I have to agree the part that has souring effects is mostly the expectations. Thoroughly analyzing a piece of art can just as well be done from the viewpoints of ignoring the the existence of the curtain in whole -from either side of it- or aknowledging it's inseperable place as part of the medium. Cancellations of magazines affecting the flow of the story and such are things that can answer questions lenses disregarding the authorial touch just cannot.

There is however a huge difference between what is and what ought be, and when we have a series like One Piece that in it's relatively early run set new standards for what ought be face real life hiccups such as a pandemic what is comes into real conflict with what ought be. And let's be honest, that ought is often very subjective and abstract for each viewer. Yet it's important enough that even when reconciling known factors it can leave a bad taste in the mouth of the reader. A taste so bad it can be even therapeutic to indulge in a bit of speculation and narrative building.

In the long term I think such behavior can only turn toxic in regards to one's ability to engage the final product that actually exists. A whole community can be swept in the tide of misguided oughts. But that's not AP forums, even if doomerism sets in every once in a while. I can't and don't want to speak for OP fandom on twitter or reddit, but this forum is usually pretty good at engaging with the work, with differing viewpoints of other forumers and keeping their speculation tied to understanding OP instead of raging at the heavens for it not being something entirely different they want it to be.

To really end this post that got away with as cheesy a note as possible I'd like to note that examining those expectations can and should also lead to healthy analysis of where they stem from. The fodder for it may come from statistics or interviews but the expectations come from within and something something OP is about accepting your true self. Sometimes that means blaming marketing trends for bad story choices, sometimes it means stepping away from the series for the duration of the current arc. Most times it means sorting out our feelings by having fun and/or heated conversations about a thing we love on this wack internet island.

@Ivotas
I think with Oda's wild variety of designs we'll never see two that are the same, unless it's somehow plot relevant. Like with fishmen and merpeople. But I also think there's no reason there wouldn't be two of a kind, just most likely off screen. Or heck, maybe in a cover story segment.

I also mostly agree with desa's take. But thinking of how we've -if memory serves- had next to no SBS info on the matter it might be something intentionally left for later...

@Cyan-D-Funk In a couple weeks we'll see if he's truly balling. Glad to see Oda didn't drop the old balls.

On a less smooth brained note I highly agree with Greg's recommendation of channel. Great entry point. I'd say checking out Overly Sarcastic Productions' newer retellings of fables is a good way to continue, since those often bring up interesting connections and contradictions with what we know of the stories. From there the deep dive awaits

I have to say ch244 was a perfect comparison point when it comes to why Egghead has slowly been letting me down after it's amazing start: characters interacting naturally vs acting as backup dancers and using the medium effectively to convey the mood and depict the drama. Everything from when Luffy points out how -as usual of him- he's been much more perceptive of the feelings of others around him to Conis' breakdown is just certified One Piece goodness. The more Egghead keeps teasing and juggling I slowly start losing interest.

Every chapter feels great in the moment, and the developements seem exciting, yet the moment I reflect on the arc as a whole it feels emotionally under loaded? I just hope when it comes time for the payoffs the drama is allowed to play out in full force and I'm really hoping it's not gonna be just teasing after teasing untill the very end, but an unpredictable ebb and flow of emotions.

That almost sounds like the Naruto that got set up in the early chapters with inter village politics and taking on missions you might not agree with.

What we didn't see under Imu's pile of bounties was Chopper's. The Shadow King didn't even need to think about that one

That almost sounds like the Naruto that got set up in the early chapters with inter village politics and taking on missions you might not agree with.

I didn't even get personally burned by that many endings, yet the ghost still has it's claws on me. For me it was seeing the big three all cascade into war arcs to try to one up each other in real time that permanently reminded me that for all it's author driven freedom big serialized manga is still tied to it's own weight and that can absolutely pull any juggernaut pretty deep. OP made it out pretty ok out of Marineford but I know I'm not alone in thinking some choices made there have cascaded well beyond easy to disregard.

