The thing is that in One Piece besides the art, which I became used to, the other thing that sort of bored me were the long-ass fights, with awesome and more awesome panels...
That's probable because, the story is so well written, that I'm more interested in the conclusion of one arc, or journey, not necessarily the fights themselves...
OP, Naruto and Bleach perfectly reflect the current three age groups of appeal and top market profiting. OP = children to tweens, Naruto = children, tweens and teens, Bleach = children, tweens, teens and adults (because of its mature approach to its story). At least Kubo Tite knows the value of good manga, unlike Oda who pulls stuff out of his arse to draw all that he can for his product and extend the manga as much as he can.
Funny because it's actually completely opposite to what you think. Bleach gets less and less readers as it goes up age groups, and One Piece dominates basically the whole chart.
Thanks for the link. It's not surprising. Bleach is all about action & graphics. When you become older, story takes a much important place & it's no wonder that Hxh is reaching top-3.
And I'm not surprised that One piece tops everything in every category. It's just that much better than anything else.
I knew OP had a huge fanbase aged 10-30 so there was no surprise to see them top that list, but they even rank quite well with the female demographics.
@ Shinichiro : I like the fact that you highlight Oda's creativity not just in the world he has created but the plot and story. The way he has developed the entire universe of One Piece, like you said, is rare among other "top" manga's out right now (shounen at least).
I'm taking a creative writing course now at my University, and I can attest to what you have to say on that front, personally. Creative writing is hard stuff (done properly), and not just any o'l Joe Smo with a pen, or laptop can do it, as I have come to find out since the beginning of the semester.
I personally also really appreciate that comment you made about the hierarchy with in OP. It has not been bent or broken for anyone since day one. I, especially, wanted to see how Oda would allow things to transpire during the past arc (Save Ace), and I watched carefully to see if he was going to allow Luffy to "magically" gain some new power/skill, and he didn't. I was surprised and also well pleased, because Luffy was way out of his league,at Marine HQ, and he got his ass whooped! (haha) as he should have. The way Oda handled this whole arc, in my opinion, confirms it; that Oda really knows what he is doing , and out of the big three Naruto, Bleach, OP, I think it is clear that OP is doing the best.
P.s. I tried to add something new to the conversation, don't know how well I did, seeing how I feel as though you already took every word out my mouth ( haha) but I just wanted to say something.
Haha, the goal for this section is mostly to provide reviews for lesser-known manga, but I couldn't help but start with my favorite
Title: One Piece
Genres: Shonen, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Author/Artist: Eiichiro Oda
Publication: Weekly Shonen Jump
Start Date: August 4, 1997
End Date: On-going
Number of chapters at review: 484
Number of chapters read by reviewer: 484
General Overview: Luffy, a young boy, travels the world in his goal of obtaining the legendary treasure "One Piece" and becoming the Pirate King. Along the way, he forms his crew of of outlandish and memorable characters, as they each strive for their own dream. The plot turns are intense and the stakes gradually rise as the crew realizes that not everything in the world is what it seems.
Category Ratings: (1-10 scale)
Art: 8
The character designs are simple, yet unique. Oda favors a more humorous style over a realistic one, but the results are well worth seeing. For a weekly shonen series, the detail level is fairly high, and remarkably consistent.
Plot: 10
After more than 10 years of publication, Oda has made his reputation as a master story-teller. Equally adept at moving his readers from laughter to tears, he has slowly developed a richly complex world, as he has moved from the small-scale to the large. The plot is unexpected, full of twists and surprises, yet nothing feels contrived or forced.
Characters: 10
One Piece has a very large cast of well-detailed, sympathetic characters. Each has a rich background that weaves well into the over-all story. These backgrounds provide excellent springboards for dynamic character development that feels very organic; there are very few "watch me monologue about how I just developed" moments, rather the characters slowly grow in a way that feels very believable.
Themes: 10
As expected from a shonen title, the themes of "friendship" and "working hard for your dreams" are well-represented in One Piece. However, they are presented as well as they have ever been done. Also, there are several other, more subtle themes present throughout the series. "Redemption", "healing from tragedy", "worthwhile sacrifice", to name a few. All are well done and consistent.
Originality: 10
While One Piece may owe a lot to Akira Toriyama for its initial inspiration, it truly stands on its own in execution. Oda-sensei has given us a world that is truly unique and refreshing.
Overall: 10
If you haven't picked up on it by now, I love One Piece I could go on and on about all the things that make it great, but I just leave you with this: if you haven't read it, do yourself a huge favor and pick it up. If you can make it past the first 100 chapters without falling in love with it, I'll offer a public apology^^
Gosh, I sound like a total One Piece fanboy, don't I? I apologize, I'll try to keep the tone more objective in my future reviews, but for me, One Piece is something unique and amazing.
But that just means that you like the art style and the rich panels, but for many people I know feel that some of the panels are too crowded sometimes, and the character designs can seem too cartoony
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