Hello! I've been in Hive for a while now but this is the first time that I would be writing in The Anime Realm community. A little background about myself, I've been an avid anime fan back in the 90s. The genres available then were not as diverse as it is now. And as I grew older, my preferences changed, leaning more into dark fantasy and adult genres. I also gravitated more towards manga and manhwa than animes. My favorite titles include Kingdom, Berserk, Claymore, Akame Ga Kill, and Hunter x Hunter.
And despite my distinct preferences, One Piece still ranks at top of my manga list. Here's the reasons why:
A Wolf in Shonen Clothing
When an anime/manga is described as shonen, it's usually targeted towards young adult viewers. People can simply take it at face value and treat it as a lighthearted tale of pirate adventure. But if you inspect the elements of One Piece, there are darker plots behind the story's surface.
Slavery, Torture, Abuse, Cruelty
For those who grew up watching Yu Yu Hakusho, there is an arc that revolved around a black tape that supposedly documented the atrocities of mankind against demonkind. And those same horrible acts were implied to be also happening in the One Piece world, The perpetrators of these cruelties were mostly the celestial dragons towards other humans. Evidence of these acts was hinted at by characters like Boa Hancock, Koala, and the heartbreaking tragedy that is Bartolomeo Kuma. And the amazing part of it is that One Piece still manages to maintain its status as a comedic action-adventure story despite having very dark undertones.
Insane World Building
Just like how the late Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball became a huge inspiration to the modern shonen genre, Eiichiro Oda has also set a bar on what a great grand adventure should be. There are so many things happening in One Piece beyond the main storyline that you'd be lost if you don't keep track. It's been a tradition to feature side events at the end of every arc, with recent ones getting crazier and crazier. There are also some callbacks to earlier events that may have been shown many, many years ago. And while some may arguably be afterthoughts by the author, most are evidently set up decades in advance!
Real Life Issues
Finally, what sets One Piece apart from all other animes/mangas that I know of is that it tackles real-life issues. Not many authors touch these subjects and Oda seamlessly incorporated them into his storylines. A few of them are:
Government Coverup and Genocide
The World Government was so desperate to erase the events of the void century that they callously obliterated all the historical records of Ohara as well as its citizens.
False Flag and Manipulation
We often hear false flag attacks in different conflicts throughout history. A good example of this also exists in One Piece when Crocodile cunningly manipulated the citizens of Arabasta to rebel against their own monarchy.
Hypocrisy and Impunity
The World Government's Navy division prides itself on being the allies of justice. And despite them dispensing harsh judgment on common lawbreakers and pirate crews, the entire organization turns a blind eye to the atrocities that the celestial dragons commit on a daily basis.
Racial Discrimination
Discrimination is blatantly displayed against the denizens of Fishman Island. Mermen and mermaids were even treated as lower beings and often sold as slaves.
These are just a few reasons why One Piece ranks first in my list of anime and manga. Eiichiro Oda has been telling this grand tale for 26 years, and everyone is anticipating the epic conclusion. And despite the darker side of it that I elaborated in this article, there is a treasure trove of positive traits that is emphasized in this anime like friendship, loyalty, faith, and perseverance. I wholeheartedly believe that One Piece is one of the greatest masterpieces of our generation and deserve a spot in a time capsule.
All images shown in the article are subject to copyright status by Shueisha's Jump Comics division, Toei Animation and related media-based groups. No copyright infringement intended.
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