#scarredtiger

DUDE I KEPT SQUEEING OVER HOW TINY HAJRUDIN’S CUP WAS ITS SO TINY  BUT IT’S SO HUGE FOR LEO

That aside, I just remembered that this arc introduces //him//. And oh my God, you are going to love Him. He has the single best intro of any character in the entire show, hands down. You’ve got to hold out for Him; He makes everything so much better

Ahh, thank you for saying that! It makes me feel much better. Of course Oda would find a way to make it unexpected, even if I know something is coming. ^_^

And there is a mysterious Him? With the single best intro of any character in One Piece? At least I have something to look forward too, after all the Usopp drama.

saisai-chan said: Usopp has abandonment issues. its hinted at in his flashback at the end of the Kuro arc. little Usopp is crying that Pirates (his father) are coming so his dying mom can feel better, and he kept doing that for 10 years. its heartbreaking.

That... is heartbreaking. Poor Usopp. Now I can begin to understand why Usopp is so worked up about the thought of being left behind. Better cast himself adrift than be left behind again. ;_;

scarredtiger said: I think is one of the most well done examples of Good-Guys-Have-To-Fight-Each-Other I’ve seen. Neither of them is wrong. Luffy was callous to throw away something precious to Usopp, and Usopp cant stay if cant respect his captains decisions.

Totally agreed. It was briliantly done. Not a huge amount of melodrama (actually quite restrained) and there is no happy resolution. :(

amazingbedhead said: It’s interesting that Luffy hides the difficulty of the decision from Usopp. He’s not as simple as he would have us think and this is one of those times when we see that. He’s not secretly dark and broody, but he’s not oblivious either.

He was definitely very captain-like in 235 and 236. He has a shrewd, serious side I don’t think I’ve seen yet. It was interesting. He’s not as happy-go-lucky as most shounen protagonists. There’s a generous helping of grey morality there, and a core of steel.

zaziecurie said: Brave heart, my friend… Brave heart… coz’ there’s a lot more to come…

Ugh, you weren’t kidding. Hopefully, it’s all over and I can begin to cycle through the five stages of grief, lol.

celelorien said: All I gotta say (so I don’t make it also super spoilery) in regards to your reaction to that awful spoiler person who said such things: watch?v=smSY6P7QBLk (youtube vid link). (I won’t confirm or deny, but don’t go into it with that idea poisoning.)

Aww... I used to love that song when I was a kid. I WILL BELIEVE IN OP! (lol) ;_;

tempus-nexus said: Heh. “Just like a person”. Ha.

I suspect I accidentally said something significant. I’ll be damned if I know what, though. xD

greatninjadragon said: Usopp’s behavior has more going on than the Merry’s condition. I can’t remember if he said it in this episode or a later one, but Luffy losing to Aokiji made Usopp feel like he can’t handle the Grand Line if Luffy (someone strong) can easily lose.

I can’t remember offhand if it was in an earlier episode, but that does make sense. So there is a lingering element of fear. Damn, Usopp. He fought so well against Luffy. If he put that much research and heart into his other fights, he’d be a monster.

half-man-half-lime said: Man. This part is heartbreaking, but at the same time it’s so well-crafted. This spiraling descent into chaos… It’s truly part of what makes this arc so great.

And that stuff Sasai-Chan said about abandonment issues, I’d never thought about that. And that makes me think of… well, I’ll tell you later.

Totally agreed. It’s like the little utopia the Strawhats have fashioned themselves is unravelling before their eyes and none of them have a clue what to do or how to put it back the way it was. :(

Oh yeah, if it’s spoilerish, it can wait. *flails with impatience*

edwinflores428 said: Not much I can say…but be sure to give yourself plenty of tissues and fresh air after watching the next episode

Ugh... Luffy saying “See ya. It’s been fun,” to Usopp got me. I didn’t think I’d crack, but I totally did. xD

yowahoshihime said: *cries* you’re finally here. I had such a hard time getting through this part in the manga, good luck!

