Curious about One Piece

[Foxy]

Most series really. BBB was a exception.

BBB sounds familiar to me but I don't think I've actually looked into it... Anyway, is there any particular reason for why you prefer manga over anime?

 

[Hellis]

I just prefer the medium most of the time. Same way I prefer a good book over a good movie most the time.

 

[Foxy]

I just prefer the medium most of the time. Same way I prefer a good book over a good movie most the time.

When you put it that way it does make a lot more sense to me. Thank you for answering my questions! :)

 

[mingummy]

I don't think the One Piece fandom is withering. I think there is definitely a large difference in how many fans are within certain countries compared to others but that's to be expected. Various cultures have differing senses of humor. For one, South Korea has a very large OP following. I think that's because One Piece has a very "variety show" or slapstick kind of humor. Now I know One Piece isn't just about comedy (God how could it be with all of the tragedy and whatnot) but that along with the action and adventure are the greatest proponents for gaining an audience. I'd say the innocence attracts people because it's like a studio ghibli film. There's no romance (and if there is it's sweet) and the pure bright light of Luffy just radiates.

I'm a huuuuuge fan of One Piece. The fandom is still up and running, you just have to find the places where they gather. Tumblr and Twitter are where I've met my OP community.

I've been a fan for five years now and I can honestly say it saved my life. At first I said I hated it and would never watch/read it because the art is horrible and having rubber as a "power" is ridiculous, but one day I decided to give the first episode a try and goshdangit I fell hard. At the time I was seriously ill and because of it (and other factors) depressed but One Piece brought me life when I was bedridden. Going on adventures with the straw hat crew was amazing. The joy of finding Sky Island and the misery of the Marineford Arc, all of it was just beautiful.

But omggg I could talk about OP forever so I'll stop here. Hope I'm not to late to the conversation. xD

 

[Foxy]

I don't think the One Piece fandom is withering. I think there is definitely a large difference in how many fans are within certain countries compared to others but that's to be expected. Various cultures have differing senses of humor. For one, South Korea has a very large OP following. I think that's because One Piece has a very "variety show" or slapstick kind of humor. Now I know One Piece isn't just about comedy (God how could it be with all of the tragedy and whatnot) but that along with the action and adventure are the greatest proponents for gaining an audience. I'd say the innocence attracts people because it's like a studio ghibli film. There's no romance (and if there is it's sweet) and the pure bright light of Luffy just radiates.

I'm a huuuuuge fan of One Piece. The fandom is still up and running, you just have to find the places where they gather. Tumblr and Twitter are where I've met my OP community.

I've been a fan for five years now and I can honestly say it saved my life. At first I said I hated it and would never watch/read it because the art is horrible and having rubber as a "power" is ridiculous, but one day I decided to give the first episode a try and goshdangit I fell hard. At the time I was seriously ill and because of it (and other factors) depressed but One Piece brought me life when I was bedridden. Going on adventures with the straw hat crew was amazing. The joy of finding Sky Island and the misery of the Marineford Arc, all of it was just beautiful.

But omggg I could talk about OP forever so I'll stop here. Hope I'm not to late to the conversation. xD

Of course you're not late to the conversation! (Honestly thought this discussion thread had died out after a bit though, so I'm glad to see another reply!)

I've met a few more people on here that also like One Piece and I can honestly say I'm far happier having put up this thread to find them. I struggled with it on Tumblr and I didn't get a Twitter account sooo...there's that.

But I can also relate to what you mean when you say it can bring you life. Now, I said before I started watching this show around the age of ten or twelve, and at the time it taught me so much about friendship, loyalty, and following your dreams. As time went on and I grew up the show seemed to grow with me (something I love, btw) and I hit some pretty big bumps along the way. I lost quite a few of my friends after I dated someone who managed to monopolize me, and things at home were going horribly. At this time I hadn't been watching One Piece simply because I didn't have the time. So I'll be up front about this. I got myself into a bad situation and I swallowed half a bottle of heavy duty sleeping pills. I couldn't cope with things anymore and I just broke.

This happened probably around a year or so ago? It's been a while. But after that my family was worried, for obvious reasons, and I was given some time off after exams for school. Sitting at home doing nothing is the most boring thing you can do, I can tell you that. And I had been crying because my little brother thought it was his fault and it wasn't. It went pretty dark there for a while (I'm leaving out a lot of details honestly) and one day I ended up watching One Piece because I had the time and I couldn't think of anything else to do. So I watched it and I cried. I cried because of how happy it made me feel, I had been numb for nearly two months after the entire situation but a few minutes in to watching One Piece and that little shell that got around me and blocked me off from everything just shattered. So I rewatched One Piece and I was reminded of following my dreams, of becoming a writer, of watching over my little brother, living life with no regrets.

