Web
Analytics Made Easy - StatCounter
Jump to content
  • Sign Up
The 13th Kenpachi

Anime | Manga Official One Piece Manga Discussion Thread

Recommended Posts

Late night post gooooo!

 

So just like with Strong World, I binged watched the filler arc leading up to Film Z and then watched the film itself, and here's what I thought:

 

 

Best. One Piece. Movie. YET. (since I haven't seen Gold...)

 

Holy crap, not only was this even better than Strong World, it was a hell of a lot better. In fact, from the opening sequence alone, this film managed to trump SW for me because the first thing we see is Big Z, Black Arm Zephyr, himself, kicking major ass. This, my friends, is how you make the antagonist of a non-canon film be worth a damn right here, and from then, I was hooked on seeing how Z would play out for the rest of the film.

 

And boy, was I not disappointed at all. Z had a very identifiable character. I wouldn't say he's complex, but you don't always have to be complex, you just have to be, like I said, identifiable, and with the exposition combined with the general handling/development of his character throughout the film, I'd say it was pulled off just fine and plus, he's got more layers than typical battle shonen movie villains in general, so it's not like he had to try that hard. xD Ain and Binz were pretty cool too although they were most just there to reinforce Z's beliefs, but hey, Binz was a ninja who used vines so that's awesome. xD

 

I've talked about nothing but Z so far, and that's because he truly is the main focus of this movie, even more so than the actual Straw Hats, which honestly, I'm fine with. We know that none of these guys are going to have anything special given to them outside of some cool outfits and fight scenes (well, most of them, but I'll get to that) so giving the villain more focus like this works. Although I give special props for Kuzan for his very appreciated role in the story too. I really like how these new films managed to tell a very superfluous story while still managing to fit in characters from the actual canon.

 

Other notes and sundry: The animation was superb, of course, especially when it came to the final sequences near the end, plus the music was pretty good (sans probably the Avril Lavigne covers in the credits which even during the time when this came out I don't really get why Oda wanted her to sing for the movie xD). Oh yeah and the final fight was pretty damn epic. You might think I'd have a problem with it given how "bare bones" it was compared to the other fight sequences or OP/anime in general, but for me, the emotion and weight that the fight had far outweighed any need for them to go full DBZ level or anything, so it worked for me.

 

And speaking of having problems, I did in fact have some issues with the movie too, but honestly, they're all really minor: for one thing, I noticed that a lot of the movie characters outside of Z himself weren't properly developed. I mentioned Ain and Binz already, and although I still stand by what I said before, they could have been fleshed out a little more so that they could match the level of depth Z got. Ain's power was also clearly just for the de-aging plot device too, but eh, plot's gonna plot. Also, the craftsmen family i.e. the ones who helped fixed the Sunny and gave the Straw Hats their sick new final battle gear really felt like background characters for the most part, and in terms of filler content, that just seems really odd because usually these people hog up more spotlight than you really want them to xD Oh well, they did their job, so no real harm done I guess.

 

Oh yeah and about those fights: Monster Trio dominates again, as per the usual "MT vs. Villain plus two strong lackeys" deal and outside of my man Franky getting to torch some Pacifistas, everybody else was just regulated to fodder one-shots, comedy, or in Nami (before the de-aging) and Robin's case: fanservice, and if you've read my rants about them not getting proper fights in Fishman Island, then you can probably understand why I really didn't appreciate that... (although to throw in another positive real quick: after having to power through FI again for the anime and then seeing this, man I wish this was the first arc and not FI, wouldn't that have been cool?) I will admit though that seeing Robin as an 18 year old and a dancer was, uh... enticing.... what, I like Robin, leave me alone. But again, this is all minor stuff, so it doesn't really detract from the movie. Really, the whole plotline with Z pretty much elevates the entire film any gripe I might have because it's just so well done and impactful. This is how you really do the whole "changing of the guard" schtick, not by bringing in some overhyped rooster.

 

So overall, I'd give this a solid 9 out of 10 and I will definetly consider picking this up on DVD/Blu Ray when I get the chance because I want to watch it over and over and over and over again.

