yeah, Randy is the man! I love that we still have some old timers so passionate about One Piece like Randy and Shift.
Chapter 995: A Kunoichi's Oath
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Personally, I'd go with:
"Luffy will never… not be king of the pirates!"
or
"Luffy will never be king of the pirates... not!"
:ninja:
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I agree with those that didn't like Nami's line in the Viz translation. I feel way more faith in Luffy expressed in the many unofficial translations than what the translator chose.
Ulti asked her to say "My captain will never be king of pirates". Having her say "Ok. I'll say it. Luffy will…" was more than enough to express the doubt that she might actually say it.
Choosing to keep the "never" makes the final sentence lose a lot of emotional impact IMO.
One other translation I didn't like is the 2nd/3rd line because I'm pretty sure it's wrong or at the very least very misleading.
The translation makes it sound that Queen isn't including Sanji in the 2nd/3rd but it's obviously Sanji/Zoro is speaking about. I already saw people reading it as Queen talking about Zoro/Drake as the 2nd/3rd which don't make any sense.
In any case, I loved this chapter. I would have enjoyed a few more panels showing how Nami's attacks were ineffective (I guess showing her being headbutted was a bit too much so Usopp had to reprise his Alabasta role :) ) but overall the end result being one of my favorite Nami moment ever surpassed that small disappointment.
I don't think Tama can tame real Zoans and people will overreact to that while we wait for next chapter. Meanwhile I'll be excited to see the match-ups starting to form (Queen vs Sanji seems more than likely now but I wouldn't be so sure as that meaning we'll get Zoro vs King).
Chopper's analysis makes me think that the ice oni bullet might be some kind of "inversion" weapon and that outside cold might actually be a solution to reverse the process.
Reposting my random prediction from spoiler thread: Big Mom will be infected next and by saving her they'll be able to have her leave the battle.
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I wonder how this duo can go toe to toe with BB captains in the endgame if they can't even beat some dinos.:ninja:
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Tama coming up is not that unexpected though, since those artificial smile zoans from the prison pledge their support to the cause.
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My biggest problem with Stephen's translation is that it's a weak answer to Ulti's request. Just because someone will never give up doesn't mean he will achieve his goal.
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I didn't really enjoy this chapter.
Originally, I was very intrigued by Big Mom's and Marco's role in this war. Having Big Mom rush towards Wano felt very exciting and unpredictable at that time. Slotting in Marco, even though he had a perfect excuse not to come, was also interesting. Hinting at a temporary alliance between him and Perospero left me wondering. However, we are approaching almost ten chapters since the last development here, and it feels underwhelming. Big Mom aimlessly moves from one scuffle to another. Marco hasn't been doing anything really. The alliance seems like a clumsy tool to get Perospero and Carrot to square off. I would have zero problems with all of this, if we didn't check in with them all the time. Did we really need a two panel suspense of an "alliance"? I believe, when it's all said and done, there will be a payoff with Mom's and Marco's respective storylines, but I would personally prefer if we would just shelf them until it is time. "I may not know what my role here is yet…" Yeah. Thanks for the reminder, Marco.
I feel a little bit better about Nami's part in this chapter. Seeing her and Usopp's state highlights the danger of the situation. Although the shock of it works, I have to wonder if having an actual build up would have worked better in the long run. Given Oda's track record, I feel this depiction sells the moment short.
Both of those points lead me to a larger worry that I did not experience until this chapter: Cutting back and forth all the time starts to get tiring. I think this is an excellent tool in the beginning of the war, because it sells the chaos. I would have hoped that we would settle at a couple of key scenarios right about now and give them room to breathe. However, Nami's scene seems sort of important and it was not given the room it probably deserved, being undercut by yet another twist and turn.
As an example, having almost an entire chapter focused on the samurai (I believe in 992) really helped that situation to settle. This current chapter almost gave me vibes of the worst Dress Rosa parts, where we cut and back forth between so many scenes while Luffy was running to the top of some castle (sort of like he is doing...again). Those chapters felt super slow and super fast at the same time, because nothing and everything gets focused on at the same time. In this case, Chopper gets infected with a deadly (?) disease. This feels like it should be important, but it also feels like a gag. Weird vibes.
I'm really not sure why Oda does it this way. It's not like he's saving panel space. If we stich together the Samurai/Kaido fight, we probably arrive at 2-3 solid chapters. I assume this will be the case for most plot lines. Aside from establishing chaos, it only introduces problems in terms of focus and emotional investment. At the same time, it creates unrealistic expectations by checking in with most scenes - leading to questions like "Were is Law? What is Kidd doing anyway? Why is Black Maria singing a song right now?". You can never satisfy this. I really hope we will move away from that soon. Reducing the parallel plot lines per chapter to 2 rather than 4 would help a lot, I think.
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Who's Who and Black Maria feel like the worst cases of just being there.
Like, they literally haven't done anything. Meanwhile, the guy that got tied to a random tree and disappeared for a good chunk of the story has already started being relevant.
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For me the thing Chopper noticed is that this virus acts like the opposite of the one used in Udon, which make you a mummie with your body burning in heat. So in order to stop the Oni Plague, he might inoculate the Mummie virus to the Onis, so the two virus cancel each other. And since he was affected by the virus, he is the perfect candidate on whom he can experiment this theory.
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Why dino Drake in this chapter looks Like live action sonic before they fixed him…
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Both of those points lead me to a larger worry that I did not experience until this chapter: Cutting back and forth all the time starts to get tiring.
This is exactly how I am feeling lately, in fact I should have quoted your entire post because of how true it rings.
It's nothing new to modern-day One Piece, but all the cut corners and off-panels and constant jumping around is really starting to take its toll on me. I've enjoyed Kaido vs Scabbards because Luffy notwithstanding, it's the closest in ages we've gotten to a focused sequence. The rest, however ? I watch passively without having the time to get involved. I was looking forward to Yamato's performance after last week, but it's nowhere to be seen. Franky ? Forgotten. Luffy & co got maybe one panel - what good does this do ? I can't help but feel like someone is fast-forwarding me through snippets of what would be a really cool story if it was slower and more focused. Every individual little scene is full of promises and makes me want to stop and watch a little longer, except we're never stopping.
Even Nami's scene - very much in character for her no matter what exact words you put in her mouth, in fact I quite enjoyed Stephen's translation since I had not spoiled myself with someone else's take on it before. But it didn't have any serious build up and the moment Tama jumps in we're done for the day and there's a very real chance we won't see them again next chapter. By the time we get back to how Nami will live up to her words, we may have jumped between another 5 to 10 sequences and whatever emotion her words carried will have gotten quite diluted. And it's the same with pretty much every plot line… -
This is exactly how I am feeling lately, in fact I should have quoted your entire post because of how true it rings.
Great points. I've read and felt a lotta this perspective towards modern One Piece for a while. I don't think I feel it just as strongly, but whenever I read these critiques there's basically nothing I don't agree with on some level. I will say that - because I had fallen behind by around a year for no particular reason lol - my opportunity to re-read Wano all the way up to the present in the middle of the summer did really help me enjoy the arc so far. I read weekly up until a bit past the opening of Act 2, and just fell way behind. I've done it before, but it had been a while. Re-starting the arc back in July and shooting right along made me really drink in a lot of the side characters/plots of the other Acts, and I honestly think Wano is very very strong currently. Not one of my absolute favorites yet, but very good. There are some real lacking elements for me so far too.
Onigashima has been really fun and exciting in a lot of ways. I'm glad how much it's fleshing out the Beasts Pirates. I definitely agree though that after close to 10 chapters of this cut-corner/whiplash inducing presentation of the protagonists - at least on a week by week basis - has made it hard to really sink into each character. And while I loved the Nami and Usopp moment this chapter, there is a harsh lack of pathos-driven Straw Hat emotional investment.
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Wow, I didn't put together that this was you! Loved the live-action predictions!
Thanks Shift! Appreciate that! I'll have a new episode of the live action talks hopefully out sometime next week.
