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hiddenfallacies's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Nearly every main cast member gets a moment to shine in this volume. The fights are entertaining and don't overstay their welcome. Plus, tons of Sanji content for my fanboy heart ♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Self harm and Alcohol
avacadosocks's review
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
1wingedbalrog's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I asked myself: how could I recommend One Piece? Should I go through every volume, tracking the highs and lows? It sounds like a cool endeavor and I think I'll get up to it some time. But for right now, I feel like that isn't the best time commitment, especially if I'm not getting paid. Moreover, when you recommend One Piece, you are recommending the whole journey. There is no such thing as a casual One Piece fan, and none of us can help it. The good news is that - despite the huge commitment of 104 volumes and counting at the time of this post - you don't really resist it. It grabs you and doesn't let go.
So for the time being, I'm just going to leave a smattering of reviews on the absolute best moments of the series to bring their score up to the perfection they deserve.
Tbh, this review is more for the entire Arlong Park arc, which began in the latter half of vol 8 and concludes following this one. But this is where the arc reaches its crescendo, and by extension, the true appeal of One Piece becomes apparent for the first time. If you found Luffy and company's misadventures in the East Blue charming but repetitive (arrive at new island, meet colorful character, defeat evil pirate, sorete you wanna be my friend?, repeat), this is where the series transforms into the juggernaut that's been sailing for twenty years. Luffy and the crew (except Nami) are finally ready to face down Arlong and his Fish-men pirates, with the fate of Kokoyashi Village and Nami's freedom hanging in the balance. In isolation, it's no different than what's come before. But structurally, it packs a major wallop as Oda combines all of his established tools (tense and bombastic action, traumatic childhoods, mean bad guys) with the skill that propels the rest of the series: he is a master of set-up and payoff. As such, instead of an episode, all of the emotional investment across the series thus far is poured into this encounter. Seeds are planted here that will sprout hundreds of chapters away. If you were wondering what the hype was around One Piece, this is the volume where you start feeling rewarded for setting sail in the first place.
So for the time being, I'm just going to leave a smattering of reviews on the absolute best moments of the series to bring their score up to the perfection they deserve.
Tbh, this review is more for the entire Arlong Park arc, which began in the latter half of vol 8 and concludes following this one. But this is where the arc reaches its crescendo, and by extension, the true appeal of One Piece becomes apparent for the first time. If you found Luffy and company's misadventures in the East Blue charming but repetitive (arrive at new island, meet colorful character, defeat evil pirate, sorete you wanna be my friend?, repeat), this is where the series transforms into the juggernaut that's been sailing for twenty years. Luffy and the crew (except Nami) are finally ready to face down Arlong and his Fish-men pirates, with the fate of Kokoyashi Village and Nami's freedom hanging in the balance. In isolation, it's no different than what's come before. But structurally, it packs a major wallop as Oda combines all of his established tools (tense and bombastic action, traumatic childhoods, mean bad guys) with the skill that propels the rest of the series: he is a master of set-up and payoff. As such, instead of an episode, all of the emotional investment across the series thus far is poured into this encounter. Seeds are planted here that will sprout hundreds of chapters away. If you were wondering what the hype was around One Piece, this is the volume where you start feeling rewarded for setting sail in the first place.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Colonisation
bookcheshirecat's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
5.0
- The big fight against Arlong is here!! I have to say that I preferred these fighting scenes to the ones with Don Krieg! The fishmen were interesting opponents and I liked how the villagers supported Nami and tried to help Luffy out when he got into trouble. Nojiko is a great minor character, I love her energy! It was also hilarious seeing Usopp struggling with his fight, it was so chaotic and in the end, he decided against running away!
- The emotions were just here for this volume! Luffy is helping Nami and all the villagers who have been terrorized by Arlong for years. While Arlong sees Nami's talent for drawing map as something to use, Luffy sees her as one of his friends whose help he needs in order to become the King of the Pirates! He's admitting that he literally cannot do it without all his friends who have skills that he lacks 🥺
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
lemonix_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
De vertaling vond ik soms raar in deze manga. Het was de eerste Nederlandse manga dat ik las.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
ellaticonstellation's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Damn, this was an intense volume. Luffy!!! You're stupidly smart, my man😍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail