Final Match One Piece vs. Fullmetal Alchemist

[Shobu_Yoruichi]

What's with all the OP having good art?

Oda does this ones, 10 to 12 a year.

Spoiler

It looks like something from the 70s with an acid trip.

Nope.

Spoiler

It's worse xD It's characters don't want to be portrayed such detailed faces, is a thing of them, not about us, readers.

Where is the shading,

The shade is reserved... for only one character:

Spoiler

where is the detail?

Do you want detail? Picasso, shojo drawings, grotesque drawing, etc.

Spoiler

Why do the women look like their waists are going to snap in half?

The actual antagonist...

Spoiler

I don't see her waist xd What was the female antagonist in FMA?? Lust, what did she do? Seduce Mustang, and was always with the fatty... bah, a woman drawing woman only as a sexual point, what a shame.

Oda tries to do expression artwork but the way he does his facial expressions and the lack of detail is just lazy drawing.

Look what he did with his MC:

I suppose, that after all this, the art of Oda is rather well defended, the hardest part for a mangaka is to draw kimonos, thing it will come in the next arc, so i pressume his artwork it will only improve.

Keep in mind, Hiromu Arakawa did FMA without a mat leave. That's right, she had a screaming baby and body feeling tired and she pulled out something amazing.

Regarding that, the ones that should be praised are those coming from the magazine that despite single chapters, usually come with two in the same issue, like Nakaba's Nanatsu or Mashima's Fairy... that's hard work, and without saying that most of the times they're required to do colorspreads, the very Oda has to... through 20 years and Arakawa was 9 years while creating concepts to other series, typical japanese hardworking people are to expect things like this.

It's

Art
Story
Characters
Fights/Conflicts
Enjoyability

Oh... i lacked enjoyability!

Spoiler

Nah, i'd prefer to keep it there, crap jokes are too funny, too much advantage to OP xD Thx anyways.

 

[TotalEconomist]

@Erinyes Don't worry, I gave HxH a pity vote for third place :3

 

[Organizized]

@Shobu_Yoruichi Not how I’d have defended it, but since I don’t have time right now I’ll take what help I get. (Also, hilarious.)

I’ll try to do some actual campaigning later, should have some time at least.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 30, 2017, Original Post Date: Oct 30, 2017 ---

What's with all the OP having good art? It looks like something from the 70s with an acid trip. Where is the shading, where is the detail? Why do the women look like their waists are going to snap in half? Oda tries to do expression artwork but the way he does his facial expressions and the lack of detail is just lazy drawing.

I find it funny that in the round against OPM, I had to defend One Piece when Jammin said the art style's fault was that it gets too 'cluttered', due to Oda wanting to put too many things into a single page (read the link I imbedded for my take on that) and this round I have to point out where these too-many details are?

Can my answer be "everywhere"? Okay, I'll grant you the first arc/saga or so was kinda simple in its art style but after that it's been drastically changing and improving, and now there's fine detail all over.

Spoiler

I honestly can't take you seriously or even believe you've ever tried to look at One Piece without scornful eyes if you ask "where is the detail, where is the shading? Heck, I'd argue Oda uses shading much more, and more proficiently than Arakawa, so don't pull the "shading" card in this round. Indeed, FMA is mostly a very "clean looking" manga for that reason, and I'd say it's a good thing, just like it is with One Piece which doesn't overuse the use of shading either, but instead only where it adds a good effect to the art.

I think you're mistaking "detail" for "realism". And realism has never been what One Piece has been about. You may think something like this:

Spoiler

looks more detailed and realistic than the One Piece examples I posted above, and I can't fault you because FMA is gorgeous as well, but when you try to make it sound like One Piece isn't detailed and well-crafted art-wise, you kind of make yourself look a tiny bit ignorant in my opinion.

Agh, honestly while going through so many pages of both manga while typing this post, I can't believe I even have to be typing it. One Piece is, in my mind, much more detailed than Fullmetal Alchemist is, and as we've established that can be a bad thing for some. Like I said, one of the great strengths of Fullmetal Alchemist is how clean it looks without managing to get uninteresting art-wise (like Bleach did for me). It doesn't cram too much in, but manages to be detailed in its frame composition, its angles and in getting the focus right. It does these things better than One Piece.
At the same time, the incredible quantity of details of One Piece never fails to give me a sense of adventure and of the impossibly rich universe Oda has managed to build. And you asked "where is the detail", which spawned this post that I felt obligated to make instead of the campaign post I had in mind.. well, if you honestly still don't see it then I guess this whole post has been a waste of time, but I couldn't just let something like that stand. Also, we have so much fun discussing these things, right?

