One piece is well known for many reasons. Not only has it been running since the late 90s in Shonen Jump, one of the premier destinations for action/adventure manga, It’s also gained mainstream attention through its thoughtful character driven story and world building. Netflix has released a live action version of the series and a remake of the anime is already in the works, despite the fact neither the original show or manga have concluded. It has cemented itself as one of the most desired and beloved Manga in history, alongside Naruto and Bleach, all three of which together are known as the “Big Three”.

This is, of course, incredibly impressive, but if you’re someone who doesn't watch or read One Piece, you likely know about it for a different reason. That is the sheer length and magnitude of its story.

One piece premiered in Shonen Jump in 1997 and has continued for 28 years. To put that in perspective, that’s longer than the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War One and World War Two combined. The anime, as of the time I’m writing this, is on episode 1151 and the manga is on chapter 1167.

It would be a herculean task to catch up to one piece this late in the series. Not even I, someone who caught up over a decade ago could pull off such an extraordinary feat. Luckily for me, I'm not here to catch up. Rather, I'm here to complete the series. 

Welcome to Operation One Piece. Our goal is to watch and review all of One Piece arc by arc. So whether you’re someone who fell off late in the game like myself, or someone who is intimidated by One Piece’s staggering episode count. I welcome you aboard my ship and hope you’ll set sail with me on this adventure as we try to help the Strawhat Pirates find that ever elusive One Piece.

Our story follows Monkey D Luffy, who at this point is just beginning his journey as a pirate. He’s set off to find a crew in order to help him fulfill his dream of becoming the pirate king, just like Gol D Roger before him. He’s not the only one inspired by Roger’s legendary last words, though. He’ll quickly find out how harsh the open sea truly is, as he makes his way to the grand line where he hopes to find the mythical One Piece.

The early one piece episodes are emblematic of the late 90s/early 2000s animation style. There’s a lot of charm to be found in its more simple character designs and backgrounds compared to the more sleek and sometimes 3d animation that can be found in modern anime. Not that I don’t like modern animation, but one piece’s early episodes evoke a sort of nostalgic feeling. When I watched it for the first time I was completely blown away. It may be a little rough around the edges, however, I think it says something that even after a decade it’s still able to impress me more than a lot of modern anime.

One piece has a very effective yet simple framework for its worldbuilding. Instead of complicated continents each with different kingdoms vying to take control, One Piece has islands. Each island has its own leaders and conflicts. This sets up One Piece to have an infinite number of interesting and different stories. This approach also allows One Piece to create new and unique environments for every island, so that the viewer can never predict what they might see next. It also allows for flexibility from both a writing and artistic perspective. Because of the way the world’s setting has been established, it’s nearly impossible to write oneself into a corner when you have the entire ocean available to you.

The Music in One Piece is some of the best any anime has to offer. The OP of the first few arcs is so recognizable that both devoted fans and casual viewers alike probably know the words. The major moments and story beats are all punctuated by a distinct soundtrack that is not only fantastic, but also built with precision. It has the ability to inflict the exact emotions in the viewer that it wants. Even when the show’s pacing is off or the animation is kind of wonky, you can always count on the music to deliver.

What I believe makes One Piece so effective at storytelling. Is the way that it writes characters and conflicts.

Oftentimes One Piece uses characters to establish the larger conflicts of the world and narrative. Let’s take for example, Luffy's fights with Alvida and Captain Morgan.
Alvida is a pirate, like Luffy. She is cruel, aggressive and self obsessed. It doesn’t matter if you’re a member of her crew or just someone unfortunate enough to cross paths with her, insult her in the slightest way and you’re likely to regret it.

Luffy on the other hand is really quite nice. He’s a little dumb and brash, but has a lot of emotional intelligence. It’s clear from the jump that he cares a lot about other people and he respects others who do as well, which is why he’ll later want to recruit Zoro for his crew.

After defeating Alvida, Luffy goes to the nearest island which has a Navy base. Initially you’d be forgiven for thinking, like Koby, that the navy are the good guys. When we’re introduced to Captain Morgan, though, that idea is thrown up in the air.

Both Captain Morgan and his son Helmeppo have much more in common with Alvida (a pirate, they would likely despise) Than they do with Luffy, the protagonist of our story. They’re arrogant brutes, who only really care about themselves. It’s because of this that we can conclusively determine from the beginning of our story that neither the Navy or Pirates are the good guys.

This is further backed up when we’re introduced to the characters shanks and buggy. 

Shanks is the one who inspires Luffy and is part of the reason he sets off to become a pirate in the first place. It’s the compassion and love that shanks shows that makes Luffy respect him so much. 

Buggy is, like Alvida and Captain Morgan, a selfish asshole. When he encounters Luffy he’s terrorizing a town and Luffy beats him up just like he did the other two.

One Piece doesn’t operate in black and white. Its story is told in shades of grey. The characters are complex and so are its conflicts.

For those interested enough to care, One Piece offers a very nuanced critique of the real world. Oda, through this very long and magnificent work of fiction touches on capitalism, imperialism, racism and much more. 

I plan on writing about those things in more detail as we venture further into this world, but for now that’s all. Thanks for reading!