Your first paragraph. That's exactly what I was thinking. Which is funny if you look at the other 2 reviews here, on their first paragraph, they're saying the same thing.
I blame the anime, it looked like a super kiddie, super childish, super narmy anim(even worse with the Bowdlerization). Which made me disinterested in the first place when I was in my preteen years.
Then I read the manga. It's awesome.
- I blame the anime, it looked like a super kiddie, super childish, super narmy anim
That's because it is super kiddie, childish, and narmy.
^ Clearly, you have never actually watched it. Or at least, watched anything other than the 4Kid's dub.
I only read manga, and I've read it with intention to start and finish, and not prolong reading for months and years, forgetting what they started with. And managed a couple hundred chapters before dropping. Then started again later, and still couldn't get further.
It's fun and action-packed, a bunch of misfits searching for freedom, kicking ass on a regular basis, but it feels like nothing's going on. There's a game, "half-minute hero", where a character and his party runs left-to-right auto-fighting everything in their way until either reaches the right side of the screen for a short cutscene, or flies back offscreen, defeated. Grind, repeat.
One peace is like this - full of fights, blood, pain, death, overpowering, overcoming, heroic resolve, in a world of badass so completely badass, that no-one is badass in comparison - they are just a bit better than others.
And, since the best explanation ever I've seen is "Pirate is a free man" (repeated twice on two pages in a row), the most logical explanation is that it's a fantastical slice-of-life where superpowers are common like weather, and godlike beings feel like a middle-school bully next door.
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I was sucked into this world
I used to be a huge Naruto fan. One Piece was that stupid show with the silly characters. As I got older I moved on from anime and got into manga. Majorly disappointed by the rest of Naruto, I needed a new series. A friend recommended One Piece and I reluctantly checked it out. Hooked from chapter one.
The plot: Monkey D Luffy sails the Grandline gathering True Companions in order to become the Pirate King. Pretty standard Shonen fair.
The characters: They're all great. Not a single unlikable one, and even the side characters can be developed. Luffy is stupid, silly and fun. Until he gets pissed. Then he's scary
. He's a very likable lead who never gets preachy on us. Zoro is the cool
lazy guy, Nami is a bitch with a heart of gold
, and Usopp... I could do a review on how well developed this "coward" is. Sanji is a womanizing kickass chef
, Chopper is the adorable heartwarmer, Robin's smart
, multi-layered
and calm. Franky is boisterous, and Brooke is a fun walking skeleton. Villains are either cool (Crocodile) or so evil you want to kill them (World Nobles).
Pros: It's a straight up adventure story with epic fights and heartwrenching emotional moments. It stays silly but has deep undertones. The world feels round with every island having a different look and culture. The plot is well carried out with very few holes. It's VERY funny. While it starts with a typical The Good Guys Always Win, there is a devastating change in the story, showing that Luffy is not all powerful. The morals are usually subtlety done and the neither the pirates nor the marines are totally evil. The story is kept fresh with mysteries such as the True History.
Cons: It may stretch reality too far for some people. I like the art style, but it's not for everyone. There can be Disney Deaths or a lack of dying that subtracts from the drama. The fishman island arc literally throws the morals at you.