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Would "Luffy will never…" and "...give up! He will become King of the Pirates" in the following panel have been possible? Feels stronger.
Also I'm starting to get a bit a bit afraid. All the off paneling and jumping around starts to feel like Oda really wants to finish in 5 years but knows he can't at his current pace, so he rushes stuff and speeds it up, which doesn't bode well... Hope it's just a "phase"
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She didn't have any doubts though? She just simply didn't want to die, which fits with her characterization.
It is a fine gag to do when they are heading towards Punk Hazard, but having her at all hesitate in the midst of a war that is supposed to Establish the Straw Hats as real contenders is really off putting to me. It has been a decade since the Timeskip and we have seen One Member of the crew in a serious fight that showed off what they could do, and now in the midst of the Arc that is supposed to Establish Luffy and his crew as being on par with the 4 most powerful Pirate crews..we have Usopp one shot, we have Chopper Sidelined and we have Nami cringing like a coward.
It doesn't inspire confidence in me that we aren't going to see a repeat of Dressrosa and Whole Cake Island where Luffy is the only one who gets to shine in battle.
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It is a fine gag to do when they are heading towards Punk Hazard, but having her at all hesitate in the midst of a war that is supposed to Establish the Straw Hats as real contenders is really off putting to me. It has been a decade since the Timeskip and we have seen One Member of the crew in a serious fight that showed off what they could do, and now in the midst of the Arc that is supposed to Establish Luffy and his crew as being on par with the 4 most powerful Pirate crews..we have Usopp one shot, we have Chopper Sidelined and we have Nami cringing like a coward.
It doesn't inspire confidence in me that we aren't going to see a repeat of Dressrosa and Whole Cake Island where Luffy is the only one who gets to shine in battle.
It wasn't a gag either, and again, she had no doubts about saying it. Really weird misread on your part.
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Seems like Big mom is not into wasting 20 minutes on Marco and prefer to either fishin him off quick with Pespero help or avoid the fight altogether cause she has other priorities. I appreciate the commitment. Most people would waste time in a battle they arent invested in. Like all those people in Dressrosa that gave up chasing Doffly for random officers.
Usopp was holding down the fort it seems. Having to deal with 2 officers on his own. Nami was completely useless but she involved in a phisical fight so yay?
Chopper being infected feels very out of nowhere. And that grunt talking to Apoo makes me wonder. How many people can the antivirus help? And do you have to take it after being attacked? Feels weird Apoo havent been defeated yet with Zoro missing attack or teaming up with Drake. There's a whole floor after him. Also Marco is coming to help with his magic flames.
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I took Big mom lines about bnot wasting souls to just be Big mom not wanting to spend time fighting Marco when she could fine Luffy now. Not a matter or ressource depletion.
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I'm really not sure why Oda does it this way. It's not like he's saving panel space. If we stich together the Samurai/Kaido fight, we probably arrive at 2-3 solid chapters. I assume this will be the case for most plot lines. Aside from establishing chaos, it only introduces problems in terms of focus and emotional investment. At the same time, it creates unrealistic expectations by checking in with most scenes - leading to questions like "Were is Law? What is Kidd doing anyway? Why is Black Maria singing a song right now?". You can never satisfy this. I really hope we will move away from that soon. Reducing the parallel plot lines per chapter to 2 rather than 4 would help a lot, I think.
I agree with a lot of the points you've made. Especially with Nami's moment not having enough room to breathe and we were expect it to be big but without the buildup.
Oda has pacing issues and it has gotten really exhaustive for me to do back and forth with people trying to explain why.
He uses the same ways to pad his chapter and apply the war/tension filled back and forth in his arcs after he attempted it that one time in Marineford.
I don't want to be that guy but it is obviously for the sake of tension and because that tension sells in a weekly basis. People have short term attention so from a "my manga has to excite everyone every week" perspective, this jumping around creates that sense of excitement.
But that doesn't necessary means good pacing and sometimes the characters and their actions comes off stupid.
