Wow. I'm just looking at the results of the poll, and where I can't say I'm really surprised, but it's just something to see in concrete results. Seems like a whole lot people really do prefer the manga better. :lol:
Well, both the anime and the manga have things to offer and that's why most of us still bother to get both. Personally, I love reading the manga because the artwork is superb. And there's been so much improvement from the first to the latest chapters. The occasional color spreads are wonderful for me. Especially since Robin came along. :)
With that said however, I love the anime too because of the seiyuu's/voice actors. Hirata Hiroaki, who plays Sanji, is one of my all around favorites. I look into all anime series he's in just to see how he'll pull off his character. Lucky for me, he's doing one of my favorites in the OP anime. :wub: The soundtracks and image songs are a lot of fun.
I think it's good to have a little experience of both. The anime can be understood without having read the manga, and vice versa, but I think not unlike myself, a lot of other fans out there find their encounter with One Piece a lot richer from it.