As for character expressions, well, I could write just as much about that as I did about the detail above and include as many examples, but it'll be faster if you just read the whole thing again and switch the word "detail" for "facial expressions".

In the end, these series's artworks work perfectly for what each series is going for. I couldn't tell you which is better, because artwork like Fullmetal Alchemist' in a series like One Piece would've gotten INCREDIBLY DULL and uninteresting real fast, while artwork like OP's in a series like FMA would take away from the deeper, more serious overall tone and make readers lose focus of the core story which needs to be constantly prominent.

Now, I don't know how to end this post, so in an attempt to bring down the salt level of this post a bit I'll end it with another, fitting picture.

 

[Reebi]

Oda does this ones, 10 to 12 a year.

Spoiler

Nope.

Spoiler

It's worse xD It's characters don't want to be portrayed such detailed faces, is a thing of them, not about us, readers.

The shade is reserved... for only one character:

Spoiler

Do you want detail? Picasso, shojo drawings, grotesque drawing, etc.

Spoiler

The actual antagonist...

Spoiler

I don't see her waist xd What was the female antagonist in FMA?? Lust, what did she do? Seduce Mustang, and was always with the fatty... bah, a woman drawing woman only as a sexual point, what a shame.

Look what he did with his MC:

I suppose, that after all this, the art of Oda is rather well defended, the hardest part for a mangaka is to draw kimonos, thing it will come in the next arc, so i pressume his artwork it will only improve.

Regarding that, the ones that should be praised are those coming from the magazine that despite single chapters, usually come with two in the same issue, like Nakaba's Nanatsu or Mashima's Fairy... that's hard work, and without saying that most of the times they're required to do colorspreads, the very Oda has to... through 20 years and Arakawa was 9 years while creating concepts to other series, typical japanese hardworking people are to expect things like this.

Oh... i lacked enjoyability!

Spoiler

Nah, i'd prefer to keep it there, crap jokes are too funny, too much advantage to OP xD Thx anyways.

Only the chapter titles looked like it had effort. The rest was bland and looked like he drew it while stoned. That's the problem with a lot of weekly series, it's done quickly and art is rushed. If you look at the way he draws his eyes and faces, there is a lack of not just detail but life. If only one character gets shading, that's just lazy. Look at my avatar and the little things Yu Watase but it. Each hair swoop has a place and the eyes have life with the amount of brush strokes and technique. Oda lacks technique and his artwork shows it.

With FMA, people are drawn with excellent shading with wonderful greyscaling.

Look at the folds of the clothing, and how Hoheheim's hair has detail. Ed's hair is very similar but has straight lines. Al's face has perfect jagged lines but his eyes sparkle for a robot to show he is human.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 30, 2017, Original Post Date: Oct 30, 2017 ---

@Shobu_Yoruichi Not how I’d have defended it, but since I don’t have time right now I’ll take what help I get. (Also, hilarious.)

I’ll try to do some actual campaigning later, should have some time at least.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 30, 2017, Original Post Date: Oct 30, 2017 ---

I find it funny that in the round against OPM, I had to defend One Piece when Jammin said the art style's fault was that it gets too 'cluttered', due to Oda wanting to put too many things into a single page (read the link I imbedded for my take on that) and this round I have to point out where these too-many details are?

Can my answer be "everywhere"? Okay, I'll grant you the first arc/saga or so was kinda simple in its art style but after that it's been drastically changing and improving, and now there's fine detail all over.

Spoiler

I honestly can't take you seriously or even believe you've ever tried to look at One Piece without scornful eyes if you ask "where is the detail, where is the shading? Heck, I'd argue Oda uses shading much more, and more proficiently than Arakawa, so don't pull the "shading" card in this round. Indeed, FMA is mostly a very "clean looking" manga for that reason, and I'd say it's a good thing, just like it is with One Piece which doesn't overuse the use of shading either, but instead only where it adds a good effect to the art.

I think you're mistaking "detail" for "realism". And realism has never been what One Piece has been about. You may think something like this:

Spoiler

looks more detailed and realistic than the One Piece examples I posted above, and I can't fault you because FMA is gorgeous as well, but when you try to make it sound like One Piece isn't detailed and well-crafted art-wise, you kind of make yourself look a tiny bit ignorant in my opinion.