If he's rushing towards a 5 years deadline to end whatever arc/the series, there are ways he can cut the amount of panels for a lot of padding stuff and he is applying the cuts towards the wrong stuff.
Please don't burn me for trying to critique the lord and saviour of this forums, I'm trying to be very objective…I think.A lot of people complain about the anime's pacing but over the years I realize they can be slow as shit because Oda's way of writing allows for that slow brutal pace at moments.
Of course, this doesn't apply for everything because Toei sometimes drag out scenes that Oda surely wanted it to be fast.
But really, it's all starting to mesh as one to me. -
It wasn't a gag either, and again, she had no doubts about saying it. Really weird misread on your part.
Not saying it was a gag, it being a gag would have been out of place but at least understandable, I am not sure where you don't get any level of doubt out of Nami being on her hands and knees saying. "I am sorry He is an idiot please don't headbutt me I am going to die if you do, we will leave the Island" not being a moment of doubt. "She is lying" would work for me if she had a payoff for delaying her death, if she were leading Ulti into some sort of trap like she did back in the Alabasta fight. This time around she blubbered like a weakling, got called on her BS and was gonna die like a putz if not for the fact Tama bailed her out.
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I'm wondering if the anime chooses to animate the off-screen action in this chapter? Considering that part of the point of this scene is the shock value of Nami's injury (and I think Oda didn't want to draw it, if anything, Usopp is meant to be a live example of what Nami might have went through), I would think the smart thing would be no, but who knows if they'll do the smart thing?
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The fact that Queen is shrewd enough to realise taking out the strongest pieces on the enemy’s side would be advantageous to the Beast Pirates suggest he never planned to gift the infected the cure to the Ice Oni plague. Rather he is forcing his enemies to consume their energy and weaken themselves without damaging the main Beast Pirate forces. When Chopper does get the antibody, he would eventually realise the cure is a fake. This I presume would be when Marco arrives to utilise his Phoenix flames to cure Chopper.
Considering Choppper is not human, I am curious to see if the Ice Oni infection reacts differently in him. The Ice Oni plague may just allow Chopper to develop a new transformation for himself. If the Phoenix flames will be used.to help burn the Ice Oni infection away, Chopper unlocking a new form could help bring focus back to him.
As for Queen’s relationship with Judge, I wonder if Queen was one of the Scientist who was part of Judge and Vegapunk’s group before they were targeted by the Marines. This could be where Queen developed as a scientist.
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I am not sure where you don't get any level of doubt out of Nami being on her hands and knees saying. "I am sorry He is an idiot please don't headbutt me I am going to die if you do, we will leave the Island" not being a moment of doubt.
Why of course, she doubts. Doubts that she can make it out of this alive. She has no control over the situation, fears for her life and begins to fold, but even faced with certain death she cannot bring herself to betray her faith in Luffy. "saying so may cost me my life, but I know my captain will never stop until he has accomplished his dream". Isn't that a testament to how deeply she believes in him ? I find it a much stronger statement than voicing support while being on top of the situation.
It does sting that she had to be saved by Tama, but, to me, her claim would have felt weaker if she knew she had a way out and was only bidding her time.
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They will always be cowards. But eventually braver cowards.
And this is a step towards that
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Especially with Nami's moment not having enough room to breathe and we were expect it to be big but without the buildup.
I have to say, for the first time in…probably ever, I thought to myself an entire chapter might be more enjoyable in anime format, because with any luck they would fill the gaps that hurt the most.
I'm daydreaming of course, they can surely manage to get it all wrong in the end. -
Personally, Nami has already been a braver coward for me since she decided to solo Kalifa and not in a Miss double finger (there's zoro to help me, oh now he's held up and I'm cornered so I have no choice) kind of way.
My dislike lies in the need to emphasis on them prevailing over terrifying circumstances when this has been already instilled into their characters.
Their base attributes is no longer purely "cowardice" or "liars", they have a shit load of moments that have changed that.
That's why it didn't hit, at least for me. Long term OP fans already understands the character very well. This is..this is just, you know, something.
Like why the heck am I expected to be surprised when this has been done for god knows how many times.