When I was broken One Piece put me back together. I now watch it pretty much every day, an episode a day just to remind myself of those things. And I've been doing far better than I once was. :)

I'm glad to have heard a bit about your story as well, so thank you for posting on here!

 

[mingummy]

Awesome. Thank you! Haha, I'm glad to be of service!

If you want any reccs for op fandom blogs to follow on Tumblr I definitely could. One of my best online friends I met through my OP tumblr. It really is great because I don't know anyone irl who watches anime (the misery of living in nowhereland).

I'm super sorry you had to go through that. I never actually attempted but that's mostly because my body was already killing itself and I didn't have the energy to help it. I admire you for sticking it through and surviving. It takes courage. And God yes. One Piece is so great at making you cry from happiness. There are times when I really need to feel an emotion and I'll rewatch a certain arc just to feel it. It seems like we have the same disassociation issue and OP can cure that.

I haven't watched/read any of the latest episodes/chapters for a month or so now just because of life (plus my laptop screen broke) but I definitely need to catch up. Are you all caught up?

No thank you! It's great to be able to talk about it with someone! xD

Do you mind if I ask some questions?

 

[Foxy]

Awesome. Thank you! Haha, I'm glad to be of service!

If you want any reccs for op fandom blogs to follow on Tumblr I definitely could. One of my best online friends I met through my OP tumblr. It really is great because I don't know anyone irl who watches anime (the misery of living in nowhereland).

I'm super sorry you had to go through that. I never actually attempted but that's mostly because my body was already killing itself and I didn't have the energy to help it. I admire you for sticking it through and surviving. It takes courage. And God yes. One Piece is so great at making you cry from happiness. There are times when I really need to feel an emotion and I'll rewatch a certain arc just to feel it. It seems like we have the same disassociation issue and OP can cure that.

I haven't watched/read any of the latest episodes/chapters for a month or so now just because of life (plus my laptop screen broke) but I definitely need to catch up. Are you all caught up?

No thank you! It's great to be able to talk about it with someone! xD

Do you mind if I ask some questions?

Ask as many questions as you like! Though I feel the need to say if it's anything you feel uneasy about asking you can talk to me over PM as well! :3

I've been on the fence about Tumblr, I haven't actually been on there often but it's more or less due to not having found a spot in the community past reblogging things, if that makes sense?

There's no need to apologize. :) It's something that happened and I'm lucky to have survived it, in the long run it made me realize quite a few things I needed to realize! And OP is very good at getting the emotions flowing. Though I'll admit I haven't rewatched Marineford. That arc breaks me. xD

I am all caught up! I had a friend get me interested in reading the manga as well so I'm caught up in both the manga and the anime. :3

It is nice to talk to others about One Piece, it's fun to see the different things people like about such an extensive series. :3

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Speaking as only a casual viewer as a kid, I think what happened to it was a combination of four things.
The Length, being Shonen anime, the Not One Piece and It's Old.

The Length

Like others have said, it's already over 1000 episodes. That's bloody insane.
This right here is going to shrink your fan base as the die hards continue and the casuals drop it just because of the insane size of it.

Shonen Anime

Among Anime fans you will always find those who generally dislike the Shonen style. Seeing it as not only a cheap and pro-longed cash grab, but as something that misrepresents anime as being action thrillers for 12 year olds. While other kinds of animes such as Clannad or NHK get ignored often by the public because Shonen is most of what they see in the TV. This as a result will drive off the anime fans who tend to hold resentment to the Shonen genre.

Not One Piece

Now personally I never went this far into it myself, but friends of mine who have did inform me that apparently there's a point where you gain the One Piece... Only to figure it it's one out of a thousand.
Essentially they took what among many fans should have been the ending, and turned into a guaranteed way to keep the show going forever. Losing a lot of fans right there just because of the "Holy shit they're milking the franchise!" reactions fans would have gotten.

It's Old

Quite Simply the anime isn't new any more. Most people already know about it.
It's no longer rapidly gaining new fans, and it no longer has the "Have you seen this amazing new anime!?" hype to it.
So even assuming all my above suspicions are false, it will still appear less popular simply because people are used to the anime now.

 

[Foxy]

Speaking as only a casual viewer as a kid, I think what happened to it was a combination of four things.
The Length, being Shonen anime, the Not One Piece and It's Old.

The Length

Like others have said, it's already over 1000 episodes. That's bloody insane.
This right here is going to shrink your fan base as the die hards continue and the casuals drop it just because of the insane size of it.

Shonen Anime

Among Anime fans you will always find those who generally dislike the Shonen style. Seeing it as not only a cheap and pro-longed cash grab, but as something that misrepresents anime as being action thrillers for 12 year olds. While other kinds of animes such as Clannad or NHK get ignored often by the public because Shonen is most of what they see in the TV. This as a result will drive off the anime fans who tend to hold resentment to the Shonen genre.