Agh, honestly while going through so many pages of both manga while typing this post, I can't believe I even have to be typing it. One Piece is, in my mind, much more detailed than Fullmetal Alchemist is, and as we've established that can be a bad thing for some. Like I said, one of the great strengths of Fullmetal Alchemist is how clean it looks without managing to get uninteresting art-wise (like Bleach did for me). It doesn't cram too much in, but manages to be detailed in its frame composition, its angles and in getting the focus right. It does these things better than One Piece.
At the same time, the incredible quantity of details of One Piece never fails to give me a sense of adventure and of the impossibly rich universe Oda has managed to build. And you asked "where is the detail", which spawned this post that I felt obligated to make instead of the campaign post I had in mind.. well, if you honestly still don't see it then I guess this whole post has been a waste of time, but I couldn't just let something like that stand. Also, we have so much fun discussing these things, right?

As for character expressions, well, I could write just as much about that as I did about the detail above and include as many examples, but it'll be faster if you just read the whole thing again and switch the word "detail" for "facial expressions".

In the end, these series's artworks work perfectly for what each series is going for. I couldn't tell you which is better, because artwork like Fullmetal Alchemist' in a series like One Piece would've gotten INCREDIBLY DULL and uninteresting real fast, while artwork like OP's in a series like FMA would take away from the deeper, more serious overall tone and make readers lose focus of the core story which needs to be constantly prominent.

Now, I don't know how to end this post, so in an attempt to bring down the salt level of this post a bit I'll end it with another, fitting picture.

For every crappy FMA panel there is one for OP. His backgrounds have detail but his characters are lazy. He's getting better but compared to the rest of the titles here, OP artwork is one of the worse. Realism =/= detail but the characters and their clothing isn't on par with other series.

 

[Organizized]

For every crappy FMA panel there is one for OP. His backgrounds have detail but his characters are lazy. He's getting better but compared to the rest of the titles here, OP artwork is one of the worse. Realism =/= detail but the characters and their clothing isn't on par with other series.

I didn't pick crappy FMA panels, if that's what you thought. I picked some of my favorite ones I could find with a quick Google.

Very rarely has the slight lack of details of the characters clothing affected the actual whole of the scene they're in. And it's not like Oda pays that thing no mind at all. Hell, with the amount of detail he puts into everything else, it's amazing he can put the detail that he actually (for the most part) does into things like creases in the clothing etc.

And really, it all comes down to what fits the series as well. You say the characters are done "lazily", I say they're just right. If there was tiny detail on every character when the focus is on the vast detail of the background, or the focus is on the general feel of the scene, it would add to the 'cluttered' sense that I mentioned in the previous post. But when the scenes are mostly about characters meeting, conversing, or when a character is introduced... when their looks and design is where the focus is intended to be, it's usually quite sufficient.

Spoiler: Zoro

Spoiler: Crocodile

Spoiler: Katakuri

Spoiler: Brook

Spoiler: Sabo

Spoiler: Boa Hancock

Spoiler: Shanks (and his crew)

Spoiler: Rayleigh

Spoiler: Mihawk

Basically, the artwork of the characters is detailed enough when it needs to be. The times it isn't, the creases in the characters clothing or the strands of their hair isn't what the author intends you to be looking at, but wants you to take in the whole of a scene, an interaction between characters, or something else besides the details of the characters.

And I'm always going to think One Piece has more fun and memorable character designs overall than Fullmetal Alchemist, so even if the characters aren't as constantly well-drawn, it still wins in the overall "Character Design" department in my book.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 30, 2017, Original Post Date: Oct 30, 2017 ---

It’s important to keep in mind I see artwork in manga as a means to move a story forward. That’s the main purpose, and that’s what I base most of my opinion on “good art” on. FMA and One Piece are equal in this aspect.

If I wanted nothing but near-perfectly drawn panels technique-wise, I’d sit around looking at nothing but fan art (and read series like Vinland Saga, Vagabond and One Punch Man).

 

[Reebi]

I didn't pick crappy FMA panels, if that's what you thought. I picked some of my favorite ones I could find with a quick Google.

Very rarely has the slight lack of details of the characters clothing affected the actual whole of the scene they're in. And it's not like Oda pays that thing no mind at all. Hell, with the amount of detail he puts into everything else, it's amazing he can put the detail that he actually (for the most part) does into things like creases in the clothing etc.

And really, it all comes down to what fits the series as well. You say the characters are done "lazily", I say they're just right. If there was tiny detail on every character when the focus is on the vast detail of the background, or the focus is on the general feel of the scene, it would add to the 'cluttered' sense that I mentioned in the previous post. But when the scenes are mostly about characters meeting, conversing, or when a character is introduced... when their looks and design is where the focus is intended to be, it's usually quite sufficient.

