Posts made by Shasti

@FairyCowsGoMOO:

Which episode of the Apis Arc do Sanji and Zoro wash the dishes together?

That's episode 57.

@ChopChopCannon:

Silence, lower-level life-form.

That's sexual harassment.

The cover story from chapters 83-113. He didn't actually appear in the main manga.

Merry was more than their ship, it was their home. A home that loved them, it turns out.

Now I can see how some of you don't have any particular attachment for a place or thing, and wouldn't care if your car was totaled or your house was washed away by a flood, but apparently the Strawhats cared a little bit more for theirs.

It's part of the story. It's unfortunate that some people don't like this particular part, but hopefully the next ship will be more to your liking.

Bon Kurei was shown to be a Japanese holiday, I believe, making his name fit with the rest of the Baroque Works' agents.

As for the poll, it looks to me like something put together by Shonen Jump, which makes it just as likely that it didn't get completely vetted by Oda before it ran. Wasn't there another instance of this before? Some cards or something?

It's because it's oriental! All those oriental guys can walk on treetops and fly thru the air! Haven't you seen the movies?

Some Americans can, too, but only if they wear colorful tights!

@Yoska:

Ah, okey. Good to know. Sorry about that. The line I have been misreading for over two years now is probably:

You see… I owed your grandfather a "favor" once, years ago...

Ah, but look at this one, stephen's trans, chapter 321:

@stephen:

Aokiji: It would be so easy to crush you here
and end your life… but I have a debt to pay.
Let's call the stakes even... now that you've taken care of Crocodile for me.
Plus...
No... nevermind. That's just Smoker being stupid...
Farewell...

So, which is it? Hard to tell, really. I choose to think Luffy's life is spared here because of taking care of Crocodile, since it's what he said.

@Yoska:

Ao Kiji didn't know that Water 7 was the next island until he left LRLL, with Luffy and Robin, behind:

Following the Log…
The next island should be… huh?!
Water Seven… the "Water Metropolis."

He is surprised.

Still giving him plenty of time to come up with any ideas regarding the Strawhats and CP9. The crew stayed an extra four days(?) at LRLL, I believe.

It doesn't really matter, though. It hasn't been stated in canon yet, and until Oda says something, it's all speculation.

@Yoska:

To be quite honest, I have still hard time following Ao Kiji's reasonings even with all the "granpa debt" stuff. Probably even harder after recent revelations.

There is no "granpa debt." This is a misreading of Ao Kiji's speech to Luffy; he owes Luffy for the defeat of Crocodile. He simply says that Luffy's grandfather gave him a lot of trouble.

@Yoska:

but apparently Ao Kiji didn't even know about Water 7 being the next island from Long Ring Long Land.

He states quite clearly as he's cycling away from Longring Longland that Water 7 is the next island.

It seems quite clear that Ao Kiji orchestrated at least a part of what happened after the Strawhats left Longring Longland. My feeling is that he knew Spandam was up to no good, but didn't want to get involved personally, as Spandam probably has some pretty powerful people backing him. He tested the Strawhats' loyalty to Robin and to each other to see if they could do what he needed, and apparently they passed.

Whether or not he actually intended the Buster Call to happen, or if it was intended merely to be a threat to make Robin comply, I do not know.

I love this story. It seems so simple on the surface, and yet you know Oda has done some really crafty things to make the story end up where it has right now.

Nobody. Nobody on Luffy's crew is more important to him than anyone else. Can't mess that up with boinking someone.

So nobody. Or everybody. No middle ground.

Not so sure I want to, actually. The memory arc wasn't too bad, but I don't think I could make myself sit through Rainbow Mist. Goat sex was damn bad, though I do seem to remember a few decent moments.

It was a pretty fun project, though. Coming to understand why it wasn't so bad the first time I saw it and why it's so bad now was interesting. And seeing how far the crew has come since then was enlightening.

@Malintex_Terek:

It's not really "you're going to the dungeon", but "how about a nice room…in a dungeon!"

That's probably why I did not catch the line. Thanks Cinder!

...

Hah, now I remember why I like Arlong's VA so much.

Actually, what dungeon was he talking about? Arlong Park hadn't been built yet…

This has been done to death. The OP seems to be happy with the dub, and more power to him. Personally, I loathe it. So saying 4kids "improved" it is simply his opinion, nothing more, and with only that post for evidence of his taste, he's not worthy of further notice from me.

It's not the gun edits, the stupid puns, the VAs, the replacement of the music…

It's how they excised huge chunks of story in order to speed up the series.

I don't like the dub. I can't comment on whether or not the series that 4kids is running as One Piece is a decent show or not, because the first thing I heard when I started watching it was Luffy's dub voice, which I can't listen to. Nothing against this particular dub or series; I can't stand that husky shouty little boy voice no matter what series it's used in.

I have, however, checked out the edit lists. Some of the edits are perfectly reasonable, if poorly done. Guns, cigarettes, cigars, blood; these were expected to get the axe. What's upsetting is when they cut large amounts of character development, and eventually, entire arcs of the series.

