One Piece

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I find this bit of information to be rather interesting.

Of course, it would make sense that the 19-29 year old demographic makes up the biggest percentage of One Piece readers in Japan, seeing as how most people of that age probably would have grown up reading the series as they would have been the age of kids and young teens way back when the series first started out. However, I'm pretty shocked to see how much more popular One Piece seems to be with adults than with kids. But, that also makes some sense, since I always get the impression that most kids today are spoiled by generic crappy stuff like Bleach that has no substance to it, and probably shun One Piece for being too different from the norm (at least as far as appearances go). Either way, though, to know that approximately 88% of OP readers in Japan are either my age or much, much older (we're talking 50+ years old, here), it pretty shocking to find out, even for me.

Oh well, at least now that means that I don't have to consider OP a guilty pleasure series anymore.

[Angus]

Just finished the Alabasta arc yesterday. It's pretty cool they used classical music for the final battle. But what's up with these side characters surviving fatal wounds?  Gonna miss Vivi, too, except for her screaming; feel sorry for her VAs for having to go through that.


Zoro: Stop it. What's with the pathetic groans?
Crew: I miss her!
Zoro: That's enough whining. If you wanted her to join that bad, then you shouldn't have let her leave.
Tony: Ah! You savage!
Nami: Blockhead!
Sanji: Idiot.
Luffy: Three-Sword Style.
Usopp: Saying "Three-Sword Style" isn't an insult, Luffy.
Luffy: Four-Sword Style.
Usopp: It's not the number that's the problem!


As for the demographic, I'm glad it's reaching a wide age range of audiences, no wonder they have the One Piece Bus in Hawaii; it's not like teens have the funds to vacation there on a regular basis, and if they did, they wouldn't go to that part of Hawaii.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, this is kind of old news, but not too long ago FUNimation's last One Piece DVD release had them catch up to all of the episodes that they had currently licensed (well, I'm not sure if the simulcast episodes count or not, but those are way later on in the series, anyways), and I don't believe it has been confirmed (as far as I know) whether they will purchase the rights to distribute to rest of the series from where they stopped (which was somewhere after episode 200, I believe).

I'm just curious to know if they will be getting it or not. I'm not sure what the sales figures were like for the One Piece DVDs, but my guess is that if they were good enough than FUNi will work to be able to get the next set of episodes that the can get as soon as possible, but if they weren't good enough then FUNi may not see it as being worth it to get the rest of the series and dub it. My guess is that sales were pretty decent though, and about as good as anime DVD sales can possibly get here in the states, which isn't too bad considering its not really all that mainstream of a thing here, or anything.

At any rate, it'll be a while before we see any newly dubbed episodes if we do get them (and we probably will), but I'm curious to see how people feel about FUNi's work on the English dub for OP so far, up until this current point.

Personally, while I am more used the Japanese voice actors, I love the dub for OP. I think if it were to get aired on Nicktoons network like DBZKai or other series then it could get some decent popularity. Unfortunately OP kind of missed its opportunity to get decent exposure to a lot of people on TV with Toonami (yeah, I know that they started airing it, but it happened way too late when Toonami was no longer running on the weekdays, and it was mosty the crappy 4Kids dub until FUNimation got rights to Toonami later on, not too long before Toonami completely ended its run altogether). It'd be pretty nice of OP got another chance or opportunity to air on a mainstream channel on TV sometime in the future, but its unlikely that it will ever happen (or at least not anytime soon), from what I can tell.

[Angus]

As long as they don't suspend distributing the series like they did with Kodocha.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, I'll be damned, Toei actually did a really nice job with this week's episode, starting off the short flash-back arc of how Luffy met Ace. Its also a pretty self-contained flash-back so just about anybody would be able to watch it without having seen much of the rest of the series, though to be honest its far from the series at its best, but its a really nice little story, IMO (that, and also the beginning of the episode lets out a huge spoiler for the few people who don't know it yet).

Overall, though, I'm really just wondering if Toei will end up dragging out the anime with filler once again after this mini-arc. To be fair, they may kind of have to considering how close they are to the manga when you really stop to consider it, but then again they may just stick with the whole covering 1-chapter per episode thing, but if that's the case I'd honestly rather then add in some filler and then come back and maybe cover 1.5 chapters per episode or something of that sort. Either that, or do what YYH did and actually add in good filler material to extend a chapter's worth of material out into a full episode rather than just dragging the whole damn episode out as a whole. At any rate, I really enjoyed the pacing of this week's episode, so I hope Toei continues in this route for the rest of this flash-back arc (at the very least).

Also, I must admit that I kind of enjoy the new opening, but honestly its more for the brilliant way the visuals and scenes are presented as opposed to the actual music, which is honestly pretty average on its own.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, after an overall very disappointing adaptation of a great arc from the manga, Toei is actually coming out with episodes for his flashback mini-arc that is actually (IMO) superior to what the manga did. Huh? Now that's quite surprising. Actually, I feel that Toei actually does a great job adapting these character-based/themed segments of the show as opposed to the action-packed portions of it which they just drag on for far too long.