Spoiler: Zoro

Spoiler: Crocodile

Spoiler: Katakuri

Spoiler: Brook

Spoiler: Sabo

Spoiler: Boa Hancock

Spoiler: Shanks (and his crew)

Spoiler: Rayleigh

Spoiler: Mihawk

Basically, the artwork of the characters is detailed enough when it needs to be. The times it isn't, the creases in the characters clothing or the strands of their hair isn't what the author intends you to be looking at, but wants you to take in the whole of a scene, an interaction between characters, or something else besides the details of the characters.

And I'm always going to think One Piece has more fun and memorable character designs overall than Fullmetal Alchemist, so even if the characters aren't as constantly well-drawn, it still wins in the overall "Character Design" department in my book.

--- Double Post Merged, Oct 30, 2017, Original Post Date: Oct 30, 2017 ---

It’s important to keep in mind I see artwork in manga as a means to move a story forward. That’s the main purpose, and that’s what I base most of my opinion on “good art” on. FMA and One Piece are equal in this aspect.

If I wanted nothing but near-perfectly drawn panels technique-wise, I’d sit around looking at nothing but fan art (and read series like Vinland Saga, Vagabond and One Punch Man).

Art is a factor in enjoying manga because if not most wouldn't be fans. Most of the best artwork titles have been voted out, which suggests people aren't voting based solely on it. One Piece does have a following and has some great arcs but I find FMA has more consistency in their storyline. It knew when to end and when to expand. The characters developed better and the themes are well defined.

I can see One Piece as being a fun manga and a favourite but it terms of which is better FMA is overal hands down the winner.

 

[Shobu_Yoruichi]

@Shobu_Yoruichi Not how I’d have defended it, but since I don’t have time right now I’ll take what help I get. (Also, hilarious.)

Yeah, glad to see some caring message, after all, all my efforts go for you to win the gold medal xD

Ok, let me increase my salt level to 40%, and see if you like it, long time since my last time, hope not have go rusted.

Only the chapter titles looked like it had effort. The rest was bland and looked like he drew it while stoned. That's the problem with a lot of weekly series, it's done quickly and art is rushed. If you look at the way he draws his eyes and faces, there is a lack of not just detail but life. If only one character gets shading, that's just lazy. Look at my avatar and the little things Yu Watase but it. Each hair swoop has a place and the eyes have life with the amount of brush strokes and technique. Oda lacks technique and his artwork shows it.

Thank you for the first one, glad you acknowledged him a bit.

I only want to stop about your concept of giving life to a drawing, which i consider to be very interesting... with your example, i only see some spark and shine, it looks good but i suppose that we both can agree that when a drawing is detailed, is when it can become alive, not just putting some spark in the eyes of someone at the picture, for example, my favorite mangaka girl at drawing carpets:

Spoiler

My point... a drawing full of life must take you to the place where you can touch the thing portrayed in the drawing... in this event, only Asano does that, but he isn't in the final with Pun Pun, hope we can agreed on that, because in the whole world that manga gives us, characters aren't the only important thing, and for sure, nor Oda nor Arakawa pick us to their universes with only the art.

With FMA, people are drawn with excellent shading with wonderful greyscaling.

Look at the folds of the clothing, and how Hoheheim's hair has detail. Ed's hair is very similar but has straight lines. Al's face has perfect jagged lines but his eyes sparkle for a robot to show he is human.


For every crappy FMA panel there is one for OP. His backgrounds have detail but his characters are lazy. He's getting better but compared to the rest of the titles here, OP artwork is one of the worse. Realism =/= detail but the characters and their clothing isn't on par with other series.

Detailed?

She could start with detailing the noses, don't you think? The one that saves is Al, wonder why... because he hasn't a nose xD

I can see your argument, but you base yours with shojo rules. Such as giving more space to backgrounds and characters than dialogue, every shojo is the same draw, and only a few go out of that "rule". In One Piece, dialogues are important, the oratory is one of the greatest communication tools of human beings, and just like when Oda puts an image in a blank space, he has to make it move accordingly with what is doing, and shojo mangakas with certain aren't worried of what the character might say or what weight it will have on its reader but only the drawing.

My point for you to accept is that Oda can draw nice pictures when he purpose it, Arakawa got more realism in her FMA, but Oda tries always to catch the attention of it's readers with not just the drawing but with what it might inspire on them, make them think, he uses manga as a tool of communication, you're apparently biased thanks to your previous read works, but the art is part of a mix, when talking about One Piece.