Considering what 4kids must have paid for the One Piece license, it seems pretty odd that they'd ditch what amounts to a full season's worth of episodes. The general consensus is that the cuts were made to hurry the series along to Chopper's introduction, and so far, that theory is holding up. Very few cuts have been made since he was introduced, and no full episodes have been removed.

Chopper is a merchandising cash cow. I don't think there's a person who's seen him (never mind watched the show) who doesn't recognize it. Perfect plushie material. But 4kids seems to have messed up; they've alienated the existing One Piece fanbase, and the series isn't performing to expectations. So it'll be harder to push the merchandising, if nobody knows who Chopper is.

Oh, and never mind the fact that even though the Japanese series is still funny, its overall tone is getting darker and more mature all the time. Politics, religion, discrimination, civil war, terrorism, fascism, dictatorships, assassination; wow, kids stuff.

I really don't think 4kids really understood what they bought with One Piece. They saw a rubber pirate and a cute reindeer, wacky adventures at sea, and nothing else.

It's just as well that the series has left the Saturday morning children's lineup and gone to Toonami. At least the editing standards will be relaxed a little.

Gonna just go ahead and finish this now, since interest seems to be lacking. Episode 60 Those Who Soar In The Open Skies! Revival Of The 1000 Year Legend Ryuuji is dying. Everyone is going “oh noes” about it except Zoro and Sanji, whose “oh noes” are because Luffy is on a sinking dragon and can’t swim. I like them.

Nice catch, Luffy.

Oho, Luffy’s mad now. Stupid Nelson. Though his speech is not very good. And I don’t recall him being that big on giving pep-talks. But somebody has to convey what Ryuuji’s thinking, so Luffy gets to be exposition whore.

Someone finally tied up the brat, but poor Usopp…

Ugh, bad animation of Usopp here. I haven’t noticed the animation as good, bad, indifferent for most of this arc, but Usopp just looks so bad here…

Nice job splitting the ship.

Very cool, a once-in-1000-years event, and they’re there to see it.

Bleh, more Apis. She’s all sad and mad. Get over it, kid. The dragon died happy.

Erik’s back, and posing like a runway model.

Overall score: 5 out of 10

High points – Luffy sinks the ship! The dragon flight!

Low points – Apis, what else? And the need for so much talky exposition is a big flaw in the storytelling.

Episode 61 Angry Finale! Cross The Red Line! (Half filler)

Nastybad Erik, gonna kill the dwagons.

Awww, Usopp, you saved her! Why?

Luffy spanks Erik. Very nice, but I’d prefer Zoro to have done it.

Ooo! Ooo! Whatshisname! The carpenter dude!

OMG, Luffy asking Apis to join. No. Just….no.

And FINALLY they leave. Hallelujah.

Blah, blah, blah, Apis, will you shut up and let us get back to the story now?

Gramps has the right idea, falling asleep during her speech.

Bah, one last gasp, Erik threatening the crew. Why are they afraid of this poser? Nami takes care of him, tho!

And yes, bye bye, Apis, Erik, and the rest!

Overall score: 6 out of 10

High points – IT’S OVER! The second half of the episode rocks mightily.

Low points – The agony of waiting for Apis to finish speaking. Luffy asking Apis along.

In Conclusion:

My memory was correct. It wasn’t that bad. But having seen a lot more of the show since then, I can certainly see why Apis is so reviled by fans of the series.

I think anyone watching One Piece for the first time, with no spoilers, will find this to be a creditable, if somewhat dull, arc. It has several great moments, and the ending with the dragon flight is beautiful. Apis is a fairly generic anime child who has been shoehorned into the extraordinary world that Oda created. If you put her in a different show, one more tailored to enthusiastic if crackbrained children, she’d be fine.

However, if you’re familiar with One Piece post East Blue saga, you will find parts of this arc to be almost physically painful, and almost all of those parts involve Apis. The crew is often out of character when interacting with her, and her total insipidness as compared to an Oda-created character is nauseating. You keep expecting the Strawhats to act in a manner consistent with what we’ve picked up over the last few years, and when they don’t, it causes righteous fury with the little girl who is the center of the wrongness.

Overall, I think this could have been a not-too-bad filler if they had tossed out Apis and rewrote it slightly so the Strawhats got involved on their own.

Episode 59 Luffy, Completely Surrounded! Admiral Nelson's Secret Plan

The bombardment starts. Apis runs to Ryuuji. Someone tie that kid down.

Panicking Usopp. Played for laughs only. Not very funny.

Big Elimination Cannon! And here’s one of Usopp’s shining moments! Dead Big Elimination Cannon!

But Zoro and Sanji dissing him, boooo!

Second Luffy-as-bridge for the arc. Still think Oda would have done it differently.

Zoro, Luffy’s favorite landing spot. Oh, and Zoro as molestor take 3, with Luffy instead of Apis this time.

