One Piece Manga Review

Of all the weekly JUMP mangas that have come and gone over the last two decades, One Piece remains an oddball in that it has quite literally outlived all of them. What's even weirder is that it has also maintained a consistent release schedule since it was first published in 1997, outpacing many of its contemporaries who've long since gone on numerous hiatuses like Hunter x Hunter, D.Gray-man, and even Berserk. One Piece also remains as the last surviving member of the “Big 3” shonen mangas that dominated the whole of the 2000s and the first half of the 2010s. Even if you've dismissed One Piece in the past, Eiichiro Oda's dedication to his magnum opus is truly something to be admired.

However, its reputation as an overly-long and convoluted manga isn't entirely unwarranted. The storytelling relies on each arc to make its own mark on the overall worldbuilding. While this approach has its benefits, it often comes at the cost of making each turn feel inconsequential when it ends. After all, our beloved Straw Hats are only gonna be staying on one particular island until the Log Pose resets. Why should we even bother getting invested if we know that they're gonna be moving to the next island anyway?

As sympathetic as I am to people who think that way, I disagree with that mentality. Yes, the overall progress toward Gol D. Rogers' long lost treasure does feel inconsequential at times. Even so, each arc still makes its own impact on the larger story being told. Characters introduced in some of the story's weaker arcs (i.e. Shanks, Vivi, Monkey D. Dragon) return in later arcs where they have a far more profound impact on the story at hand. This also applies to concepts brought up in earlier parts of the manga's run as Oda expands upon stuff like the World Government, the Grand Line, the politics between the Four Kings, and their interactions with other pirate troupes (among other such things).

The earlier arcs also profoundly impact the characterisation of our beloved Straw Hats. While it's often easy to dismiss them as one-note archetypes, they're anything but. Using Zoro as an example, he was introduced as an unrepentant bounty hunter who used Luffy to escape captivity. However, the course of his travels with the Straw Hats showed us a side of him that we never would've expected. He's still a reserved vagabond with no sense of direction, don't get me wrong. However, he's still the de-facto First Mate of the Straw Hats for a reason. His unwavering loyalty and dedication to the Straw Hats, combined with his excellent skill in swordsmanship, make him a valued ally and the one who'll usually save the others just in the nick of time. You know... unless he gets lost again, but that's beside the point!

Even Usopp, the Straw Hat that I've seen countless people (including fans) make fun of, gets this type of treatment. Yes, he's a liar and a coward. Even so, Usopp provides a much-needed element of humanity to the crew as a whole. It's so easy for shonen protagonists to be reckless and accomplish feats that nobody else can (look no further than Luffy if you want an example). Usopp is a stark contrast to the typical shonen protagonist in that he's bitterly aware of his own limitations. His cowardice, his falsehoods, his denial, they all reflect someone who's clearly out of his element, yet he continues to push forward. Why? Because he loves his friends far too much ever to abandon them. If there's ever a period of hardship that our crew goes through, Usopp is generally the first one to react. What's more, he's not above chastising Luffy for his stupidity despite also being the first to partake in said shenanigans. He provides a much-needed contrast to Zoro and Robin's seriousness and Luffy's airheaded recklessness.

The supporting cast and arc-specific characters are also intense, as they all have their own motivations and desires. This isn't even getting into how complex these characters' relationships can be. Using Shanks and Whitebeard as an example, they're two of the Four Kings, a quartet of pirates who command their own crew and have undisputed rulership over their own territories. While the Four Kings generally prefer to keep out of each other's ways unless they absolutely must, Shanks and Whitebeard are a bit of an exception in this regard. They were both rivals on Gol D. Rogers' pirate crew, so they exhibit some distaste for each other. However, they both have this mutual respect due to their past relationship as crewmates. Shanks even goes out of his way to warn Whitebeard of impending danger, despite knowing full well that Whitebeard's bravado and recklessness would make his warnings fall on deaf ears. Doubtless to say that One Piece truly is a cut above the rest when it comes down to its overall storytelling and characterisation despite some hiccups here and there.