Alabasta, Skypiea, E7, Thriller, Dressrosa, Cake.
This duo, whether on their own, or together have always been cornered and have either prevailed or transferred to somewhere else and succeed there.
This is formula-esque and done to dead. Oda just wanted Nami to give the speech and this is fan-service but fan-service is not necessary character growth.
yeah so if the previous ten times they were on the brink of death and didn't necessary progress in terms of cowardice, I'm somehow supposed to believe this moment now changes that?
The only way that works is to not have them pull this stunt again and not re-emphasising on negative traits, that by right, they should have overcome it but apparently characters being static= a more dynamic story arc.I have to say, for the first time in…probably ever, I thought to myself an entire chapter might be more enjoyable in anime format, because with any luck they would fill the gaps that hurt the most.
I'm daydreaming of course, they can surely manage to get it all wrong in the end.I mean, they could extend the fight like they did with Sangoro and P7. You never know.
But if I have to place my bets I don't think they will do it because the anime usually reaches arc fatigue by then. Arc fatigue means that they are annoyed with the money they are dumping in so the middle part/less exciting parts of the arc looks like crap or is purposely toned down. -
Personally, Nami has already been a braver coward for me since she decided to solo Kalifa and not in a Miss double finger (there's zoro to help me, oh now he's held up and I'm cornered so I have no choice) kind of way.
My dislike lies in the need to emphasis on them prevailing over terrifying circumstances when this has been already instilled into their characters.
Their base attributes is no longer purely "cowardice" or "liars", they have a shit load of moments that have changed that.
That's why it didn't hit, at least for me. Long term OP fans already understands the character very well. This is..this is just, you know, something.
Like why the heck am I expected to be surprised when this has been done for god knows how many times.
Alabasta, Skypiea, E7, Thriller, Dressrosa, Cake.
This duo, whether on their own, or together have always been cornered and have either prevailed or transferred to somewhere else and succeed there.
This is formula-esque and done to dead. Oda just wanted Nami to give the speech and this is fan-service but fan-service is not necessary character growth.
yeah so if the previous ten times they were on the brink of death and didn't necessary progress in terms of cowardice, I'm somehow supposed to believe this moment now changes that?
The only way that works is to not have them pull this stunt again and not re-emphasising on negative traits, that by right, they should have overcome it but apparently characters being static= a more dynamic story arc.You're right about a lot of things, like the fact that Nami and Usopp had already been brave before, so this kind of scene is nothing new to their characters.
But I think you're making too many presumptions about the purpose of this last scene, as it were written to be a massive character development for Nami that surprises the readers, and that you're supposed to believe that she'll be forever different after this moment. No… you don't need to project this much into it, and I don't think that's what Oda wants you to think. Like... it's just a short scene in between a lot of other stuff... so I'm not seeing the emphasis you suggested either.
Btw, that's one of the reasons why I'm not upset by the lack of an extended build up before the payoff. Only a few pages dedicated to it were enough to me because it's not too important. It would be more concerning to me if Oda had dedicated two entire chapters for this kind of déjà vu - although still acceptable.
Anyway, it's a pretty good scene because the cliche still works and it was well done. There's no problem in having this recurring trope added here and there. In fact, the scene gave a little more grit and emotion to the battle against the Beast Pirates, and it sets a point of reference for how much the Strawhats will have to overcome their limits to win the war.
At last, I want to say that character development doesn't need to be seen as a dichotomy which makes a character move from X to Y definitely, erasing their past self - "they were cowards, now they're brave". It's not one or the other. Nami and Usopp are cowardly and brave, and both feelings inform their decisions according to the situation.
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The Nami and Usopp moment really suffered from cutting in at the end imo. This constant off paneling has really been unenjoyable for me personally. Kanjuro and the dukes vs Jack really suffered from being off paneled as well. The pacing of the whole Big Mom and Marco exchange also kind of feels like it was off paneled, even though we saw it happen. One second she's choking him and the next she's running past him. I feel like I missed a page if that makes sense. Really feels like Oda is trimming each chapter down to only exactly what is relevant, but at least so far, it is taking away from the overall enjoyment imo.