Not One Piece

Now personally I never went this far into it myself, but friends of mine who have did inform me that apparently there's a point where you gain the One Piece... Only to figure it it's one out of a thousand.
Essentially they took what among many fans should have been the ending, and turned into a guaranteed way to keep the show going forever. Losing a lot of fans right there just because of the "Holy shit they're milking the franchise!" reactions fans would have gotten.

It's Old

Quite Simply the anime isn't new any more. Most people already know about it.
It's no longer rapidly gaining new fans, and it no longer has the "Have you seen this amazing new anime!?" hype to it.
So even assuming all my above suspicions are false, it will still appear less popular simply because people are used to the anime now.

I can only really speak from my view, but you're right about the length and the fact that it's old. I actually think it's one year younger than me starting in 1997? So I can understand the length and the age being major reasons not to watch it. If I had come across it at an older age I probably wouldn't have watched it because I don't like watching/reading uncompleted things? It's something that bugs me for some reason?

I actually think 1000 episodes is the goal Oda is trying to reach, the 800th chapter in the manga just released and the 710th episode came out this Saturday actually. So we're not quite that far down the road but I admit that we're getting there.

I don't think I've run across the Not One Piece thing you're talking about though. It may have been in a movie or one of the earlier episodes...but this is the first time I've heard of it. :o

Also, I actually didn't know that about Shonen Anime, I mean I realize there are going to be people that dislike things, but I never really thought of it as a reason to ignore an anime or manga.

Thank you for posting! Also, thank you for making very good points. :3

 

[mingummy]

Ask as many questions as you like! Though I feel the need to say if it's anything you feel uneasy about asking you can talk to me over PM as well! :3

I've been on the fence about Tumblr, I haven't actually been on there often but it's more or less due to not having found a spot in the community past reblogging things, if that makes sense?

There's no need to apologize. :) It's something that happened and I'm lucky to have survived it, in the long run it made me realize quite a few things I needed to realize! And OP is very good at getting the emotions flowing. Though I'll admit I haven't rewatched Marineford. That arc breaks me. xD

I am all caught up! I had a friend get me interested in reading the manga as well so I'm caught up in both the manga and the anime. :3

It is nice to talk to others about One Piece, it's fun to see the different things people like about such an extensive series. :3

Thank you! I'll ask personal stuff by PM but I also have a few just about OP.

Ahh, yeah. I've been very lucky and diligent about who I follow so that I'm in the best community for me.

Well I'm glad you did. :) <3 It's so sad but if I need a good cry, that's what I watch.

Awesome! I'm so fricking glad Sanji and the others are back. YEARS without their lovely faces made me so sad.

So some questions: Who are your favorite characters in the crew? Outside of the crew? What were your fave arcs? What episode(s) did you find the saddest/funniest/exciting? How far are you into the fandom? Do you read fanfic, rp, cosplay, etc? And why for all?

Not One Piece

Now personally I never went this far into it myself, but friends of mine who have did inform me that apparently there's a point where you gain the One Piece... Only to figure it it's one out of a thousand.
Essentially they took what among many fans should have been the ending, and turned into a guaranteed way to keep the show going forever. Losing a lot of fans right there just because of the "Holy shit they're milking the franchise!" reactions fans would have gotten.

That's actually not true. Oda confirmed and I can prob find it somewhere that it isn't true. He said he want's a real ending. I'm personally glad it hasn't ended yet because it wouldn't make sense to. They haven't defeated all of the emperors or world government. They've only been on a few islands on the Grand Line for God's sake! But that's my opinion. :P

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

I actually think 1000 episodes is the goal Oda is trying to reach, the 800th chapter in the manga just released and the 710th episode came out this Saturday actually. So we're not quite that far down the road but I admit that we're getting there.

Ok, I mis-remembered the length.

But even then, DBZ is seen as insanely long with 291.
While One Piece is more than double that, the length is still more than large enough to scare off a lot of people.

I don't think I've run across the Not One Piece thing you're talking about though. It may have been in a movie or one of the earlier episodes...but this is the first time I've heard of it. :o

That's actually not true. Oda confirmed and I can prob find it somewhere that it isn't true. He said he want's a real ending. I'm personally glad it hasn't ended yet because it wouldn't make sense to. They haven't defeated all of the emperors or world government. They've only been on a few islands on the Grand Line for God's sake! But that's my opinion. :P

I'll have to ask my friends who told me about that part then. :/
Though I do hope it is false, even if I don't watch it myself any more anime's shouldn't just sell out like that.

Also, I actually didn't know that about Shonen Anime, I mean I realize there are going to be people that dislike things, but I never really thought of it as a reason to ignore an anime or manga.

It's not an overly popular mindset.
And people do make exceptions for a few anime's that they consider especially good and/or a guilty pleasure.

