oda finds a way to still put Luffy at a disadvantageous position by making him have to tread underwater (and in a weak little air bubble that's barely stable, at that), in order to try and rescue her. Underwater, fishmen are exponentially stronger and Hodi certainly shows it, and on top of that Luffy can't fight at all underwater being a Devil Fruit user, so if it weren't for the fact that Shirasoshi's brothers the 3 prince mermen weren't helping him out, he'd already be pretty fucked. Since there is an air pocket where Vander Decken is, though, he might stand a chance against Hodi if he confronts him there before the Noa crashes into Fishmen Island. Though, the real question is how will Luffy (or anyone else, for that matter) even stop the ship from sinking even after he defeats Hodi. I mean, the thing is half the size of a freaking island, so nobody can stop it with sheer force, so really the only person who can stop it is Decken, and considering that he's either dead or unconscious (most likely the latter) after Hodi stabbed him, that doesn't seem like it'll happen soon enough.

Now, this is when One Piece is interesting, in situations in which the odds are severely stacked against Luffy and crew, as well as most of the "good" characters of the arc, and you just aren't sure how they are going to manage to get out of that situation. Its also a good way to keep the sense of challenge there for the Straw Hat Pirates, since in this case their enemies in this arc are clearly weaker than most of them, for the most part.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, it looks as though we're about to learn something about Hodi that he's been trying to keep secret for a long time. I suppose that may have pretty much everything to do with why he hates humans with such a passion (even more than other fishmen do, including Arlong).

Also, I decided to try and start re-reading OP from the Water Seven arc to the end of Enies Lobby since its been a while since I revisited those arcs. Water Seven is a bit too slow for my liking but it still succeeds and building up an intriguing plot point and making Robin into even more of a mysterious figure than she was before (while also simultaneously hinting at her past and how it links to her current ambitions). Its still a step up after Skypiea, though, and it certainly kept me interested in continuing the story, so its a good arc overall, I suppose, even though its entire purpose is really just to build up to the next arc, which is Enies Lobby. To me, Enies Lobby is when the series truly reached a level greatness. Before that, the series went from decent to genuniely good with the Arlong arc, and then from genuinely good to very good with the Alabasta arc, but I feel that Enies Lobby is the first arc of the series that I would label as great. In that arc Oda takes all of the lessons he learned in his experience as a mangaka from past arcs and makes a very "epic" arc that has most of the strengths of previous arcs (including new strengths of its own) while getting rid of quite a few of the hindrances that held previous arcs back (though, it also still has a fair number of its own hindrances which can hamper pacing sometimes, so its still far from perfect).

It was also the first time we got a real taste of how interconnected One Piece's story is, since past events from a long time ago actually ended up coming back into play in this arc, such as how the Straw Hats having met Dorry and Broggy in Little Garden actually ended up helping them out a little bit in this arc. On top of all that, it really showed the darker and more corrupt side of the world government, and shed a whole new light on Robin's character, consequently making her far more interesting and sympathetic than she was before.

So, I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if any arc ended up really getting me into One Piece, it was Enies Lobby, since it was the first truly great arc of the series to me. Of course, my personal favorite arc is Thriller Bark but a lot of that admittedly has to do with its " The Nightmare Before Christmas" and overall Tim Burton sort of vibe to it. A horror themed island (One Piece style, that is) was really clever on Oda's part. I'll also be re-reading that arc when I get the chance.

[Angus]

