DatenshiEsyel's First Impressions Of: One Piece
Greetings and I hope my first entry grabbed some positive attention.
I fully intended for the first few entries to be examinations of fandoms I am current with, if not ones that are already complete. To help stick with that theme, today's blog will be about one of the longest series that is still ongoing - and by far one of the most popular anime and manga to date - One Piece.
This was something I started reading years ago. About seven to be more precise, several months before I got officially married to my husband. Although they were about 400 or so chapters in, I was determined to catch up and see what all the hype was about. One Piece was a very common name for me to hear a lot, so I wanted to find out why so many people were into it.
Much like Boku No Hero Academia, this was another thing I began reading up on as opposed to watching. In truth, prior to this entry, I've never seen many episodes of One Piece, and when I have, they were in no particular order.
So to go back and see how the anime started, it gave me quite the surprise.
To say there are differences in the anime and manga would be a massive understatement. In fact, they don't start anywhere near the same!
In addition to my usual compare and contrast theme, I'm not only going to look over the overall effect on me and plot, but also the main protagonist, Luffy D. Monkey.
On the off-chance anyone reading hasn't seen or watched One Piece, then I'll offer this warning now. Beware for mild spoilers ahead. After being advised by a friend of mine, I decided to include certain ones; namely any that help give more explanations and details to these entries.
So, without further ado, here we go!
The manga takes an approach that, particularly when I myself make OCs for role plays, actually do favor using. The story begins in the past, starting with showing a 7-year-old Luffy. Starting in the past, or at least using flashbacks, is typically a good way to help build up a character's history.
Thus when the anime began 10 years later with a 17-year-old Luffy and didn't yet (this is supposed to happen later on, from what I've heard) make any reference to his background or past, I wasn't exactly sure how to feel. There were a few times it seemed like Luffy was going to give some indications on who, what, or why he's so determined to be the Pirate King.
Was this a good or bad move for me?
Well ... a bit of both. I do love really good mysteries; not gonna lie. And it most definitely did keep me interested. It made me want to learn more about Luffy.
This isn't to say the manga failed in that goal. Far from it. Rather, the approach used was very different; immensely so, particularly in contrast to the anime. At the same time, both had their charm. A factor that even with completely different beginning points, there was still something that kept my attention.
Because of the vast differences between the anime and manga not initially having any real similarities, it's a bit hard to do my more usual analysis. It's literally past versus present timeline. However, there was one common link the two had, and it is exactly why I intend to do the in-depth examination on that very thing I hinted earlier.
Luffy himself, as he was in both the first episode and chapter.
So how do I feel he turned out?
Pretty good. Both versions keep him as a rather optimistic, energetic protagonist. I couldn't help but feel, though, that in the anime, he was very blunt. I'm a tad torn on whether this was done in a bad or good way though.
Granted, this is Luffy D. Monkey we're talking about so I realize that by default, this is something I should have expected.
Hearing him openly call Coby a coward though?
That particular line threw me for a loop, simply because I know that under normal circumstances, he has huge amounts of respect for his comrades (nakama as it's often called), friends, and family (biological or otherwise).
Was it because that was literally the truth? Hearing Coby's background and failing to pursue his own dreams that he called him a coward? Probably. Still, with seeing Coby as young as he is, that was another reason it seemed a tad odd for me.
It even shows in great detail within the manga that Luffy disliked all the times Shanks teased him when he was young. I kinda would have expected him to follow the 'do unto others' rule, or something close enough.
But then, that's likely my own writer's side talking about what I would have done if I were in Oda's place. Thus, that's one difference between me and Oda (among many others, no doubt).
Simultaneously, even I can't help but admit that not only was Luffy correct, but it would have been a bit odd for that line to be included.
Yeah, I know. That probably sounds a tad hypocritical of me. Maybe because it was done in the very first episode is why it seems so weird. If it weren't for the fact I've read other chapters and therefore know this is how Luffy is, it really would have greatly confused me. For anyone that watches that without any prior knowledge, it'd be easy to assume Luffy's a bit of a jerk.
It's thus, in my unlicensed Psychological-loving mind, a bit of a risk to give Luffy such a line.
First impressions aren't simply what I'm writing about; they really do make quite the difference, be it to a character or overall fandom. Hearing and seeing something like that could easily have made as many people not want to continue pursuing One Piece. Given how huge the fan base for One Piece is, however, it seems like a risk that ended up greatly paying off.
So, what are my overall thoughts on the differences in the first episode and chapter?
I kind of wish they had been combined, truthfully. I love that the manga gave bits of Luffy's past, but I love that the anime started when he was older and able to head out on his journey to become the Pirate King. Despite this, however, both did have their pros. Cons too, yes, but there weren't nearly as many as the more entertaining and amusing bits of this fandom.
Would I recommend this for anyone?
Absolutely. Pirates were another theme I wasn't overly big into. But hey, if I could get invested into One Piece, there's a good chance that many others who are still foreign to the fandom could also.
This is probably one of the few times where I can say I would actually prefer starting with the anime first as opposed to the manga. In fact, let me back track and elaborate on something I should have in the last entry. A good reason I'm so adamant on reading over watching is, more often than not, mangas tend to have the "complete" versions. Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Aoi No Exorcist, and even Usagi Drop are examples of anime that end completely differently than their manga counterparts.
And honestly? That's kinda annoying. Different endings, while they can be good, tend to leave me (and probably some others) feeling incomplete, if I had to use a single word to describe it, and thus wanting more.
One Piece, however, is an exception because I know that the anime follows the manga decently. Maybe not perfectly, but enough that I would recommend the anime anyway.
And ... voila. There are my thoughts and first impressions about One Piece. I hope you all enjoyed this!
Until next time,
DatenshiEsyel