The clothes in One Piece are in a fashion display, things that bring more personality to a character, such as Crocodile, Akainu, Jinbe and Brook, all of them have clothes that identify them as individuals more than simple coat or military uniform. Again, what matters here are the ideas that come within the character, for example, Crocodile is my favorite character of One Piece, because when i see it, i start exactly with his clothes, he looks outstandingly badass, more than a gangster character, i can see him being evil, and when i see his dialogues and actions, it's just superb... and only 3 authors have made me say: "Yes, that's the cloth that only this characters wear", the others are Bleach's Hirako Shinji, Eyeshield 21's Kongo Agon and finally Crocodile.
Doing that, instead of just putting some cloth to someone, i'd prefer the former.

Art is a factor in enjoying manga because if not most wouldn't be fans.
[...]
One Piece does have a following and has some great arcs but I find FMA has more consistency in their storyline. It knew when to end and when to expand. The characters developed better and the themes are well defined.

I can see One Piece as being a fun manga and a favourite but it terms of which is better FMA is overal hands down the winner.

Think twice, you're actually arguing that a series that has bad art, thus with a low fanbase, shouldn't even compare with other ones with almost real life characters... and you're using as example the history's best seller manga... how come this is happening??

A storyline starts to lose consistency when characters are forced, so for sure this two aren't examples of consistency either. There's a lot of times when i notice that plot is important than characters in One Piece, and FMA is the same, if you think a little.

>Ed and Al wants their bodies back with mom alive, searching for Philosopher's stone
>Ed and Al notices that Alchemy is bad for people and is dangerous, keep searching PS
>Ed and Al start to care for people and aid them thanks to Alchemy, they don't want mom by now and only focus in Al
>Ed and Al notices that all the people is in danger for a masterplan to use them to energy an alchemy process to the bad guy reach godhood
>Ed and Al find PS by chance, and they use it for the greater good, the people and the bad guy falls because he was an egotist with inferiority complex
>Ed and Al now live without using alchemy because their adventure, and learned that are powerless beings and are happy with it because now they don't have to see things dangerous to people.

That isn't character development, all the characters were used as tools, the system of power was thrown to the trash-can, and just working everyday is nice to them because a lamb life is better than a wolf live. For sure is entertaining but about worth and weight of the story, One Piece simply stamps it just by caring about all that it composes it, and nothing is considered trash but hurting friends, a mere detail that allows One Piece to be published in a weekly magazine for children of 14 years old.

FMA is liked for one thing in this war that One Piece doesn't have... and that is! The concept of Retribution. It's a matter of every reader to analyse it, but when is done well, it brings lots of points to a series, and One Piece only the good guys die, so the concept shatters to justice seekers readers, and that's very understandable, while in FMA you can see that bad guys meet their demise, and in a crude way... Arakawa made a Dark Fantasy work after all, this is very much why in all the places is reminded as a good work, to my eyes ofc.

Regarding character development, One Piece has only 4 that you can perfectly say that are developed through their lifes, which are Zoro, Usopp, Garp and Big Mom. The first and the third now priorize their "families" over their duty, the second stands to what are his conditions to be in his "family" half the way, and the fourth is a fourth dimensional character that Oda manages to entangle her relationships with her job, her family, herself, and her powers, along with the heavy ship that carries her past and now develops contantly.

FMA has... Ling, that through the power he obtained, he reached a status quo in his relationships, his job and his neighboor country, and wasn't corrupted by it.

About definition, if FMA has 15 well done characters, OP has 60. But, when you talk about ending... FMA wins, and regarding your tastes about that, can't meddle, just sayin' Oda is doing something no other mangaka is doing, but when it comes to tastes, better no pick one.

 

[Raijin 雷神]

Voting One Piece, love this series to death
Didn't like FMA much at all

 

[Reebi]

Yeah, glad to see some caring message, after all, all my efforts go for you to win the gold medal xD

Ok, let me increase my salt level to 40%, and see if you like it, long time since my last time, hope not have go rusted.

Thank you for the first one, glad you acknowledged him a bit.

I only want to stop about your concept of giving life to a drawing, which i consider to be very interesting... with your example, i only see some spark and shine, it looks good but i suppose that we both can agree that when a drawing is detailed, is when it can become alive, not just putting some spark in the eyes of someone at the picture, for example, my favorite mangaka girl at drawing carpets:

Spoiler

My point... a drawing full of life must take you to the place where you can touch the thing portrayed in the drawing... in this event, only Asano does that, but he isn't in the final with Pun Pun, hope we can agreed on that, because in the whole world that manga gives us, characters aren't the only important thing, and for sure, nor Oda nor Arakawa pick us to their universes with only the art.


Detailed?

