Only complain about this chapter? Sanji. While some might see it as redemption to certain degree, I found it pathetic the man who almost died by looking at boobs, twice, right before this chapter, is now trying to act up and talk sh1t to Jimbei the man to whom their captain owes his life in more than one way.
Chapter 620: "The Theme Park We Dreamed Of" Discussion
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Best chapter in a couple of months, really. Finally we've gotten beyond exposition of this arc into the meat of it.
I love it that Oda's humanizing Arlong without necessarily justifying the extremes he went to to get back at those who repressed him in his youth. We also have the two conflicting reform movements: do you fight violently against repression, revenging the atrocities committed against your people with similarly heinous acts? Or do you submit to authority, protest nonviolently, and try to reform from within the current abusive power dynamic. Considering all that's going on in the Mideast these days, this theme is tremendously topical…. but as a universal social dynamic, maybe any time period could offer examples of this dichotomy.
The NFP are getting fleshed out too, despite their limited screen time. By choosing the late queen as their scapegoat, they blame the "uncle toms" within their culture for preaching reconciliation. By turning on their own, they show they harming the human "enemy" is more important than improving the welfare of their people. Sadly, this makes most people easily stereotype them as "terrorists" or the like, and assume that they are inherently evil, while dismissing the societal factors that led to that build up of rage and anomie.
I'm truly hoping fisher tiger gets fleshed out as a complex character. Does he fight to free slaves out of moral indignity? revenge? sympathy for their plight? Or is it more a luffy level "i won't stand by to see dreams destroyed" kind of thing? I'm looking forward to the fights he gets into with the Queen. It'd be like being a fly on the wall in a confrontation between Malcolm X and MLK.
Best panel of the chapter goes to Luffy sipping tea on page 14. I love that face that he gets when he is deciding his moral stance on a complicated issue. It must be the anticipation, because once he is decided, he ends up doing ridiculous things in what then seems a sudden and unplanned manner. That same empty expression presaged everything from picking fights with god to declaring war on the World Government. I suppose I envy his conviction while admiring the subtlety of his process.
Hmmm... new AP theme I'd better update the avatar....
Great post.
I agree wholeheartedly, this has been an incredibly interesting and well-planned sort of chapter for me, one of the best in a while. I love seeing ALL these characters from so many different arcs in the manga being intertwined and paid attention to. We're in the thick of it now!
Oda neither apologizes for or excuses the things Arlong has done, but has presented them in a much more understandable light - I appreciate that. We've always known that fishmen and mermaids have gotten the short end of the stick in One Piece's world, so it's nice to finally get the full story from them.
I also want to agree with you on just how awesome Luffy's expressions were in this chapter, and how he gets when he's making up his mind about something. I really can't wait to see what's next - Fishman Island has NOT disappointed.
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I love OP because of chapters like this: nami development, sanji seriously pissed off, PWNflashback.
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DING DING DING DING, WE HAVE A WINNER. Correct. I believe these guys portray immigrants. of the mexican decent.
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WooooW. So much AWESOMENESSS!!!. 10 out of 5 chapter Daaymn. Odas having so much Connections its just to Awesome!. And the great Ledgend Fisher Tiger just looks soo awesome and badaass. This chapter has so much deepnesss.
Okay Luffy And his crew will go to the SACRED LAND and fk up everything :P After this back story. I can just feel it. Its all their fault.
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I knew it all along!!!!
I AM A GEEENIIIIUUUSSSS!!!!!http://community.livejournal.com/capslock_op/384806.html
victory dance
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wow.so we get to see a serious sanji for once. nice. This whole thing seems like the cival rights movement in the 60's. Nami had a really tough childhoodcause of jimbei. wonder if she'll fight him.
Fisher tiger was like Malcom X and Queen Otohime was the MLK of the whole situaction -
really surprising to me to see that the barrel woman is actually pleasantly attractive to an extent
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one thing that I still have no clue at all is the role Caribou playing in this arc…if only to be defeated together for funny moments and thus showing strawhats can deal with logia, it's not really that interesting for me as it would happen sooner when they enter new world.
really...caribou..why the hell are u in this arc anyway? LOL
or are u going to replace Buggy's role in PirateKing's ship as the only blemish by being the one later on with similar role in future Pirate King's ship? LOL
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I knew it all along!!!!
I AM A GEEENIIIIUUUSSSS!!!!!http://community.livejournal.com/capslock_op/384806.html
victory dance
you're the guy who made that theory?!
Dude! you're a genius! I died reading that
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The NFP are getting fleshed out too, despite their limited screen time. By choosing the late queen as their scapegoat, they blame the "uncle toms" within their culture for preaching reconciliation. By turning on their own, they show they harming the human "enemy" is more important than improving the welfare of their people. Sadly, this makes most people easily stereotype them as "terrorists" or the like, and assume that they are inherently evil, while dismissing the societal factors that led to that build up of rage and anomie.