Ah, the infamous Zoro-cutting-steel part. Yes, this is a bigbig error on the writers’ part. Though it doesn’t offend me as much as Erik spanking Zoro. Ugh.

Luffy and Sanji vs. gobs of Marines. Big fun! No budget! So instead of an exciting animated fight, we get a bunch of still shots with sound effects. Bleh.

Okay, now we get some animated fighting. Much better. Gomu-Gomu no Pachinko!

Almost free, and here comes Erik.

Bah, they let him get away with the dragon. But at least he took the kid, too.

Kama Kama no double cross!

Hey, Apis bit Erik. Good for her. Maybe he’ll shred her now.

Awww, Ryuuji’s memories of Apis. He should kill her for the flower hat.

The dulcet tones of a senile dragon. It seems they’re as lovely as those of an orangutan we’ll meet much later.

You know, this whole Marine involvement smacks of misappropriation of funds. I’d order an audit right away.

Overall score: 6 of 10

High points – Usopp as sharpshooter! Marines flying everywhere! Erik beats up Apis!

Low points – Usopp bashing. Apis survived. Zoro cutting steel even though Oda hasn’t let him yet.

Episode 58 Duel In The Ruins! Strained Zoro vs. Erik

Apis insults Usopp for being useless? Uh, who made the damn cart to get her pet dragon here? Stupid child.

Do you remember, Luffy? No, he was asleep. Ha!

Nami as Robin. She’s pretty good at it, actually.

What does the kid mean, they have nothing to go on? Nami figured it out, idiot brat!

The birds are flying upside down…

Eeewwww, the crew cheers up Apis so she won’t feel bad about taking them on a wild goose chase. How unpleasant.

Luffy’s hat just got enormous…

“Result Alright” just litters this arc. Must be some new slang in Japan or something.

It’s kind of refreshing seeing the crew surprised by how strong Luffy is. Nowadays, it’s just expected of him.

I guess Zoro vs. Erik would cost too much to actually freakin’ animate!

Overdoing the rollercoaster moments. First on Gunkan Island and now here.

Zoro broke out the bandana for Erik? Oh, man, Oda must have wept.

Apis claiming that a devil fruit power makes anyone too strong for Zoro to beat? Huh? You think he’d have much trouble taking you down, kid?

Booo. Apis taking Nami’s role of nagging Luffy.

Ugh, Zoro disappoints me. He’s so much better than he’s acting in this episode.

cries Zoro reduced to throwing a stick?

Man, that’s some kickass cart that Usopp made. It’s held up so well, and can roll so fast!

Noooooo! Luffy saves Zoro? SACRILEGE! BEGONE, YOU DEMON CHILD! YOU’VE RUINED ZORO! LUFFY CAN ONLY GRAB ZORO AWAY IF HE'S WINNING!

Oh, dear. Nelson’s blockade. The infamous chain wall.

I’m shocked about Nelson being an Admiral. I’d guess they didn’t talk to Oda about his rank.

Overall score: 3 out of 10

High points – Any time Apis isn’t onscreen. Usopp insulting Apis (I know, I’m scraping the bottom of the barrel, here). Smart Nami.

Low points – Apis. Zoro getting spanked by Erik. The writing.

Episode 57 Lone Island In A Distant Sea! The Legendary Lost Island Food shenanigans. And apparently, the cure for senility is hot rice on your head.

Yes! Sanji and Zoro do dishes! Priceless!

Luffy wondering about what kind of island Lost Island is. Silly boy, it’s Meat Island. Why didn’t you say that? But now that I think of it, he didn’t start with the “Island of Meat” things until they got to the Grand Line, did he?

Usopp’s foot is taking a lot of damage this episode.

Apis’s conversations with Ryuuji are boooring. That’s filler. Filler within filler.

The air mirror is masterful. I loved this bit. Luffy playing with it is even better.

Poor Nami. What is wrong with this ocean? Wait till you get to the Grand Line, sister.

Oboy, Sanji is in Zoro’s crotch, along with Apis. The first of Zoro as molester shots. Yaoi fans rejoice!

Ryuuji’s raft comes loose. Water cuts the rope? Huh? Usopp tied that rope! He made a dragon cart out of raw wood and rope that has held together through the most outrageous abuse, and he can't tie the thing to the ship properly? Another instance of sloppy writing.

Zoro as molester, take 2.

The storm could have been a lot more interesting than it was. Kind of a wasted opportunity.

Ramps up the mountain. How convenient.

Wide eyed is a good look for Ryuuji.

They could really use Robin here.

So Erik starts a double-cross of Admiral Nelson. Somehow, I am not surprised.

Overall score: 7 of 10

High points – Zoro and Sanji doing dishes. Molester Zoro. The air mirror.

Low points - Again, Apis. She doesn't belong in this show.

Episode 56 Erik's Raid! Great Escape From Gunkan Island!

