One Piece Investment

elaniel

Vampire Ninja
HI all,

Just a simple question. Do people think starting to watch One Piece now is worth the investment?

A bit about me to see if people think I will like it:
I burned out of anime a few years ago after buying loads I never watched, or intended to. I kept feeling like I was missing out on something people were highly praising and stating were great series. I'm a lot more cautious now. (I think it's Aria and her gondola's that bored me so far out of my mind!)

It worries me the length of the show too. I gave up on Bleach and Inuyasha after 90-100 episodes years ago. The battles were dragging on too long and it seemed to be getting nowhere fast in my opinion.

Some of my favorite shows are: Utena, Slayers, Record of Lodoss War, and Nadesico.
What do people think?
 
It's a massive investment of time tbh and it's whether you can fit it in. It also depends on how much you'd be looking to watch, how many episodes a day etc. You could easily burn out and lose interest if you plan on watching 4-5 episodes a night.

I would really like to watch One Piece but the length is daunting. I've decided to start Naruto even though it's a long running show because in my daily routine I usually watch an episode of Family Guy in the morning during breakfast before work and then an episode in the evening when I get back from work and do a session of weights. I have finished family guy so realistically I can watch 2 episodes of naruto a day without actually changing my current routine. Gonna go for the dub because when i'm doing weights my focus is not good so at least I can hear what's going on.

At that rate I can probably watch 14 episodes a week and finish the main part of unleashed in 9-10 weeks. Whether or not I'll want to go on to Shippuden straight after is another thing. I have 52 episodes of One Piece (US collections 1 and 2) so maybe that will be my next challenge after Unleashed.
 
Thanks for replying. I probably have enough time (with other shows and video games) to watch 2 episodes of anime a day. I wouldn't consider to marathon one show without cutting in a few others here and there.

It's taken me a fortnight to get through the first 20 episodes of Sword Art Online so I know it will be a long investment if I go for it.
 
I think its all down to enjoying it or not. If you start watching it and enjoy it, then you will find the invesment worth it. But I would say, dont rush it otherwise you will get fed up with it. :)
 
My partner is a huge One Piece nut and he's read through the manga several times. He watched a large number of episodes of the anime a long time ago and now we're watching it together properly (and in order!) via the Funimation 'voyage' DVD sets. I'm less obsessed with the series myself, though I've seen a smattering over the years and enjoy watching and collecting it.

To broaden the topic slightly, I don't think there's such a thing as good or bad anime; some anime titles are higher quality than others but enjoyment is entirely down to personal taste (Aria makes me want to punch things and I've never been able to appreciate Bleach). And since it's entertainment, enjoyment is the only thing I care about. Even "I like X, will I like Y?" situations can't be relied upon; a lot of people tell me I'll like Claymore because I like Berserk, but after having loved Berserk I really don't want to watch a lamer version of it no matter how convincing their arguments sound.

Since it's pretty cheap to pick up the first set or two of One Piece, you could always give it a go and drop it if you aren't interested (or audition it via the manga if that's cheaper). A lot of people find the character arcs the best part of One Piece so you might want to stick around long enough to get through a couple of those before deciding once and for all, but for me I knew I would like it from the very first chapter of the manga based on its feel alone. Luffy's a likeable lead and the creator has managed to capture a swashbuckling, childlike spirit of adventure perfectly, which makes the high-stakes fights later on work really well. The villains are nicely memorable, too. The only complaint I would have is that due to its length, there's quite a bit of padding with filler episodes, slow pacing and recaps here and there; the generous full season box sets mitigate the problem but it's something to be aware of.

R
 
I think you're right, I can get the first season from Amazon USA for £10, so will more than likely do that. Hardly breaking the bank either.

I agree that recommendations don't always work out. I think the question I'm actually trying to ask is if the show warrants 600+ episodes / extremely long manga. Does the story warrant it or is it being dragged on for the sake of popularity?
 
