(no subject)

[askerian]

You know, a couple years ago, I tried to read One Piece. The pictures were way too cartoonish and exaggerated for me, the main character was a total retard, and the storyline seemed totally stupid.

Then maldoror_gw started writing Zoro/Sanji.

Curse her.

So I tried again.

The art style is still horribly exaggerated and cartoonish to the point that it fucks anatomy rules sideways in the ear with astounding regularity. The main character is still a total retard. The storyline is still full of "oh, RIGHT, like this is in any way, shape or form, believable or likely." And on top of that, the quality of the scans I found is so horrendous I can't tell what's going on sometimes, the translations are awkward, and I had to download it chapter after chapter (there's 436 of them) because no one was thoughtful enough to make batches, or if they did I can't find them. And on top of THAT, two of the main cast -- Usopp of the Pointy Nose and Chopper the chibi-reindeer doctor -- have such a ridiculous character design and concept I want to cringe and bitchsap them into oblivion.

I'm on chapter 322.

I can't put it down.

Usopp and Chopper's stories made me cry. Fuckers. Sanji's story made me cry even worse because he's prettier. I love Zoro, and Nami, and Robin, and yes, even the main character, even despite his particularly spectacular shounen-hero-retardation. I keep grinning like a loon and cheering every time they manage to somehow save the day when it wasn't saveable. At all. Ever. We think Naruto's got a jesus-complex? HAH. Luffy is a walking Deus ex Machina. And yet it still makes me happy.

I don't even care about pairings and who's with who and what the fuck ever, because they're a crew and they trust and love each other and they all fit even when they're squabbling and I'm lapping it up and they all should have a friendly orgy. (but not Chopper because he's a baby. ;_;)

And the ludicruously ugly is still ugly. But even though the body proportions might be fucked in the ear regularly, the sense of dynamic movement makes it feel good, baby.

I feel dirty.

*goes and reads another chapter*

Comments

[zero-mercy.livejournal.com]

*not laughing rly*

...........♥

I stopped reading One Piece around I-don't-remember-when. Volume...late twenties, I think. But I enjoyed it when I did read it, just cause the storylines crack me up. And yes, yes, Usopp and Chomper and SANJI's stories. ;___;

[shadhahvar.livejournal.com]

I enjoy One Piece, but strangely, not to the point to bother catching up with the chapters. I'm way back in the beginning (only followed the NA release in Shonen Jump). Basically, how I got into Naruto, though I knew bout Naruto before that.

I enjoyed how they saved things, though I am not a fan of, eh, Devil Fruits, especially earlier with the stupid clown captain thingy who Usopp I think confronts because that's his island. Bah.

Heh, but see, Naruto = Jesus. Monkey D. Luffy = Hand of God. So he's like Michael or Gabriel or whomever, only more stretchy. *_*

[schuldlos85.livejournal.com]

*gg* i think it's funny to read! - i love namis outbursts. poor guys - especially zoro ^^ (i think she loves shouting at him) - but hey, he sleeps most of the time when she starts shouting *grin like mad*
the charas are lovable and it's good to see that (although somehow they quarrel and fight) they're helping each other out when there's trouble!
oh, and i'd love to have a speaking little reindeer! *puts him next appa and many other cute fluffy-characters*

[(Anonymous)]

The thing about One Piece is that it's funny and original, in the shounen ways that I've only seen Dragon Ball, Naruto and Eyeshield 21 being, and I keep waiting for the guy to run out of gas, for the jokes to stop being funny and the fights, original, and it just does not happen ♥

(like ES21, really. 300 chapters later and it still makes me laugh hysterically. This guy is good.)

[reiichi.livejournal.com]

The same thing happened to me this summer... except I read the French translation, not the scans (had them on the bookshelves, one of those many mangas my husband had read and I hadn't). I could not get past the ugly art when I had first tried to read it, but I got hooked sometime between Sanji's and Nami's story.
And now I try not to download those damn scans...

[mikkeneko.livejournal.com]

You know, there was a One Piece (I think?) video at Y-con, in the drama section. For approximately the first three minutes the audience was saying "Is this a joke?" to each other, because the art was so ridiculous and it seemed so damn out of place with such a sad and sappy song.

For the last minute everybody was too busy crying.

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was in the drama done to Loreena McKennitt's song Dante's Prayer.

I think I was the only person on my side of the room cheering when it came on... and blubbering at the end XD

Its called Please Remember Me and is available at http://www.animemusicvideos.org/home/home.php

[kinsugi.livejournal.com]

I looked for this, but the only one using this title and song was labelled as a Beyblade, from 2003. ???

[navisucks.livejournal.com]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryi6CJIkiA8

There ya go!