But it's why at anime clubs you might find a huge lack of Naruto Fans, Yu-Gi-Oh get's shown as a "Prank" and people stating stuff like "Attack on Titan is ok, but it's so Shonen!".
(Note: These are all actual examples from the anime club I go to).

 

[Foxy]

Ok, I mis-remembered the length.

But even then, DBZ is seen as insanely long with 291.
While One Piece is more than double that, the length is still more than large enough to scare off a lot of people.


I'll have to ask my friends who told me about that part then. :/
Though I do hope it is false, even if I don't watch it myself any more anime's shouldn't just sell out like that.

It's not an overly popular mindset.
And people do make exceptions for a few anime's that they consider especially good and/or a guilty pleasure.

But it's why at anime clubs you might find a huge lack of Naruto Fans, Yu-Gi-Oh get's shown as a "Prank" and people stating stuff like "Attack on Titan is ok, but it's so Shonen!".
(Note: These are all actual examples from the anime club I go to).

Trust me, if I hadn't found One Piece at a young age I'd be hesitant to watch it now with it's length. The numbers are somewhat intimidating.

They still have to face Blackbeard and quite a few people it seems. So I think it still has a way to go before they find One Piece or end the show. I really don't think Oda would let One Piece end in a way where it disappoints his fans. Then again things do happen.

That might be why I haven't heard of it, actually. I tend to avoid the Anime clubs around here, or the Anime stores that have clubs. Mostly because they also sell comics and on occasion I'll browse through them (Because I love Deadpool and I would love to start collecting those comics but money) and more often than not I'm told I'm not a real fan due to gender? Being female apparently impacts the things I like there. So while I haven't heard hate towards Shonen, I have been called mainstream and told I have bad tastes for my love of One Piece.

 

[mingummy]

I'll have to ask my friends who told me about that part then. :/
Though I do hope it is false, even if I don't watch it myself any more anime's shouldn't just sell out like that.

It was a rumor that got pretty viral within the fandom so I'm not surprised you heard about it. But that's why Oda actually came out and answered the question of whether or not there was an "actual One Piece."

(Because I love Deadpool

Are you out to make me fall in love with you? Deadpool is my bae and all my paychecks go to buying DP merch.

Being female apparently impacts the things I like there. So while I haven't heard hate towards Shonen, I have been called mainstream and told I have bad tastes for my love of One Piece.

As a biological female I have run into the same thing. It's irritating. Especially when I have read/watched manga/anime that no one has heard of that are wonderfully action packed and have great story lines. Plus I just don't get the mainstream shaming thing. If it's popular it's obviously entertaining so why hate it?

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Trust me, if I hadn't found One Piece at a young age I'd be hesitant to watch it now with it's length. The numbers are somewhat intimidating.

True. Though the young age element wasn't enough in my case.
For me it was Naruto, and once I hit episode 120 something I decided "Ok, they're stretching this too much. I'm done".

They still have to face Blackbeard and quite a few people it seems. So I think it still has a way to go before they find One Piece or end the show. I really don't think Oda would let One Piece end in a way where it disappoints his fans. Then again things do happen.

I'm guaranteeing you're going to get a division of fans angry about the ending no matter what.

For a non-anime example look at Mass Effect 3.
The Trilogy built up so much, and fans were going on so much with stuff like "I hope my Shepard can retire and have (Romance Interest) babies!" gallore.
Even before that game was released I could tell there was going to be a fan outrage at the ending, just because when fans get that built up their expectations begin to border unrealistic, and as a result it's impossible to appease those without selling out, and even if you did you only appease a small percentage of them.

Admittedly, Bioware actually did do a rather lousy job with the ending (Slideshow? Really?), but even if that hadn't happened outrage would have still came from it.

That might be why I haven't heard of it, actually. I tend to avoid the Anime clubs around here, or the Anime stores that have clubs. Mostly because they also sell comics and on occasion I'll browse through them (Because I love Deadpool and I would love to start collecting those comics but money) and more often than not I'm told I'm not a real fan due to gender? Being female apparently impacts the things I like there. So while I haven't heard hate towards Shonen, I have been called mainstream and told I have bad tastes for my love of One Piece.

Ah. That percentage of the community does infuriate me (that being said, I don't think those kinds of people are as numerous as they're made out to be, topic for another time though).

Though that mainstream bit is exactly part of the dislike with the Shonen thing.
The Genre became so damn popular that it practically took over Mainstream Media, which as a result makes it about the only kind of Anime outsiders see.
As a result, anime fans constantly get the "But it's just Girls with Boobs" or "It's just steroid guys going fight extreme" comments from those who don't understand anime.

