Curious about One Piece

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Foxy

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Hello! I'm Foxy and today I feel like asking a question that perhaps we can discuss a bit, if anyone is interested. So, first a bit of background on me, I've watched anime for a long time. I started when I was ten and stumbled upon a back to back marathon of One Piece. This spurred me on to watch others, such as Inuyasha, Cowboy Bebop, Soul Eater, Blue Exorcist, Black Butler, and read quite a few others. Needless to say, the next nine years of me watching and reading anime I got into the groups and circles of friends who also liked these things. But recently I've noticed something...the lack of lover's for One Piece. And it may just be that I haven't found anyone, or that the series has gone on so long that some people have abandoned it or it simply isn't that fun to discuss anymore. I'm not sure. But I haven't seen that many people around me who seem to like it.

So my question(s) is this; has the One Piece fandom withered? Is there still a large amount of people that I just haven't run into that do love One Piece? Is there some sort of reluctance to embrace the One Piece loving side of you if there is one? If so, why?

I'm also curious if other's believe that One Piece has gone on for too long, I've heard this said about Bleach as well, so I'm wondering if people are just not in for the long haul of watching or attempting to catch up to the amount of episodes and chapter's of One Piece. I know why I managed to keep up with the episodes and that's solely because One Piece was what introduced me to the world of anime. It's my all time favorite (please don't think this means I think it's the best anime out there) and I love the characters because I grew up watching them. So I don't mind binge watching if I get behind, but some people don't like doing that. So I'll ask you guys what you think on this. Has the fandom for One Piece crumbled? Or have I just not found the community of the other One Piece lovers? I'd also like to know how you feel about this series! Though I do ask that you be polite if you wish to tell me something you believe is wrong with the series.

So, what do you guys say? Up for a One Piece conversation?
 
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*breathes heavily*

Well, One Piece has always seemed to be less popular in the west, probably because it's less 'cool' than some other series. There might be some reasons why popularity has waned: Fishman Island being heavily built up but not living to expectations or the craptastic anime adaption (700+ episodes to not even 800 chapters does not a good adaption make!) might be some reasons. It is a bit hard to get into due to the slow start (it doesn't get particularly good until Bartie/Arlong, honestly) or the length. You might just be looking in the wrong places though! General anime fans probably avoid it due to the poor adaption quality or length, while general manga fans...wait, do those exist? Well, they've at least heard of it, but there are FAR more manga, and One Piece is just one excellent one (I personally keep up with over 20, and that's nothing). If you look at sites like Arlong Park or specific discussions on it though, it still has it's dedicated fans.

As for 'gone on to long' I don't think so at all! While I haven't seen much of Bleach, what I have seen in the past decade is terribly paced chapters with massive panels, tons of wasted space, and a whole lot of nothing each chapter, while One Piece is packed with both big and little things every week. I honestly don't think you could not cut much content without compromising it's quality. It's long because it really is a grand adventure story!
 
*breathes heavily*

Well, One Piece has always seemed to be less popular in the west, probably because it's less 'cool' than some other series. There might be some reasons why popularity has waned: Fishman Island being heavily built up but not living to expectations or the craptastic anime adaption (700+ episodes to not even 800 chapters does not a good adaption make!) might be some reasons. It is a bit hard to get into due to the slow start (it doesn't get particularly good until Bartie/Arlong, honestly) or the length. You might just be looking in the wrong places though! General anime fans probably avoid it due to the poor adaption quality or length, while general manga fans...wait, do those exist? Well, they've at least heard of it, but there are FAR more manga, and One Piece is just one excellent one (I personally keep up with over 20, and that's nothing). If you look at sites like Arlong Park or specific discussions on it though, it still has it's dedicated fans.

As for 'gone on to long' I don't think so at all! While I haven't seen much of Bleach, what I have seen in the past decade is terribly paced chapters with massive panels, tons of wasted space, and a whole lot of nothing each chapter, while One Piece is packed with both big and little things every week. I honestly don't think you could not cut much content without compromising it's quality. It's long because it really is a grand adventure story!
First, I want to thank you for talking with me! Second, I believe you may be right. I never believed One Piece has gone on too long but I can admit Fishman Island was slightly a downer for me (put simply, Punk Hazard saved me from floating out of the anime again for another handful of months). You also have a point about it possibly being defined as 'less cool' in the west. From what I've heard here in relation to One Piece (and other animes/mangas) is that it is 'Main Stream' which I honestly do not understand why that is enough of a bad thing to cause others not to watch or read the series. I've been told that it's my childhood connection that blinds me to understanding that One Piece isn't a good anime and while I'll admit that yes, the fact that One Piece is my first and favorite anime because of my childhood connection to it, I don't think that means I would be blinded to bad bits within the anime, such as the build up for Fishman Island and the slow start that you mentioned. I love it for the rich story context, the way everything connects (not going to immediately say what connections because I'm unsure how far in the series you are), and the thought process that is obviously weaved through the entire story.