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

mmmm Mizukami icon!

here you go:http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?vid_id=125687

[kurai008.livejournal.com]

Je sais pas si tu sais comment dl à partir de mIRC mais ya les volumes complets dessus.. et avec lse botlists, c'est super facile. si ca te dit, envoie-moi un mail, je t'enverrai les infos^^

[book-people.livejournal.com]

I keep hearing mixed reviews about One Piece. One the one hand, people tell me it's completely addictive. On the other hand, people tell me the story lines tend to be horribly unrealistic and the art sucks... ^_^;

Adi

[askerian]

It's unrealistic, yes, but in the sense that it would rather be totally epic than anything close to reasonable. They keep being faced with unsurmountable odds, which they somehow defeat. And it's not chance like it was a couple of times in Naruto -- they're just that determined to win. Usually that kind of thing really bugs me, but it's not as random as in Bleach, where they go "OH! You won against me in our previous fight BUT I WAS ONLY AT 30% OF MY POWER!!" "HAH!! I WAS ONLY AT 10%!!!!" with alarming regularity, so ehhh.

With One Piece, swordsmen can cut through ships and humans can kick geants into the sky, but it's also so... epic. and grandiose. Too grandiose to be entirely believable, but if you buy that the world is singularly magical (not in the sense of real magic, but in the sense of many many wonders all over the place) ... or just ignore the "uh. HOW" factor, then eventually you accept it as par for the course and start really enjoying the barging in of the cavalry.

Also, the heartstring get a damned good workout. Bitches.

I JUST CRIED OVER A SHIP SINKING. A GODDAMN SHIP. WHAT THE HECK. D:

Some of the charadesign make me wonder what the artist was smoking, though. =__=; and i suppose if i had to stop and think, or read it all again, i would start noticing a lot more bad stuff, but i just devoured it all in three, four big gulps, so i'm still absorbing it. Shiny hasn't work off yet i guess. XD;;

[book-people.livejournal.com]

*grin* Ah, well, I'm good at suspending disbelief. I suspect it's because I grew up on fantasy novels. Maybe I'll give it a shot...(when I don't have to write two essays for FRIDAY *plots murder of profs...*)

Adi

[toshirodragon.livejournal.com]

bwahahahahaha... yeah its damned addictive.

Though I like the art better than you obviously XD

[presea66.livejournal.com]

On devrait appeller ça le "syndrome One Piece"... je suis passé par là il y a un an : le dessin trop moche, les histoire complètement improbables, les personnages caricaturaux... je n'ai pas loupé un seul chapitre depuis XDDD

Le pire c'est quand on se retrouve en larmes en lisant l'histoire de Chopper ou Sanji -___-' ( perso il n'y a pas beaucoup de manga qui ont réussi cette performance !) on fini par s'habituer au dessin ( on fini même par adorer, si-si ) et on fini même par s'habituer aux victoires à répétitions de super-Luffy et on en redemande XD !

Et puis ils entretiennent une relation tellement forte entre eux ( c'est tellement slashable tout ça XD )

[sparklemagpie.livejournal.com]

Aaaah One Piece. Enjoy your new addiction honey. ^^

[rayemars.livejournal.com]

One Piece just sucks people in whole if they last past the art and the first set of stories, I think. I haven't gotten up to Chopper's arc yet (I'm about half a year behind on the NA releases), but Sanji and Nami's stories were so damn awesome. So awesome.

Addicts annonymus

[slamu.livejournal.com]

I know enough about One Piece to know the basic premise (They JUST got into the Grand Line, met the whale guy). Yeah, it is kinda funny, but I CAN'T FIND ANY MORE! woe is i! Nami is fun, Zoro is cool, and Sanji is (a perv) whipped.
Nami so runs the ship.

[kinsugi.livejournal.com]

I've tried to watch the anime and to read the manga half a dozen times. Just hated it: ugly art; unsympathetic, manic characters; cold, alienating interactions. I was unable to empathize or identify with anyone. The ONLY reason I might force myself to try again would be in order to understand Maldoror's fics, since OP seems to be all she's writing these days. I miss her GW and ANBU action... *whines* ...So help me, please. If I do try again, which episodes or chapters should I choose, since the early ones turned me off so strongly? And where can I dl the manga? TIA.

[snake-aes.livejournal.com]

One Piece: proving you don't have to be serious to be taken seriously since 1997.

[jaklover.livejournal.com]

I feel sorry for you ;_;

I'm sorry, I absolutely hate One Piece with a Passion. I could never love it. D8

[maldoror-gw.livejournal.com]

That's all I have to say.

(Fair turn around, you got me into Naruto...)

[askerian]

;____; *sobs on you*

MERRY.

merry ;_;


I SOBBED MY HEART OUT OVER A F*ING SHIP.

[nothri.livejournal.com]

One could say, you've bounced back from your initial impression.

Ha!