Slowly plowing through the old Arlong and Alabasta arcs. They sure have a lot of SBS letters.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, the Fishmen Island arc is pretty much over, now. By the looks of it, going by the end of this week's chapter, it looks like we may be getting a new Straw Hat crew member, which most people predicted, and it would make sense for him to join since he's been in the story for years now and is really tight with Luffy, even if he just met the other crew members, so he's already a very familiar figure with the audience and would fit in just fine with the rest of the crew. But, then again, Oda might pull one over on us like he did with Vivi in Alabasta and have him decide to stay behind after all. I guess we'll see whether he accepts Luffy's offer to join or not in the next chapter.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, Once Piece finally got interesting again. As soon as Luffy and crew surface on the other side of the Red Line, Vice-Admiral Smoker, Captain Tashigi, and the rest of the G5 marines will be waiting for them. Its been a while since their last true confrontation in Alabasta (the fight between Luffy and Smoker in Marineford was really just a mere skirmish, so I don't really think that it counts), so I'll be looking forward to seeing how they duke it out after they've each had 2 years to become much stronger.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Alright! Its felt like way too long, but its about damn time that we've gotten to another classic adventure/exploration style chapter. Without wasting any time, the crew already makes it to their first Island, Punk Hazard, an island covered in flames and with deep dark secrets that forced the World Gorvernment to close it off for reason we are not aware of. On top of that, it not even on any of the 3 directions that the multi-log-pose points to, so its totally off-course from where any normal Pirate would go, which is once again something that feel like a very classic element of One Piece and what I would expect Luffy to do. To top it all off Luffy has his old adversary Smoker tailing him and I'm sure they'll have their first big confrontation since Alabasta within this arc. So, overall, I'm excited again. One Piece has been decent for sure, but it hasn't actually gotten me excited to read what happens next in quite a while. Thing are finally starting to look up again for this series. This is especially true because on top of everything else that's happening, the chapter ends with Luffy and part of his crew running into a giant fucking fire-breathing dragon. I love dragons. They are my favorite fictional creature from any form of fantasy, and its about damn time that I got to see one in One Piece. This should prove be awesome.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So I've been hearing that not only are fans seemingly getting tired of One Piece, but it keeps taking breaks. Does it seem like it's headed for an end yet?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

As for the breaks thing, I'm not sure where you heard that from, but its still running on a weekly schedule with an occasional break every couple of months.

As for the manga itself, yeah, its getting pretty tiring. Oda's formula can only be used for so long until it gets stale. The last good arc in the series was the Marineford arc because it was something completely different and felt big. Unfortunately everything after that has been a return to form, except in this case its returning to a form that has gotten very stale over time. Its basically just more of the same with nothing new to offer, and the character never develop past the initial arcs they were introduced in, so it gets pretty boring. Its a shame, because the series was at a high point (IMO) during the Marineford arc and it felt like it was finally going to go to bigger and better places....and then it just regresses into a very derivative version of its former self. Quite disappointing. I'm taking a break from the manga myself, for now. Perhaps it'll get better again in the future, but to me it looks like the manga won't really get interesting until its about to end, and unfortunately it still doesn't seem any closer to an ending than it did before.

[Angus]

Is it a series where it's best to watch for a full arc (or at least a volume's worth) to come out and then read it?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Personally I think its better to just read the manga because the anime is full of filler and at least with the manga things get straight to the point. I think the series is pretty decent, though with some hitches along the way, up until the end of the Marineford arc. After the time-skip, its been pretty boring, honestly.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, I figured why the hell not do something for One Piece as well? Here goes:

Romance Dawn- 7/10 (I just grouped this cluster of stuff into a single arc since it wasn't worth it for me to divide these segments up by that much; on the whole, though, this was an OK start to the series, but kind of slow, to be honest)

Syrup Village- 7/10 (This was an amusing introduction to Usopp's character, but not much more than that; the most noteworthy thing about this arc is that this is where the Straw Hat Pirates first acquired the Going Merry, their first ever real pirate ship)

Baratie- 7/10 (Basically the same as above, except this time its Sanji's introduction; are you starting to see a pattern, here?)

