I can tell you that I have read 600+ manga and the truth is that One Piece:

do not have the best art
not the best characters
not the most mind blowing plot twist
not the best jokes
not the most epicness fights
not the most emotional moments

But level of creativity in its fantasy world the richness of the plot stand in a level far above any manga in history, it's somewhat like the phenomenon happened to Harry Porter. And this quality alone pull One Piece to the unreachable top of Shounen Manga.

... Last updated on September 30th, 2012, 12:16pm

One Piece's amount of chapters and slow start can be deterring and many come in with biased view of it because of its popularity, but the majority have spoken and it is a compelling story and exceptional battles.

In a way, this is a rinse and repeat for each arc due to the set up of the fights, but each arc has a LARGE difference in each back story setting, tonality, and pacing. There is ALWAYS something new and something connecting to a previous arc.

Someone soooooo far in the beginning can show up in the latest chapters. It's the little details that make it so great.

Trying to read it won't take but a bit of your time, but if you do, investing time is something that you won't regret.

I love One Piece and can say that it is my number one manga. The story telling great, each character is unique, and the world is brilliantly design. Honestly the drawing style is unique and I say that it just bring out a better manga. I am sometimes baffle of how many manga drawing styles are quite the same nowadays and One Piece unique design is great.
The story is yes at times sure rinse and repeat, but how many manga done this before. But way how the story is told is great. I love how Oda makes the characters react to one another and how sometimes comedic scene appear at very intense moments that lets you take a step back and get ready for some more action.
The characters are all unique, you can't say that any of the Strawhat crew are the same. Each one adds to the story in their own way and I can't say anyone of them are useless. Also another thing that is great about One Piece is how many different island there are. There should be way more island out there that Strawhats hasn't visit because there are many routes to take to get to One Piece and well that is awesome. That mean there could of had been other great adventure to enjoy.
If you haven't read One Piece you are missing out.

Funny. Epic. Brutal. Dramatic. Full of pure, elementary joy and happiness.
One Piece has got it all. Usually, I rate by enjoyment, but my rating of 10 for this manga includes quality as well. Oda has created shounen perfection in this manga, creating a world where all the seas are free to sail upon, to discover new worlds and places, where his/your/whoever's imagination is the limit.
The cast that form the crew are a diverse bunch; a swordsman, a martial artist chef, a sharpshooter-come-inventor, a cyborg handyman, a navigator-thief, an archeologist, a shape-shifting medic, a skeleton musician, and their captain, who's a rubber human. I know.
I know some people have been put off by the fact this is a 'pirate' manga, and that that's lame or cliched or something. It's barely a 'pirate' manga. It's a high-energy, high-fun shounen manga that uses the pirate imagery as a long-running metaphor for freedom and discovery. The world is out there, go and find out what lies for you. One Piece has very few flaws (perhaps a slightly slow beginning) but is one of the most dramatic, funny, exciting shounen battle mangas in recent times, heck scratch that, one of the best mangas ever. Give it a proper go. You won't regret it.

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

This manga is legendary, it's nothing like repetitive, cliché mangas like Naruto. It has a unique plot, great characters as well as humour, mystery, drama and adventure.

One Piece is Japan's #1 manga but it should be the world's #1 manga; it certainly deserves it.

the adventure is there. the mysteries are there. the characters are great. it's hilarious.

sure, certain arcs dragged on a little bit when reading weekly, but right now it's on the best arc yet.

One Piece may not be the best manga of all time since I don't think any manga is worthy of that title, really.

But among the shonen mangas that's another matter. This is the definite shonen, one that actually keeps improving over the time, one that doesn't have age restrictions, one that always keep you hungry for more (you wont get tired of this manga, you'll become a junkie for life)

The one and only shonen manga you REALLY need in your life is One Piece.

Rating? Over 9000

G.O.A.T.=Greatest Of All Time
...it might not be yet but the way it is going it will be known as such. Great storytelling, great characters, the realist emotion in any manga I've read, great not so over the top fights, immensly vast world, great powers, variety of environments and epic arcs.

Since the Enies Lobby/Water 7 arc this manga has been epic and has gotten increasingly better.
The future of One Piece is bright. The New World will be even better than the Grand Line saga was.

It is a very long manga and it still is about half way done. Not many mangas can continue for so long and only continue to improve in story and art.

... Last updated on April 30th, 2010, 5:05pm

I started following this manga/anime when I was a little kid and I still enjoy it a lot. Many people thinks that it's getting repetitive and boring, but for me it's not like that at all. Every arc of this series has it's particular charm, or that's what I think. Maybe it's true that at first it was more of an "adventure story", but the plot is too developed fot it to remain as a story that simple. And personally I think it would have been a mistake for it to still be only that, because even if it's funny and enjoyable the "adventure thing", a manga with this many chapters has to have some deep plot.

I don't think that the art is getting worse, every long manga suffers from "art changes". Too many years have gone by since Oda started drawing this, obviously his art is gonna change... It's different, but I don't find it better nor worse.

Obviously, even thought One Piece is a "must-read" for many of us, not everyone is gonna like it. It's just impossible. I won't say that this is the best manga, but I assure that I enjoy, laugh and cry reading the manga and watching the anime. I find the story very inspiring; a story with absurd arcs and situations but also with very emotive and sad ones. I like this diversity, and I hope I still do as time passes and Oda draws more chapters =)