Though it seems that I just haven't looked in the right places for other fans of the series, so thank you for telling me where to check out! As for Bleach, I did attempt to watch it and noticed a relapse sort of story line....it seemed to repeat to me for some reason? So I stopped watching after the first arc I believe it was? Perhaps the second arc? I'm unsure.
 
Yeah, I didn't like Bleach much myself, but I only barely got 20 eps in. I haven't heard much positive though from beyond the Soul Society Arc, even from people who enjoy it.

(Also I'm 100% caught up to One Piece. I just reread most of the manga though I'm waiting for Dressrosa to finish before I reread that)

I think the stigma against 'mainstream' comes from the tendency for things that are popular to be pretty bad! And even when they are good, they're never the best, but they tend to attract people who, due to not having a breadth of works they've watched or read, think otherwise and tout it as the best thing ever. I mean, One Piece is my favorite work of fiction due to the amount of enjoyment I can get from every new chapter, but I can also think of some other works I would say are higher in quality, even though I might not like them as much. But works that are both popular and good are pretty rare, so if you know it's the former, you tend to take people saying the latter with a grain of salt, and after the Kuro arc and the trend of long running things declining in quality, it's easy to say 'yeah this isn't very good after all' and never touch it again.


(Also, since this is a roleplaying site, I'll let you know that I've done quite a bit of OP RP, so if you ever feel like trying to start a game, let me know and I can throw you some pointers if I don't have the time to join myself! Though in my experience I find it easier to start up fandom games on the Roleplayer Guild, or at least I did in my single attempt to try a OP group game here)
 
Yeah, I didn't like Bleach much myself, but I only barely got 20 eps in. I haven't heard much positive though from beyond the Soul Society Arc, even from people who enjoy it.

(Also I'm 100% caught up to One Piece. I just reread most of the manga though I'm waiting for Dressrosa to finish before I reread that)

I think the stigma against 'mainstream' comes from the tendency for things that are popular to be pretty bad! And even when they are good, they're never the best, but they tend to attract people who, due to not having a breadth of works they've watched or read, think otherwise and tout it as the best thing ever. I mean, One Piece is my favorite work of fiction due to the amount of enjoyment I can get from every new chapter, but I can also think of some other works I would say are higher in quality, even though I might not like them as much. But works that are both popular and good are pretty rare, so if you know it's the former, you tend to take people saying the latter with a grain of salt, and after the Kuro arc and the trend of long running things declining in quality, it's easy to say 'yeah this isn't very good after all' and never touch it again.


(Also, since this is a roleplaying site, I'll let you know that I've done quite a bit of OP RP, so if you ever feel like trying to start a game, let me know and I can throw you some pointers if I don't have the time to join myself! Though in my experience I find it easier to start up fandom games on the Roleplayer Guild, or at least I did in my single attempt to try a OP group game here)
Due to the slow start with One Piece I tend to give each series at least 70-90 episodes to get interesting to me. If it isn't by then I tend to give up on it. :/

I have a quick question...how did you reread all of the manga? I've been trying to get through all of it for about a month now, starting from the beginning to ending. I had read a bit forward because my rolemate (who is currently busy) poked at me to do it when my favorite character lost an arm. She didn't warn me about that either, she just told me a chapter and demanded I read it...which I did and then cringed for the next ten minutes because sympathy pains. x-x

I suppose simply going by ear about anime is not the best way to go...it's best to read or watch it yourself to make those decisions. I'm glad I got on here, I had been reaching the end of my rope trying to find friends who liked One Piece and it made me doubt myself a bit as someone who could confidently point out my favorite anime without feeling as though I'd be insulted for it. It's nice to know other's are out there who are as dedicated to the series as I am. :3
 
I watched One Piece way back when it aired on Saturday mornings on 4Kids (as well as being aired on Toonami) so I do have a long history with the series. That being said, I do think the series is too damn long! Honestly if the series gets to 1,000 episodes, I'm not gonna bother with it anymore. I don't mind long-running anime (hell Dragon Ball Z is my favorite anime of all time and it's pretty fucking long) but One Piece to me overdoes it A LOT. So yes I do think it needs to end and I stopped watching the series due to getting bored with it. But I'm still a fan though.
 