She could start with detailing the noses, don't you think? The one that saves is Al, wonder why... because he hasn't a nose xD

I can see your argument, but you base yours with shojo rules. Such as giving more space to backgrounds and characters than dialogue, every shojo is the same draw, and only a few go out of that "rule". In One Piece, dialogues are important, the oratory is one of the greatest communication tools of human beings, and just like when Oda puts an image in a blank space, he has to make it move accordingly with what is doing, and shojo mangakas with certain aren't worried of what the character might say or what weight it will have on its reader but only the drawing.

My point for you to accept is that Oda can draw nice pictures when he purpose it, Arakawa got more realism in her FMA, but Oda tries always to catch the attention of it's readers with not just the drawing but with what it might inspire on them, make them think, he uses manga as a tool of communication, you're apparently biased thanks to your previous read works, but the art is part of a mix, when talking about One Piece.

The clothes in One Piece are in a fashion display, things that bring more personality to a character, such as Crocodile, Akainu, Jinbe and Brook, all of them have clothes that identify them as individuals more than simple coat or military uniform. Again, what matters here are the ideas that come within the character, for example, Crocodile is my favorite character of One Piece, because when i see it, i start exactly with his clothes, he looks outstandingly badass, more than a gangster character, i can see him being evil, and when i see his dialogues and actions, it's just superb... and only 3 authors have made me say: "Yes, that's the cloth that only this characters wear", the others are Bleach's Hirako Shinji, Eyeshield 21's Kongo Agon and finally Crocodile.
Doing that, instead of just putting some cloth to someone, i'd prefer the former.


Think twice, you're actually arguing that a series that has bad art, thus with a low fanbase, shouldn't even compare with other ones with almost real life characters... and you're using as example the history's best seller manga... how come this is happening??

A storyline starts to lose consistency when characters are forced, so for sure this two aren't examples of consistency either. There's a lot of times when i notice that plot is important than characters in One Piece, and FMA is the same, if you think a little.

>Ed and Al wants their bodies back with mom alive, searching for Philosopher's stone
>Ed and Al notices that Alchemy is bad for people and is dangerous, keep searching PS
>Ed and Al start to care for people and aid them thanks to Alchemy, they don't want mom by now and only focus in Al
>Ed and Al notices that all the people is in danger for a masterplan to use them to energy an alchemy process to the bad guy reach godhood
>Ed and Al find PS by chance, and they use it for the greater good, the people and the bad guy falls because he was an egotist with inferiority complex
>Ed and Al now live without using alchemy because their adventure, and learned that are powerless beings and are happy with it because now they don't have to see things dangerous to people.

That isn't character development, all the characters were used as tools, the system of power was thrown to the trash-can, and just working everyday is nice to them because a lamb life is better than a wolf live. For sure is entertaining but about worth and weight of the story, One Piece simply stamps it just by caring about all that it composes it, and nothing is considered trash but hurting friends, a mere detail that allows One Piece to be published in a weekly magazine for children of 14 years old.

FMA is liked for one thing in this war that One Piece doesn't have... and that is! The concept of Retribution. It's a matter of every reader to analyse it, but when is done well, it brings lots of points to a series, and One Piece only the good guys die, so the concept shatters to justice seekers readers, and that's very understandable, while in FMA you can see that bad guys meet their demise, and in a crude way... Arakawa made a Dark Fantasy work after all, this is very much why in all the places is reminded as a good work, to my eyes ofc.

Regarding character development, One Piece has only 4 that you can perfectly say that are developed through their lifes, which are Zoro, Usopp, Garp and Big Mom. The first and the third now priorize their "families" over their duty, the second stands to what are his conditions to be in his "family" half the way, and the fourth is a fourth dimensional character that Oda manages to entangle her relationships with her job, her family, herself, and her powers, along with the heavy ship that carries her past and now develops contantly.

FMA has... Ling, that through the power he obtained, he reached a status quo in his relationships, his job and his neighboor country, and wasn't corrupted by it.

About definition, if FMA has 15 well done characters, OP has 60. But, when you talk about ending... FMA wins, and regarding your tastes about that, can't meddle, just sayin' Oda is doing something no other mangaka is doing, but when it comes to tastes, better no pick one.

Every manga has their communication through their work. It's a medium after all. The real question is who does a better job? FMA captures the reader with neat lines and an organzined page, which creates a sense of unity and the characters are proportion to what 'average people' would be to show even though it's a fanatsy series, the theme is relevant. Also, alchemy is supposed to be uniform; thus the artwork.