Finally some work for Usopp; he’s good imitating Luffy. And the other guys knock the trees down, but it takes Usopp to make a cart. And Usopp will get the ship, but only if Zoro goes with him.

Disturbing image warning: Usopp sucking on a huge bamboo pole.

The rescue of the Merry was fun.

Nose-picking Luffy. A classic.

I like the bit where Usopp finally manages to get the bamboo out of his mouth.

Oh, yeah. I forgot about the Okama thing. Amusing.

Erik makes a weird noise when he's about to slice something. "Shhhchchchchch."

Lots of marine shenanigans. They’re just such cannon fodder.

The ride down the mountain has a couple of fun moments. Like Luffy getting clotheslined.

A little too much with the “Nami-san is so wonderful” gushing from Sanji. There have been something like two per episode so far, and that's overdoing it. But he’s still new to the crew, so perhaps he just settled down a little bit later.

Overall rating: 6 of 10

High points: Harder to pick out, since this episode has more action than any of the previous ones. Bamboo Usopp, Erik the Okama, finally Usopp is used for more than reaction shots.

Low points: Apis was tiresome. Not that she was bad, just…you wish she wasn’t there. She’s really not necessary to the plot at all, if you think about it.

Don't mistake "official" for "best" or even "preferred". It's simply that they have the rights to do the translation. But because they have certain business models (4kids) or ratings systems (Viz) to adhere to, their translations may not be all that faithful to the original.

At this forum, most people prefer an extremely faithful translation. Unfortunately, most official translation sources have changed things around a bit, and therefore are not preferred. This is a place where people from all over the world can get together and discuss One Piece, though it's definitely skewed to English translation.

I really like seeing all the different translations. Stephen interprets some things differently than ooshi, for example. By reading several different translations, I get a better feel for what it's supposed to be, since a lot of Japanese terms don't translate perfectly.

And to defend Viz a bit, there are some things in the original that just wouldn't fly in the US. Like little Nami offering her body in trade for a book. Yes, it's hilarious in context, but it'd be death to the series if the wrong people got a hold of it.

@dragonnick:

4kids, VIZ etc are certainly not "official" in terms of One Piece in the international community.

Sure they are. Because Viz and 4kids have the license from the copyright holder, they are official in whatever countries their license covers.

Just because you don't like their translations doesn't make them any less official.

Personally, I don't really like either "Gomu Gomu no" or "Gum Gum". I've never cared for the shonen convention of shouting out attack names; it's silly. However, if I had to choose, I'd pick "Gomu Gomu no" simply because it sounds less retarded because it's a foreign word.

Hina's job isn't to judge. Her job is to capture wanted criminals. Luffy is a wanted criminal. End of story.

People tend to forget this. There's a difference between the police force (marines in this case) and the judiciary (WG). Whether or not someone is actually guilty of the crime they are accused of is irrelevant. If there's a warrant out for their arrest, it's their job to arrest them. Let the judge decide if they are guilty.

Episode 55 The Holy Beast! Apis' Secret And The Legendary Island

Starts out with long exposition explaining the Calm Belt. I don’t remember where this was covered in the manga, but I'm pretty sure it was canon.

The image of the Sea Kings will never stop being cool. But it is a shame for it to be wasted on a filler.

Nose hair on a sea monster? Who thought that one up? And why didn’t Apis just tell the damn fish to let them go?

I loved Luffy saying “I don’t really get you” to Sanji. I think it's the only time I've seen him be puzzled by Sanji's mooning over Nami.

All right! Luffy asking for yakiniku!

Ugh, “good pirates.” At least the villagers were still skeptical.

Nasty, nasty Admiral Nelson. Doesn't he know one should always chew with their mouth closed? And the choking routine was done better by John Belushi.

The super-long boring story is, well, boring. Luffy wandering away isn't surprising, nor is Zoro falling asleep. But the others? Why did they put up with it? This is crap only Robin could love, and she's not with them yet.

Luffy would never fall asleep if there was food near. Sorry. It wouldn't happen. Especially if he hadn't been fed lately. Big bad blunder on the writers' part.

Gomu gomu no suspension bridge! Cute, but he could have swung across much easier. And it would have annoyed Nami.

Feh, if it’s odd, it must be a devil fruit. That’s such a cop-out. At least Luffy is still pretty much in character. But Nami figuring it out with so little observation smacks of sloppy writing. And the whisper-whisper fruit? Lame lame lame.

Just how did she get the fruit, anyway? And why doesn’t anyone on the island seem to know she ate one?

The dragon's story is bland. Very generic. Nothing special. Oda would have made this interesting, but since he was busy writing more interesting stuff, someone else had to try and be Oda. It didn't work, did it?

Luffy feeding the dragon? Are you nuts? He should have eaten all the butaman while the others were talking and denied it. That's Luffy. Not some strange dude that looks like him giving food away. Overall score: 5 out of 10

High points: The Sea Kings! Luffy asking for a yakiniku shop!