Which understandingly angers/infuriates a good amount of anime fans.
Sadly though, this also has the side effect of said anime fans lashing out against those who do in fact immerse themselves in Shonen.
Because in their eyes they're people who are simply contributing to the problem.

You can see the same kind of backlash in the Gaming Community with Genre's like FPS.
It's an ugly piece of community in-fighting that honestly we need to be able to sort out if we want the outside world to take the mediums seriously.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Ninja'd. XD

It was a rumor that got pretty viral within the fandom so I'm not surprised you heard about it. But that's why Oda actually came out and answered the question of whether or not there was an "actual One Piece."

That was probably it then. :P
Glad to hear it got resolved though, even if I'm rather late to that party. XD

As a biological female I have run into the same thing. It's irritating. Especially when I have read/watched manga/anime that no one has heard of that are wonderfully action packed and have great story lines. Plus I just don't get the mainstream shaming thing. If it's popular it's obviously entertaining so why hate it?

For the sake of not spamming the thread the answer to this (in my knowledge) is dead on the same I just replied to Foxy with.
Though cause editing in additional tags or quotes afterwards doesn't notify the person... Just consider my last response to Foxy to also be a response to you in this case. :P

 

[Foxy]

Thank you! I'll ask personal stuff by PM but I also have a few just about OP.

Ahh, yeah. I've been very lucky and diligent about who I follow so that I'm in the best community for me.

Well I'm glad you did. :) <3 It's so sad but if I need a good cry, that's what I watch.

Awesome! I'm so fricking glad Sanji and the others are back. YEARS without their lovely faces made me so sad.

So some questions: Who are your favorite characters in the crew? Outside of the crew? What were your fave arcs? What episode(s) did you find the saddest/funniest/exciting? How far are you into the fandom? Do you read fanfic, rp, cosplay, etc? And why for all?


That's actually not true. Oda confirmed and I can prob find it somewhere that it isn't true. He said he want's a real ending. I'm personally glad it hasn't ended yet because it wouldn't make sense to. They haven't defeated all of the emperors or world government. They've only been on a few islands on the Grand Line for God's sake! But that's my opinion. :P

Okay! Also, just to let you know, I love your Avatar. x3 It keeps grabbing my attention when I try to respond. xD

After the occasional waves of hate that come through on Tumblr I more or less backed away far enough to where I don't go on there very often.

I know! I loved the little background episodes of Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, but I missed the crew so much! I have a new founded love for them simply because they were gone for so long!

Okay! Now to start on these questions!

Favorite Crew Members: Usopp! Usopp is wonderful. I know people call him weak and everything but I adore him. He's the closest to us in a mindset of One Piece. I believe Oda said Usopp wouldn't get too powerful because it would throw the balance off (totally understandable) and because Usopp is the closest to a normal human being in that situation. And I love that soooo much. Plus he's hilarious and after the two years he's a tad bit less cowardly and he is a lot more awesome with his slingshot.

I also love Luffy, because the captain makes me smile one way or another. He's the one who can get me to laugh until I cry, and he is just a ray of sunshine, okay? He is a total sweetheart who helps anyone and everyone and he has been hurt so badly yet he carries on. And not only that but he helps his friends carry on too.

Those two are my major favorites of the crew, but honestly each one holds a special spot in my heart because they are all amazing.

Favorite Characters Not in the Straw Hat Crew: Trafalgar Law is bae. xD Seriously, I love him and Eustass. Those two are awesome in their own rights but if I only had to choose one it would be Law. His backstory is heartbreaking and he's very intelligent. He seems to think things through before acting on them. And since I'm unsure of how far you are I'm gonna cut of my rant of the Heart Pirate Captains perfectness. xD

What are my favorite arcs?: Um...hmm...this one is difficult. I love a lot of the arcs, I do. But the Marineford Arc, while it broke me, I did love it. I loved the background and the desperation, the way the crew was split up. Everything about it was so interesting and filled with emotion. I also loved the Enies Lobby arc. I mean come on! I cried over a ship like someone just hit my puppy! It was for like twenty minutes I cried over Merry! And the way Usopp put his foot down over having her replaced...ughh, it was so wonderful. And that's just the bits without Robin in them! The Sabaody Archipelago arc was interesting because of the new players in the game. Which reminds me Bepo is one of my favorite characters too...because talking shy bear. Duh. xD

The Episodes: All of them. All of them are perfect to me. I don't know if you remember or not but I think it's episode five? Maybe six? But it's with Buggy and there is this little dog that protects the pet store. This puppy gets beaten up by a lion to protect that store and it gets burned down anyway. It was just a small thing, a little thing that helps bring Nami around to realizing Luffy isn't a bad guy when he beats up a lion to bring back one little thing of food for that puppy to remember his owner by, and I was CRYING the entire time! I love all of the episodes. Even if some go painfully slow (Fishman Island....because that got hyped up way to much) they are still fun to watch. Then again, like I said I watch episodes every day. Even if it is just to let it run in the background while I do homework. But I simply love the anime. There are some episodes I do dislike more than others (FISHMAN ISLAND) but they all connect in a way that it makes me love it that much more. (Did I say I disliked Fishman Island? I did? Well...yeah. >.> Wonderful artwork though!)