Seeing those NFP directly extracting those who don
t agree with their believes via humiliating their(those who wanted the peaceful way) symbol of peaceful freedom is just showing once more how much hatred they stored over the years. Even their very own kind has no longer an excuse to have a different view. Be behind the NFP-ideology or you
re not better than the human trash.
By showing them that and forcing them to betray their own believe, they create an inner dilemma in those people, which they can use to control them just as they like.
Once robbed of your ideology and thoughts(by making you yourself deny it), you are for them now puppets which you can direct in the way you like it without having to fear that they would someday make a revolution.
Because once you broke their will\belief you no longer have to fear that they could get out ofg it themselves. -
fantastic chapter.
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If this is epic flash back.
Imagine how epic Shanks flashback will be from the moment he meets Roger to the moment he meets Luffy.
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@Great:
you're the guy who made that theory?! http://s4.tinypic.com/fond53_th.jpg
Dude! you're a genius! I died reading that http://s5.tinypic.com/2cxulhc_th.jpg
I'm pouting about this chapter a bit too though because…. I found Sanji really annoying.
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It wasn't mentioned in the spoilers and it's minute compared to the revelations this chapter but I'm happy we saw how those bubbles were formed and Oda gave a (rough) description of where everything is at Fishman Island.
Anybody up to drawing a 'map' of the island?
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and mia is proven to be awesome again
and i wasnt expecting fisher tiger too look like that , not dissapointed however
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He looks like a dude!
Of course, this leaves it for another tigershark-fishman to appear! I want it so bad!
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Hey Sonic Youth don't post here again until you look up what fumi-e is
Also, it seems that Whitebaerd saving the island and even Fisher Tiger saving the Boa sisters won't be shown in full detail, but there could be a flashback within flashback I guess.
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@Mr.333:
We already did see her.
[qimg]http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/4122/ftfk.jpg[/qimg]
In the Red Circle, That's Hancock & her sisters fleeing Mariejois. You can tell by Sandersonia's head.
Not a far stretch at all is it
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Hmmm… new AP theme I'd better update the avatar....
Delete the background on photoshop and save it as a PNG so that you don't need to change the color.
actually I decided it takes very little time to do so I just made you an avatar w/ an invisible background.
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I think Jinbe will join Luffy to prove that human and fishmen can co-exit and live along together, and earn much respect for fishmen after Luffy becomes Pirate King.
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I'm sure that has worked in the real world!
Oda isn't going to make THIS particular issue a fairy tale that the people of the world is going to recive the fishmen with their arms open.
And what about the mermaids? where are they going to live? The only other place that has bubles like those is.. shabody.
I think you just hit on how this entire Arc is going to end. If Fishman Island is indeed going to be destroyed Shabody will be where everyone goes to live. The Park will no longer be off limits to mermaids and fishmen. Sabody is a special place for the Strawhats after all the island of restarting. If Luffy is going to claim an island for his own it might just be that one.
Very interesting. Sounds kind of logical to me. It also isn't too unrealistic, since Marine HQ is no longer near SA. Thus it wouldn't be too probable to see an admiral accidentally passing by while riding his bike on the waves and fixing the situation. I guess Luffy could defend SA up to a certain extent of enemy. Maybe that's when a rematch with Sentoumaru occurs and everybody is set straight about Luffy's real power level.
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the New fishman pirates are like the black panthers were. by supporting their people and arming themselves.
sorry it just my parents grew up in that era and it fells so familiar to me -
Oh shit. Sanji is shining at the moment, last chapter it was Zoro now it is Sanji. Awesome chapter.
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Let Luffy destroy someone's land to force them to take over the land of those who are oppresing them?!??!?!?
That's the most stupid and culturaly blind thing that I've ever seen. It's like insane colonialism.
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linking Arlong Park to Shabaody Park. How did nobody make that connection yet?
The connection was made back on Sabondy when we got the one panel flashback originally. I know it was made into a joke during the character tournament, as well.
This chapter just confirms it, mostly.
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Very, very happy to see where this is going. Glad to finally see the infamous Fisher Tiger, as well as the return of Arlong (in the flashback, at least, not that I was expecting him to be absent somehow…). Also, young-Jinbei has a particularly badass look that fits in well.
I'm liking the tragic duality that Oda's setting up between Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger...and I'm suspecting that this is what ultimately gets them both killed.
Caribou finally makes his reappearance and now he's going after Shirahoshi too. I'm shocked. SHOCKED, I say.
I expect it will bring him into conflict with Decken (or maybe partnership, since the latter's now officially had his "offer" of marriage turned down).Not that I'm surprised by this, but this arc is shaping up to be especially epic. I'm looking forward to it.