If FMA had 800+ chapters they would have more characters. Luffy stayed the same and had little development and if four people out of tens developed how is that a series? The side characters in FMA learned and grew with the story. The villians also grew and weren't the only ones that died. Hughes was the saddest death in all manga history.

 

[Jammin]

Voting FMA.

Was honestly on the fence for a while. Both do different things. FMA wins on quality and consistency. One Piece wins on creativity and scale. Then there was @Arjuna's first post in this thread, which was also one of the best campaign posts in this whole war. But @Lady pompom is campaigning for One Piece is a powerful argument for the other side.

In the end if I had to pick something that pushed me over the edge toward FMA it was the whole ongoing community mancrush for this recently introduced Katakuri character. Seeing fans drooling over, what seems to me, to be a fairly mundane "leather pants guy" makes me sort of sad. Because Wrath and Greed both did it so much better than he does.

 

[The President]

I think Katakuris popularity very well displays the problem in OPs cast. Hes liked so much for but two reasons, he has a cool character design and he has actually done something. What does that say about OPs cast at large? That a character becomes so popular just because he actually does something? There are too many fundamentally useless characters in OP, complete throwaways. Oda tradeoff for making such a vibrant and grand scale world is developing a good cast of characters.

I don't see her waist xd What was the female antagonist in FMA?? Lust, what did she do? Seduce Mustang, and was always with the fatty... bah, a woman drawing woman only as a sexual point, what a shame.

Hmm, I wonder if a female main antagonist whos basically just a glorified gluttony (from FMA) is really any better. And your argument here is extremely unfair, since Lust, you know, has to represent the sin of lust and shes just about the extent of any fanservice the series has, cant really say the same for OP females and they dont have the excuse of doing it too represent a theme. Lets not act as if the mangaka doesnt have one of the strongest female casts of any shonen (probably THE strongest, with the exception of maybe Claymore, which pretty much has an exclusively female cast), certainly far better then OPs female cast. Id probably take Lust over pretty much any female character in OP sans Robin, and I could name 5 more female characters that are better then Lust in FMA.

As for the argument on art at large. I dont really see a problem with OPs art. Sure the character designs themselves can throw some people off, but I think that its otherwise completely passable.

 

[Jammin]

I think Katakuris popularity very well displays the problem in OPs cast. Hes liked so much for but two reasons, he has a cool character design and he has actually done something. What does that say about OPs cast at large? That a character becomes so popular just because he actually does something? There are too many fundamentally useless characters in OP, complete throwaways. Oda tradeoff for making such a vibrant and grand scale world is developing a good cast of characters.

I partially agree and partially disagree.

It wouldn't feel right to me to dismiss many One Piece characters as useless or throwaways. Those do exist, but there is a lot that Oda creates with the potential to be FMA level characters

But I do agree that Oda has a problem managing his huge cast. Most characters have one or two arcs and that's it. With slight possibly of a cameo later on. And he doesn't always pick his best to give more focus to either. Like I hold it against Oda a bit that we've gotten as much Jinbei and Law as we have gotten and as little Boa Hancock. When she is clearly the more colorful and interesting character.

I don't think Katakuri's crazy surge in popularity is anything to do with any of that though. I just think it's a case of draco in leather pants syndrome. Happens all the time. And it's always weird.

 

[Shobu_Yoruichi]

Hmm, I wonder if a female main antagonist whos basically just a glorified gluttony (from FMA) is really any better. And your argument here is extremely unfair, since Lust, you know, has to represent the sin of lust and shes just about the extent of any fanservice the series has, cant really say the same for OP females and they dont have the excuse of doing it too represent a theme.

35% of my salt was in that phrase I was talking of antagonists only.

Every manga has their communication through their work. It's a medium after all. The real question is who does a better job? FMA captures the reader with neat lines and an organzined page, which creates a sense of unity and the characters are proportion to what 'average people' would be to show even though it's a fanatsy series, the theme is relevant. Also, alchemy is supposed to be uniform; thus the artwork.

I completely agree with you here, glad we could agreed on something.

If FMA had 800+ chapters they would have more characters. Luffy stayed the same and had little development and if four people out of tens developed how is that a series? The side characters in FMA learned and grew with the story. The villians also grew and weren't the only ones that died. Hughes was the saddest death in all manga history.

Well, to me a truly developed character is when the character grows personally speaking usually going against the course of the plot and helps the plot to improve.
Such thing, occurs only a few times in few stories, because for sure a character can change the current plot but with a taste that is the best for him, is rarely to happen, that's why i said that OP has strong four ones and FMA strongly one.

FMA doesn't make me cry though, Chopy's flashback does, only a little though D: Ok, i gotta stop, because another situation has risen and is urgent!