How Far Have I Sold My Soul to One Piece: I roleplay it. I will write a fanfiction of it. And if I can every scrape up enough money to go to a con and get the things for it I will roleplay a female Ace and Law. I love this fandom. I love all of it. I love reading the fanfictions and I have found two wonderful partners who are roleplaying with me and we have things planned out for a while. So hopefully we will meet our goals! It was actually the need to roleplay One Piece that convinced me to come on here and put up this thread and one of my partner requests. I haven't regretted my choice so far because I've met some wonderful people. Also, if you would like to roleplay One Piece...like ever, just send me a pm. xD I'm always open to it!

 

[mingummy]

That was probably it then. :P
Glad to hear it got resolved though, even if I'm rather late to that party. XD

Yep. Same here, haha. Honestly when I first heard it I thought I'd have to leave the fandom. To have something built up for so long and have it end in such an unsatisfying way is not something I would want to be a part of. :P

Just consider my last response to Foxy to also be a response to you in this case. :P

Ah. That percentage of the community does infuriate me (that being said, I don't think those kinds of people are as numerous as they're made out to be, topic for another time though).

Though that mainstream bit is exactly part of the dislike with the Shonen thing.
The Genre became so damn popular that it practically took over Mainstream Media, which as a result makes it about the only kind of Anime outsiders see.
As a result, anime fans constantly get the "But it's just Girls with Boobs" or "It's just steroid guys going fight extreme" comments from those who don't understand anime.

Which understandingly angers/infuriates a good amount of anime fans.
Sadly though, this also has the side effect of said anime fans lashing out against those who do in fact immerse themselves in Shonen.
Because in their eyes they're people who are simply contributing to the problem.

You can see the same kind of backlash in the Gaming Community with Genre's like FPS.
It's an ugly piece of community in-fighting that honestly we need to be able to sort out if we want the outside world to take the mediums seriously.

I agree with you on most of what you said. I won't ever stop watching mainstream anime though because I've always been very dedicated to any fandom I enter. I'm not a hipster or elitist who thinks they're above everyone for knowing relatively unknown "good" anime/manga.

It really is aggravating that the first thing that people think of when you mention anime is hentai. God is it annoying. It's why I constantly make a point of actually showing ignorant people what they've been missing.

I'm mainly a shonen fan myself. I live for action and very rarely like romance and drama (of the romantic sort). I like explosions and speed but I also really enjoy a great storyline and art. (Which is why Gangsta. is absolutely the greatest). Plus there are those beautiful anime/manga that are disguised as silly or stupid but are in fact amazingly innovative like Gintama. And ughhhhhh I just wish everyone could just get along but everyone needs the drama and conflict. sigh

 

[Foxy]

True. Though the young age element wasn't enough in my case.
For me it was Naruto, and once I hit episode 120 something I decided "Ok, they're stretching this too much. I'm done".

I'm guaranteeing you're going to get a division of fans angry about the ending no matter what.

For a non-anime example look at Mass Effect 3.
The Trilogy built up so much, and fans were going on so much with stuff like "I hope my Shepard can retire and have (Romance Interest) babies!" gallore.
Even before that game was released I could tell there was going to be a fan outrage at the ending, just because when fans get that built up their expectations begin to border unrealistic, and as a result it's impossible to appease those without selling out, and even if you did you only appease a small percentage of them.

Admittedly, Bioware actually did do a rather lousy job with the ending (Slideshow? Really?), but even if that hadn't happened outrage would have still came from it.

Ah. That percentage of the community does infuriate me (that being said, I don't think those kinds of people are as numerous as they're made out to be, topic for another time though).

Though that mainstream bit is exactly part of the dislike with the Shonen thing.
The Genre became so damn popular that it practically took over Mainstream Media, which as a result makes it about the only kind of Anime outsiders see.
As a result, anime fans constantly get the "But it's just Girls with Boobs" or "It's just steroid guys going fight extreme" comments from those who don't understand anime.

Which understandingly angers/infuriates a good amount of anime fans.
Sadly though, this also has the side effect of said anime fans lashing out against those who do in fact immerse themselves in Shonen.
Because in their eyes they're people who are simply contributing to the problem.

You can see the same kind of backlash in the Gaming Community with Genre's like FPS.
It's an ugly piece of community in-fighting that honestly we need to be able to sort out if we want the outside world to take the mediums seriously.