I watched One Piece way back when it aired on Saturday mornings on 4Kids (as well as being aired on Toonami) so I do have a long history with the series. That being said, I do think the series is too damn long! Honestly if the series gets to 1,000 episodes, I'm not gonna bother with it anymore. I don't mind long-running anime (hell Dragon Ball Z is my favorite anime of all time and it's pretty fucking long) but One Piece to me overdoes it A LOT. So yes I do think it needs to end and I stopped watching the series due to getting bored with it. But I'm still a fan though.
I thought some people felt that way, which is understandable. Do you mind me asking what bored you with it? Was it the length or all the fillers? How far into the anime did you get? (Those shown on Toonami don't go far into the series before they repeat, which I know had my friends stop watching it.) Also! Thank you for responding to my questions. :)
 
I thought some people felt that way, which is understandable. Do you mind me asking what bored you with it? Was it the length or all the fillers? How far into the anime did you get? (Those shown on Toonami don't go far into the series before they repeat, which I know had my friends stop watching it.) Also! Thank you for responding to my questions. :)
The pacing and the length. To me, it seemed to be going too slow especially for pirates who want to reach The Grand Line and search for One Piece. I know it's supposed to be a big adventure but I feel it's drawn out for all the wrong reasons. I don't really mind fillers since they can be pretty damn interesting. I stopped watching at the Skypiea Arc I think. I know it was sometime after Robin joined the crew. No problem! ^_^
 
The pacing and the length. To me, it seemed to be going too slow especially for pirates who want to reach The Grand Line and search for One Piece. I know it's supposed to be a big adventure but I feel it's drawn out for all the wrong reasons. I don't really mind fillers since they can be pretty damn interesting. I stopped watching at the Skypiea Arc I think. I know it was sometime after Robin joined the crew. No problem! ^_^

Skypiea was probably it then. It isn't until Thriller Bark that the crew is completely formed and the episodes were kind of slow. I had times where I binge watched and it is probably the fact that I grew up with it and having a childhood connection that has me loving it so much. x3 I'm very glad to have a bit of variety with the responses on here though. :)
 
Skypiea was probably it then. It isn't until Thriller Bark that the crew is completely formed and the episodes were kind of slow. I had times where I binge watched and it is probably the fact that I grew up with it and having a childhood connection that has me loving it so much. x3 I'm very glad to have a bit of variety with the responses on here though. :)
I'm pretty sure you can find One Piece fans here. As big as the series is, I'm pretty sure it has a huge fanbase to accompany it! I did binge watch it a bit a few months ago from the beginning (I stopped at Episode 44) and I felt a longing for the series again. Although I will admit that Episode 32 (hell the Arlong Saga in general) made me cry :(
 
I'm pretty sure you can find One Piece fans here. As big as the series is, I'm pretty sure it has a huge fanbase to accompany it! I did binge watch it a bit a few months ago from the beginning (I stopped at Episode 44) and I felt a longing for the series again. Although I will admit that Episode 32 (hell the Arlong Saga in general) made me cry :(
Ah, Oda always makes me cry. x/ I can't help it, I get teary eyed for the Straw Hats at the drop of a hat. If you can manage it I would suggest getting through the Water 7 arc. It'll make you cry buckets but it really solidifies Robin's spot in the crew and the growth of the characters themselves. Skypia is just difficult to get through. I think I had mentioned to Craftsdwarf that I had moments where I got bored within the series. Skypia was one of them. And though Water 7 also has a slow start, it goes through quite a bit.
 
