Viewing One Piece

313 eps in,

The negation of devil fruit powers due to seastone cuffs at least explains why Robin was so powerless for the majority of the time. CP9 are too much regardless, but they still needed her for their Pluton goal, so she could have been troublesome without that factor.

The Straw Hat backstory episodes weakened the momentum built for the CP9 showdown, as did the special that occurred between Enies Lobby. With Robin it's a bit different since her storyline was still being moulded and we learned things that made her plight more understandable.

While it was clear that Lucci was a cut above his peers during the earlier Straw Hat vs CP9 meeting, the initial portrayal of Six Powers mastery indicated a collective baseline that set themselves apart from the protagonists. With the introduction of the power level system, they decided to get more specific with this, giving clarity about where each of them actually stand.

Sanji holding back against Kalifa was sad, as was the Sogeking situation before he saved Robin. Outside of those types of shenanigans, the fights were generally entertaining. Lucci seems more poised and technical in his base form than when transformed, but final fights in Shonen are often messy / bloody / power-focused, etc. so I get that aspect as well. While Nami previously expressed interest in leveling up, it's still surprising to see her react to, and defeat a Six Powers user.

The Merry becoming sentient was odd. Although I'm glad that they ultimately stuck with the idea that this ship can't endure back to back journeys anymore and thus came to an end.

341 eps in,

(Post-Enies Lobby, general thoughts) Franky came in clutch with his solution for the Merry-less crew. One could wager that Luffy likely didn't come from a family of pushovers, so him being related to characters with hype around them makes sense. Teach vs Ace was interesting but short-lived.

(Ice Hunter) Wouldn't be the first time folks tried to make jest of Luffy's bounty, although Don Accino vs Luffy was a decent fight. Not much to take away from this overall, other than reinforcing that the Straw Hats are wary about their possessions being stolen.

(Chopper Man Special) Just fills the time with ultimately low-stakes, cartoonish side plots.

(Thriller Bark, so far) You could say Brook fits the bill for the most bizarre encounter of a potential crew mate. Would've preferred for the storyline to further explore the world government structure and brewing conflict as opposed to a horror-themed side step, but that will have to wait I guess.

I've no desire in delving deeply into One Piece. I used to read the manga as a kid and got up to the Arlong arc before I dropped it. Since then, I very sporadically check out the latest chapters. A few years ago, I skimmed through some of the post-Arlong arcs, but I really don't know much about the plot or lore. It's like, I know the story up to Arlong, and everything after is mostly a blur to me.

This series is way too long for its own good, lol. And I can definitely see why some people can't stand Oda's art style, too; it was OK at first, but it became way too messy and scribbly at some point after the time skip.

Scott said:

I've no desire in delving deeply into One Piece. I used to read the manga as a kid and got up to the Arlong arc before I dropped it. Since then, I very sporadically check out the latest chapters. A few years ago, I skimmed through some of the post-Arlong arcs, but I really don't know much about the plot or lore. It's like, I know the story up to Arlong, and everything after is mostly a blur to me.

This series is way too long for its own good, lol. And I can definitely see why some people can't stand Oda's art style, too; it was OK at first, but it became way too messy and scribbly at some point after the time skip.

Click to expand...

Read Dorohedoro, The Fable and Ender Geister.

I think it's normal to be cautious about committing to such a long series, especially if interest starts to fade or other responsibilities deem it a no-no. Luckily I found an ep / ch routine that keeps the ball rolling without burn out.

I was reading a Reddit thread the other day about how someone avoids reviews of series they've seen because the negativity changes their mind about how enjoyable the experience was. I'd say that isn't really a factor for me. Being able to read analyses and discuss something that's happened is a derivative of entertainment, and that can be sought after even by people that find a series mediocre or outright hate it. I guess another benefit of a complete viewing is that - when pointing out dislike of a series, it prevents gotchas, blindsides, or any other technique a fan uses to make the other person look like they don't know what they're talking about. You can go frame by frame -- or in the manga's case, panel by panel if need be. Same can be said for whichever part someone's on (if the critique is firmly within the scope of what's been seen by them so far).

-----------------------------------

349 eps in,

Glad that the fodder zombies are sort of being put to the side, for the wider conflict centred on the newly introduced Warlord. It gives the Straw Hats an opportunity to up their notoriety by taking him down, causing another ripple effect with the World Government. As cocky as Gecko Moria is, his devil fruit has potential to screw things over in a way that would be hard to reverse. Somewhat curious about what he brings to the table outside of DF power as well, given that CP9 made a firm imprint with the concept of being formidable without it in their own right.

@Spiral-Force

Between Sanji and Zoro, do you think one is above the other in fighting power, like do you think Zoro would win more often than not if they fought? Or do you think they are pretty much the same level and it is 50-50 in a fight?

I always had the impression Zoro was one or two steps above, but that comparison with the giants in Little Garden (which kind of gave me a Zoro and Sanji vibe in rivalry but in a stalemate if they fight) and the Kiri system having Zoro bearing Kaku (2200 Kiri or whatever the system was called) vs Sanji with Jyabura (2180) make me think they are pretty much equals... What's your opinion so far? I'm speaking from the PoV of the last episode you are in without factoring in new things ofc.

I remember you mentioned Luffy isn't shown training and yet he's the strongest in the crew and it's impressive too that Sanji is up there when he isn't shown training at all either and has his main focus in cooking. Ofc I guess they all train off screen but Zoro is consistently exercising or thinking about past fights, in ways to increase his strength.

On a side note,back to Alabasta, weren't you annoyed with that bird guy guardian (forgot the name) surviving? I was, as they made all that sacrifice drama for him to blow up and survive... As well as the warriors in Skypiea... Pretty much everyone was fine at the end... Like, the native warriors being alive after all the tension the arc carried was a turn down for me back then in the sense that... I was like where are the stakes?