Arlong Park- 9/10 (The first truly great arc of the series, IMO; the villain felt like a legitimate threat for a change, and Nami's back-story was suitably tragic and made for a good motivation to really want to see Luffy kick Arlong's ass into the ground)

Loguetown Arc- 7/10 (An important arc in retrospect, but on a first viewing its pretty standard stuff until you realize just how much important stuff happened here that doesn't end up resurfacing in the story until hundreds of chapters/episodes later on)

Reverse Mountain Arc- 6/10 (I could've done without this one, honestly)

Baroque Works Saga: Overall- 9/10

Part I: Whiskey Peak- 8/10 (This introduces the main conflict of the arc and quickly ups the stakes beyond what they had ever previously been before in the series)

Part II: Little Garden- 8/10 (This was an amusing arc with a pretty entertaining conflict and ridiculous enemies)

Part III: Drum Island- 10/10 (This is such a well-done story arc, and I don't even know if too many other people fully appreciate just how touching it is; I'm actually pissed off that Oda basically made Chopper such a joke of a character after this arc; for his introduction, there is a lot to him that made him feel like a big deal, and his back-story was the most tragic of any of the Straw Hats, IMO, given that he was actually directly responsible in some way for the death of the person he cared about the most; overall, though, this was the high point of the entire Baroque Works saga for me, personally)

Part IV: Alabasta- 9/10 (Crocodile is a great villain, and the overall sense of adventure in this arc was very akin to old-school Dragon Ball, which is of course a very good thing)

Jaya- 9/10 (This was a REALLY good "build-up" arc, and I absolutely love the scene where Luffy refuses to fight the guys who mock him, as giving into violence just for the sake of getting back at someone who mocks your ways would really be "losing the fight" to someone like him)

Skypiea- 5/10 (Unfortunately that previous arc just built-up to a pretty flat and mediocre arc, with not much going for it the whole way through; though, I did like the ending a bit where Luffy punched the crap out of Eneru and the guy from the Jaya arc could get the feeling of the bell finally ringing; other than that, though, this arc was honestly pretty boring for me)

Long Ring Long Land- 6/10 (The whole Davy Back Fight thing was cute, but this arc didn't really do anything for me)

Water Seven- 9/10 (This is where shit got real again, and this whole arc introduced CP9, and more importantly finally gave us insight into Nico Robin's past and her relation to the World Government; so on that note it was a pretty intense arc that built-up to an even better one)

Enies Lobby- 10/10 (This is by far my personal favorite arc in the series; there is so much weight to everything going on, and its the first time that the Straw Hat Pirates are really taking on the World Government in a head to head confrontation; its essentially the arc that puts them from being mere rookie pirates to world-famous criminals, and basically sky-rockets Luffy's bounty up to 300 million; what I like best about this arc is how much many previous events from many of the previous arcs come back, such as how the experiences that the Straw Hat Pirates had with the Giants of Elbaf in Little Garden helped them win the trust and alliance of the Elbaf guards who were initially working for the Marines; that, and we got tons of great character moments for every single Straw Hat pirate)

Thriller Bark- 9/10 (A very entertaining Tim Burton-esque arc; this one was just plain fun, and Brook was initially a fun character in this arc; though just like with Chopper, Oda had a terrible tendency to keep this character as one large running gag past this arc, even though there were more dimensions to him in this particular story)

Sabaody Archipelago- 7/10 (Just a lot of set-up; not much else to say about it beyond that, though I'll give it props for being the first arc to effectively have the Straw Hates entirely get their asses handed to them, and they had to downright live with that defeat, with Kuma forcefully separating them for quite a long period of time, starting from this point onward)

Amazon Lily- 8/10 (This was pretty fun, overall, and finally brought Ace's upcoming execution to Luffy's attention)

Impel Down- 9/10 (This is where shit got really serious, and we got a shit-ton of fan-service when Luffy raised hell in the great prison by basically busting out 90% of the freaking rogues gallery of villains/enemies that he had faced before in all of the previous arcs leading up to this point)

Marineford- 10/10 (Whitebeard is an awesome character, and the whole battle going on here had so much weight to it; but the real clincher here is how tragic the ending to this arc was, and I have to give Oda credit; he had real balls to pull it off the way that he did)

Three Brothers- 9/10 (I couldn't find an official title for this flash-back arc, but overall this was a really fun and also touching tale of Luffy's child-hood with Ace and Sabo, and had a very Tam Sawyer-esque feel to it, which I think is what Oda was going for)