 

Edited by Firaga Sensei

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

New chapter! Since I couldn't post about the one before I will just discuss both here xD

 

 

Soo... Big Mom wasn't the brightest bulb in the box as a child, was she? xD But that's good to see, explains why she's still acting like a little child every now and then. or always

I was honestly surprised that her parents are no giants, I REALLY wanna know how she ended up so big. But I doubt we will get an explanation, just like we never found out why Shirahoshi became so big. This is the power of One Piece wombs xD

So Big Mom always had this problem that she goes on a rampage when she's getting hungry, also wanna know why that's the case. I mean she doesn't even perceive anything when she enters that stage, that's not normal at all xD

But regarding the more important parts: Mother Caramel was a children slaver who sold them kids to the world government... yeah I did not see that coming. Reminds me of the case with Pudding, acting as the kindest and most honest person in the world, but in reality they don't give a crap about anyone else. Oh and she had the devil fruit power of Big Mom! Now we also know how Prometheus got created.

Big Mom destroyed half of the giants village and killed the old one, really impressive. If she was that strong as a 5 year old she must be waaaaaaaayyyyyyyy stronger now, and I hope she gets to fully fight soon.

And then the end... she was so happy about her birthday that she head tears in her eyes and could barely see... she kept eating and eating... and when she was done Mother Caramel and all the kids were gone... uhmm... CANNIBALISM!! XDD I can't believe that really happened, especially in One Piece. But the fact that Big Mom has exactly the same devil fruit powers as Mother Caramel kinda proves it.

So yeah, a pretty cool and surprising flashback, can't say I've seen any of that coming. Way to go, Oda.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

So just to recap: Both Big Mom and Mother Caramel are irredeemable bastions of suck. I'll admit that I didn't think Caramel would have ulterior motives, but yeah, shit's twisted either way. Roast her on a spit, Straw Hat-Fire Tank Alliance.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ahhhhh I forgot to post here... -.- Well I will just talk about the latest chapter!

 

 

Gotta say I'm getting more and more attached to Bege. When this arc began I thought he was just some typical villain who is willing to betray everyone in order to achieve his goal. But with the past chapters it turned out that there's a reasom his subordinates call him 'father'. Because he really acts like one to them. He's willing to sacrifice himself if it means to protect his crew members and most importantly his wife and son. (And I admit, when it was first revealed that he got a child with one of Big Mom's daughter I assumed he doesn't care about them at all and only did it to gain access to Big Mom's family.) So to me Bege is one of the pleasant surprises in this arc!

About the rest, the part with Sanji and Judge was good too. Sanji finally cut any remaining connection or bond with his biological father and made it clear that to him Jeff will always be his dad.

The ending was pretty amazing, with Luffy and Sanji blocking Big Mom's attack. I'm REALLY curious to see now if they continue to battle her, if they try to escape or if anything else happens. :)

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thoughts on the new chapter:

 

 

You know, in a arc filled with characters who I am supposed to be sympathetic with, I really didn't expect the Al Capone expy to be one. I mean, sure, he's still a treacherous dick, but at least he has some morals for the sake of his family. Which is more than I can say for Judge.

 

Speaking of which: Judge sure got an earful from ol' Curly Brows. Still not happy about how Sanji has been handled this arc (as I've made it painfully obvious xD) but I still thought this sequence was done well. Regardless of how I feel about Sanji as a whole, what was addressed about his backstory and his relationship (or lack thereof) with Judge and co. was pretty spot on.

 

Now then, let's get some Straw Hat tag team action against Big Charlie L. in a handicap match, brother! ... seriously, please. End the arc. I'm getting Dressrosa flashbacks, not gonna lie.

 

 

 

Sanji finally cut any remaining connection or bond with his biological father and made it clear that to him Zeff will always be his dad.

 

 

 

FTYF. Also, had to resist the urge to reference the "My name is Jeff" meme.

 

Edited by Firaga

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

SPOILERS-Big Mom is the 1st woman Sanji has ever hit, isn't she?

Technically he only hit Zeus I think xD But yeah, first time he got active against a woman.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

He said about not wanting to disappoint Zeff but this goes against that right?

It would, yeah. But I don't think Zeff would be disappointed if Sanji attacked a woman to protect himself and his friends.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

Big Mom is the 1st woman Sanji has ever hit, isn't she?

 

FTFY.

 

To add onto this debate:

 

 

one-piece-9481687.jpg

 

Given that Zeus is the one that Big Mom is using to throw out the Heavenly Fire, then Luffy's and Sanji's attacks are connecting directly with the flames themselves and not her directly, so technically, Sanji has yet to hit a women. He is getting the closest he has gotten still, and unless Big Mom is able to spam her homies for the most part during this fight(?), he may very well break his promise to Zeff for the sake of his friends, which I am of course totally on board with.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

FTFY.

