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Hey Guys, it's my second post on Hive and for this post I'm going to be reviewing my Number 1 favorite anime - One Piece, and telling you why it should probably be yours 😉
I hope you enjoy reading this. Let's dig in!
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If you watch anime (like really watch anime), chances are, you've heard of One Piece.
One Piece is the oldest amongst the Big 3 anime, which are 3 Shonen anime that had the greatest amount of popularity in the 2000s (the other two in the Big 3 are Naruto and Bleach). The anime is adapted from the manga which is written by Eiichiro Oda.
Amazingly, One Piece is also the longest running among the Big 3, as it is still running till date! (And this is what One Piece is really notorious for) having over 1000 episodes! (Yes, you heard me, 1000!) and my aim in this post is to tell you why every last one of those (over) 1000 episodes is totally worth it!
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So, the story goes thus;
There was once a pirate who sailed the seas named Gol D. Roger. He acquired great treasures, immense power and a lot of fame and became known as the Pirate King. He was eventually captured by the Navy who decided to make a public show of his execution.
However, right before he was executed he said
“You want my treasure? You can have it! Search for it! I left everything I gathered together in one place.”
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With that, he plunged the world into the great pirate era, where thousands set out to sea as pirates to try to recover his treasure (known as the One Piece) and become the King of the Pirates.
It is in this world that the plot of One Piece is set.
The story is set in a world with four seas (East Blue, West Blue, South Blue), and it centers around Monkey D. Luffy, a young man who set out to sea with a dream to become the King of the Pirates.
It begins with Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy who lives on an island in East Blue without his parents, and he is seen at a bar arguing with the leader of a Pirate crew, whom we later know to be "Red hair" Shanks. Within the argument he eats a Devil Fruit (a mystical fruit which grants the eater superpowers in exchange for their ability to swim) when Shanks back is turned because he is hungry.
Young Luffy eating the devil fruit[7]
Shanks sees him eating the fruit and tries to get him to vomit it, but it's effect has already taken place and Luffy has been given the power of a rubberman. A scuffle later happens between Shanks' crew and the crew of another pirate, and Luffy is saved from the notorious pirate and a sea monster by Shanks who loses his arm in the process.
Luffy is inspired by Shanks and promises to become a greater pirate than he is, and even become the Pirate King by discovering the One Piece. Shanks, moved by this promise, gives him his Straw Hat and tells him to return it to him when he becomes a great pirate, after which Shanks and his crew sail off. The adventure begins as Luffy, after coming of age, sets sail to fulfill his promise and become the Pirate King.
Shanks gives Luffy the Straw Hat[8]
The show follows Monkey D. Luffy, now popularly called Mugiwara no Luffy (Straw Hat Luffy), as he sails on in search of the One Piece. He gathers crew members along the journey, beginning with Roronoa Zoro, a famous East Blue bounty hunter and Swordsman, and followed by Nami, a notorious Cat burglar. Zoro later goes on to be his right hand man, and Nami his ship navigator. Other crew members include Usopp, the ship sniper and a terrible liar; Sanji, the perverted, chivalrous, simp chef of the crew; Chopper, a reindeer-man and the ship's doctor; Nico Robin, an archaeologist and former assassin; Franky, a superrrr cyborg and shipwright; Brook, a perverted skeleton, also a swordsman and the ship's musician; and Jinbe, a Fish- Man, also a former warlord of the sea and the ship's helmsman.
The Straw Hat Crew[9]
The Straw Hat Crew current bounties[10]
These crew members are gotten on different adventures and Luffy cherishes each one of them as his "nakama" and always goes out of his way to save them whenever they get into harm's way.
Now, here's my 5 reasons why you should give this 1000+ episode show a go:
- The Show is Fun & Exciting: One Piece is extremely fun. And I mean the child-like carefree, nonchalant type of fun. The scenes and characters are not too serious (in fact, a good number of them are barely ever serious) that the show keeps you at the edge of your seat all the time, however it's fun enough that it keeps you smiling from ear to ear almost all through.
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- Great Character Development: One Piece has amazing character development across it's length of episodes and no character is left out in the story development. Each character has weight and a story, and it's all strewn together to make the masterpiece that is One Piece. Even the villains tend to have compelling stories and you can't help but falling in love with each member of the Straw Hat Pirate Crew.
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- Superb Worldbuilding: The worldbuilding in One Piece is quirky and funny, with different islands looking different in funny and creative ways. And with an island to discover almost every arc, there's a great supply of wonder and adventure. There are also different types of creatures like the sea kings and the Lapin's, as well as different types of weird technology like the Den Den Mushi which are used for communication, showing how imaginative Oda is.
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- Power scaling/system: The power system in One Piece is majorly based on sheer strength/skill and Devil Fruits, as well as Haki which is later introduced in the series after the Time Skip. The characters grow in strength as they surmount challenges and they are not unbelievable overpowered as they never seem to run out of opponents that match their power level, or are even greater in power, in combat.
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- Life Lessons: One Piece is well known for its major theme of one being able to do anything, even up to risking their life, for their nakama. It's a show that fosters friendship and encourages it's watchers to persevere in the face of challenges. It also preaches the value of freedom and lack of discrimination between people. One Piece has a creative way of touching touchy topics in a fun but serious way.
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I admit that these 5 reasons may not be enough to convince you to begin a 1000+ episode show, and people generally run away from One Piece because the animation quality of the first few episodes is pretty old (which is understandable because it started in 1999). However, the animation right now is top notch and I have often said to people, if you can get to episode 40, you'll most likely fall in love with One Piece.
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Anyways, if you want to start One Piece, or you already watch it, or know something about it, feel free to engage in the comments.
Don't forget to Like and Follow
Till I post again. Ka o dị
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