I have to agree the part that has souring effects is mostly the expectations. Thoroughly analyzing a piece of art can just as well be done from the viewpoints of ignoring the the existence of the curtain in whole -from either side of it- or aknowledging it's inseperable place as part of the medium. Cancellations of magazines affecting the flow of the story and such are things that can answer questions lenses disregarding the authorial touch just cannot.

There is however a huge difference between what is and what ought be, and when we have a series like One Piece that in it's relatively early run set new standards for what ought be face real life hiccups such as a pandemic what is comes into real conflict with what ought be. And let's be honest, that ought is often very subjective and abstract for each viewer. Yet it's important enough that even when reconciling known factors it can leave a bad taste in the mouth of the reader. A taste so bad it can be even therapeutic to indulge in a bit of speculation and narrative building.

In the long term I think such behavior can only turn toxic in regards to one's ability to engage the final product that actually exists. A whole community can be swept in the tide of misguided oughts. But that's not AP forums, even if doomerism sets in every once in a while. I can't and don't want to speak for OP fandom on twitter or reddit, but this forum is usually pretty good at engaging with the work, with differing viewpoints of other forumers and keeping their speculation tied to understanding OP instead of raging at the heavens for it not being something entirely different they want it to be.

To really end this post that got away with as cheesy a note as possible I'd like to note that examining those expectations can and should also lead to healthy analysis of where they stem from. The fodder for it may come from statistics or interviews but the expectations come from within and something something OP is about accepting your true self. Sometimes that means blaming marketing trends for bad story choices, sometimes it means stepping away from the series for the duration of the current arc. Most times it means sorting out our feelings by having fun and/or heated conversations about a thing we love on this wack internet island.

I have to say ch244 was a perfect comparison point when it comes to why Egghead has slowly been letting me down after it's amazing start: characters interacting naturally vs acting as backup dancers and using the medium effectively to convey the mood and depict the drama. Everything from when Luffy points out how -as usual of him- he's been much more perceptive of the feelings of others around him to Conis' breakdown is just certified One Piece goodness. The more Egghead keeps teasing and juggling I slowly start losing interest.

Every chapter feels great in the moment, and the developements seem exciting, yet the moment I reflect on the arc as a whole it feels emotionally under loaded? I just hope when it comes time for the payoffs the drama is allowed to play out in full force and I'm really hoping it's not gonna be just teasing after teasing untill the very end, but an unpredictable ebb and flow of emotions.

I want Robo-Imu's theme to be "Overtaken?"

@Cyan-D-Funk In a couple weeks we'll see if he's truly balling. Glad to see Oda didn't drop the old balls.

On a less smooth brained note I highly agree with Greg's recommendation of channel. Great entry point. I'd say checking out Overly Sarcastic Productions' newer retellings of fables is a good way to continue, since those often bring up interesting connections and contradictions with what we know of the stories. From there the deep dive awaits

Thanks for the photo, redon! Can't wait to get my hands on this

@Ivotas
I think with Oda's wild variety of designs we'll never see two that are the same, unless it's somehow plot relevant. Like with fishmen and merpeople. But I also think there's no reason there wouldn't be two of a kind, just most likely off screen. Or heck, maybe in a cover story segment.

I also mostly agree with desa's take. But thinking of how we've -if memory serves- had next to no SBS info on the matter it might be something intentionally left for later...

@Ivotas
My take was always that they're akin to the "famous rulers" of areas of water. Weird mutations that managed to live old and grow big, but taken to OP levels of exaggeration. I don't think much of anything in the text supports this, so it's just a place holder theory based on their unique designs. Oh and the Lord of the Coast!

Sea Kings - your local fishy Emperors!

Waiting to get a juicy explanation for them, but honestly I'd prefer no explanation to a convoluted way to tie everything neatly together. Keep the world big and mysterious.