 

To add onto this debate:

 

 

one-piece-9481687.jpg

 

Given that Zeus is the one that Big Mom is using to throw out the Heavenly Fire, then Luffy's and Sanji's attacks are connecting directly with the flames themselves and not her directly, so technically, Sanji has yet to hit a women. He is getting the closest he has gotten still, and unless Big Mom is able to spam her homies for the most part during this fight(?), he may very well break his promise to Zeff for the sake of his friends, which I am of course totally on board with.

 

 

FTFY?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Happy 20th anniversary, One Piece! That's right, the manga series has been going since July of 1997, and to celebrate this achievement, we've got a special treat from TOEI Animation to celebrate.

 

Crunchyroll recently reported that a brand new One Piece two-hour TV special would be airing this August -- One Piece: Episode of East Blue!

 

a5c154eee6673842ae2f30a2b4ce1acd14984843

 

And just yesterday, Japanese TVs were graced with a short preview of the special:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tEU-Ov9hXw

 

The "Episode of" specials are, of course, a time honored tradition in the One Piece animated world, usually hour long (or in this case two hour) recaps of story arcs and moments gone past (most of which are more true to the original manga than the actual anime at times) that feature brand new animation from TOEI themselves.

 

We've seen a total of four of these specials so far -- Episode of Nami, a retelling of the Arlong Park arc; Episode of Luffy, an entirely new story that touched upon the Romance Dawn arc; Episode of Merry, a retelling of the Water 7/Enies Lobby arcs; and most recently, Episode of Sabo, a full retrospective of the character of Sabo that covered his first appearance in the Post-War arc leading up to his return in the Dressrosa arc.

 

This special, as the title suggests, seems to be an attempt to recap the East Blue Saga, i.e. the first ever full length saga in the first half of the series where we see the beginnings of the Straw Hat crew from the introduction of Luffy, the induction of members Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, and Nami and finally their entrance into the Grand Line. The visuals shown so far seem to suggest all of those areas will be covered though it is not confirmed if the last part i.e. the adventures in Lougetown and the eventual transition into the Grand Line, will be shown too, but that remains to be seen.

 

What's interesting about this special is that given that we already had part of the story retold already, that being the events of the Arlong Park arc through the Episode of Nami special, and when I first saw word of this going around, I only saw the parts of the Baratie arc and thought this would be a "Episode of Baratie" special that only covered the recruitment of Sanji, which would make sense given the current events of the anime/manga right now.

 

Given the length of the special, the overall aesthetic and flow of the Arlong stuff might be fairly the same with maybe a few cuts here and there, and I would think TOEI would actually reanimate the cells they made for that special instead of just sticking the already made footage into this new one.

 

Either way, while it's a bit inconsistent with their previous specials, I personally still think that, so far, this seems like it will be a faithful and enjoyable love letter to the stories that started it all for One Piece. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Happy 20th anniversary, One Piece! That's right, the manga series has been going since July of 1997, and to celebrate this achievement, we've got a special treat from TOEI Animation to celebrate.

 

Crunchyroll recently reported that a brand new One Piece two-hour TV special would be airing this August -- One Piece: Episode of East Blue!

 

a5c154eee6673842ae2f30a2b4ce1acd14984843

 

 

Rip everyone's crying but Luffy's still happy lol

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

New chap!

 

 

DAAAAAAAMN!!! That was some freaking awesome chapter!! And really unexpected! First of all, Stussy is an agent of the CP-0! Would have never seen that coming, and it shows how wide-spread that organisation is, considering they even managed to be part of Big Mom's tea party. Now we actually have to be suspicious on every island and wonder if another agent is hiding somewhere xD

Then the confrontation of Luffy and Big Mom was pretty cool. I love how she used his own words against him, his proclaims to beat the crap out of her and to free Fishman Island of her, only to run away now. Because that's what I was thinking too all the time, if the Straw Hats really planned to escape instead of fighting. I'm kinda surprised about his response, that he wants to beat Kaido first and her next, simply because I still think that Kaido is a stronger and way harder enemy. But well, guess we will find that out soon enough. That Big Mom managed to counter his punch in GEAR 4TH!! actually shows what a monster that woman is.