I actually did that with Bleach. I don't think I really made it past the first arc? Maybe it was the second? (I'm bad with knowing arcs, I'm sorry!) I also kind of floated in and out of Naruto. I think Inuyasha was one that I lost track of as well but that could just be because they had so many replays on episodes that I lost track of what I did and didn't watch for it?

I'm sure there will be. I think an early warning of that is the hype against Fishman Island (I didn't enjoy it very much myself either). There was so much talk about Fishman Island and people were looking forward to it that I think too much was expected when it finally came around? I mean it was still very good with art, and original in the case of an island in a double bubble under water, but the placement felt off for some reason? It was right after the return arc so it just sort of...felt weird? It may have been because the characters were settling in with one another again but it was disappointing to me. I hope I don't react the same way with the ending, though I'm not sure of how it will end. I try to avoid conversations about it because I don't want to be disappointed by the outcome of the story.

They aren't as large in numbers as they are made out to be. I just don't like conflict (more because I won't back down than because it bothers me) so I avoid the stores and tend to do my shopping at another store. While I can understand disliking the way anime/manga is perceived through others I do kind of wish it wouldn't all be shoved on certain animes. I know there are a lot of animes that do that though. I have had people say One Piece was just about half naked women and pirates (because they're on a boat and Nami and Robin do dress very flashy) but there is a very long and wonderful story behind it.

I'm really unsure how we could fix problems with people hating on others about the animes they watch or the manga they read. I might actually put a thread up about that...but it all seems kind of pointless to attack one another over anime simply because people have a different preference.

 

[mingummy]

Okay! Also, just to let you know, I love your Avatar. x3 It keeps grabbing my attention when I try to respond. xD

After the occasional waves of hate that come through on Tumblr I more or less backed away far enough to where I don't go on there very often.

I know! I loved the little background episodes of Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, but I missed the crew so much! I have a new founded love for them simply because they were gone for so long!

Okay! Now to start on these questions!

Favorite Crew Members: Usopp! Usopp is wonderful. I know people call him weak and everything but I adore him. He's the closest to us in a mindset of One Piece. I believe Oda said Usopp wouldn't get too powerful because it would throw the balance off (totally understandable) and because Usopp is the closest to a normal human being in that situation. And I love that soooo much. Plus he's hilarious and after the two years he's a tad bit less cowardly and he is a lot more awesome with his slingshot.

I also love Luffy, because the captain makes me smile one way or another. He's the one who can get me to laugh until I cry, and he is just a ray of sunshine, okay? He is a total sweetheart who helps anyone and everyone and he has been hurt so badly yet he carries on. And not only that but he helps his friends carry on too.

Those two are my major favorites of the crew, but honestly each one holds a special spot in my heart because they are all amazing.

Favorite Characters Not in the Straw Hat Crew: Trafalgar Law is bae. xD Seriously, I love him and Eustass. Those two are awesome in their own rights but if I only had to choose one it would be Law. His backstory is heartbreaking and he's very intelligent. He seems to think things through before acting on them. And since I'm unsure of how far you are I'm gonna cut of my rant of the Heart Pirate Captains perfectness. xD

What are my favorite arcs?: Um...hmm...this one is difficult. I love a lot of the arcs, I do. But the Marineford Arc, while it broke me, I did love it. I loved the background and the desperation, the way the crew was split up. Everything about it was so interesting and filled with emotion. I also loved the Enies Lobby arc. I mean come on! I cried over a ship like someone just hit my puppy! It was for like twenty minutes I cried over Merry! And the way Usopp put his foot down over having her replaced...ughh, it was so wonderful. And that's just the bits without Robin in them! The Sabaody Archipelago arc was interesting because of the new players in the game. Which reminds me Bepo is one of my favorite characters too...because talking shy bear. Duh. xD

The Episodes: All of them. All of them are perfect to me. I don't know if you remember or not but I think it's episode five? Maybe six? But it's with Buggy and there is this little dog that protects the pet store. This puppy gets beaten up by a lion to protect that store and it gets burned down anyway. It was just a small thing, a little thing that helps bring Nami around to realizing Luffy isn't a bad guy when he beats up a lion to bring back one little thing of food for that puppy to remember his owner by, and I was CRYING the entire time! I love all of the episodes. Even if some go painfully slow (Fishman Island....because that got hyped up way to much) they are still fun to watch. Then again, like I said I watch episodes every day. Even if it is just to let it run in the background while I do homework. But I simply love the anime. There are some episodes I do dislike more than others (FISHMAN ISLAND) but they all connect in a way that it makes me love it that much more. (Did I say I disliked Fishman Island? I did? Well...yeah. >.> Wonderful artwork though!)

