Ok, pirates who don’t travel through space, sipping on a glass of wine while waxing poetic about “The Sea Of Stars”?

Right that’s my point. Good old-fashioned pirate adventures are passé. Well at least they used to be, that is until Eiichiro Oda started writing and drawing his hit manga “One Piece” for Shonen Jump in 1997. Oda got his start in the competitive world of Japanese comics as an assistant to “Rurouni Kenshin” creator Nobuhiro Watsuki. “One Piece” developed a rabid following, despite its unique artstyle and long drawn out fights. In fact it is the long drawn out fights that keep many readers coming back for more. This shouldn’t come as a shock, seems Oda’s inspiration is none other than “Dragon Ball” creator Akira Toriyama, the man who is notorious for his long drawn fight sequences. Ah but there is more to “One Piece” than the epic fight. Oda also has Toriyama’s gift of gag humor as well, “One Piece” is just laced with bad puns and pratfalls. Add to this the main protagonist of “One Piece”, the oddly named Monkey D. Luffy, the boy who wants to become the greatest, strongest pirate in the world and what you have is the spiritual successor “Dragon Ball” main character Son Goku.

The thing that is most striking about “One Piece” however isn’t necessarily its cast of characters. It is Oda’s unique artwork. As a storyteller, Oda may take his cues from Toriyama but as an artist it seems he draws from a vast array of creators styles to create something not seen in manga since Monkey Punch hit the manga scene in the late 60’s. In fact you can see the influence of Monkey Punch and “Gokinjyo Monogatari” creator Ai Yazawa all over Oda’s work. The thing is the main characters in “One Piece” seem rather typical, if not bizarre for their unique abilities. It is the villains that populate the manga that get some truly interesting designs. In fact the further “One Piece” goes on the more outlandish the enemies become. Many thought Oda’s artwork would not translate well to anime. They were wrong. Since 1999 “One Piece” has been running strong on Fuji TV since 1999 and recently passed episode 100 this past winter. That may not seem like such a big deal but very few shows last a full 26 episodes these days. Those that have been running longer have been on the air since the mid-90’s, like “Chibi Maruko-chan”, “Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koenmae Hasyutsusyo” and “Detective Conan” (Note: This isn’t counting the phenom shows like “Sazae-san” and “Doraemon”).

So what exactly “One Piece” about?

Glad you asked…

There was once a great pirate named Gold Roger who acquired all the treasure, all the power and all the glory in the world. Unfortunately he was captured and executed. On the gallows he uttered his final challenge to the world, “My treasure? You can have it… if you can find it. I hid it somewhere along the Grand Line”.

Having said his last Gold Roger went to the hangman’s noose with a smile on his face. However with those words what became known as “The Age Of Pirates” had already begun!

That right there is the set-up for the whole show. When we hit the characters things get even more interesting.

There is main hero Luffy D. Monkey who as a child ate “The Devil Fruit Of The Sea” and now has a body made of rubber. His goal in life is to be the greatest of all pirates by traveling to Grand Line and finding “One Piece”. Just don’t mess with Luffy’s straw hat, his personal treasure from a dear friend. He gets REALLY MAD when people damage his hat.

Roronoa Zoro, expert swordsman and pirate hunter, joins him in his adventure. Zoro forsakes pirate hunting after Luffy saves his life. Zoro’s goal is to be recognized as the greatest swordsman in the world. It shouldn’t be too hard given he is master of the 3 Sword Style.

Then we come to Nami, the crafty female thief who seems to only care about one thing… MONEY! Seems Nami has this drive to collect 100 Billion Bellies (The monetary unit of “One Piece”). For an 18 year old she is damn skilled as both a thief and a navigator. She joins Luffy and Zoro thinking that they are rubes but learns how strong they are as they defeat the Buggy Pirate Army to free an enslaved town.

Usopp becomes the 4th member of Luffy’s team after a life and death fight with a former pirate named Captain Kuro. Usopp is a notorious liar but is an expert marksman and novice chemist. His primary weapon is a slingshot that he fires different chemically laced eggs from. It is thanks to Usopp’s friendship with a girl named Kaya that Luffy and his crew get their ship “The Going Merry”.

Finally we come to Sanji, the suave, debonair ass-kicking chef. Sanji is the cook for “The Going Merry” who was raised by a retired chef who now runs a floating restaurant. Sanji’s dream is to travel to a place known as All Blue, a cove where every fish in the world can be found, caught and cooked. Don’t let his suit and tie fool you though Sanji is quite a fighter, specializing in powerful kicks. Luffy and company meet Sanji during the Baratie Arc.

The first season of “One Piece” is comprised of episodes 1-52, starting with the introduction of Luffy and Zoro and then covering 6 story arcs from the manga.

Introduction Arc (Episodes 1-4)
Buggy Pirate Fleet Arc (Episodes 5-8)
Captain Kuro Arc (Episodes 9-18)
Baratie Arc (Episodes 19-30)
Merman Arlong Arc (Episodes 31-44)
Return Of Buggy/Loguetown Adventure (45-52)

Overall the series is great fun. Luffy is a lovable goof and the adventures of “The going Merry” crew get better and longer with each story. The music is also quite good, featuring the opening song “We Are!” by Hiroshi Kataya and the sweet “Memories” by Maki Otsuki. Much of the BGM is reworking of the opening and closing songs, something that isn’t exactly new to anime as many shows have done that in the past and continue to do it to this day. Season 2 switches the pace a bit as the adventurous vibe of “We Are!” is replaced by the euro beat/techno vibe of teen-girl idols Folder5 and their hit “Believe” and Maki Otsuki contributes the second closing with hyper-kinetic “Run! Run! Run!” . There have since been a total of 4 other closing songs bringing the total to 6. Add to this 2 new ending themes from 2 of the theatrical “One Piece” movies and this show is well on its way to having a hefty amount of music being sold.

I can’t praise this show enough; it really is the spiritual successor to “Dragon Ball” in feel and content. The characters are funny but can become deadly serious at the drop of a hat. “One Piece” is a show everyone should give a whirl, something tells me you’ll be glad you did.