 

Not sure what to think of the fact that they all got utterly destroyed in the end. I mean on one hand it's understandable, the whole elite of Big Mom and herself of course is gathered in that plateau. There's no way Luffy and the others could have beaten them. But on the other hand it's never pleasant to see him lose a battle. Cause what were the two years of training for if he still loses?

Anyway the Tamatebago (or whatever it's called xD) box really exploded, and the tower will most likely crash down in the next chapter. If that enables them all to escape or if they maybe just get scattered across the island and get an 1-on-1 battle I can't tell.

But either way it's pretty cool to see that this box, that Oda had first introduced in the Fishman Island arc sooo many chapters ago, really turned out to play such a big role. That's pretty damn awesome.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

 

Straw Hat stickers best stickers

Also why is everyone talking about Caesar? I only see Gangster Gastino

Also I forgot about the box when I started rereading so I had to look it up lol

 

 

Edited by Xiro

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

FINALLY. AFTER TEN THOUSAND YEEEEEARS OF WAITING, THE PROMISED DAY HAS COME.

 

FOR ON THIS DAY, THE IMPATIENCE OF THE FANBASE IS MET WITH GREAT REJOICE AS THE OBVIOUSLY PLACED CHEKOV'S GUN, THE TAMATEBAKO, HAS FINALLY FINALLY PULLED ITS TRIGGER!

 

... aaaaaaand all it did was topple a castle. And possibly gave the Straw Hats and co. an arbitrary reason to escape from Whole Cake Island... well, that's One Piece for you. xD

 

In more surprising news: Stussy's a CP0 narc, how random. xD Honestly did not expect the whorehouse runner to be a CP agent, and also made me remember that she was able to no-sel Big Mom's scream. I'm still waiting on more CP0 stuff to unfold if only to see Lucci show up and wreck house again.

 

And probably the biggest twist of all: Big Mom no-sells a Gear 4th punch (using Armament Haki of course because it feels like almost every other badass in the New World has it) and sends Monkey Boy packing Bartholomew Kuma style. Ohhhhh man, Kaido's gonna be a bitch. xD Wouldn't surprise me if this turns into a frantic chase to get the Hell off the island now, which definetly seems like the case

 

I really did enjoy this chapter a lot. Not only do we finally have that damn box out of the way, but now the arc really feels like its coming to an end finally. I honestly don't want to see the arc dragged out and see more fights at this point. We get it, Big Mom's a Eldritch abomination with "Do not f*ck with me" written all over here. So again, get out of there before she fodderizes everybody. xD

 

Side note: FINALLY, Smoothie is useful again and has her hands on Reiju. xD Squeeze the life out of her why don't you, I'm still mad about that stupid "kindness" speech she gave Sanji...

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Shit's about to get real!

 

 

Not gonna lie, seeing how Big Mom killed(?) another of her sons, Opera, was quite cool. Showed for another time how ruthless and mindless she becomes once she enters that stage of rage, caused by her disease. Also the face Perospero made when she practically told him that she's gonna kill him if it turns he lied about the cake was utterly priceless xD

The ending was quite the cliffhanger, with the mass of Big Mom flying to Luffy and co. on her cloud. And I honestly have still no clue how this arc is gonna end. No clue whatsoever, which is kinda a surprise. Usually we always have the typical sheme, the strawhats step onto an island, sooner or later meet the antagonist and find out about their evil plans and whatnot, and how either all of the inhabitants or someone specific is suffering under them, motivating Luffy to help them and to defeat the antagonist. But this time it's different. Even though Big Mom is the antagonist we don't really have anyone who needs to be saved, thus Luffy's main motivation doesn't apply here.

So, if they end up escaping without having to fight or somehow Luffy really manages to defeat Big Mom, I still see both as a possibility. With that in mind... firetruck off break next week! And firetruck off break in 3 weeks again because of double jump issue! xD

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Shit's about to get real!

 

 

Not gonna lie, seeing how Big Mom killed(?) another of her sons, Opera, was quite cool. Showed for another time how ruthless and mindless she becomes once she enters that stage of rage, caused by her disease. Also the face Perospero made when she practically told him that she's gonna kill him if it turns he lied about the cake was utterly priceless xD

The ending was quite the cliffhanger, with the mass of Big Mom flying to Luffy and co. on her cloud. And I honestly have still no clue how this arc is gonna end. No clue whatsoever, which is kinda a surprise. Usually we always have the typical sheme, the strawhats step onto an island, sooner or later meet the antagonist and find out about their evil plans and whatnot, and how either all of the inhabitants or someone specific is suffering under them, motivating Luffy to help them and to defeat the antagonist. But this time it's different. Even though Big Mom is the antagonist we don't really have anyone who needs to be saved, thus Luffy's main motivation doesn't apply here.