Return to Sabaody Archipelago- 8/10 (Not much really happened in this arc, but it just felt so entertaining to see all of the Straw Hat Pirates reunite once again after 2 long years (both in manga time and in real time since Luffy had been forced to work on his own when he was separated from the rest of his crew)

Fishman Island- 3/10 (Fuck this arc; its so god-awfully boring and has easily the worst-written villain in the entire series; on top of that, things are WAY too easy for the Straw Hat Pirates to the point of this whole adventure not even being any fun; The only decent thing about this arc was the brief flash-back to Fisher Tiger's story as the leader of the Sun Pirates, but other than that it was just full of crap, IMO, and even makes Skypiea look almost good in comparison)

Punk Hazard- 6/10 (Eh, this was an improvement over the previous arc, but it still didn't do much for me, and truthfully felt too disjointed for my tastes, with too many elements going on with it simultaneously, while none of them felt particularly all that interesting)

[LumRanmaYasha]

Okay, how do I feel about these...

East Blue Saga; Overall: 7.5/10.

Captain Morgan - 6/10. A decent introduction to the series, but pretty slow. The plot is pretty basic and straight-forward in a more boring way, but it's not a bad beginning, just a bit mediocre to almost everything after.

Buggy the Clown - 6.5/10. Better than Morgan, but still not all that interesting. I like Buggy, don't get me wrong, but he's much funnier as a character in later arcs, although it's interesting to go back and see that how differently he values and treats his crew after being separated from them after this arc. Still, pretty decent altogether.

Syrup Village - 8.5/10. This is the arc I feel One Piece really starts picking up. Kuro is a more traditional, bastardly pirate than others in following arcs, and he makes for a creepy villain. Ussop is my favorite character in One Piece, and his determination to save his village even if others think him to be a good for nothing liar was pretty touching to me, personally. Anyways, this arc is the first really entertaining arc for me as a whole, and introduces my favorite character in the series to boot.

Baratie - 7.5/10. I like Sanji and Zeff's backstory and Gin, and of course the Zoro v. Mihawk fight, but this arc isn't really all that interesting aside from that, since Don Krieg is kind of your standard bastard-type villain. Still, it introduces Sanji as a pretty cool character, and is a good setup for the next arc....

Arlong Park - 9.5/10. This is easily the best arc in the whole East Blue saga, with an interesting but still despicable villain, great character development for Nami, Zoro, and Ussop, and Luffy v. Arlong, one of the most memorable fights in the series.

Lougetown - 7/10. A decent transition arc, better when you come back to it after reading later arcs where it's events are made more significant. I like some of the filler episode added to it in the anime, those were pretty fun.

Baroque Works Saga; Overall: 9.5/10

Reverse Mountain - 8/10. This is a pretty important arc in retrospect. I think it's a lot of fun for such a short arc, and for a giant whale who doesn't talk, Laboon ends up being a fairly memorable character.

Whisky Peak - 9/10. All sorts of fun  moments in this arc. Zoro vs. the Whisky Peak Bounty Hunters is still one of my favorite moment in the series, and the twist with Vivi, leading to Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine brutally crushing Igaram, Mr. 9, and Ms. Monday was also pretty intense, making Luffy and Zoro's easily curbstomping of them all the more funnier and cooler. The Baroque Works saga starts off with a great start here.

Little Garden - 8/10. A step down from Whisky Peak, I feel, but Mr. 3 is a fun antagonist and the "Instinct" scene is another great one in the series.

Drum Island - 9/10. Quite good, Chopper's backstory being one of the most touching, in my opinion, and the struggle here being quite interesting for what good have been a mere breather arc before Alabasta.

Alabasta - 10/10. The series finally realizes it's potential here, and it creates the first high-stakes arc in it. Crocodile was a great first big antagonist for the Post- East Blue series, and it's rewarding to see Luffy defeat him after three tries, and even then just barely. It really establishes the kind of forces the crew is going to have to face later on, and is a great precursor to great arcs to come. 

