Oda Eiichiro - One Piece, vol. 01-08 (Eng. trans.)
I feel a bit stupid introducing this series. Anyway.
When Gol D. Roger, King of the Pirates, was executed, it ended a golden age of piracy. Many years later, Monkey D. Luffy (Oda says in a note that "Monkey" is the surname) wants to grow up to be King of the Pirates, but he swallows a Devil Fruit called the Gum-Gum, making him sink in water, as well as giving him rubbery limbs. Undaunted, he decides to put together his own crew, traverse the Grand Line (a sea route with good piracy), and become King of the Pirates!
So far, volumes 1 through 8 are about Luffy acquiring his core crew, as well as their backstories. Volume 8 finishes the Restaurant Baratie arc and begins the arc with Arlong and the fish men. As with much manga, especially shounen, the first few volumes are more one-offs with short arcs, and although I like Roronoa Zolo, I was bored by the Usopp arc and annoyed by the requisite damsel in distress in it. I also have a difficult time following Oda's artwork. Much of it is my general inability to read action sequences, but I think some of it is because everything is so exaggerated and over-the-top that there's no resting place for the eyes yet. I suspect this is one of the things that will get better over time, and at least Oda's panels aren't as horrifically crowded as early volumes in other series are. The first 5 volumes or so were a bit tough going, since it was a lot of shounen tropes and fight scenes, and while I didn't enjoy the first half of the Restaurant Baratie storyline, the second half got me excited.
Snarky blond guys smoking cigarettes seem to do that to me, even if they aren't gun-toting priests.
OMG. Also. Also! Chef Zeff EATS HIS OWN LEG!
I have seen a lot of cannibalism as the ultimate form of affection in manga (primarily in Yuki Kaori series), but this is the first time I have seen someone autocannibalize himself out of affection for someone else! AWESOME.
I am also really excited for what looks like the upcoming Nami arc. Touching flashbacks galore! And I am rooting for the dark-haired woman in the chapter openers who seems to be hunting down Luffy to be a main character, since the series so far does the usual shounen thing of one woman among a ton of guys.
Reads a bit young so far, but the plot arcs have been getting larger and better.
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When Gol D. Roger, King of the Pirates, was executed, it ended a golden age of piracy. Many years later, Monkey D. Luffy (Oda says in a note that "Monkey" is the surname) wants to grow up to be King of the Pirates, but he swallows a Devil Fruit called the Gum-Gum, making him sink in water, as well as giving him rubbery limbs. Undaunted, he decides to put together his own crew, traverse the Grand Line (a sea route with good piracy), and become King of the Pirates!
So far, volumes 1 through 8 are about Luffy acquiring his core crew, as well as their backstories. Volume 8 finishes the Restaurant Baratie arc and begins the arc with Arlong and the fish men. As with much manga, especially shounen, the first few volumes are more one-offs with short arcs, and although I like Roronoa Zolo, I was bored by the Usopp arc and annoyed by the requisite damsel in distress in it. I also have a difficult time following Oda's artwork. Much of it is my general inability to read action sequences, but I think some of it is because everything is so exaggerated and over-the-top that there's no resting place for the eyes yet. I suspect this is one of the things that will get better over time, and at least Oda's panels aren't as horrifically crowded as early volumes in other series are. The first 5 volumes or so were a bit tough going, since it was a lot of shounen tropes and fight scenes, and while I didn't enjoy the first half of the Restaurant Baratie storyline, the second half got me excited.
Snarky blond guys smoking cigarettes seem to do that to me, even if they aren't gun-toting priests.
OMG. Also. Also! Chef Zeff EATS HIS OWN LEG!
I have seen a lot of cannibalism as the ultimate form of affection in manga (primarily in Yuki Kaori series), but this is the first time I have seen someone autocannibalize himself out of affection for someone else! AWESOME.
I am also really excited for what looks like the upcoming Nami arc. Touching flashbacks galore! And I am rooting for the dark-haired woman in the chapter openers who seems to be hunting down Luffy to be a main character, since the series so far does the usual shounen thing of one woman among a ton of guys.
Reads a bit young so far, but the plot arcs have been getting larger and better.
Comment | Read Comments (
) | Link