See what I did there? See, Luffy is made of rubber, so he can bounce, and I said "bounced back" since we were talking about One Piece. See? That's why you should be laughing.

What?

[stripedpetunia.livejournal.com]

One Piece is a lollercaust of epic proportions, but I haven't read it much past its first several appearances in Jump. Glad to hear you've been mercilessly sucked in. ♥

Ninjas vs. Pirates is amazing, whoever wins

Ninjas pwn

[slamu.livejournal.com]

The inevitable Kisame, Fishmen fight.
Not that I'm biased, of course.

[(Anonymous)]

What's not to like?

They're pirates for love and justice. It's as ridiculously entertaining as Naruto being a ninja in a bright orange jumpsuit.

And I'm not sure Naruto fans can throw rocks concerning the good-natured idiot-protagonist character. I love the guy, but Naruto seems a few boulders short of an avalanche, if you know what I mean.

-- Guile

[alita-b-angel.livejournal.com]

*LAUGHS AT YOU*

Yet ANOTHER has fallen under the reign of One Piece. 400+ chapters without a love-sidestory makes it the greatest thing ever. The art isn't so bad once you accept the crack it was drawn on.

Everyone cried over Merry. Oda-sensei is so good at making us love his characters despite the odd way they're drawn. One piece is the greatest.

[chyldea.livejournal.com]

Haaaah One Piece. I go through periods where I love it, then I grow tired of it, then after a while I just have to pick it up again. It's like a bad drug habit that just won't go away D: Hope you don't mind this semi-rant: I just read the last couple of chapters and was feeling a little frustrated and then I read your post...

Well, I've no problem with it art-wise. A little cartoony, yes (wth Luffy has Homer Simpson eyes) but I always admire the amount of energy and passion he's able to convey. Dynamic fight perspectives pwn me like a pwned thing. And heartstrings. Ow. I never knew I could resonate with characters drawn with snot pouring out their noses. I cried over the goddamn ship too. And the reindeer. And the whale. I EVEN HAD A SOFT SPOT FOR MR 2. wth, I am such a wuss.

What puts me off after a few arcs (and I'm nearing the end of my thether with this arc) is the miniscule crumbs of plot we get after MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS OF RETARDED SHOUNEN ADVENTURE. There's NO CLUE about what/where/who the One Piece is, after all this time. All the adventures are just that: just adventures with little or nearly no tie to the main goal... whatever the main goal may be. The most we get are little tantalizing hints about Shanks/Head of Marines/Blackbeard/Luffy's family which as of now AFTER 300 CHAPTERS still don't correlate into anything. About the only vague connection I'm able to make is that the way to the One Piece is paved by fighting off more and more powerful bad guys. If that's all there is to it, I'm going to be so painfully disappointed. D:

There's also hardly any clue about how the characters evolve. They just spontaneously develop new techniques in the heat of battle (like Luffy in this past arc wth), or its implied that they've evolved but we don't get to see it despite the timeline's steady continuity.

Having said that, ironically enough the things that put me off One Piece draw me back to it after a bit. It's so retardedly simple and lacks intrigue and mind-scratching-- it's the best thing to read when I'm in the mood for nothing but funny hijinks, violence, happy endings and overall straight-forwardness.

end rant! At any rate, I'm still glad that you've gotten into OP. It just shows that there are others out there like me and I'm not such a hopeless freak as I supposed I was. XD

[jensa-chan.livejournal.com]

The most we get are little tantalizing hints about Shanks/Head of Marines/Blackbeard/Luffy's family which as of now AFTER 300 CHAPTERS still don't correlate into anything.

Well, if it helps any, Oda's said he wants to drag it out to 1000 chapters. :D So at 300 chapters it's not quite even a third of the way through.

[kiyakotari.livejournal.com]

Maldoror's done the same thing to me, if it makes you feel better. =_=

[bootoye.livejournal.com]

Do a search for the Evil Empire and then join and read the FAQ. You need to make 10 posts to DL but hen you do .... They have every manga you could want uploaded by members and in volumes.

If you had said before I could have saved you ddl 322 individual chapters.

ps. I saw maldoror's new fic but like you I am partial to OP and she writes so well I will like it...but I don't like OP.... not enough to read fanfic ^^

[askerian]

Thanks, but I've got it all already. XD

Heh. ^^ I don't want to read more OP because i'm afraid i'll start to like it too much and sneak off with it because it's shinier than naruto right now, even though the shiny will probably fade and i should just deal with my issues with the naruto fandom instead of running away T__T

[isadorathegreat.livejournal.com]

One Piece had me the moment Luffy stabbed himself in the eye.

Unfortunately, I'm stuck reading the VIZ volumes, as my computer would probably die if I tried to download anymore scanlations.

[lunarwhirl.livejournal.com]

...
I. FEEL. YOUR. PAAAAAAAAIN.
T_T