Skypeia Saga; Overall: 9.5/10

Jaya - 9/10. Interesting start to the arc and setup for other arcs as well. Without a doubt Luffy's encounter's with Bellamy and Blackbeard here are some of the most powerful, poignant moments in the series as a whole. It'll be interesting to come back to this arc after Bellamy's role as a whole in this current arc (Dressrosa) gets more  explored. He's changed quite a bit, and seems to thank Luffy for that, and was visibly troubled when Doflamingo gave him orders to kill him. Yes, interesting stuff indeed...

Skypeia - 9.5/10. Admittedly, it drags a bit, especially at the end with Luffy v. Eneru, and it is, in fact, the longest arc in the series as a whole, at 69 chapters. Still, I really love this arc; between the struggle between the Shandorians and Angel Yard, the Priests, the concept of Mantora (which is foreshadowing for the importance of Haki in the story), cool fights, a fun villain in the form of Eneru, possibly the best backstory in the form of Noland and Cagula's friendship, and just overall an engaging, fun, high-stakes thrill ride beginning to end. I guess I'm in the minority on that opinion, but I really do think this arc is quite good.

Cipher Police 9 Saga; Overall: 9.5/10

Long Ring Long Land - 7.5/10. A fun breather arc that I think is given more weight in the anime. I love Luffy v. Foxy and the Groggy Ring battle, and of course the stuff with Aokiji is important, but compared to other small arcs, it doesn't really have too much going for it.

Water 7 - 10/10. Where shit gets real. Things are at their darkest yet here for the Straw Hats, and they are put into a situation that forces them to fight against the World Government itself. Everything here is golden.

Enies Lobby - 9.5/10. Don't get me wrong, at this point it was the most intense, brutal, high-stakes thrilling arc of the series...but I have problems with it. Mainly that the crew gets new powers out of nowhere, with almost ZERO buildup. Gear 2 makes sense and all, but it wasn't foreshadowed at all, neither was Sanji's fire kick thing which is still the most bullshit thing in the series, in my opinion. But at it's core, emotional core, and as a story, it's really, really solid, and definitely as a whole makes the CP9 saga one of the high parts of One Piece.

Thriller Bark (it is it's own saga) - 10/10. Really, really fun and intense arc and great precursor to the Whitebeard War Saga, showing how outmatched the crew is against a force whose survived through the New World. Everyone gets a chance to shine here, and Brook is a fun and tragic character at once here, with his backstory with Laboon being really touching.

Whitebeard War Saga; Overall: 10/10

Sabody Archipelago - 8/10. It's a good start with some memorable moments and contains the single greatest defeat the Straw Hats have ever faced, not to mention introduces characters who will no doubt play a role in future events (Law already has), so a pretty significant arc in the story as a whole.

Amazon Lilly - 8.5/10. It's a "fun" arc to get us used to the idea of solo Luffy escapades, and it introduces Hancock, who is hilarious, so that's a plus.

Impel Down - 10/10. Fun fact, this was the first arc that I started keeping up with the manga.Obviously, the fact that Mr. 2, Buggy, Crocodile, and Mr. 3 come back in this arc and it's the introduction of both Jinbei and Ivankov to the story makes it awesome to me, but as a story it's a really good prison break one done in typical One Piece style drama, and the high-stakes on the line just adds to it's intensity. One of my favorite arcs in the series.

Marineford - 10/10. Whitebeard was a fantastic character. This was a fucking war! Chaotic, frenetic, dangerous, with a lot riding on the line, this right here is what I consider to be the pinnacle, the absolute best arc of One Piece. And Oda's art here...good lord. If you guys want to know why I love this guy as an artist this arc is a prime example of the gorgeous effort and detail that makes the artwork in One Piece so damn good.

Three Brothers - 10/10. Another great arc looking into Luffy and Ace's past, serving as a fantastic closure to what I consider the best, greatest Saga in One Piece so far.

Fishman Island Saga; Overall: 5.5/10

Return to Sabody Archipelago - 6/10. A decent start to the New World I guess, but aside from the fact the crew comes back together, not much of interest honestly happens and it's kind of just there to me.

