It is the best manga I've read and 500 hundred chapters of greatness, so far. I don't really see the repetition, each arc is unique in its own way. If ur saying the fighting is repetitive, then all the other mangas like naruto and bleach and etc... are all repetitive too, I read those and hated them. but I can't get enough of this. Yes it is kind of childish sometimes. But hey, why are you in such a hurry to grow up? There is lots of action, fighting, laughter, etc. I just love it

A lot of people like the insanity, the nonsense. The certain kindergarden theme that this have. Like watching teletubbies or care bear or something. However, I am not they type that like this kind of manga. Thus I don't find it very supportive of its high rating. And hey, everyone's opinion counts. I hate to rate manga low ratings. But I truly feel that this manga should get the grade I am assigning it to.

... Last updated on June 20th, 2008, 2:52pm

don't let other comments about it going nowhere and being the same thing over and over again fool you, this is one evolving series.

Yes there are times when it feels repetitive, but if you look at the entire series on a whole, the story IS progressing. The goal is not unreachable, it is just very very very far away. Up to now they're about at teh halfway benchmark and honestly, if they were any more then halfway to their goal then it wouldn't be the deeply-detailed-with-subtle-growth manga that sets it apart from other series.

Yes, if you read it release by release it may seem to drag on, but if you compare the current point of the story to when it first began, you will most definitely see a tremendous development in character. They don't start off insanely indestructably strong (though they are fairly strong), they slowly developed to the point where when you see something new, you can appreciate it without the exasperated sighs if you look at the time it took for the characters to become what they are now.

A really good, ever-evolving series.

From the beginning, One Piece grips you with fast-paced action, tons of fighting, and a good supply of baddies. The problem is, that's all it has. The main characters are in search of a goal, which can be forever unreachable or easily reachable - depending on what the mangaka feels like. Meanwhile, they run into bad guys harrassing good people, so they beat them up. Then, they celebrate with the people they've just rescued. Maybe one of those people will join them if the mangaka felt like it. Then, they go to the next place where even stronger enemies await. But, of course, they end up beating those enemies, then celebrate... and so on and so forth. It's an endless loop of "plot", if you can call it that. Add to this the fact that none of the enemies ever DIE. In fact, NO ONE ever dies. So, there is an endless plot plus endless addition of characters. I view this as a sign that the mangaka is satisfied with his current life style of "make-a-new-baddy-every-week-and-live-off-of-it-for-as-long-as-I-can." It's on par with Inu Yasha in that sense.

Yes, it's still very entertaining compared to most other mangas. Yes, it still has a good potential. For me though, it's starting to get pretty boring and I hope the plot starts developing soon. But, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm 90 and this manga is still on-going.

... Last updated on June 10th, 2008, 10:15am

So much better than Naruto that I can't even comprehend why people prefer the latter.
Nice art, nice plot, nice fights, I couldn't ask for anything more.
Best fighting shounen at the moment, no doubt.

This series is too simplistic. Every villain's pure evil with no background or character development. The good guys are pure good with at most 1 character flaw. The plot is story is just a series of stronger enemies getting in the way of the main character's goal. Aside from Nami, none of the characters have much (if any) development. I'd say the target audience is 10-15 year olds. Anyone older should read something with more substance.

As of now it's chapter 498. Two more to reach the 500 count. Woow... the only one veeeeeery long manga that managed to hook my interest. Thus I think it deserves the title "The Best Long Running Shounen Manga".

Don't think of me as fanatic. I'm really not into fangirlism or anything like that. And I sample a lot of manga frequently just so that I won't miss any good ones. BUT I've dropped Naruto and Bleach last year because it gets too unbearable. Detective Conan had tired me out at volume 56. And I've also dropped One Piece twice now, because I thought it gets repetitive. EXCEPT I picked it again afterwards - because it gets lonely without the manga. Can't help it, it's just that good.
And now that the crews count have reached 9, it gets very crazy indeed.

After that it gets pretty old, pretty quick. Even getting that far was hard after a while.
The first few arcs are pretty interesting, and then every arc after is "Second verse, same as the first" just with a new coat of paint.
Art was okay for a while, but then I got sick of it. Story was just dumb after a bit. I don't understand how the fruits can be rare when almost everyone in the world has eaten one.

In all, read maybe the first couple hundred chapters and you will see. As for the people who bash people who don't like this... shove it? If you can give this story a 10 and blindly consider it second only to whatever book of the lord you might worship.. I am free to say this story sucks after a while. So, if you have nothing to say except how everyone else is wrong "Shut your crapper" as one person said. This does not deserve a 10, I don't care if it is a long selling manga, that doesn't make it good. It just makes it the one everyone can get their hands on.

Sure, the art is sub par. Ok, the story is highly repetitive. And never-ending to boot. Too long. Blabla. But who's trying to kid around here? This is your typical shounen manga out there. Long, and everlasting. Boy with superpowers who grows stronger and stronger. Gathers comrades. That's the gist of it. Sound familiar? You bet.

Having said that, One Piece is still pretty cool. Why? Well for one, it's highly innovative, and keeps entertaining the readers even after so many volumes. Something other stereotypical shounen mangas haven't done. Usually, such series become boring because the main character just can't possibly become any stronger in a cool and reasonable way. But One Piece focuses on the 'adventure' aspect rather than the 'strength' aspect. That's why it's still interesting after what, 50 volumes?

I must also concede that the humor far exceeds that of most other shounen series. Its simplistic art really helps the slapstick humor. Sometimes, the drawings are just priceless.

Well, OP is definitely better than Naruto and Bleach. These two both started out strong, but they are just going downhill from there. One Piece is the opposite: starting out slow, but still going strong. Needless to say, I like the latter better.

To be honest, I feel One Piece is worthy to be named the best shounen series of all time. It has all of what characterizes typical shounen manga, but stands out among the rest. If you have time on your hands, One Piece is definitely worth the read.

... Last updated on October 15th, 2010, 9:48pm

Well ive read so many mangas today, and ths one is one of the most interesting and everlasting manga i know. Compared to bleach and naruto that slowly degrade with time, this manga is always fresh. Fresh arc, plot, character, and even though u could consider the art as weird, but for this manga i think this is great, anyway this manga is adventure and comedy.
Great work Oda san..... keep up the great work. By the way, for those who just read 1 or 2 volume then complain and rate it low.... seesh u surely doesnt have a taste for great manga.