Low points – All the exposition needed is pretty tiresome. Sappy Apis. Again, they seem to have no idea what to do with Usopp. The fact that they used a canon moment (Calm Belt and Sea Kings) in a filler. It's filler! Keep your filthy paws off of the canon story!

Okay, first episode. These are mostly just stream-of consciousness remarks.

Episode 54 Foreboding Of A New Adventure! The Puzzling Girl, Apis

It starts off with a marine getting kicked in the 'nads. Poor dude.

The kid isn’t so bad. She doesn’t sit around and whine and cry, she does something. That’s a lot less annoying to me than the characters who spend their time angsting about things. But she’s damn stupid. Then again, most children are, whether they know it or not.

Admiral Nelson, what a charmer. Though who’d want eternal life in that body?

Mad, impetuous Luffy and his master fisherman routine. Poor Zoro, always the one to get slammed overboard.

So the kid is scared of pirates. Makes sense. Great shot of the crew as evil. Sappy crappy with showing her that they’re “nice” pirates. The Zoro vs. Usopp scuffle in the background is fun.

All in all, everyone except perhaps Luffy is a bit out of character.

Taking the kid home, okay. But Nami would be in it for a reward or something, not just out of the goodness of her heart. Well, at least she’d ask if the kid had rich relatives first.

OMG, she sullied Sanji’s kitchen. If it were a boy, he’d be eating the deck atm. But since she’s female, if not old enough to lust after, he’s heroically holding back. But jeez, Sanji…never mind about hurting her feelings. Just don’t let them waste food. He's just not….Sanji enough.

Liked the interaction between Nami and Zoro, very good. Sanji could have been a bit more forceful, but for the most part here, good characters.

Here’s the deal. So far, the only time the crew has acted really out of character has been when they’re talking to Apis. And out of character crew is annoying. Ergo, Apis is annoying, because you want her gone so they will get back to being themselves.

Erik is very well informed. And very ugly. And is that Kazuki Yao?

They’re awfully casual with the elixir references. I’d think they’d want to keep that hush-hush.

You’d think Nami would be more aware of the Calm Belt, being the super navigator she is, and all. And Zoro is the one who figured it out? But then, he can be very observant when the situation calls for it.

Overall score - 6 out of 10.

High points – evil Strawhats! Zoro getting thrown off the deck…again! And Nami feeds Zoro!

Low points – Apis brings out the sap in the crew, especially Nami. Usopp is barely used.

@dythim:

/me is being ripped off!?!!

Oh no my Apis Meter! >__<

Uh, where am I ripping off? Am I ripping off? I didn't think I was ripping off…

/bow abjectly, but only if I'm ripping off...

Lately, I’ve been giving some thought to One Piece filler arcs. Since we’re getting G8 from K-F right now, and it’s turning out to be really good, I’m reminded of the earlier ones and how very bad they were. And I started thinking (never a good idea) about the Apis arc, which I only watched once, over a year ago.

Now, this arc is despised and reviled, considered by many to be the low point of the whole One Piece anime. K-F used “Apises” to classify how bad some of the filler they were releasing was. The words “Apis arc” could cause generalized nausea and screaming riots. The Apis arc is responsible for global warming and terrorism.

But in my memory, it wasn’t that bad. True, I recall it being lame at points, but I don’t have any memories of wanting to gouge my eyes out or anything. I actually seem to recall a few really cool moments. (If there’s a filler arc that makes my stomach cramp, it’d have to be Rainbow Mist.) So I decided to watch it again with a critical eye, and see if it really is that bad.

Armed with a positive attitude and sufficient alcohol, I will sit down and rewatch the Apis arc, aka the Sennenryu arc, aka Warship Island, aka The Worst Arc in One Piece Anime History.

Over the next few days, I’ll be watching the episodes and posting my impressions of each one. This arc starts at episode 54 and continues until halfway through 61. I shall be armed with white russians and the impartiality of a trial judge. I will survive this ordeal intact, and perhaps instill a new appreciation for an arc that I believe may have been unfairly classified as the worst ever.

And now we begin: The Apis Project!

Take a successful game franchise and make it into an anime! It's guaranteed! Anime gold!

Harvest Moon - The Anime Series!
A young man farms. And harvests. And wow, he feeds his chickens! Eventually, he can make mayonnaise! And gee, it's got romance! He gives his girl a flower! Wow! It'd be so good!

And stay tuned for…..MATH MASTERS! Today, Shinichi enters cosine world!

Nothing to add, really. I like Ubiq's explanation best.

Oh, and Three-Headed Monkey has evil mirror universe Luffy in his sig…

Oookay, so none of OP's characters has had much development?

Nami from chapter 8 is the same as the current Nami?

Luffy is the same Luffy as the one we first saw?

No. Just no.

Nami in chapter 8 was a pirate thief. She trusted nobody but herself, had faith in nothing. Is that the Nami we saw in Water 7, giving that impassioned speech to Luffy about Robin's reasons for betraying them? I think not. Sure, she's still a money hungry harpy, but she's also fiercely loyal to everyone on the crew and protects them with everything she has.

