So this isn't our usual kind of thread, but a thing has happened that was so wholesome I have to share it.
My partner, who had never read One Piece but knows how important it is to me, spent the last month secretly reading the entire manga and keeping a journal of the experience for part of my birthday present. It's honestly one of the best things anyone's ever done for me.
His favourite Straw Hat was Franky and his favourite non-Straw hat was Corazon, with an honourable mention to Whitebeard. Favourite arc was Thriller bark. Least favourite, Punk Hazard.
Some chronologically ordered highlights from the commentary within the journal, for those of you who like seeing a first timer's reactions off the cuff reactions to the series:
! "Jesus christ did you learn my social skills from Luffy or has it always just been a mirror for you?" big oof, but I can hardly argue
! "Funny how Nami starts as a pirate robbin' character and ends up as a pirate with a character called Robin."
! "I strongly endorse clobbering anyone who takes a dog's treasure and I'm glad Luffy feels the same."
! [At Merry's apparent death] "Goodnight, strange ram man."
[At his subsequent revival] "Good morning, strange ram man."
! "Shark darts = sharts."
! "How could you abandon Laboon FUCK THOSE GUYS" oh babe you have no idea.
! "How do Log Poses actually work? As a scientist, I know it's witchcraft."
! "The question corner is a log of Oda slowly descending into madness."
! "107.4 degree fever - bitch why aren't you dead?"
! "WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR - " repeatedly, at basically all of Kureha's medical advice.
! "Hahahaha 'the will of the D.'"
! [on Django and Fullbody] "Are they in love? If not why not"
! [at volume 18] "I'm genuinely enjoying it so far but I may have bitten off more than I can chew. But grit counts more than steel." That Zeff quote pops up a few times throughout the journal.
! "I. Love. SEA CAT."
! "KUNG FU JUGONS!"
! "'It's what's inside that counts!' says Sanji, who generally couldn't care less as long as it has tits."
! "Legit how has Zoro not died a million times by now?" while only at volume 21.
! [on Miss Father's Day] "Froppy has not aged well."
! "Hina doesn't even consistently use third person consistently oh my god that's way worse."
! "Aw Vivi met them just to say goodbye. And the X's on the arms, very good and powerful panels."
! "Robin fits in Nami's clothes - so handy having all your protagonist women look the same."
! [on Nami's feelings for Vivi] "Welcome to my Queer Subtext One Piece Reading."
! "So is Robin gonna be, like, the crew's ace detective?"
! [while diving to look at the St Briss] "Why the fuck is Sanji smoking even in the barrel lmao A MOOD"
! "The Five Elders need a smack."
! "Hey Donquixote Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma, ya British rock band looking motherfuckers."
! "God imagine your name being Wyper"
! "Do I have to keep track of Panda Man? 'Cause he has such a raw, chaotic energy that it makes me nervous."
! "Ace became a pirate so he could dine and dash but put it towards an ideology."
! "Gum Gum Space Out is what you employ when I start talking about people you don't know." This book is full of callouts against me.
! [After Sanji confronts Enel] "I really like Sanji. I wish he wasn't such a colossal fuckboy."
! [On Foxy's powers] "I'm made of slowpoke photons."
! "Franky's fuelled by cola, just like me."
! [On the plot of the Water Seven Arc] "All this over the blueprints for the Death Star huh."
! "Usopp it's step up time, not coward time! Oh thank god he's had a psychotic break and now Sniper King's here."
! "Ready for battle, Nami? In THOSE shoes???"
! "Awww they literally declared war against the world government for her. I teared up." Me too babe.
! "There's not knowing how women's bodies work and then there's Oda."
! "What the fuck why would you have the Merry Go talk that's so fucking sad and beautiful and SAD."
! [On Sanji's first bounty] "Looks like if I tried to draw him from memory. That's so fuckin' funny."
! "Brook you fucking splendid bastard. Brook you fucking dirty bastard! Hardly a gentleman skeleton at all!"
! [After being hit with a Negative Hollow] "'Man… I totally suck this week. Everything I do sucks. I can't go on. I want to die...' MOOD, FRANKY, MOOD!"
! "Perona is my big tiddy goth gf."
! "Oda confirms he's half smut, half stupidity - like you!"
! Payoff for the Laboon comment from before:
! "I can't believe they fucking Voltroned."
! "I also wanna go to a dark, damp, ancient and haunted castle where I can sing songs of curses! Meet ya there, Perona baby!"
! "First mention of Pirate Empress Hancock. Can't wait for her to look like Nami in a costume."
! "Lola's mom's Vivre - better not be Big Mom." lmao
! "Duval's face is never gonna not be funny IT'S SO FUNNY IT'S SUCH A TWIST."
! "The Celestial Dragons make my blood boil, boy howdy."