Surprisingly tough, especially since I should have seen it coming. Oh well, it seems to be over. I’ll be able to get on with my One Piece life now, but it’ll never be the same without Usopp in it. :(

meheartonepiece said: Usually it goes like “character has a breakdown, friendship helps them get through” in shonen, right? I think this is a great example that sometimes, it can’t be as easy as that ;-; Also in regard to what tempus-nexus said, I COMPLETELY AGREE. HE appears near the end of the arc, and it’s Amazing.

Agreed. That’s what I thought might happen. Damn Oda being unconventional and his merciless inventiveness. xD It really is more realistic. Props to him.

Okay, now I am hyped for HIM. It’ll give me something to look forward to, post-Usopp. (Who am I kidding? No one can replace him! No one!)

blogquantumreality said: Poor Usopp :( This arc has been really hard on him, and I wasn’t sure what would happen next after this. :|

I’m still not sure. I think he’s gone. I hope he changes his mind and comes back, but he was pretty adamant about the Merry. I just hope he doesn’t join another crew.

tempus-nexus said: 436. I was talking about 436. Because it’s such a well-done fight. It’s not like the times where Luffy’s throwing punches like gatling fire while poisoned and stabbed, or Zoro’s lost half his blood and is still cutting cannon fire. There’s no country to be saved, or ally to rescue, or anything. It’s just two best friends, who love each other very much, who couldn’t communicate properly and aren’t willing to back down on what they believe.

Now that I’ve seen it, I completely understand where you’re coming from. Take the Dials and all the daft pranks away, and the fight is exactly as you said it is. Two friends who cannot get past something and who feel the only way forward is go their separate ways. It’s realistic, but damned sad. ;_;

inexchangeforyoursoul said: Adding on the voice actor pile: the guy also voices Jango. Who’s also fab and eccentric as hell, thinking about it…

He voices Jango as well? Damn, Yamaguchi is talented. Would not have caught that one in a million years. ^_^

sparktehfox said: I thought I posted this on your last post but I think you should take everything you think you know, and throw it out the window. This entire Arc is going to have you second guessing yourself the entire way.

A mysterious organisation, I’m guessing. Or a person. Or an android. I’m reaching here... xD

greatninjadragon said: In the funimation dub commentary, they mention how this arc seems more artsy with how things are shot. Like with the scene with Robin and some other stuff later to make things more intense than in other episodes.

Oooh, good point. I noticed a bit of that with Kaku leaping around the city. The angles of shot are more unorthodox. I like it!

blogquantumreality answered: Ever since I first saw this part of the arc, I’ve loved the idea of working in Water Seven. Galley-La’s workers are respected and admired, and the company clearly does right by its workers. It’s like General Motors in the 1950s.

It seems like a great place to work, where the employees are respected and valued for their expertise (I wonder what happened to that?) I’ve always fancied working somewhere like that. 

scarredtiger answered: To give you the same experience fans at the time had. This was the point Oda dropped hints that a Strawhat was going to die. Have fun!

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? NOOOOOOOOOO! D: Why? That is evil! Oda is evil! Why would he do that?

amazingbedhead answered: I feel like everyone watching your blog is gnawing at their fingers and waiting for you to watch more of this arc, myself included! I love how Robin and Chopper have been getting in some quality time the last few eps.

I am now gnawing at my fingers with the death revelation. What the hell? D:

(Also, Robin and Chopper are adorable. I’ve never thought about it before but it makes sense that they get along. They both share similar interests. Love that they headed straight for the bookshop!)

celelorien answered: Ahhh I want to re-watch Water 7 alongside you now so I can re-live it and know what I’m allowed to talk about without spoilers, hahaha!! (PS: In my opinion DO NOT READ what scarredtiger replied. DON’T DO IT. It may’ve been spoilers from Oda but no!!)

TOO LATE! I am now full of angst! D: I have been spoiled for a big death already (early on an unsolicited spoiler provider revealed some) but nothing was said about a Strawhat dying! I really hope Oda was speaking figuratively. (Yes, I am reaching but it’s all I’ve got!) D:

half-man-half-lime said: Ok, Edwinflores, you’re on watch. Nobody said CP9 was a they.