Finally, Sarfunkel? Seriously, Oda? If that pun weren't so horrendously bad that it somehow loops around to being good again, I'd be forced to hurt someone.
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I'm not getting the Pun or Joke on Gaimon and Sharfunkel. Something cultural?
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I'm not getting the Pun or Joke on Gaimon and Sharfunkel. Something cultural?
Simon & Garfunkel…the famous singing duo..
Also - great chapter. I'm looking forward to this flashback...good to finally learn more about Fisher Tiger ( looks awesome imo)
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I'm not getting the Pun or Joke on Gaimon and Sharfunkel. Something cultural?
Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_%26_Garfunkel
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dexter, it´s a band =D (didn´t get it either, heard of them, but weren´t really in the back of my mind when I read the cover page ^^)
As for the chapter, it´s really cool. Funny moments, serious ones, grave implications, and finally the long awaited badass flashback!
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Jinbei's flashback? just increased his chances of joining the SH's.
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nice chapter ,
do u think guys WB will appear in this upcoming flashback, i hope so
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@RobbyBevard:
The connection was made back on Sabondy when we got the one panel flashback originally. I know it was made into a joke during the character tournament, as well.
This chapter just confirms it, mostly.
Robby i want to ask u something . do we have tournament this year ??
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I knew it all along!!!!
I AM A GEEENIIIIUUUSSSS!!!!!http://community.livejournal.com/capslock_op/384806.html
victory dance
Just what I'd expect from Captain Mia. That gave me a good laugh.
lol sarfunkel. Is it just me or are those animals drawn a bit lazily though? :/
Hmm…. It's weird though... I've been hoping for Sanji to stop acting like a dumb fuck for quite some time, but now that he's serious for a moment, he still comes off as annoying and I have no clue why, he just does.
Kuroobi had a 'fro. Win. I like how Oda remembers the minor characters and brings them back into the story. I can't believe I never noticed the macro gang had sun tattoos. <_<
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@RobbyBevard:
The connection was made back on Sabondy when we got the one panel flashback originally. I know it was made into a joke during the character tournament, as well.
This chapter just confirms it, mostly.
yea i am surprised as heck at how many posts i have read in this and spoiler about people being surprised and/or going wow at the saobondy/arlong park connection
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Norland's friend was named Kalgara, not Karakura.
It's been so long, I knew something was wrong with name when i was writing that. :
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This chapter was exciting. From Gaimon and Sarfunkel, to the New Fishman Pirates taking over Fishman Island, to Caribou returning, to Jinbe realizing Arlong attacked Nami's island, to the opposing views of Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger, to the start of the flashback and seeing Tiger, Jinbe, Arlong, Hachi, an some others 15 years ago. Awesome. I also liked Luffy just drinking tea not showing much emotion about Sanji's accusations against Jinbe (even when Sanji mentioned Yosaku telling them about Jinbe, Luffy only mentioned Yosaku, not Jinbe). I'm looking forward to how Nami feels about Jinbe after the flashback. I think she (and Sanji) will forgive him, but that will be a very good scene I think.
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I want to see Arlong in his room designing park-rides and cotton-candy shops when suddenly Hacchi runs in on him and he quickly hides it under his bed.
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I liked seeing Kurobii and Chu again as well as the Macro fishman pirates. Awesome chapter :D
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(I don't know about the accuracy of the translation, but I found this chapter very confusing)
Luffy staying quiet and drinking a cup of tea the whole time was disturbing too :-D
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Y'all realise how truly despicable Macro is right now ?
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I still stand by my prediction that Sanji will shine this arc… even more than Zoro! Oda never dissapoints and I feel that he's been forshadowing Sanji's awesome comeback since before the timeskip
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That…...that was the best chapter ever! O_O
ODA! YOU'RE THE BOSS! -
@No:
Y'all realise how truly despicable Macro is right now ?
Hehe, indeed. He's really the lowest of the low.
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Now for something really silly. We just need Brook to sing the Simon and Garfunkle song 'Like a Bridge over troubled waters'. Come to think of it isn't Tequila Wolf bridge near by?
I can't for the life of me remember where the barrel girl is from. I'm asuming a cover page.
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And Sanji is suck in "love" with Nami.
Seriously the guy is remembering and researching all of Nami and is even threatening a freaking Shichibukai.
Someone will get his ass kicked heavily this arc.
Bring it on Oda
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And Sanji is suck in "love" with Nami.
Seriously the guy is remembering and researching all of Nami and is even threatening a freaking Shichibukai.
Someone will get his ass kicked heavily this arc.
Bring it on Oda
Glad to have you back KiShiDo. That's the spirit :D
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Be glad Sanji is back. He has the spirit.
But haters gonna hate