! "You and Duval have the same wink." ouch
! [at the end of Sabaody] "'I don't feel so good, Mr Straw Hat.'"
! "Hancock punted a kitten! BAD!"
! "Sanji would have exploded if he'd walked in on Sanji like that. Instead, Luffy's like 'Huh… what's up with the nipples.'"
! "Okay like they've been through a lot, but there's not an excuse for kitty-kicking. Or puppies or baby seals!"
! "What the hell kind of outfit is that for the workplace, Sadie?"
! "Whitebeard's already adopted Luffy, you can just tell."
! "'Thank you for loving me.' FUCK OFF NO I DO NOT ACCEPT THIS NO"
! "Blackbeard belongs in the BIN what the FUCK"
! "Hawkeye's honestly such a loser? He's always posing like 'I am the best swordsman in the world! I will fight you! I don't wanna fight you anymore, bye!'"
! "I can't believe I'm even reading on after Ace died."
! "'Only 100 fights per person per day' - sounds like your school days."
! "Makino taught Ace how to thank people and that's the last thing he ever did omg." breaking my heart here, babe
! "I do appreciate that the motivations of the villains aren't just 'WANT TREASURE! WANT TO PIRATE!' Like, the race relations stuff is sad, but so interesting."
! "Whitebeard never asked anything in return for his protection cause he was GOOD and adopted ANYBODY. I wish Whitebeard was my dad."
! Atlas is a sucker for a loyal dog story and loved Chou Chou at the start, but the update in From the Decks of the World seems to have caused a psychological break: "OH MY GOD THE GRAND OPENING IN ORANGE TOWN OF THE GIANT PET FOOD SHOP CHOUCHOU! THE BOW TIE! THE STATUE WITH THE STRAW HAT! OH MY GOD! DO THEY SELL FIGURES OF THE STATUE? I NEED ONE! OH MY GOD!"
! "Hody killed Otohime and used it to fuel the anti-human sentiment what an absolute shocker, a twist that surely blindsided everyone."
! "Except Shirahoshi I guess."
! "WHY DID AKAINU HAVE TO WIN HE SUCKS"
! "'STOP TRYING TO SIGN UP EVERY FREAK WE MEET!!!' Would you tell Michelangelo to stop sculpting David, Usopp?"
! "Caesar Clown looks like a Homestuck."
! "I manufacture SAD on the daily, it ain't that special."
! "I know enough about synthetic weed to know synthetic devil fruit is a bad idea."
! "LMFAO someone in the question corner asked if they could drink Nami's bath water." I'd totally forgotten about that. How topical.
! [on the Tontatta] "Ugh widdle people with uwu voices. H… h... hewo"
! [around volume 72] "Lmao you were just talking about Discworld and how 40 books in a series is a bit much hahahaha"
! "Bastille: There better not be any funny business goin' on inside that coliseum…
Inside the coliseum: nothin' but funny business."
! "I bet the soldier is Rebecca's dad."
! "The Tontattas can say 'TH' and make the 'L' sound so WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS TO ME"
! "Mingo's Moving Castle"
! "I hope when there's peace the Tontattas can get speech therapy."
! [at Catviper's introduction] "Luxuriating in a huge bath with a huge lasagna sounds like my endgame."
! "Luffy cooking for the crew = you af." The callouts just don't stop.
! [On Tottoland in general] "You want ants? This is how you get ants."
! "Oh, THAT Lola! I knew it would be Big Mom! I'm so smart and beautiful and strong."
! "Hahaha the fedora on top of the straw hat. Fashion, sweaty."
! "That's the wedding cake I want. Luffy's and all."
! "WHAT THE FUCK DID SHE REALLY EAT THEM ALL WHAT THE FUCK"
! "'Pudding coincidentally appears!!' me trying to eat healthy."
! [during the Katakuri fight] "Oh he's definitely having a lie down in there.
I KNEW IT. Smart, beautiful, strong."
! "Sulong = ultra-furry"
! "I hope Stelly gets decapitated somehow."
! "SHOW ME VEGAPUNK."
! "I hope St Charlos also gets decapitated somehow."
! "Why is Overhaul a revolutionary?"
! "She's waiting for Ace like Laboon is waiting for Brook :("
! "Wow, Bat-man really let himself go."
! "I think you've told me about Holdem and his ball-mauling belly-lion before."
! "Why is King like a BDSM pteranodon. Sky leather daddy."
! "New country, new bath scene. Oda's being held at gunpoint about it. It's his own hand and gun."
! "God, imagine getting slapped with the name Bungoh."
! "Caribou needs to be blasted into the sun. I hate looking at him."
! [on Yasuie's execution] "He's such a good egg! Goodnight, goodegg."
! "Chapter 950 I'm a fuckin' hero."
! And the last line of the whole thing: "Thank you… for loving me!"