In terms of artwork, One Piece is peculiar in that it maintains a far more cartoonish style than many of its contemporaries. Unfortunately, this does lead to countless people dismissing the manga as some childish work of fiction. Don't get me wrong; it is published in Weekly Shonen Jump for a reason. Even so, I wouldn't necessarily call the art style childish in the slightest because it adds this rather vivacious charm that other shonen mangas don't have.

One Piece, at its core, is all about adventure in a world that's quite dissonant from the one that we, as real people, live in. We have devil fruits, islands that can be cloaked in perpetual snow or tropics, and the resulting flora and fauna from such a setting. A more subdued and realistic art style similar to Bleach or Naruto wouldn't fit the outlandish nature of the story that Eiichiro Oda is trying to tell us. Would you be able to take a shapeshifting reindeer or a talking skeleton with an obsession for panties seriously if it looked more like 20th Century Boys? I don't think so.

What's even weirder about the artwork of One Piece is that it maintains quite a consistent track record for quality despite being a weekly release. Don't get me wrong; Oda is no Inio Asano, Kentaro Miura, or Takehiko Inoue. However, the fact that Oda can continuously draw incredible scenery that makes sense within this bizarre universe he created is genuinely commendable. Take notes, Togashi!

Now we come to the most subjective part of this review: my personal enjoyment of the manga. I've been keeping up with One Piece on and off ever since I was in the 4th grade. I wouldn't have bothered writing this up if I didn't love this manga. However, there are a few caveats that I'd like to add to that statement. For all the praise that I can lavish on One Piece, it is by far the most obtuse manga I've ever come across.

I don't mean obtuse in that it's overly complicated. Instead, I'm referring to the sheer volume of chapters that come out weekly. This manga started publishing when I was a toddler, and it's nearly at the 1,000 chapter mark. Combine that with just how much detail Eiichiro Oda packs into his stories, and you have a recipe for the ultimate test of endurance for even the most seasoned manga enthusiast.

Mind you, I'm in my mid-20s at this point, yet I've barely managed to crack the 500 chapter threshold. One Piece is a manga that truly is engaging in every sense of the word, but the sheer volume of content can be quite draining to binge through when you know that there's so much of the story that you've yet to touch upon. As a person who loves to theory-craft as I'm reading a publishing work, this is quite the dealbreaker for me. After all, why should I even bother coming up with my own theories if there's a genuine possibility that I'll be proven wrong if I continue reading?

With that said, theory-crafting isn't the only reason why I'd even enjoy a publishing work in the first place. From Oda's charming art style that manages to convey the sheer absurdity of what happens while also taking it seriously to the fantastic work Oda's done with characterisation, there are plenty of reasons why I still hold a deep attachment to One Piece. Even at its stupidest and most juvenile moments, One Piece still manages to surpass the threshold for quality with such enthusiasm to the point where I have no choice but to grit my teeth and bear through it all, be it good, bad, or ugly.

This is by no means a comprehensive review of One Piece. I lack the time, the energy, and the desire even to tackle such a feat. Plus, better men than I have already addressed the subject countless times over. This review is meant for the casual reader who's come across One Piece at some point in time. The prospective reader was tempted to give One Piece a chance only to get put off by the sheer length of this work. While One Piece is a far cry from the likes of the Epic of Gilgamesh, it truly is an epic told in manga form. Make no mistake: it's a daunting task to read this manga, but you'll be greatly rewarded if you decide to pick it up and power through.

One Piece stands tall among its contemporaries as the most ambitious shonen manga ever written. When countless titans like Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, and Bleach fell prey to arc fatigue and ultimately ended on a lukewarm note, One Piece stood above them as it continued its march forward. Even lesser-known mangas that were still loved ended up either getting cancelled due to poor sales like Psyren or were left to rot on indefinite hiatus before resuming publishing at quarterly intervals like D.Gray-man. Even Hunter x Hunter, the supposed “champion” of mature shonen storytelling, falls prey to Togashi's sheer inability to finish a work that isn't Yu Yu Hakusho. Given all of that context, it's no wonder why One Piece's fanbase is so fervent in its admiration for Eiichiro Oda's superhuman work ethic.