I get that Nami and Usopp are no match for opponents as powerful as Ulti, but it kind of feels like we're at the point in the story where they should be. It's why I like the fact that Luffy vs Katakuri happened last arc. We're at the point where we need to be able to think about Luffy fighting and beating people on that level. It's hard to imagine entering the end game of the series after this arc without Nami, Usopp and Chopper being able to defeat strong opponents but at the same time, from what we've seen of them till now, they are nowhere near Ulti and Paypay's level. Most of the strawhats could have done with one other decent fight in the arcs before this.
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Rather than expressing the courage existing behind the cowardice for Nami and Usopp, the scene seems more tailored towards expressing to everyone else just how different Luffy is to other Pirate King candidates within the Grand Line. In addition, Nami's actions within this chapter answered the question Franky posed to her in chapter 989. I believe there is relevance and an inspiring element in including this moment with Nami.
Ulti wants to invalidate Luffy's conviction through Nami's (and Usopp's) admission of defeat and non-belief in Luffy's dream the same way Ulti feels her belief in Kaido is validating his claim to the Pirate King title (plus Ulti is projecting her own desires). Outside of Luffy's allies, none of the serious contenders even believes Luffy has a remote chance of being the Pirate King.
The chapter starts with Marco fighting Big Mom to prevent the her from interfering with the Straw Hat Pirates battle against the Beast Pirates and goes on to the Mink attacking Perospero while mentioning that Pedro's "death" (the Mink who believed that Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are the ones the Kozuki clan, the Mink and Roger have been waiting for) brought them to this battle. Further in the chapter, we see Drake, a marine who has relied on Coby's impassioned words of Luffy, fully committed to fighting alongside the Straw Hat Pirates. And after Nami's declaration of Luffy's will, Tama shows up to assist them. The kunoichi-in-training who has been spurred into action because of Luffy (and Ace). This whole chapter and even the chapters leading up to chapter 1000 seem heavily geared towards Luffy's allies supporting his dream and spirit to be the next Pirate King. Whether it be Yamato, who has been waiting for Luffy for three years and is currently learning to believe in herself more (beyond her "Oden" persona) because of Luffy. Or Momonosuke, who is embracing the position of a leader by acting beyond his age thanks to the ironclad will Luffy has shown through their journey. Or Kin'emon who find himself offended at Kaido's mockery of Luffy. Or Hyogoro, who has noticed the peculiar qualities of Luffy. Kid and Law will have their moment soon in expressing their perception of Luffy and support in his fight to be the next Pirate King. In Kid's case it would be substantiating Luffy's belief by accepting him as a rival for the position of Pirate King.
Even if those allies don't directly support Luffy's dream, they are indirectly supporting it by casting in their lot with Luffy. By chapter 1000, Kaido and the Beast Pirates may just realise how truly dangerous Luffy is to them.
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But I think you're making too many presumptions about the purpose of this last scene, as it were written to be a massive character development for Nami that surprises the readers, and that you're supposed to believe that she'll be forever different after this moment. No… you don't need to project this much into it, and I don't think that's what Oda wants you to think. Like... it's just a short scene in between a lot of other stuff... so I'm not seeing the emphasis you suggested either.
But you do agree that it has been done before, like this "beat down" onto the cowards and then the rise up has been done multiple times before..right?
So I'm not exactly wrong that this is kind of like a tool being used to dramatize the characters.
But the problem here is this, it kind of disrespect or disregards their progression. Of course, Oda might not want this to be their big moment but if you really think about it is Nami's hesitation really worth adding so much drama to when you consider all that she has been through?
Doesn't this kind of feel cheap?Btw, that's one of the reasons why I'm not upset by the lack of an extended build up before the payoff. Only a few pages dedicated to it were enough to me because it's not too important. It would be more concerning to me if Oda had dedicated two entire chapters for this kind of déjà vu - although still acceptable.
Maybe instead of repeating what has been done before, it would be better if a different approach is taken.