How Far Have I Sold My Soul to One Piece: I roleplay it. I will write a fanfiction of it. And if I can every scrape up enough money to go to a con and get the things for it I will roleplay a female Ace and Law. I love this fandom. I love all of it. I love reading the fanfictions and I have found two wonderful partners who are roleplaying with me and we have things planned out for a while. So hopefully we will meet our goals! It was actually the need to roleplay One Piece that convinced me to come on here and put up this thread and one of my partner requests. I haven't regretted my choice so far because I've met some wonderful people. Also, if you would like to roleplay One Piece...like ever, just send me a pm. xD I'm always open to it!

Thank you! Isn't he a cutie? It's Josh Dun from Twenty One Pilots. (If you already knew that, please forgive me lol.)

Understandable. :P

Usopp is amazing! So lovable and underrated. My personal faves are Sanji and Zoro. That's not counting Luffy because he's just the ultimate lovely, as you said, ray of sunshine.

Yesss Law. And Kidd omg. Same here. Don't worry I know all about Cora. *sobs pitifully* My fave is Smoker. He's just awesome in every way.

Ah, so we have the similar love for arcs that break our hearts! ;D I also (yes I'm a weirdo) love a lot of the filler arcs. They're always good for a laugh or fluffy crew feels.

Oh yes. I remember everything! When it comes to One Piece I have the memory of an elephant. You don't like Fishman Island? Tell me more!

Awesome. I have a Law cosplay coat. One day I'll go to a con when I have money too. xD Oooh what pairings? Or gen? That's great! I've never actually fandom rpd. It's always been OC for me. I've written fanfic but idk why I've never rpd. Maybe I should give it a try?

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

It really is aggravating that the first thing that people think of when you mention anime is hentai. God is it annoying. It's why I constantly make a point of actually showing ignorant people what they've been missing.

XD

Yea there's that too. :P
Which admitingly is also a common confusion with forum RP's where people constantly see it as "sexting".

I'm mainly a shonen fan myself. I live for action and very rarely like romance and drama (of the romantic sort). I like explosions and speed but I also really enjoy a great storyline and art. (Which is why Gangsta. is absolutely the greatest). Plus there are those beautiful anime/manga that are disguised as silly or stupid but are in fact amazingly innovative like Gintama.

Personally I don't think I've found a specific Genre in Anime I like over others.
Just that I tend to avoid the series that are either insanely long or are clearly trying to use non-stop action as their appeal.

Anime's I have liked a lot though were: Death Note, Clannad, Fate Zero, Shiki, Durarara etc.

And ughhhhhh I just wish everyone could just get along but everyone needs the drama and conflict. sigh

I'm really unsure how we could fix problems with people hating on others about the animes they watch or the manga they read. I might actually put a thread up about that...but it all seems kind of pointless to attack one another over anime simply because people have a different preference.

It's human nature. People love conflict and division.
It creates an enemy to blame for things.
It creates a specific group of people to refuge with.
It allows people to feel special or superior by going "I'm not like those people".

A thread could be a good idea. :)
Though be aware it would probably get locked eventually once people start shit throwing.

I actually did that with Bleach. I don't think I really made it past the first arc? Maybe it was the second? (I'm bad with knowing arcs, I'm sorry!) I also kind of floated in and out of Naruto. I think Inuyasha was one that I lost track of as well but that could just be because they had so many replays on episodes that I lost track of what I did and didn't watch for it?

Tracking anime's is a lot easier if you're streaming it as opposed to waiting for the Cable airing.
Plus I never even seen Bleach, so I have no idea at all how their Arcs work. XD

I'm sure there will be. I think an early warning of that is the hype against Fishman Island (I didn't enjoy it very much myself either). There was so much talk about Fishman Island and people were looking forward to it that I think too much was expected when it finally came around? I mean it was still very good with art, and original in the case of an island in a double bubble under water, but the placement felt off for some reason? It was right after the return arc so it just sort of...felt weird? It may have been because the characters were settling in with one another again but it was disappointing to me. I hope I don't react the same way with the ending, though I'm not sure of how it will end. I try to avoid conversations about it because I don't want to be disappointed by the outcome of the story.

I can't really speak for Fishman Island having not seen it myself.
But that is essentially what I'm talking about, expectations get so high it's impossible to deliver.

They aren't as large in numbers as they are made out to be. I just don't like conflict (more because I won't back down than because it bothers me) so I avoid the stores and tend to do my shopping at another store. While I can understand disliking the way anime/manga is perceived through others I do kind of wish it wouldn't all be shoved on certain animes. I know there are a lot of animes that do that though. I have had people say One Piece was just about half naked women and pirates (because they're on a boat and Nami and Robin do dress very flashy) but there is a very long and wonderful story behind it.

Well I have to give you credit for not backing down, that's always a good trait for people to have in my opinion. :P

Though sadly people also need outlets for their anger, and often times those end up being specific shows/games, genre's, or groups/individuals.
And admittedly this is even something I'm guilty of time to time.