Franchise Not that good
I watched up to episode 534, and I hated every minute of it.
The protagonist is too stupid to relate to, the Straw Hats in general are so static in their characterization that they become predictable as clockwork, the plot has been going on for longer than most anime and manga yet has accomplished less, the attempts at humor are dull and become predictable as well, all the characters in general just become annoying after a while, and the big two "shocking" twists we have so far- that Ace dies and that Blackbeard kills Whitebeard and takes his power- are things you can see coming literally 200 episodes in advance, as they are so obviously foreshadowed.
the protagonists in general do not suffer enough to be compelling. everything is too easy for them, except for the arbitrarily random moments that come out of nowhere where they completely suck and fail too easily, in an attempt to try to make be believe that they face challenges, but in truth these are just hasty patches that only make me believe that this anime as only two modes: completely victory or complete failure. furthermore One Piece does not seem to make it clear whether it is a light and happy show of black and white morality, or a not-so-happy show of grey and grey morality. the protagonists furthermore only seem to care about their own goals and interests and not on the more important matters around them of morality, which is even less relatable. the world around them makes no sense and is silly to a stupid degree
Overall, One Piece is slow, stupid, confusing, willfully ignorant of the moral issues around it, and the protagonists are people I'd rather have the villains kill so that I can watch something that isn't so sickeningly light and happy-and-go-lucky for no apparent reason, and its cliched shonen anime/manga at its stupidest- and this is coming from someone who likes shonen anime like Naruto, Fairy Tail and Dragonball Z.
1/10. Go watch something more awesome.
Franchise Awesome Manga
Let me tell you this: Oda can draw. The art is unique and fun and detailed, with Easter Eggs embedded in it along with the stories which some of the more observant viewers are likely to notice. Something or someone that shows up one chapter may not show up until a hundred chapters later. The ensemble cast is entertaining and lively. The backstories are poignant and touching and simply add to the wonder of the world of One Piece.
The anime follows a formula of one episode per manga chapter, so UGH yes it can be hard to follow with long, drawn-out, time-wasting sequences etc. Basically a lot of precious seconds lost on something that could be used to incorporate a second or third chapter into the episode. So read the manga, don't watch the anime.
The Strawhats feel like family to you. You get intimately wound into their lives and them into you. This isn't like other Shonen where relationships between characters don't matter or get little screen time. This isn't like Bleach where the power curves are ridiculous and where by all logic the main hero should be a freaking god by now and pwn everyone in his way. No. Luffy still struggles, and not because he gets depowered. You can see the amazing contrast between first chapter Luffy and today Luffy. Hell, even just 50-100 chapters back, it's there. Luffy struggles because the world around him is getting stronger, and that's what makes One Piece awesome.
Great story-telling, believable characters, true emotions, accurate pacing, and more.
Franchise To me, the greatest anime/manga ever
One Piece is a series filled with effort. You can tell that nearly every character had thought put into them. Their usually funny, or have incredibly awesome moments. The characters can be incredibly Bad Ass, ranging from destroying an entire fleet of ships with a single sword slice, and moving so fast they're practically invisible.
And the drama of One Piece can be incredible. Nearly all the Strawhat's past's can be heartbreaking. Nami's, Chopper's, Robin's, and Brook's being the main example to me. Oda can make the reader be so invested into the story, and they can feel the sadness and shock that the actual characters feel. (I became emotionally attached to a boat) The fight of Ussop and Luffy was an incredible moment of the series, and I really was impressed by how well Ussop was holding up. With a series like Dragon Ball you don't really make that much of a connection because you know the heroes are going to be brought back. But when somebody dies they stay dead. (Except for Brook, because of the devil fruit he ate, but that was a one time thing, and was still able to be heartbreaking)
This action is amazing. Every panel, or scene (depending if I was seeing the anime or manga) brought out my inner little kid who loved action. And One Piece has some really good fights in it. Both sides can be incredibly awesome, and you will be impressed. They aren't exactly Dragon Ball or Bleach level of power, but for some reason I'm more impressed with the awesome moments here than I am with those series. Maybe it's because the powers of the other two series I mentioned are blown out of proportion to the point where you really aren't that impressed anymore. But with One Piece, there's a clear limit to how powerful they are. One Piece isn't perfect though. There are so many times where there are death fakeouts, (most would be impossible to survive even by One Piece standards) and it gets tiring.
Overall, I think One Piece is an anime/manga superior to any others. The action and humor are great, the drama and tragedy are incredibly moving, the pacing is well done, and the majority of the characters are incredibly well written. I'm not trying to tell you to like this series more than Naruto or any other series, but I am telling you to give this series a shot if you haven't already.
Franchise Love it.
One Piece is an amazing series and I'm proud to say I've finished the entire manga. Unlike plenty of other long running shonen, or even shorter series, I never found it to be repetative or boring. While the series's setup might seem like it wouldn't be, I found every arc to be unique and interesting. The characters are also unique and interesting, both in design and backstory. I thought the arcs were really very good, offering a new adventure in every one so different from what I've always seen before. While I'm sure I sound pretty redundant already constantly talking about its uniqueness, it is very true. The characters inhabit this huge and wonderful world and I never know what will come next. It's filled with action and some fanservice too, which is pretty nice to see. Oh- it's also funny, and actually made me laugh out loud in some places.
The art is gorgeous. While some think the art is too simple, I found it very very nicely detailed, especially the backgrounds. Characters are incredibly easy to tell apart, and as has been mentioned many times in this wiki Oda is the king of Cast of Snowflakes.
In conclusion, One Piece is beautiful, funny, action packed and full of imagination and deserves every bit of popularity it has. 10/10, would recommend (the manga- I haven't watched much of the anime, as I found it pretty slow, but then again, I feel that way about pretty much every one of the older animes).