Gushings and Ravings is a feature here on The Not-So-Literary Heiresses wherein we share our current obsessions or all-time favorite anything, so they may or may not necessarily be bookish. The only prerequisite in this is that we love it and thus, we just want to share it to the world. Hopefully, you’ll check it out and love it too! ❤
Okay, I’m a total nerd. I don’t just love books, but I love playing video games and watching anime. Alright, maybe I don’t know who Doctor Who is… and maybe I haven’t watched a single minute of Star Wars… and perhaps I may not have paid attention to Lord of the Rings BUT I SWEAR I’M A NERD IN A VERY, VERY… FAYE WAY. Haha. In any case, anime was pretty much my life for almost 10 years. I remember one summer back in my high school days when I cooped up inside my room, doors closed and lights out, every bloody day just watching anime on Crunchyroll (I don’t want to go back to that time anymore, but it’s funny thinking about it… my parents thought I was hopeless!). But even though I don’t watch anime as often as I used to, there is this one series that I anticipate every week and read about regularly.
Yup, you guessed it:
One Piece is my One True Love in a world where you can marry your favorite manga/anime. But alas, since it is not so, let’s just say it is MY MOST FAVORITE MANGA EVER I CAN’T BREATHE FROM THE MERE AWESOMENESS OF IT AHHH —- *ahem*… but, silliness aside, I can’t praise this manga enough. It has been on and running for 15 years in Japan and it remains as the top manga, and rightfully so. I started this when I was 15 years old and until now it has a special place in my heart. Even though I have to wait 7 days for a new chapter or episode to come out, I never get tired. Why?
Because it’s so bloody worth it.
And I’ll tell you the reasons.
ART. Some would say the art is ugly and ridiculous. I say, “Cool, that’s your opinion, but it must be doing something right if it has been churning out chapters every week for 15 years now (and still on high demand), has 10 movies to its name and a dozen of games on different platforms, has theatre productions using real actors, and has captured the hearts of millions of people. And oh, the mangaka receives almost $2 million A YEAR just for drawing and doing something he loves. Yup. BOOM.”
But seriously, don’t let the art fool you if it’s not your cup of tea. It’s actually really consistent for the kind of world this manga is set in, a world of pirates and marines of bizarre shapes and sizes and appearances, wielding powers that stretches even the biggest imagination. It has an endearing quality to it, especially after you find yourself invested in the storyline which is pretty much the Japanese version of Brandon Sanderson’s epicness (I am bloody serious. The best stories I’ve ever read are One Piece and Sanderson’s Stormlight Archives. AND YOU KNOW HOW AWESOME WAY OF KINGS IS).
Besides, can you seriously say “NO” to this:
Or this?
Ummm, yeah, I thought so. 
PLOT. Please, don’t dismiss this masterpiece as something trivial. It’s not about a childish, simple-minded boy who wants to be a pirate to get treasure. HELL TO THE NO. It’s so much more complicated than that. While it may give the impression that it’s a linear story of a boy who wants to be the King of the Pirates, it evolves into something so much more, resulting to a complex, fascinating storyline that houses so many mysteries and transcends time and history that has been long forgotten. If you’re the kind of person who loves theorizing (calling Sanderson fans…) then you’ll have one hell of a time in One Piece. And you know the best part is? Nothing is ever forgotten. You’ll find something trivial on chapter 13 only to find out later on chapter 400 that it’s actually a really important thing. Or you meet someone on chapter 60 who gives someone to the MC, only for you to discover it’s actually an important thingy on chapter 600, MILES AND MILES AWAY FROM WHERE IT WAS, and that it serves as an answer to a mystery introduced in chapter 400. YEAH. I KNOW. AWESOMENESS.
It’s like, there are story arcs. Chapters 1-40 maybe in this island, chapters 41-70 in another island, so on and so forth, all of them independent and episodic, but behind every story arc is a greater story that CONNECTS all of them together. Kind of like Sanderson and his Cosmere Universe.
Sanderson and One Piece. Sanderson and One Piece. Sanderson and ONE. PIECE.
You see where I’m getting it? It’s like this:
Truer words have never been spoken. This shit is legit, folks. I’ve read all four and nothing is as half as good as One Piece.
IT MADE ME LAUGH. TOO MANY TIMES. Only two shows have made me laugh like a hyena (read: almost falling down to the floor in laughter): Big Bang Theory (love you, Sheldon) and of course, One Piece. Every character here has their own unique personality, and that comes with really quirky traits that mesh (and contradict) other characters so well that when they interact it’s a guarantee it will not just tickle but tackle your funny bone to the ground. The characters really are memorable; I don’t think I’ve found a single one to dislike (except maybe the villains, but that’s normal, right?). If you’re looking for fun and adventure, you need not look far.
AND IT MADE ME CRY LIKE A FUCKING BABY. But if you think that One Piece is all fun and games, you’re very wrong. Yeah, laughter abounds. There are also mysteries and well-guarded histories that would shake the world to the core, but there are also sad moments here that would wilt your tears and your heart dry. There have been countless times in which I would watch an episode while clutching wet tissues because THE FEELS GODDAMNIT. Oda really knows how to put up a story because this one has everything – character backgrounds that would sway even the stoniest of hearts (I still cry whenever I think of a certain character’s past), deaths from long chapters gone that made me wail (and until now I still can’t accept) – and all of them are not forced. They are not drama made for the sake of drama. They are tragic moments that serve to move the storyline and become catalysts for the growth and development of every character.
AND LASTLY, THE CAMARADERIE. THE FRIENDSHIPS. The relationships the crew have with each other is very, very endearing. You can see the trust they have in each other, in their captain, and the bond that was formed among them. They may annoy each other every now and then, but despite their shortcomings, they would die for each other if they could. It’s seriously one of the touching things to witness in this manga – a connection so strong they see each other not simply as friends but as a family. This is one of the reasons why One Piece is close to my heart – the friendships that form are so very real.
OVERALL
I love this manga with all of my bloody heart. I love, love, love, LOVE it. There’s no greater joy to me than reading a One Piece chapter every week (although a once-every-two-years book of Stormlight Archives may topple that…) and I truly, truly wish you guys will give it a chance as well. If you’re into character development and amazing plots, and mysteries that could rival even the plausible conspiracy theories, THIS. IS. YOUR. COMIC. Swear to the heavens above.