Like look, we know from Sanji kicking Jabra's nose and his speech that "all the crew members have something they and only they can do".
I agree with that but this gets really aggravating when it becomes "hey look someone is physical tougher, oops instant loss".
It's the same shit whenever Sanji gets a fight with a woman and he loses because of moral codes.
Moral codes is actually more tolerable because that's a core to be respected but this just isn't it either. A huge blame goes to the fact that the fight was cut but depicting them as powerless and begging for their knees just to provide a fanservice service irks me.
He WANTS to have nami do their luffy will be a pirate king speech at the cost of her character.Anyway, it's a pretty good scene because the cliche still works and it was well done. There's no problem in having this recurring trope added here and there. In fact, the scene gave a little more grit and emotion to the battle against the Beast Pirates, and it sets a point of reference for how much the Strawhats will have to overcome their limits to win the war.
I don't get why limits always have to be physical when we are not using the same criteria to judge their wins.
Obviously Sanji and Zoro will surpass their physical limits to win the war but you can't use that same criteria to judge this duo because for them it is always about overcoming their wits and being more smarter than the other guy.
Them being physically beaten up does not mean they are their limits but them exhausting all their tricks, intelligence and still failing is the limit and the standards for the coward duo.
Except all that is being removed just to drive Oda's point of "Yep, they can't do this, it's like set into stone but I'll make them do something else really cool later!!"
That's fine but to just blitz directly to the outcome really irks me as if they are not organic characters that would have likely taken the fight really seriously and have dealt some damage to the dinosiblings.
I don't know, I think my expectations of the series change over the years.
A piece on a chessboard would move like how they did this chapter, tick off the arc-to do list and moments-I-better-remember-to-insert list.
But organic and characters that has grown likely won't.You can argue that "but hey, they'll push past the limits you mentioned and shine later on" and I'll bring back the question of whether the value of that is diminished when you consider that those shiny moments require a favourable set of circumstances to line up for them, AGAIN. That's what I meant by, yeah even if they have specific roles, when they are out of those moments they shouldn't suck that badly after 10 arcs of almost dying.
At last, I want to say that character development doesn't need to be seen as a dichotomy which makes a character move from X to Y definitely, erasing their past self - "they were cowards, now they're brave". It's not one or the other. Nami and Usopp are cowardly and brave, and both feelings inform their decisions according to the situation.
I get that and I agree with you, they are not mutually exclusive but that's not the issue I have with this.
I feel like this whole scene could hve been handled better.Also, to edit on, I am projecting and you are right.
But everyone projects their expectations on what they are reading, I don't see how I am any different.
Except this time my opinion is more controversial because while most people sees this as character progression, I'm very close to calling it regression.
If I don't project and think about what are the storytelling elements and shortcuts are being used, I would buy this as a huge Nami's moment.
But yeah, it is a Nami's moment just not a really good one.
I'm not stephen king or a ghostwriter but following her character for so long really did annoy me with how this was handled. -
Even among the "I do believe in Luffy, I do, I do!" moments, is this the first time such a declaration has been followed by the character in question needing to get bailed out from certain doom? Like, usually these declarations are followed by the character pulling through whatever obstacle is facing them. In the most obvious comparison, Usopp and Chopper manage to beat the Mr 4 pair after Usopps big speech. Zoro tanks all of Luffys damage. Jinbe shows up an emperor, and everyone cheers at how awesome he is.
Whereas Nami looks completely and utterly spent, and her decidedly more tearful, non-assertively framed declaration is followed by getting saved by an elementary schooler and her big dog.
This happening 7 chapters after also being saved from death at the last possible moment at the end of an incredibly abridged plotline doesn't help matters.
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The long hold until he hits his arbitrary chapter number is hurting the pacing in oh so many ways
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Well, the whole point of the scene is that Nami chooses death before saying Luffy won't be pirate king. As Usopp says, she could have easily lied to get out of it, but she just couldn't, just like Bellemere when she died. So it is important that Nami really can't turn the situation around and would have died there for it to work. You can like it or not, but that's what Oda was going for.