Fishman Island - 5/10. This arc SUCKS. Boring, uninteresting and poorly characterized villains, no chemistry between the crew, poor stakes, messy art, and dragged out in a way I couldn't tolerate. As someone who loves One Piece, I hate this arc. It is the only arc in the series so far that I absolutely can't stand, and what makes it worse is that it came off the greatest arcs in One Piece, possibly some of the finest material in Weekly Shonen Jump history. This isn't Bleach bad. To be honest, I'd gladly take it over anything in Naruto and post-Soul Society Bleach and several other of One Piece's contemporaries in the battle shonen manga industry right now. But being better than the rest of the crop ain't good enough, and this is the low point of the entire One Piece manga. The only reason I didn't give this a 1 out of sheer spite is because the Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger backstory is really, really good classic One Piece storytelling, but that's not enough to redeem an entire arc. I get that Oda wasn't used to having the crew together again and coming off of something as big as Marineford nothing could have possibly have lived up to expectations, but come on! Oda can write better than this, and I have a feeling Dressrosa is going to prove me right that he's still got it when all is said and done.

Pirate Alliance Saga; Overall: 8/10 (so far)

Punk Hazard - 8/10. Massive, massive improvement of quality. Oda begins using the characters right again here, and carves an interesting and fun story that sets up what looks to be a big, significant story in the long run. Average One Piece quality goodness here, and after Fishman, that's a big relief.

Dressrosa - 8.5/10 (so far). It's already shaping up to be a very interesting storyline, dealing with the dark underbelly of the One Piece world by pitting them against it's puppetmaster, Donquioxte Doflamingo himself. A lot of has been set up, but I feel things have only just gotten started. It's not there yet, but this may possibly turn out to be another Alabasta, maybe even CP9 quality arc/saga, if Oda plays his cards right.

Still, I haven't been this excited for One Piece in a good long while, and that's a nice thing since the number of manga I've been keeping up with has reduced sharply recently. Bleach and Naruto are too awful for me to try and continue to waste time with them anymore, although for completion's sake I'll go back and finish them when they are done. Soul Eater and Medaka Box both ended, and their endings were stupid, overall there were honestly quite decent manga and I don't regret ever reading them. Deadman Wonderland, on the other hand, also ended with a stupid ending and I am glad as hell I don't have to read any more of that mediocrity. I'm keeping up with Attack on Titan, but I don't really care for it, although I don't hate it, it's just not that interesting or well-written to me, outside of a few things like what the hell is the Beast-Titan. And so that leaves just Toriko and Detective Conan, both of which I really do quite like, and Toriko especially is at the height of it's quality and looks to keep it for a long, long time, while Conan is just the same old,  but the good old same old. Still, those two plus One Piece are now the only manga I'm keeping up with, and at this time, reading a new One Piece has once again returned to be a highlight of my weekend, and I'm glad for it. 

[VLordGTZ]

East Blue Saga; Overall 7.5/10
Captain Morgan 7/10
Buggy The Clown 7/10
Syrup Village 8/10
Baratie 8/10
Arlong Park 9.5/10
Lougetown 7/10

Baroque Works Saga; Overall 9.5/10
Reverse Mountain 8/10
Whiskey Peak 8/10
Little Garden 9/10
Drum Island 9.5/10
Alabasta 10/10

Skypeia Saga; Overall 9/10
Jaya 9/10
Skypeia 9/10

CP9 Saga; Overall 9/10
Long Ring Long Land 8/10
Water 7 10/10
Enies Lobby 9/10

Thriller Bark Saga/Arc 10/10

Whitebeard War Saga; Overall 10/10
Sabody Archipelago 8/10
Amazon 8/10
Impel Down 10/10
Marineford 10/10
Three Brothers 10/10

Fishman Island Saga; Overall 4/10
Return to Sabody Archipelago 7/10
Fishman Island 4/10

Pirate Alliance Saga; 8.5/10 so far
Punk Hazard 8/10
Dressrosa (so far) 9/10