So, if they end up escaping without having to fight or somehow Luffy really manages to defeat Big Mom, I still see both as a possibility. With that in mind... firetruck off break next week! And firetruck off break in 3 weeks again because of double jump issue! xD

 

 

With each chapter Big Mom gets closer to them but she'll never reach them

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

So first off: insert personal acknowledgement of Journey to the West/DragonBall reference in seeing Big Mom ride Zeus like Kinto'un here.

 

Second: The crew better hope the Sunny copies Merry and pulls a Dues Enies Lobby Machina by crashing in right on top of her, because I don't know how else they're going to survive this hell beast xD

 

Third: Pudding sort of confirmed to be evil still, which I hope lasts for obvious reasons.

 

Fourth: Oh yeah, that Opera guy... he did stuff... you know, the Charlotte Family clan kinda suffers from "boring henchman syndrome" like in Fishman Island and Dressrosa sans people like Katakuri, Smoothie, Perospero, etc.

 

Edited by Firaga

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

New chapter!

 

First we got the results of the newest Character Poll :D

 

 

zqcsARQ.jpg

vodQKLj.jpg

 

 

Now about the chapter:

 

 

I really enjoyed the whole part with Zeus. It was kinda hilarious how easily he was willing to betray Big Mom xD But it also reflects this childish and on food focused side of her. Prometheus on the other hand is ruthless and killed (?) King Baum without any hesitation, reflecting the other side of Big Mom.

I don't know if it's even possible but I would really like it if Zeus joined the Straw Hats xD As member or maybe as power up for Nami's clima tact. I just love that guy.

About the rest, Katakuri proves once more that he's the smartest of Big Mom's family. Instead of chasing after Luffy he simply waits at the ship, just in case. What a pro. I still hope the big clash comes soon, would be sad if this arc went over without any major battles.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So about that poll...

 

 

Ya bois Law, Cavendish, Franky, Brook, Shanks, Crocodile, Bon Clay, Rayleigh and Gastino aka The Artist Formerly Known As Caesar Clown plus my waifu Robin all got lesser votes than Sanji... I'm so goddamn triggered right now. xD

 

 

And now for the chapter:

 

 

In today's installment, our resident cat burglar Nami proves she can still hang with the big boys by pulling a fast one on Zeus... only right before proclaming that she would do it for King Baum because she wants him to get his wood hardened... Women be shippin'. :/

 

Okay, I know I rant about this a lot but come on. Nami's been treated like walking TNA since pretty much the start of the New World and the moment she gets a defining moment to herself since Punk Hazard is her defending some tree she barely knows because he has some hot wood ass he wants to tap. I didn't like this kind of thinking in Thriller Bark (Oh hey, bark, tree, there's a theme here) with her and Lola, and I don't like it here. She's supposed to be a swindling but kindhearted thief and yet she apparently is a sucker for romance, and not the adventuring kind. It makes no sense given what we know about her, it just feels like typical "girl loves love" b.s.

 

Though, given how this series works, maybe we'll find out her birth mom was a hopeless romantic too and that will explain it... which would still be out of nowhere and feel forced in, but hey, at least it will be an explanation of sorts.

 

I wanted to get that out of the way because other than that, I actually really liked this chapter. Nami's reasons for King Baum were... questionable, as I made clear already, but it still showed that she's great at manipulation by getting Zeus to essentially pull rank over some black balls... pfft... sorry, that was my fifth grade self coming out. Manipulation (even sexual manipulation) is a mainstay of Nami's character and it's the best solution she could have used to tackle this opponent. 

 

The Big Mom crew are really amping things up too. Big Mom is still on a rampage and that Dues Enies Lobby Machima joke still kind of rings true with King Baum all of a sudden becoming everybody's best friend but the Straw Hats and co. are getting cornered even more so than they were before. And you know its bad when Captain McBrawnyman himself, Katakuri, is waiting at the Sunny to meet them head on. Time to show off some more moves for the eventual video game inclusion. :D

 

Aaaaaand then there's Pudding... I've done enough ranting so I'm not going to comment, but you already know what I'm going to say. Just... ugh.

 

Edited by Firaga

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...