Luffy was a happy-go-lucky kid, having fun following his dream. He stayed pretty much the same until Water 7, where he had to make some tough decisions regarding the Going Merry and Usopp. He's learning about responsibility and the weight of being a leader. The Luffy that just wanted to kick Crocodile's ass is not the same Luffy that is chasing down Lucci to make sure he won't hurt any of his nakama.

I'll agree that Sanji and Zoro probably haven't developed a lot, character-wise. Zoro has dedicated his life to becoming the greatest swordsman, and he's a pretty laconic person anyway. I have noticed him becoming more protective of the crew, and he certainly is one of Luffy's anchors. He does seem to be the one crewmember that can really talk to Luffy in a way he understands. And Sanji, well, his character traits don't really allow for a bunch of growth. Ero-cook, foot fighter, suave man about town. But he and Zoro have an interesting rivalry going on.

Chopper is growing up. Remember, he's only 15, and he's only had his DF for 8 years. Added to that, he didn't meet Hiluluk until some time after that. So for all intents and purposes, he's a child. He learned responsibility from Hiluluk and Kureha, but now he has to learn about the world and how he can make a difference.

Usopp, Usopp, what a guy. Abandoned by his father, orphaned at a very early age, living a life of fantasy that suddenly becomes reality. No massive powers, no DF, just a supernatural ability as a sniper. He said it himself, no more play-pirates, this is the real thing, and he has to step up and be a man. Sure, he's scared. Just means he's smart enough to see how BAD all this is. Doesn't mean he isn't able to work through it and get the job done as best he can. And come on, plenty of people manage to talk themselves through things they don't want to do; he just does it with his bravado and playacting. Captain Usopp, leader of 8000 men! Sogeking from the Island of Snipers! If that's what he needs to do to cope, hell, let him. In the end, he doesn't let you down.

Robin is an enigma. She's 28, so her character is pretty much set; she's lived a life that was pure hell and managed to survive; she's finally found a home. It was probably the last part that was hardest, really; learning to trust again must be extremely hard for her. She's still got great potential. The few times she's stepped forward, she's been invaluable to the crew. Once this arc is over and she accepts the Strawhats as her family, I think she's gonna rock.

Wow. Just wrote all of that, and can't compare it to Naruto, since I only ever read about 14 chapters. Hm. Well.

Oh, hell. I know it's kind of off-topic, but I can't bring myself to delete it.

I really don't see Lucci as the boss of this arc at all. He's just one of a group of assassins that the WG uses to do its black ops dirty work. He's a nasty piece of work, yes, but he's fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Spandam is the head of CP9. Again, just a black ops assassin organization. He's not even as physically powerful as the weakest of his team. He's not particularly intelligent, but he does have a certain crafty slyness that has served him well up to now. But as the main villain of the arc, eh, no.

CP9 is not really equipped to take out a pirate crew as tight and well organized as Luffy's. Their specialty is probably assassination of single political targets, not law enforcement. The marines and the Shichibukai are what the WG usually uses to take out pirates.

I really don't know why Ao Kiji got CP9 to use the Strawhats in their scheme to get the Pluton plans from Iceburg. Was he trying to neutralize Robin? Was he trying to destroy the Strawhats entirely? Was he trying to destroy CP9? What was his motivation for giving the Buster Call to Spandam and telling them about the Strawhats being in Water 7?

As for the boss of this arc, it's the Buster Call.

Arlong = Nami's monster
Crocodile = Vivi's monster
Buster Call = Robin's monster

Luffy will save the day somehow, Usopp will regain his confidence in his abilities, and Robin will be a Strawhat for life. And Oda will surprise me with how he does it.

aokiji may not know ace and luffy are brothers

If Ao Kiji knows who Luffy's grandfather is, I don't think he'd have much trouble knowing who his brother is. Ace is not unknown to him, I feel certain.

Yep, the Streawhats will get all the blame. Franky will also be implicated, but only because he was on Puffing Tom, and that's where most of the information on who was responsible will come from. The Franky Family and the Galley-La shipwrights will be unknown and okay.

Actually, it's probably the main reason Franky would join. He can't stay in Water 7 after this; he's gonna get a bounty placed on him, or at the very least be associated with the Strawhats. What I think is going to happen is that Iceburg is going to take in all the Frankies, and Franky himself will go with Luffy.

Iceburg got lucky. I wonder even now how Spandam got away with his plan to assassinate Iceburg; the man is very important to the WG for the ships he builds. I'm thinking Spandam is going to have a lot to answer for. The whole thing is a public relations nightmare.

Gonna be interesting how they pin the whole fiasco on Franky and the Strawhats.

I tried Naruto. Read the first 14 chapters or so, and gave up. It just never interested me. The only halfway interesting character to me was the instructor who read dirty novels, and he certainly wasn't enough to make me put up with a bunch of sulky kids (or to remember his name, apparently).