Anyways, one thing that I really find nice about many of Oda's flashbacks in One Piece is that they are usually fleshed out enough to actually be looked at as their on, miniature self-contained stories. I especially like this arc, which happens to be Luffy's first "real" flashback (being that the first flashback he had in the anime doesn't count since it was really just the first chapter in the manga), for its very Mark Twain-esque style, as it really makes me think of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Fin, what with the whole theme of the mischievous group of boys. But overall its still mostly its own thing.

Anyways, I do hope the rest of this arc gets adapted with a quality consistent of these previous 2 episodes. I may write up something for it later when its done.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Just thought of this question randomly, but I was wondering:

Who here who hasn't watched the series or doesn't care for it based on the relative amount of material that they viewed would give the series another chance if it were to air on a mainstream channel like CN or Nicktoons with FUNi's dub and minimal edits (basically just taking out minor curse words and removing some blood and stuff)?

To be honest, there isn't really any point to this question except for me asking it out of plain curiosity, as of course this scenario will obviously never happen.

As for a question directed as people who do watch and at least relatively enjoy the series for what it is:

What is one major thing about One Piece that you feel is a genuinely good quality that other shonen shows or action or adventure shows in general could take some positive influence from? Also, what's one annoyance that you personally have with the series (even if its just a minor one)?

[Spark Of Spirit]

I watched the fucking 4Kids hackjob because I liked the basic premise, and enjoyed the slight bit when they played Funi's superior dub before removing it from TV forever.

If they would put it back on TV from the beginning with the real dub, I would watch it. The show is just way too hard to get into otherwise.

The show was quite fun when you got used to all the weird eccentricities of it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'll both agree and admit that it is indeed hard to get into if you have to force yourself to watch it, as opposed to casually checking it out if its airing on TV on a daily basis (I'd say weekly, but it wouldn't be worth it if you only saw 1 episode of this series per week, to be honest, if you know how most shonen series work ). To be honest I had been watching it on and off with subtitles myself, for a few years, and only managed to get about 40+ episodes done in that time, not because it was bad but because it didn't seem that it was so good that it was worth the large investment in its huge episode count. Then I got to the Alabasta arc and from there I just suddenly got hooked and ended up doing an entire marathon through the rest of the series up to where it was currently at during that time. Also, being that this is a series that doesn't forget its roots in the least, now I actually find the beginning episodes a lot more interesting than I used to seeing as how the events that happen in them actually significantly come back into play in how they effect much later events in the series.

Overall, I think its safe to call this series and acquired taste of sorts.

That said, I think the real reason it finally did get me hooked is because somewhere along the lines, Eichiro Oda improved his skills as a writer and came up with much more intriguing villains and plot-lines, which were still standard shonen-fare but were executed surprisingly well. Also, when you watch a show for that long you inevitably start becoming invested in the characters, and unlike other shonen series the characters do actually start becoming much more famous (or in this case notorious) within their world and you just can't help but feel a great deal of satisfaction at seeing Luffy become a world-famous criminal as his bounty grows (along with his crew's bounties), and as he takes on tougher foes and enemies in more dangerous situations. The series is definitely a slow-starter, so I certainly couldn't recommend to everyone, but it honestly does pay-off quite well for those who stick with it (IMO, at least). I'm still not a big fan of it, per say, if only because I think Oda still isn't above some serious pacing problems, but even so he can consistently deliver enough quality into the series by this point to still keep me interested in seeing what happens next and how future events play out.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Arlong Park is when the series took off in most people's opinions, and I agree. Before that it was a pretty typical shonen with some cool character moments, but starting at Arlong Oda finally nailed down the style and made it fun to watch. It feels more like a grand adventure with a wide world of characters when up to that point previously that's what it wanted to be, but couldn't quite reach.

But seriously, did you watch the 4Kids dub, EK? I mean, wow. That has to be the worst butchering of a franchise since Warriors Of The Wind or Cardcaptors.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Arlong Park is when the series took off in most people's opinions, and I agree. Before that it was a pretty typical shonen with some cool character moments, but starting at Arlong Oda finally nailed down the style and made it fun to watch. It feels more like a grand adventure with a wide world of characters when up to that point previously that's what it wanted to be, but couldn't quite reach.

Heh, the funny thing about you mentioning the Arlong arc is that its the perfect example of an early arc having big recurring effects later on. In this case, the current arc in the manga makes heavy references to the Arlong arc, which is a pretty awesome thing to see as it puts even more importance on the early events of the series, making them feel far more significance than they once did.

