Manga and anime series by Eiichiro Oda. Monkey D. Luffy is an eager young village boy who idolizes the pirate Red-Haired Shanks. Luffy decides to make his hero proud by performing the impossible task of locating the legendary treasure known as the "One Piece" and becoming the Pirate King.

In a Ranma-esque twist, Luffy accidentally ingests the "Devil's Fruit" which makes him unable to swim (a handicap for a pillager of the high seas) but turns him into a stretchy human rubber band. He assembles a crew of misfits and sets off in search of adventure. Hilarity ensues!

When I recently visited the Mitsuwa Japanese department store, the shelves at the bookstore were brimming with One Piece merchandise. As of this writing, the manga series is still running in Weekly Shonen Jump, and the television series airs on Fuji TV -- so it'll probably be a while before us round-eyes get a chance to see it subbed. It looks like nothing but fun.

Ar! Matey! One Piece be a anime and manga series about everyone's favorite scourges of the sea, pirates. Damn straight. An anime about pirates, arr. All it needs is a giant robot, which I suspect one will show up *eventually*, and it'd be the perfect anime. Even without a plot line, good characters with well developed personalities, a funny script, and a straw hat.

Arg.

It has those things. So it just needs a giant robot, and it be the most perfect anime ever, matey. And it seriously wouldn't surprise this old sea dog if a giant robot shows up.

The original manga is published in monthly series in the popular Pirate Ship, Shonen Jump, and is the brain child of Captain Eiichiro Oda. The anime series is well into it's 100th-something episode, and has stolen loot from Fuji TV and Toei Animation studio. Thar be many movies for One Piece Arg. I don't know how much because I can't read the map yet .

Arr, matey.


Characters

The main characters in One Piece, Arr, be awesome. Not because they have super cool powers, matey. But because they be well developed, are wanted for treason and such, and they be having distinct, well defined goals that only add to the experience of One Piece. Yar.

Monkey D. Luffy - now He be a salty sea dog that wants to be Pirate King matey! He be having a noble heart, an honest and determined personality (consequences? What're those?!), and a dense skull, yar, Luffy will charge in head first and not stop to think about a strategy or plan or anything. Since his goal is to be Pirate King, he needs to surround himself with the best crew possible, ain't that right polly? *Squawk!* Long ago he ate one of thar Devil's Fruit which gave him increadible powers arrr... but made him deadweight in thar water. In Luffy's case, the fruit gave his body the same subsistence as rubber; hard, bouncy, stretchy, and inflatable; and because of this property, he be having an arsenal of super powers. Arg. He be over confident at times, but some how has the strength to duke it out with tha' toughest of sea dogs! Yar! Luffy values his shipmates and his straw hat (which was given to him by his role model, the kind-hearted pirate Shanks that saved Luffy's life) more than his own life, arr, but always seems to fall asleep when it's most important... like when he's drowning.

Roronoa Zoro - He be the swash bucklingest sea dog tha' ever roamed tha seven seas, matey! Master of the three-swords fighting style, Zoro... what? Three swords? Aye. He uses as many as he needs to win. He only has two hands. No. He doesn't use that as one of his swords. Arr, matey. Zoro's goal is to be the greatest swashbuckler in the world. He started off as a pirate hunter, but seeing that Luffy had a good heart, Zoro joined Luffy's pirate crew, yar. Which afterwards consisted of Zoro and Luffy. True to the anime-physics fashion, the more injured Zoro is, the stronger he be, matey. Zoro also likes to sleep, but only when he's not needed.

Nami - She don't allow herself to get close to no one and claims to be a thief that steals from pirates. What is known about her is that she's hot. Really hot. She also be an expert navigator, capable of sailing her ship through storms unimaginable, yar. Which is why Luffy wants her for his crew. She refuses to be a pirate, however, but eventually she agrees to travel with Luffy and Zoro, but not as a pirate. She loves booty, and will do anything to protect, and gather treasures. Thar first impression of her is that she's a greedy bitch out for no one but herself, but she's not, arr. I know why, but I won't tell you, matey.

Usopp - the self proclaimed captain of the Usopp Pirate Crew, which is nothing but himself and a couple of sea-pups Ar-ar-ar-ar. Usopp be a lyin' sea scum, but not a very good one. His lies always do serve a purpose, matey, whether to keep things interesting in the town (Boy who cried PIRATE! kinda thing), or to entertain the wealthy wench, Kaya. Usopp be cowardly in the face of danger, arr, but if need be, he's very dependable as long as he isn't beaten into a pulp first. His goal is to be as good of a pirate as his father, who travels on Shanks' crew.

Yaaarr...