I'm obviously behind since I'm on Funimation's schedule (though my partner is up to date with the current chapters in the US digital Shonen Jump and looks forward to it every week) so take what I say with a big pinch of salt. To me it feels as though the creator has a very definite idea of where he's going with the story and the arcs all feel as though they're building on the established world without just throwing stuff in for the sake of it. It's much better crafted than its peers in that respect. Characters come and go in an ongoing story but the voyage format lets them slip in standalone filler episodes without the jarring feel that they've put the storyline on hold mid-battle at any point.

Whether this will continue once the creator finally runs out of steam one day is unclear, but it's not like Bleach where it feels as though the series was designed around one amazing arc and then the creator has to wing it and expand the world in response to the popularity afterwards. Oda obviously put a lot of thought into how he wanted the One Piece story and character relationships to develop right from the beginning, and it shows.

R
 
I just caught up to the recent episode of One Piece about 30 minutes ago and I seen this topic. 1st you need to like the characters because I think the beginning arcs are really slow. But the show gets really good the more you watch as everything starts to fall into place. If you do end up liking it you need to watch like 8-10 eps a day I think, it took me two months to watch and it felt like it went on forever but when you are caught up it feels so good and well worth the time. So I would just give it ago and don't bother with the DVDs because you will be waiting forever. I would just watch it online an subbed.
 
Please don't recommend pirating something - which is easily and cheaply available - over watching it in a lawful manner and supporting that which you claim to enjoy. There was a forum admin literally posting right before you, so it's not very smart.

R
 
Rui said:
Please don't recommend pirating something - which is easily and cheaply available - over watching it in a lawful manner and supporting that which you claim to enjoy. There was a forum admin literally posting right before you, so it's not very smart.

R
Maybe he meant the Funimation Streams? Iuno.
I don't even know how many episodes they actually offer to stream for free.

On the topic of One Piece, I was actually considering the same thing quite a few weeks ago since I really liked Strong World, but after thinking about it for a bit I decided against watching the TV Series - at least for now. 6xx episodes is just incredibly daunting and doesn't seem worth the time/effort - especially when you consider how long the arcs are. I'd probably completely burn myself out on anime If I started it now :/
 
Rui said:
a lot of people tell me I'll like Claymore because I like Berserk, but after having loved Berserk I really don't want to watch a lamer version of it no matter how convincing their arguments sound.
I seem to recall that I was once in the epicentre of a huge, ruinous shitstorm after expressing similar sentiments. Those were the days...

OP: you can always give One Piece a go and just stop watching when you're no longer enjoying it. There's no guarantee it'll be finished in our lifetime anyway :p
 
Elaniel said:
The battles were dragging on too long and it seemed to be getting nowhere fast in my opinion.

I gave up on One Piece for precisely this reason, but I have little patience for long running shonen-fighting things in general.
 
Didn't expect so many responses, thanks everyone. Shame the episodes aren't on Crunchyroll, are there any legal streams of the show here in the UK? I'll give a few episodes on that a shot, and then possibly buy the first season.
 
fabricatedlunatic said:
Rui said:
a lot of people tell me I'll like Claymore because I like Berserk, but after having loved Berserk I really don't want to watch a lamer version of it no matter how convincing their arguments sound.
I seem to recall that I was once in the epicentre of a huge, ruinous shitstorm after expressing similar sentiments. Those were the days...

OP: you can always give One Piece a go and just stop watching when you're no longer enjoying it. There's no guarantee it'll be finished in our lifetime anyway :p

Why would someone recommend Claymore as a Berserk-alike? Surely Gungrave would be a better title, as it would be like Berserk, but with an ending!

As for One Piece, I'm following the Manga releases, up to episode 130, and it's been getting better and better as the releases have kept coming. The Alabasta arc is fantastic, although obviously I can't speak to what comes next. Since the UK releases reach that far at this point, I'd recommend watching those, and if you don't like it by Collection 4, where the best anime character ever* Tony Tony Chopper appears, then you never will.

* probably...
 
I was in the same boat a few months back. But the animation, as well as the episode count turned me off, which is a shame as it looks fun, and my mate is about 100eps in and he's in love with it. But I decided to follow bleach instead. That and DBZ are going to be my only 'big' anime.
 
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