But, yeah, I think the thing about the Arlong arc that made it the turning poing of the series for most people is because it was the first time that Luffy truly got a chance to prove his merit as a character. Up until then he didn't face extremely threatening villains (they weren't necessarily all a joke at the time, but they didn't pose so much of a challenge that you would actually doubt for a moment that Luffy could beat the crap out of them after a few episodes), and it would be easy to chalk him up to being one of thoe annoying "all-talk" shonen main characters. However, with the Arlong arc he was also faced with the dilemma of getting Nami to join his crew for good, which wasn't an easy task seeing as how she had hated pirates all her life. So basically he really had to display the fact that he was more than what she initially thought. Of course this came in addition to taking down Arlong, but of course by doing one he pretty much managed to accomplish the other, but you could see the more serious side of his character much more clearl in this arc, and it made for a nice balance with all of the goffiness he had been known for beforehand (to be specific, we saw him get serious at times, but not entirely to the capacity that he showed in this particular arc). Also, the overall executiong was done much better, from Nami's past to Arlong's attitude as a villain (for once you didn't have a completely generic villain). Also, it was the first time that you got to see some real corruption among some of the marines since Axe Hand Morgan.

But seriously, did you watch the 4Kids dub, EK? I mean, wow. That has to be the worst butchering of a franchise since Warriors Of The Wind or Cardcaptors.

I watched a few episodes of it back when it used to air on Kids WB. I have to admit that back then I despised the series because of it, and didn't give the sub a fair shake until a couple of years later.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, Toei once again has done a really good job with this episode, proving that they may just be much better at the story-based aspects of One Piece as opposed to the big epic "action-packed" arcs.

I've really grown to like the idea of having the traditional flashback happen AFTER the end of the major arc its associated with. Its a nice little spin on things, since doing a flashback during the arc and or even at the beginning just feels like its an annoying interruption and people will want to get back to the action as quickly as possible, and you never want impatient readers/viewers. However, after a big arc most people usually want something a bit calmer and more light-hearted yet still with some feeling of significance, and this flashback of Luffy and Ace's past does a good job of serving that role, especially since there is no other way you could have any "happy" or light-hearted moments in the present story after the way that the previous arc ended (which you could argue is as triumphant as it is tragic in some senses, but people will mostly remember the tragic part of its ending).

Overall, though, I don't mind if Toei takes there time at this point, because I'd rather them let the manga get much further ahead again so that they can pace their episodes out a little bit better than they have been doing in the past few years.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I may be getting a chance to borrow the first 26-episode DVD set one of these days, so if I do I think I'll write up a little review on it, and if not I may just give my thoughts on the series in general since its been too long since I last did a review or feature. I figure its a good idea to catch the interest of a few TZ members, anyways, since OP is a popular show over there.

Also, I have to say, while the manga has been in a bit of a slump in terms of pacing and story lately (nothing terrible, but its been dreadfully boring for a little while, IMO), the anime has ironically taken an upturn. Its ironic how they did such a bland and lackluster job, overall (with a few exceptions in some key episodes) with a big and epic arc like the Marineford arc, but then with a much smaller and more self-contained arc like Luffy's flash-back of his childhood with his 2 brothers, they really managed to step up the quality and make an arc that was honestly kind of boring in the manga turn out to be really well-done and entertaining. Its like they botch all of the great parts in the manga but improve all of the lower quality stuff. Its a bit weird, but the important thing is that the anime has had some serious quality writing and directing lately. I really wish that it could keep up this quality through the entire series. Its because of stuff like how they handled the Marineford arc that I just couldn't justify it being on a list like this (they also really botched the Enies Lobby arc in terms of both pacing and drama, despite the fact that fans seem to love it in the anime; I honestly just think its bland compared to the manga with the exception of the brilliant use of the soundtrack in the climax episodes of that arc).

Oh, BTW, if FUNimation starts streaming the dubbed episodes that they skipped posting one One Piece Official later on at some point in time, then nobody will have an excuse to not at least give this show a chance with a fresh start. It really does deserve a second chance for people to let it grow on them. I never liked the show initially, myself (and I watched the sub), but when I tried to get back into it a second time it just really clicked with me. Its worth the investment in viewing time, to say the least.

[Angus]

Almost bought a One Piece movie but it was the Alabasta Princess one; that's supposedly just a recap of the Alabasta arc? Or is there something new or special about it?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

No, its just a cheap and shameless recap movie released by Toei animation. Its inferior to the real Alabasta arc in just about every way (because, after all, cramming a 30-episode arc into just 90 minutes is fucking ridiculous). The movie would make no coherent sense to anyone who hasn't already watched the Alabasta arc, and would just feel downright inferior to anyone who has already seen it in either the manga or the anime. Overall, its better to just be avoided. It adds nothing to the arc from what was in the manga and anime and in fact takes away a lot from it. So, yeah, it pretty much sucks.