If you like anime and really need a series that will reignite your hope in humanity and the world, I am begging you to give my source a chance. In the wake of recent world news, I have been feeling very gloomy and pessimistic about the future, but then I remember my source. Watching my source has genuinely done wonders to me. It has made me kinder, it has made me care more about this world and the people in it, and it has rekindled the flame of hope within me that had been smoldering weakly for years.
People tend to look at how long my source is, or the art style, the barest bones synopsis of the plot, or just the genre of anime it is and think "Oh that's just not worth it."
TRUST ME. IT IS SO WORTH IT.
Please try One Piece.
To people who have not watched or read the series, it seems like just another shonen series, where the characters are just fighting a lot and then the main characters win with the power of friendship. Does One Piece employ this trope? Technically, yes, but the way the mangaka writes the relationships between the characters makes that friendship feel real and tangible. The protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, is not just a "generic" anime protagonist, and all of the people he meets along his journey are written with such a level of deep care and attention that you will eventually start to feel like you are a part of Luffy's crew, a part of his family, even if you don't end up kinning a character from the series. Luffy never, ever takes away his friends agency. He only helps people when they ask him to because he does not want any of his friends to feel like they are not strong enough on their own. He's inherently selfish, but his selfish tendencies often lead to him acting selflessly. He's written as an idiot, but he is also one of the most emotionally intelligent characters in any media I've seen. He looks at his friends, and he sees them, often to a level they don't even see themselves. He supports them, pushes them to achieve their dreams, even if those dreams seem fantastical and impossible, and he admonishes them whenever they put themselves down. The energy Luffy radiates is infectious, and you will find yourself wanting to be a better person just because of Luffy's warmth.
Does the prospect of a protagonist so potent that he makes you as the reader or viewer feel like you're a part of his circle of friends not sell you on One Piece? Let me try telling you about the themes of the work, then. One Piece explores themes of friendship and found family, yes, and those are my favorite, personally, but that's not all. One of the central themes of One Piece is the concept of will and inheritance of will. The will to do something, be someone, or achieve a goal is passed along from character to character, and this informs almost everything in One Piece. Another central theme is the concept of freedom. Characters discuss wanting freedom from oppression, freedom to live as they please, freedom to be who they are unapologetically. Luffy wants to be King of the Pirates, not because he wants to be a ruler, but because, in his thoughts, being King of the Pirates would make him the most free person in the world. It also touches on acceptance, the love between families, sacrifice and whether sacrifice is a selfless or selfish act, learning to heal and forgive yourself and others, learning to hope, and remembering how to want to live again. There's themes of justice, what kinds of justice exist, and whether justice is good or bad or morally neutral. It explores real world issues, including racism in an oppressive power structure, governmental corruption, genocide, the loss of hope, human trafficking. And it does all of this with a very particular level of care, which is exceptionally impressive considering that the humor of the series is very slapstick. The humor keeps things feeling light and comfortable, but the darker and more serious themes are never downplayed or made fun of. I've quite literally never seen another series balance humor with serious topics so masterfully.
Tacking this on here because I need to mention it, but I don't know where to fit it in. If you have an aversion to romance, then One Piece is also great because the mangaka doesn't care about romance much at all. The romantic relationships that do exist are not central to the plot, and they're never in your face. There's also a lot of queer characters, including a trans woman and a trans man, and like 5 genderqueer characters. And Luffy is just as accepting of them as any other person. It's truly wonderful as a queer person myself to see Luffy and most of the other characters accept canonically queer characters with open arms and beaming smiles.
If you get into One Piece, you will laugh. You will cry. You will find someone on the main crew of the Straw Hats that you adore, and you will want to see them all achieve their dreams. You'll probably even find a side character that captures your heart on some level.
The series is slowly drawing towards it's ultimate conclusion. We are on the final saga, and Luffy is close to finding the One Piece. You can still come along and be there with me when he does. You have the time.
All you need to do is set sail, so come aboard, and bring along all your hopes and dreams!
incredible pitch!! thank you so much for sending it in, and oh boy. here's the thing with long works, that's all the more time to show the actual world they're set in, and that's all the more places you can be from! one piece chronicles a huge, sprawling world with all sorts of places that might feel like home, with magic and creatures galore! however... as mod is the scenery appreciator, mod shall once again deliver scenery!!
dawn island and tamarisk!!
god valley!! and swallow island
foolshout island & torino kingdom!!
whole cake island!! (yes really!!)
and shells town!