Sanji - a cook of the sea; he was raised a cook, nearly starved to death, and then helped open a restaurant on the open sea named the Bartie, arr. He be assistant head-chef, just under the owner Zeff, who be pirate captain at one point in time, called Red Legged Zeff, for his swashbucklin' with out using his hands (bloody feet). Sanji also learned the same skills as Zeff, and be prominent with both his feet for fighting and his hands with cooking. Yar. Sanji's goal is to see All Blue, a legendary and near mythical sea in which all the fish of the entire world can be found. A practical Utopia for cooks because of the limitless booty. Sanji be in love with any pretty girl he lays eyes on. Like Nami.


Miscellaneous

The world in which One Piece takes places be an Oceanic World with four Oceans; North Blue, East Blue, West Blue, and South Blue, matey. The world has entered a Golden Age of Pirating because the former Pirate King, Gold Roger, that sea-dog, yarr... left his treasure, the legendary One Piece, at the Grand Line and encouraged everyone willing to go search for it. Thus the Grand Line has become a eternal battle ground in which Pirates from the four oceans come to meet their doom, matey. It is not surprising that the Grand Line also be called the Pirate Graveyard, for very few have returned from battles there, arr. Anyone who be possessing One Piece is considered to be the Pirate King. Arrr....


In One Piece, the plot be moving rather slowly, taking 8 episodes or so to fight each salty sea dog, yar. But, aye, it be having enough plot twists, action, and comedy to create the perfect blend needed for an anime of this caliber. It be -well- done. The animation style be cartoony, but it has to be, because the main character can stretch like a Rubber Band, ar-ar-ar-ar. But it be an addictive anime. Aye, this old sea dog watched 43 episodes (all I currently have) of it in a span of about 72 hours.

Arrrrr.... matey....




The One Piece Drinking Game

What be Pirates with out mass quantities of drunkenness?!? Arr. They be land lubbers.

The One Piece Drinking Game should be done with something Piratey, yar. Like Rum. I suggest getting the pansy-ass kind of rum too, matey, or don't watch very many episodes of One Piece while playing the game. Else ye be dead. Arrrg. I died just last night because of One Piece.

Take one shot when...
  • Luffy stretches more than one limb at a time (Gomu Gomu Bazooka and Gomu Gomu Gatling Gun)
  • Nami steals something
  • Nami deceives some one
  • Everyone's jaw drops in awe of what the hell is going on (Usually when Luffy uses his powers)
  • Zoro puts his third sword in his mouth
  • Usopp cries/runs away
  • Sanji calls some one other than Zeff a bastard or Old Fart
  • An enemy uses a super power (the super powers are announced. You'll know when they happen)
  • A ship sinks
  • Luffy is shown sleeping

Take two shots when...

  • Some one mentions that, with those wounds, Zoro should be dead
  • Luffy gets thrown into the Ocean
  • More than one person is crying at a time
  • Usopp is brave and his knees aren't shaking
  • They show the giant cow monster thing crying
  • Nami pulls her staff out of her über skimpy outfits. Don't be perverted.
  • When Usopp wins a fight
  • A sea monster appears (besides the opening credits)

Arg. Be enjoying yourself now, matey.

Another, completely unrelated One Piece drinking game :
Take one drink whenever :
  • A character's full name is mentioned (eg "Monkey D. Luffy")
  • Luffy eats more than anyone else
  • Luffy breaks something
  • Sharp Teeth!
  • Luffy makes a comment that he really shouldn't have made (eg "Your nose is really huge!")
  • A minor character/villian uses a "special technique" (indicated by the change in font)
  • Every mention of Pirate King. Drink twice if the reference is to Gold Roger, and not Luffy.
  • Someone aside Luffy has eaten the Devil's Fruit
  • Sanji says something in French.
  • Everytime someone says "Yosh" or "Yosha!"
  • and, of course, every time alcohol is consumed onscreen
Do a double when :
  • Luffy refers to a crew member as being "on the crew" before they agree to be
  • The aquisition of a new crew member
  • Zoro readies for battle by putting his sword in his mouth
  • Nami uses her femenine wiles to entice someone into doing something they don't want to
  • Usopp's commercial break segment is shown
  • A character has a flashback to their childhood. If the entire episode is a flashback, drink once at the beginning, and once after the commercial.
  • Every reference to Shanks or his crew
It should be noted that the english version of One Piece, licensed by 4kids entertainment and shown on Fox's saturday morning lineup (now called 4kids TV, formerly known as the FoxBox), is mostly unwatchable due to poor voice work and some very large cuts, edits, and dialogue re-writes. The pleasing, emotional score of the original version has been ditched in favor of a Looney Toons-esque soundtrack that I don't feel really fits the series at all.

It is my recommendation that parties interested in the One Piece series skip the 4kids version of the anime, instead reading the fairly competent graphic novels available from Shonen Jump, or by watching an alternate, perhaps legally ambigous version.

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