My take is that Naruto is actually targeted specifically at young teen boys. That's the targeted readership of Shonen Jump, anyway. It succeeds brilliantly in bringing in that market, because it has the young protagonists (and I feel this is important, having main characters the same age as your targeted group, so self-insertion becomes easier), and follows all the shonen conventions. Not being male or in my teens, it fails spectacularly at holding my interest.

One Piece strikes me as being written for Oda. Not for any audience, but for Oda himself. Not that I'm saying that he isn't aware of what will and will not sell, but I think he writes what he wants to, what he likes, and is having a blast doing it. In that way, it's similar to those old Warner Brothers cartoons, or Bullwinkle, which weren't written for any particular age group in mind, and actually get better when you get old enough to get all the in-jokes.

Anyway, OP has an exuberance and joy about it that gives it life. The characters aren't plot points, they're people you end up caring about. And they don't whine about their sucky pasts, they do something about it. They go forward, they take the bad in their lives and use it to make something good.

So, as far as I'm concerned, Naruto is a formulaic shonen series with nothing new to recommend it, and One Piece is a fresh, funny, weird and wonderful series that never fails to keep me interested, and can cater to an audience of all ages.

And that's my opinion, which is worth about as much as you paid for it. In other words, a few minutes of your time.

My feeling is that the Strawhats will defeat the Buster Call. Above and beyond Robin needing to learn to believe in her nakama, she also needs to be shown that the Buster Call isn't something that can defeat them. It's the last demon from her past that needs to be exorcised.

How it should be done, I have no idea. I just really think that the Strawhats should be able to save almost everyone and maybe even keep the island from being destroyed.

One thing I'm wondering, though… Isn't Garp at Marine HQ with Koby and Helmeppo? He's a Vice Admiral, BC is coming from Marine HQ....

There's one thing that makes me think that Franky will join.

Luffy said his name.

Luffy doesn't remember the names of anyone except for his crew.

My take on the Sanji thing…

What did we know about Sanji? Well, he loves women, is a great chef, fights only with his legs and thinks women should be protected, not attacked. This description has actually caused some people to comment that Sanji isn't capable of much improvement over time, since all he does is kick.

So far during this arc, we've seen at least one of his main attributes change. He fought with his hands. And kitchen knives, no less. The perfect set of circumstances arose to make him change his habits. Attacking with food in a kitchen.

So. Watch him in his fight with Califa. He's not all heart-eyed and spineless. He's actually trying, even though he's still not capable of striking her or even being really harsh in his words - but he's almost there. He actually showed her that he could have taken her out. This is not typical Sanji behavior.

I think that perhaps, with not just one (Robin) but two (Robin and Nami) women to protect, he just might be able to overcome his chivalry to the point where he'll be able to incapacitate Califa in some way. I don't think he'll be able to beat her up. Maybe trap her somehow, or find another pair of those seastone handcuffs...

Anyway, I'm hoping we get a lot of team-up battles. We all know the SH crew is capable of one-on-one fights, but they really need to learn teamwork. Luffy always knew he couldn't get the One Piece on his own, and one-on-one fights aren't how I'd like to see such a tight-knit crew conquer the world.

@omae:

As always, anything could happen but working with info we have at this moment, Sauro has a D. Everyone in the family supposedly has a D. After Foxy arc, Luffy`s life was saved because Ao Kiji chose to spare him because of something his grandfather did which put Ao Kiji in
his debt.

This is a bit off-topic, but I have never seen Aokiji's comment in this way. I think the proper quote is below (from stephen's translation):

@stephen:

Aokiji: It would be so easy to crush you here
and end your life… but I have a debt to pay.
Let's call the stakes even... now that you've taken care of Crocodile for me.

Now, to me, it seems that it's Luffy he owes a favor to, for taking Crocodile out. All I recall him saying about the grandfather was that he had:

@stephen:

Aokiji: You see… I owed your grandfather a "favor" once, years ago...
The reason I'm here is just to take a look at Nico Robin... and you.
And I think...
You ought to die now.

Now, maybe it's just me, but this doesn't strike me as the reason he spared Luffy. I think it's something Aokiji did years ago for Luffy's granddad.

Letting Robin escape from Ohara, perhaps? Which would just reinforce the Sauro as Granddad theory…

mind melts

Technically speaking, a graphic novel is not a collection of previously published material, it's material that has been made specifically for that format. Lots of stuff called 'graphic novel' is actually a trade paperback compilation, but nobody really uses that term much.

The subs are out there, available for anyone who looks. Once you've let them know this, it's up to them whether they want to go download them.

I got into OP with the Viz manga. I'd heard it was a good series, so I ordered it to help fill up a Viz order (their base shipping/handling charge is really high, so I try to order as much at once as I can). I enjoyed it enough to order vol. 2 the next time I did a Viz order. When it came in, I got in the car and found a comic shop and picked up the next 4 volumes. I was hooked.