Hmm... good point. I never realised that at the time. I’m thinking mysterious organisation?

aoitsukikage answered: Lucci’s design is apparently based on Harvey Keitel’s character from the movie ‘Taxi Driver’…and yeah, the people in Water 7 don’t have much to fear from pirates, not with those badass shipwrights around!!

Ahhh... now I get the reference! Yeah, Lucci does look pretty like him. I guess this is one of Oda’s homages to celebrities. :)

tempus-nexus said: scarredtiger WHY would you say that?! I mean, yeah you totally just gave you reason for saying that and I completely understand, but WHY WOULD YOU PUT NWOP THROUGH THAT?! Also, Oda. God damn. That’s one hell of a hint to drop at /any/ time.

I KNOW, RIGHT? I AM FULL OF ANGST RIGHT NOW, ARGH. xD

inexchangeforyoursoul answered: *whispers* It begins…

Ohhhh god, am I ready? Am I really ready for this? xD

blogquantumreality said: TBH the orthography of Romanization of Japanese names allows for some flexibility in spelling. Anyway, I will have more to say on how much Water 7 reminds me of the 1950s and 1960s, but that will have to wait for a bit.

You always pick up on angles I would never think of. The exchange rate in Skypiea was one that will always stick in my mind.

celelorien said: Aaah, it really is one of the best arcs in One Piece so far. I might have to rewatch it alongside you so I can remember what-all I’m allowed to talk about when, hahaha!

Hahaha, feel free! Then you’ll be thrashing with angst when I get to certain parts and you want to tell me everything but can’t. xD

half-man-half-lime said: Oh, I just realized. Don’t those water gates work the same way as the Panama Canal? Daaang, I’m just real envious of Oda’s world design skills right now.

HAHAHA, oh lord, is it wrong that I can imagine Sanji saying that and meaning every single word? xD

scarredtiger said: Some of my favourite dubbed episodes here. They completely roll with the afro and the blacksploitation, and its just so *FUNKY*

That’s it! The theme was 80s blacksploitation. Everything was soul-filled and funky. Gawd. xD  There seems to be a consensus that 217-218 are hilarious dubs.

amazingbedhead said: Watching these two episodes reminded me of watching Looney Toons as a kid. No one does slapstick humor like Oda!

Good catch! The slapstick was strong in 217-218. They even had giant boxing glove punching machines! I mean, come on! xD

blogquantumreality said: Ah yes, the Afro of Strength :D Luffy’s battle with Foxy was fun to watch, if making me considerably anxious because of the Noro Noro Beam. :O

That Noro Noro beam could have been something special if a more ruthless character had got their hands on that fruit. If Luffy hadn’t found that shard of mirror things might have turned out differently. Foxy gave him a good match (though it was heavily skewed in his favour).

meheartonepiece said: Nah the foxy fight is canon, just that in the manga it’s the third game of the first Davy back fight. Btw, did you notice the hat Usopp was wearing? ;) ;) ;)

Ahhh... okay. I think I get the order of the games now. Everything makes more sense (and Luffy is much more in-character). I didn’t notice the hat Usopp was wearing? Is it a reference to something?

saisai-chan said: the fight on the ship is NOT filler!! it’s totally canon!

Thanks! Everything makes more sense now (not to mention Luffy’s actions seem more in-character). ^_^

greatninjadragon said: no the afro fight is canon. I just meant the two games covered in the last two episodes.

Got you! So the roller-rink race and the sneaking up on Tonjit game were filler? Everything makes much more sense now. xD

edwinflores428 said: One more thing, eventually you’ll meet a character you’ll absolutely LOVE and works an epic afro….even though he’s a bit perverted

Cannot wait to meet this awesome, fro’d character. He’s not the shipwright, is he? Don’t tell me! Argh, why do I invite spoilers?

martyslittleusedblog said: Oh! Ah, the fight on the ship IS canon. The canon games are as follows: boat race (except only with Nami, Robin, and Usopp), that pirate-basketball-thing, and the Luffy vs. Foxy fight.

