I know. I know... Its a hackneyed statement which has been used ad infinitum in shonen manga. But despite the cliché, One Piece *IS* getting better and for those who have the time, the patience and the mindset to enjoy long shonen series, One Piece is a series that you ought to pick up (that is, if you have not done so till now).

However, like I said - it takes a long time to get better. To be more accurate, the first 400 chapters or so simply build the One Piece universe. They introduce the characters, the groups, the bad guys, the geography of the One Piece 'Earth' and all that. All the while, Luffy and Co. have nice adventures, power up, go through some laughs and some serious situations.

After chapter 450 or so, the true power of all this build up starts becoming slowly and steadily evident. The small hints that are given in the earlier chapters (e.g. watch out for the Rio Poneglyph) start to play more crucial roles and help in advancing the characters, the story and the backstory (yes, their is a lot of history in the OP world). All this suggests that Oda has really done his homework and planning and is slowly weaving an epic which makes look Lord of the Rings puny (no joke here - One Piece has over 200 characters!).

Now what remains to be seen is just what Oda has in mind for us readers. As of chapter 582, it is proving to be a ride well worth it and all of Oda's planning is reaping dividends. In the end, I have liked the plot. It is a slow and steady ride and I hope it gets better. For you, dear reader - if you happen to like long rides which develop slowly, I suggest that you pick this up and start reading. Don't worry if you do not like the art or the humour, it gets better and grows on you. Just read it - slowly - for that is what Oda intended us, the readers to do...

Rating: 8/10.

... Last updated on May 15th, 2010, 3:43am

There's only three words in which I can describe this manga. And that is : BEST MANGA EVER ..... w/ 2 thumbs up. I know it's said all too often by everyone. But seriously, it's that good. I don't understand why anyone can give this manga a 1 out of 10. Each chapter is so enticing and it pulls you in wondering what will happen in the next chapter. Each chapter actually has a plot to it (at least something interesting going on) and it's not like Dragon Ball Z or Bleach where the main character takes the whole episode to charge up or something. In my opinion, Bleach and Naruto cannot even compare with One Piece. Plus, as a bonus, the art is really nicely drawn - very detailed. Oda Eiichiro is a genius for writing this manga. Props to him. Just Awesome.

... Last updated on April 17th, 2010, 10:20am

BEST. MANGA. EVER.

It's hard for any manga with in excess of 500 chapters to keep the audiences still as enthralled and excited as they were when they first started reading it. But One Piece is an exception as it just keeps getting better and better. Manga like Naruto and Bleach are very good as well, but the only issue i have with them is that they pretty much lose all their humour when entering a particularly long winding serious juncture. One Piece is different in that aspect. It's still as funny as ever, yet still able to tug at the heartstrings and fulfill my cravings for blood and violence. Brilliant stuff, and you'd be a fool to not give it a try.

I hate giving 10 because for me i don't think any manga is perfect every manga have at least 1 flaw and One piece too i think the arc go for to long most of the time but the good point of that manga make up for it.One piece is 1 of the rare manga that r capable of surprising me almost each chapter and make me want to come back each week.Every1 should give it a try i know this is a really long manga almost 600 chapter now and i'm not much into long ongoing manga either normally but still one piece isn't like other long ongoing manga it's almost unpredictable each chapter which is really rare for a manga the drawing r pretty good too and the story is awesome it will draw you in.And i forgot to say this when i made this comment. BEST MANGA EVER

... Last updated on April 14th, 2010, 7:48pm

There's no reason why this manga shouldn't be scoring a 10/10.

Do yourself a favor and start reading the series instead of going through the comments. It may be a little slow for the first 100 chapters, but it's still pretty good and it just gets better and beter.

If you haven't read any of One Piece, Bleach, or Naruto do so now. These three titles are beyond the normal classification of shounen manga in terms of scope, story, and/or character development (One piece in particular is in a league of its own). Reviews don't really matter for any of these manga, whether you like them or not when you're done with them, the journey to get through them is worth it if only to change your view of reading manga itself. I'd even go so far to say that you have no real reason to be on this site if you haven't touched one of these manga, and I still question your eligibility if you have read all three. Get throught the first 20 volumes of each before you stop too, it takes that long to truly see all that the three have to offer.

That said, what I think of One Piece: BEST! MANGA! EVER! This is one of only handful of manga that has kept me wanting more and more of it and hasn't disappointed me ever. And at 50+ volumes it is the longest of that handful, with the seinen manga Kaiouki coming in second with 42+ volumes. Its a shame I can't stand either the English or Japanese voices for the anime. I really have nothing to say bad about One Piece and I don't think I ever will !Period!

... Last updated on February 18th, 2010, 4:23pm

Just Gets Better and Better and breaks records like crazy. Shueisha (Shonen Jump Department) found a complete genius He is still on his very first manga he ever published. Anime still airing and moving towards their 600 episode and it's new movie Strong World in theaters still manga will live long

There are already plenty of comments/reviews on this series, but I feel as though I have to talk about it as well. This series is brilliant. Oda created a vivid, beyond-your-imagination world that continues to grow and become more interesting. He has a huge host of characters, and he never forgets any of them. Even though new characters are constantly being added in, they feel natural and interesting.
Yes, it is shounen, but it is the best a shounen manga can get. It focuses on friendship and humor. There are no irritating love triangles, or any of those relationships-just fun times. You grow attached to characters or get angry at them. While most of the villains are clear-cut in their 'evil,' One Piece has already been growing out of that. Dark conspiracies, secrets from the void history, and-many times- the tragic pasts of characters, make this entire series 'rich.' But most of all, One Piece is hilarious. It is the funniest thing I have read. I could go on, but I won't. So just READ IT! (it'll start out slow though) You'll be crying of sorrow, and laughing hysterically from arc to arc.

... Last updated on December 24th, 2009, 1:49pm

Initially I avoided reading one piece all together because I saw a few eps of the anime on cartoon network and I didn't like the "cartoonish-ness" of it. The art style seemed more like an american cartoon than an anime. Things being disproportionate (Usopp's nose) and some obsurd things (3 sword style?) made it somewhat childish (especially since in the cartoon network version the guns were often replaced with non-guns).

One piece is silly, the art style is unrealistic, and a bit cartoonish. However, if you can overlook that theres a complex story with lots of action (well drawn action scenes mind you) and when theres not much excitement the sillyness of it makes you laugh.

one piece can be summed up as a "Decent action manga wrapped in a decent gag manga". Most gag manga I've read are empty except for the gags, but one piece's story and action balance it out.

I mean, what can I say. Words can't really describe this manga. Other than saying that this is a masterpiece of a genius, all other comments are understatements.

Look at the rating. More than 50% are 10/10s. And I am not kidding you, this manga, even though already popular, is still underated. Really. I'm also giving it a 10.

The humour is the real selling point though (action too, of course, but shonen is already representative of it, so...). The number of laughs garnered from this is unparalleled. If there is little action, be assured that jokes and puns will surface.

And now, on to the art. Each character is unique, you can tell them apart very easily. Backgrounds are the best I have seen. Each arc has different scenes and yet backgrounds are still vividly drawn.

And the plot. It has not gotten one bit boring for me. If it has for some, then I can tell you that the plot is at its turning point now. People may say it is simplistic, yet it still holds the charm that many other manga do not. At 500+ chapters, it is only at half its full story potential, unlike Naruto and Bleach, where the plot already seems to be on its final journey.

So my final message will be: JUST READ IT!!!