Ah, Oda always makes me cry. x/ I can't help it, I get teary eyed for the Straw Hats at the drop of a hat. If you can manage it I would suggest getting through the Water 7 arc. It'll make you cry buckets but it really solidifies Robin's spot in the crew and the growth of the characters themselves. Skypia is just difficult to get through. I think I had mentioned to Craftsdwarf that I had moments where I got bored within the series. Skypia was one of them. And though Water 7 also has a slow start, it goes through quite a bit.
Yeah hopefully I get that far into the series one day ^_^ But I am NOT looking forward to Ace's death!! DAMN YOU ODA!! Do you own any One Piece video games? I have Grand Battle and Grand Adventure! Grand Battle was the first game I ever owned for the PS2
 
What does One Piece have that most shonen lack after a few years? Continuity and Cohesiveness. Not a single character design, place or detail is without purpose. The pacing suffers from some "Big Bad Of the Arch" stuff from time to time, but they always build upon a already existing foundation. Oda is also a masterful storyteller when he wants to be. He made the loss of a ship one of the most tragic anime moments i've seen. He really likes his world building, so everyone have a meaning behind them. And this in turn helps build up some really badass moments. As Dwarf stated however; The Anime has alot of problems the manga doesn't. IT is also not as big here in west becouse Pirates are something we grown up with in movies and literature. Naruto was one of the biggest hits ever in West, but in Japan Ninjas aren't even close to as fascinating.
 
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Yeah hopefully I get that far into the series one day ^_^ But I am NOT looking forward to Ace's death!! DAMN YOU ODA!! Do you own any One Piece video games? I have Grand Battle and Grand Adventure! Grand Battle was the first game I ever owned for the PS2
Honestly? No, I don't. x3 I thought I would check them out at some point but I've never gotten around to it like I always tell myself that I will. Are they good games though? I haven't heard about them all that much.
 
Honestly? No, I don't. x3 I thought I would check them out at some point but I've never gotten around to it like I always tell myself that I will. Are they good games though? I haven't heard about them all that much.
Grand Battle and Grand Adventure are fighting games and yeah they're pretty awesome! They definitely deliver on the fanservice. Grand Battle goes up to the Alabasta Arc and Grand Adventure goes up to the Skypiea Arc I think. They're both on the PS2 and GameCube and they're pretty cheap although Grand Adventure may cost more since it was only released in North America and is pretty rare.
 
What does One Piece have that most shonen lack after a few years? Continuity and Cohesiveness. Not a single character design, place or detail is without purpose. The pacing suffers from some "Big Bad Of the Arch" stuff from time to time, but they always build upon a already existing foundation. Oda is also a masterful storyteller when he wants to be. He made the loss of a ship one of the most tragic anime moments i've seen. He really likes his world building, so everyone have a meaning behind them. And this in turn helps build up some really badass moments. As Dwarf stated however; The Anime has alot of problems the manga doesn't. IT is also not as big here in west becouse Pirates are something we grown up with in movies and literature. Naruto was one of the biggest hits ever in West, but in Japan Ninjas aren't even close to as fascinating.
As I said with Dward, you have a very good point. I love Oda's world building and the way things flow, and I do see the problems between the manga and the anime (though I've only recently started reading it). I like that there are less fillers in the manga, but I can admit I enjoy some of the fillers in the anime. I suppose that changes with everyone's taste in the series though. I'm actually starting to wonder which one people prefer, manga or anime. Though it does seem that many people are bored with the pirate theme, I thought the creativity and originality in Oda's world was very well done and gave it an artistic and unique flare to the pirate idea. Also, thank you for replying to my questions! :)
 
Grand Battle and Grand Adventure are fighting games and yeah they're pretty awesome! They definitely deliver on the fanservice. Grand Battle goes up to the Alabasta Arc and Grand Adventure goes up to the Skypiea Arc I think. They're both on the PS2 and GameCube and they're pretty cheap although Grand Adventure may cost more since it was only released in North America and is pretty rare.
Hm...that might be a problem. We no longer have the PS2 and even if we did, gaining access to it is near impossible for me. :/ My brother and dad are always on it soo...not likely.
 
As I said with Dward, you have a very good point. I love Oda's world building and the way things flow, and I do see the problems between the manga and the anime (though I've only recently started reading it). I like that there are less fillers in the manga, but I can admit I enjoy some of the fillers in the anime. I suppose that changes with everyone's taste in the series though. I'm actually starting to wonder which one people prefer, manga or anime. Though it does seem that many people are bored with the pirate theme, I thought the creativity and originality in Oda's world was very well done and gave it an artistic and unique flare to the pirate idea. Also, thank you for replying to my questions! :)
Manga in every way shape and form xD.
 
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