Also, the arc is almost over, but I should warn you, the arc ends with filler bullcrap in the anime, whereas in the manga, it ends with the Straw Hats meeting someone VERY, VERY important (they do meet him later in the anime, but it’ll take a couple more filler arcs…(HEAVY SIGH))…

Things are balanced out? That is a huge relief, you have no idea. I just really didn't like Pain and the thought of the same thing happening to One Piece, a series I'm growing to really love, was just awful.

inexchangeforyoursoul answered: 90% odf people call him Enel, so that’s fine. (Btw, there’s actually a power company named like that in Italy. That’s unrelated trivia, though.)

I think I like Enel best, anyway.  I wonder what's more popular in terms of hits and search engine results: Enel of One Piece, or Enel of Italian Power Company fame?

saisai-chan answered: his name is romanized as Eneru in the dub and the english translation of the manga. he’s awesome, in every sense of the word.

I'll use all of the tags available for Eneru that aren't spoilery. So far, I have Enel, Eneru and God Eneru, which was an autofill option when typing in Eneru. His power is definitely awesome. I'm still apprehensive about him ruining the power balance, but you guys haven't yet steered me wrong.

scarredtiger answered: Enel is his name. If you want to get technical Eneru is how he’s named in the dub. God is his epithet. He is deserving of the title, but think less Christianity and more Polytheism.

Polytheism definitely sits better with me. I don't know why the concept of a monotheistic creator god in OP should bother me. Maybe a monotheistic god is too close to the culture I live in and I want OP to be detached from all the baggage that comes with it? Who knows?

zaziecurie answered: Enel is his name. While he IS very powerful - to the point Oda admitted he brought the charc 2 early 2 the story - Enel is NOT that “godly” IMO & you’ll find out why later on

Part of that reply makes me anxious (too powerful a character introduced too early gives me flashbacks of Pain/Nagato) and the other half intrigues me (not that "godly"?) Argh, I now have about ten half-baked theories about Enel floating around in my mind!

x-chick303 answered: Uh, I hate fellow Christians who call atheists ‘heathens’. I have atheist friends who are nice and respect my religion, just as I respect their lack thereof. I don’t exactly like their atheism, but I respect their life choices. Respect is key!

You totally hit the nail on the head. You don't have to like it, but as long as you respect it, then that's all that matters. Zoro knows. He knows what the score is.

tempus-nexus answered: Don’t worry. Power Creep in OP is usually pretty stable. There are people way outside any given arc’s tier, but they’re almost never an arc antagonist. The balance keeps itself mostly organized. And Enel doesn’t show again after this arc anyways. Although to be fair, Mihawk’s first appearance was also like this. Someone immensely outside the Straw Hats’ capacity. Now that I think, there’s several people like this. But like Mihawk, they usually stick around just long enough to be remembered.

A stable power creep is definitely good news. I totally don't mind random appearances from antagonists who are way outside the Strawhats' tiers. Orochimaru showed up to take dibs on Sasuke early on in Naruto, but he was a major villain and the power creep, like you said, was stable. Even if Enel skews the balance during this arc, I guess if he doesn't show later on, it wouldn't matter. The Strawhats must have some other reason they need to be in Skypiea. I wonder why they need to be there?

aoitsukikage answered: as others have said, Enel’s definitely strong, but the power level of the main arc antagonists in OP generally moves at a pretty steady upward pace so it’s not unbelievable Luffy & crew find ways to get the better of them eventually!

Must admit, with that display of power Nami witness on Upper Yard, I'm finding it really hard to think of a way anyone could beat Enel. I think the most fun I'll have here is watching how Oda makes Enel's defeat believable. If he can pull that off, he deserves all the praise he gets.

halelikehell answered: I’ve been watching this arc now to refresh my memory as I’m reading your blog. And wow, can I say that it made me weep and shiver? I sure admire you for being able to watch only one episode everyday, I just watched probably more than 20 in a row.

Must admit, sometimes it's hard to restrain myself to one episode a day. I couldn't do it with 150 and 151. Waiting to see Luffy kick Bellamy's ass was too great a struggle. xD

blogquantumreality answered: The official romanization is Eneru, but again, Enel just sounds nicer and the Kaizoku group subbed it that way, so just tag enel and eneru :) Zoro’s non-belief is a pretty bold statement, and I gotta give the guy mad props for it. :)