In the end if I had to pick something that pushed me over the edge toward FMA it was the whole ongoing community mancrush for this recently introduced Katakuri character. Seeing fans drooling over, what seems to me, to be a fairly mundane "leather pants guy" makes me sort of sad. Because Wrath and Greed both did it so much better than he does.

What?? You don't like Katakuri!??? How!?? He's the best in One Piece since the death of Ace, people just care more for him than Shirahoshi revealed as Poseidon, he's the best post-timeskip thing ever!

I didn't knew that you Jammin were a hater of characters only because their fandom. Katakuri is someone special, he's a tumult of very much all what a character needs to look amazing, why do you ask this happened? I gotta tell you, this happens because Oda noticed that screwed with his Mochi Mochi no mi as Logia, and had to change it for Special Paramecia, all Japan hated Katakuri, it was like: "This man got Logia on a candy themed fruit?? Only elemental stuff must have Logia, wth!?"
Oda couldn't with all the hate, so he changed it and then noticed that nothing really changed from his fans (like you atm), so he strengthened all the media about him, he was the coolest guy around since Wanze and Duval, overthrown Luffy to humiliate him (yea, Oda's most loved character in the garbage only to his audience) and loved by all the people around him, everyone, he was just the embodiment of Big Brother! What Oda did with Pudding!! in a crappy way, he did it magnificently with Katakuri:

Three eyes!?? The fuck! Who cares, VAMPIRE!!

The Vampire Diaries!? Bram Stoker's Dracula!? Twilight!? Hotel Transilvannia!? ALL in one package, in one chapter, in one panel, Oda's bet at his finest! A gamble that only Tite could've have made and end victorious! He even made Katakuri Pink... Pink!!! Real Men Wear Pink, yep... he was quite something at this very moment.
Isn't it Jack!?

So... when we thought that this ended and was quite disturbing, ended the chapter and thought, yeah, let's read it again to check where the hell is Pandaman, i didn't noticed... and realize that the man likes Donuts and thinks sugar makes him strong (Real Men Hate Sugar yeahh, he even breaks this), and the legend of him, never get laid and standing in utero (in other words like SIU) is broken, all the work of Oda to build his coolness on the floor because all want to be like him:

There, and only there, you find yourself facing a new package, a new type of character, a new way to identify a personality...

A package of cute, cool, creepy, badass, goofy, cruel... a multifaced character that it simply revolutioned what sides of a supportive character of One Piece can show... by now, Katakuri even has a song:


Who wants to hug him!??

Ok, if after all this, you don't like it, despite that he's a closet character that for the sake of his piracy, his family, and his talents had to hide what he really likes and how it looks, you're a very depraved person, like those villains in Magi, blacked to the core!! So.. you must like him and now, i'll go Erin mode on, and lots of pics!!!

Erin mode off.

All this was made in 3 days, do you realize that is only 5% of the fandom of Katacute!?? Since the beginning he showed feelings towards what a proper person might endear... but lacked love to himself... and this chapter showed it. Quite a bet, i don't even want to compare with FMA because Katakuri is just other class of character and newly portrayed, can't be that bad, but he's the future, for real... and that's what exactly he sees

Spoiler

@Lady pompom did you like this?? Then force Jammin to like Katakuri too xDD

 

[Organizized]

Jammin..

Wow this thread is lost.

Yeah... I kinda thought Katakuri hype was overblown as well, but latest chapter won me over completely (because it totally did a 180 on his character). Now I’m on the Katakuri train.

 

[Spirit]

Ed has seen and evaluated the situation with FMA's match against One Piece. He has determined that there is no threat, and shall continue on with his work.

 

[Organizized]

Ed has seen and evaluated the situation with FMA's match against One Piece. He has determined that there is no threat, and shall continue on with his work.

Pretty much. But I place my faith in the non-commenting voters.

 

[SirSamuel016]

Just stopping by to say I'm voting for One Piece! @Zirconium won me over a couple of rounds back so I'm riding the train all the way

 

[Demonspeed]

Ed has seen and evaluated the situation with FMA's match against One Piece. He has determined that there is no threat, and shall continue on with his work.

This is the most savage post of this event. FMA better win now that you posted this. If it loses...

 

[Spirit]

This is the most savage post of this event. FMA better win now that you posted this. If it loses...

In the event of defeat, any user feedback may be directed to the nominater of the series in question

 

[**Silver**]

Ed has seen and evaluated the situation with FMA's match against One Piece. He has determined that there is no threat, and shall continue on with his work.

this is disgrace