When I saw that Cartoon Network was going to show the series, I was intrigued. I don't like dubbed anime as a rule, and I'd heard the dub was bad, but I decided to give it a try. My poor TV was made sad that night, as I shouted at it in fury. I'd caught episode 1, and the first words I screamed were, "Why the hell did they give a 17 year old the voice of a 10 year old???"

I still can't sit through a full episode of the dub. Luffy's voice makes me cringe. The changes are jarring. It's too painful to see.

Anyway, I decided to try the internet, see if maybe I could find fansubs. I wasn't holding out much hope, since it was licensed, but I felt compelled to try and erase the horrible memories that the dub had carved into my brain. It took very little time to find the subs, a few days to figure out how bittorrent worked, a few more days to get my WMP to play them (I'm not very computer savvy or patient), and now I am a happy OP addict.

The scars are still there, though. That damn rap theme gets stuck in my head sometimes…. (jabs fork in ears....)

My suggestion is, let people know what they're missing, let them know the sub is out there, and leave it at that.

I know this is weird, but I don't care much for Robin's voice. Not even sure why.

Satori reminds me of Hattori, Lucci's pigeon. I keep expecting him to start making the cooing noises. Most annoying.

Great episode. Had me laughing out loud several times. Zoro's Tarzan yell, then him telling Nami that she had trouble crossing because she didn't do the yell. Robin's deadpan morbidity…."If he'd been eaten, wouldn't the clouds have turned red?" Luffy getting tired of the boomerang thing..."Gomu gomu no....I can't hit it."

Classic. :laugh:

@CosmicDebris:

Well, it seems to have some magnetic pull…but maybe it's just like a dead island. Or maybe the title is deceiving like Little Garden is...it's actually a really nice place.

It's a floating piece of goldfish poo. Remember? Dorry and Brogy mention it right after they kill the Island Eater. Nanimonai island is a giant goldfish turd.

@Sonique:

Can someone refresh my memory? It's been a while since I've seen the uncut episodes… okay so in the dub Vivi has a second eternal compass to Alabasta?... is that it? ... did she ever have a first one in the original? I thought Igaram had it and he got exploded?

How did they get there in the original again? They just went from the island with Chopper to Alabasta right?

In the original, Vivi gave her Eternal Pose to Igaram at Whiskey Peak. It fell into the sea after his boat exploded. Robin offered them another Eternal Pose, to Nanimonai Island, which would have brought them close to Arabasta, but Luffy destroyed it.

The Eternal Pose they ended up with came from the Unluckies; they appeared to give one to Mr. 3 and found Sanji instead. Sanji found it on the floor after the fight.

Back to the topic, then. I didn't see this week's episode. Are you saying they left in the marines intercepting the now non-existant phone call between Sanji as Mr. Prince and Mr. 0?

How amusing.

None of the other zoans I've seen on the anime have changed voices when they changed forms. Not even the weird bird/horse one. Dalton, Pell, Chaka; they all kept the same voice.

One of my favorite things about Chopper is his voice. I found it surprising, unusual, and damn charming the first time I heard it. When I discovered he had the same voice no matter what form he was in, I thought that was great. I still wonder if that was Oda's decision, or Toei's.

http://legato_bluesummers.tripod.com/onepiece/jangodance.htm

That's the Jango/Fullbody one.

Feh, in the One Piece world, seems more like having a dream to chase is more important than anything in determining a "real" pirate.

@Bloodfoot:

Is Franky counted as a "genius" shipwright or something like that? If he is, than he could very well have memorized the blueprints.

Uh, you saw them, right? Big fat roll of paper, sure to be covered with technical drawings, measurements, specifications….

No way he could memorize something like that.

CP9 won't be surprised by Zoro's ability to cut steel. Remember, they have access to all the government's up-to-date info on the Straw Hats. Califa gave that report to Iceburg, in which she stated that Robin was part of the crew, which had only been confirmed a few days before. The marines had reported that Zoro was the one to defeat Mr. 1, and that should have given them some idea of what kind of skill they are dealing with.

Chill stick could just refer to one piece of her staff. Remember, the Clima Tact was made of 3 different tacts: heat, cold, and, uh, lightning? Whatever the third one was. :laugh:

Mihawk strikes me as the type who'd go for being a Shichibukai simply because it would be easier than piracy. No running from marines, just sail around doing whatever he wants. Kill a few pirates on the way.

The blueprints aren't small. If, and this is a big "if", Franky has them on him, the only place I can see them being stashed is his forearms, and I don't believe that's where they are. Not after seeing him make a shield out of one of them.

They're going to have to go back anyway, so if Franky hid the plans elsewhere, it wouldn't be that big a deal. They have to go back to Water 7, and the Straw Hats need to pick up their new ship.

Franky had just spent that 200 million, and he did it somewhere other than Water 7. Perhaps he has some secret Franky cave somewhere, and that's where he's got the plans stashed.