One Piece Review: Why is it So Popular? Should You Watch It? Classic or Crash Test?
So yeah. One Piece is kind of a big deal of sorts. This is obvious from its record sales numbers. But for those who are still wondering why, that’s no problem. We can explain it all right now. One Piece is popular because it has a killer storyline, a gripping mystery, charming characters with a phenomenal world building. This is all wrapped together with an impactful storytelling that takes the reader to cheering emotional eyes, and teary heartbreaking lows. That is surprisingly simpler than I thought it would be. If you still find yourself confused by this explanation, that’s also fine. We can get right into it. Why Is One Piece So Popular? 1. Killer Storyline One Piece is a great adventure story. An adventure is a story in which the main conflict of the story can only be solved through extensive travel. One Piece is such a story, as the main conflict for our main character is a desire to be free. Finally, the goal of the main character, finding the One Piece, is one that can only be accomplished through travel. Further, the world is built in such a way that we further empathize with our main character. The places they visit have people living in abhorrent situations due to tyrannical governments, and kings. This makes Luffy’s dream more appealing, and additionally, it creates a certain cohesion between the main character’s motivation, the villains, and the setting. Internal story consistency is something that readers look for a lot in story telling, because it allows you to immerse yourself further into the story. Seeing One Piece’s success, we know this to be a strategy that works. 2. Mystery One Piece has captivating mystery One of the most important part of writing is creating a desire for the readers to turn the page. The only way to create this desire is by implanting questions in the readers mind. And what imposes questions in a readers mind better than mystery? One Piece is an onion of questions. From the very first chapter, till the present, there are still questions that are being raised. When you read the first chapter of One Piece, the first question you ask yourself is ‘What is the One Piece’. Then the second question becomes, ‘How will this rubbery boy manage to be a pirate if he can’t swim’. Interestingly, this was a point that was harped on a lot at the beginning of this story. Yet the more One Piece we read, the more we come to realize how little of an obstacle that actually was. Of course Oda knew that, but he still brought up the question in the readers mind, a question that you will realize is a nothing burger only after having read 200 chapters. By that point, a million more questions have been raised by the plot. ‘Who are the World Government?’ ‘What is the Ancient Kingdom’s name?’ ‘Who are the Gorosei?’ ‘What is the Will of the D?’ And finally, what the living hell is the One Piece, and what does it have to do with all these conspiracies?! As you can see, the questions that are raised end up expanding the world, the stakes, and the breadth of the realism in the world. But at the same time, the story remains the same at heart because it is still just a story about a boy who cannot swim but still wants to be free. 3. Characters One Piece has fantastical characters, who feel so human. One Piece is filled with characters who have the most bizarre looks, and the strangest of personality quirks. It is the kind of thing that would turn of any reader, or at least it should, but not with One Piece. How did Oda manage to do this? The simple answer is trust. When you read the earliest chapters of One Piece, you’ll find that most of the characters are normal. Yes, they may have a strange quirk, like the guy who likes moonwalking, and hypnotizing himself, but their general appearance is mostly human. This was because Oda was aware that his readers had to first learn to trust him, and his writing. Oda wrote characters who had such compelling stories that by the time we reached the exotic lands, we have learned to trust him. Now, if he draws a strange looking character, not only will One Piece fans not laugh at the design, but they will take it so seriously, they will start making theories about it. Today, there is a serious theory in the community that this fat guy actually has three people in him, and part of what is used to back up this theory is the weird way his missing teeth are often drawn. 4. Worldbuilding One Piece has one of the best worldbuilding in fiction. Adventure stories are the closest we will ever get to dreams, and Oda takes full advantage of this. There are few worlds in fiction as wide, and diverse as One Piece’s world. In this world, we have desert kingdoms on one end, and on the other, we have underwater kingdoms. We have cloud cities on one, and on the other we have kingdoms made purely out of food. We have all sorts of wonders, and mystiques. Consequentially, there is a constant feeling that you cannot predict what will come next, but you can’t wait to find out. What makes this work is that Oda takes great care to flesh out every little island that we visit so that it gets as close as possible to being real. For example, people on the cloud cities have their own form of greeting, and their own technology. Also, people on the snack kingdom have mayors who specialize on the specific snack the town is. For example, the mayor of the chocolate town can make chocolates. This creates a bizarre, yet believable setting, since of course the mayor will need to be able to bake the road, or
Is Kingdom manga worth reading? Why Is Kingdom so popular?
So I started a new manga a while back, called Kingdom. Ever since then, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from people about what I think on it. Specifically, I’ve been getting asked whether Kingdom is a manga worth getting into. So basically, why is the Kingdom manga so reverred? Why is it so respected? And why is it so loved by its fans? I don’t know about other people, but for me, I believe it is rather simple. Kingdom is a popular manga series because of its heavy realism, which gives it’s characters a sturdy realness and charm, and it’s villains a truly potent sense of intimidation and power. However, the greatest reason will have to be the battles. Kingdom’s battles are extremely advanced, and epic spectacles that keep you on the edge of your seat due to the charm of your heroes, and the dread the villains give you. Finally, Kingdom is popular due to it’s story. Not only is it a retelling of a famous historical time period in China, but also it is told through many turns, and unexpected subversions of typical manga tropes. Though I tried to do my best, I am sure that the explanation needs a more detailed explanation. Therefore, in this article, we will be covering: Why You Should Read/ Watch the Kingdom manga 1. Realism Kingdom feels very real. One of the most common compliment that the TV show ‘Game of Thrones’ used to receive was that it felt real. This is why many people liked it. There are a number of reasons given as to why the viewers felt like that. The nudity was one reason, another being the morally grey characters, and the detailed world building. But the most interesting reason given was that no one was safe. Game of Thrones felt real because anyone could die. That is the perfect description of Kingdom. Anyone can die in the Kingdom manga Kingdom is a story that feels like anything is possible. The world of Kingdom is detailed, since it is a story that takes place in the real Ancient China. This means that most characters in the world have to consider the world whenever they take actions. They have to consider if they will have enough food for a journey, or military campaign. Characters have to consider the weather, and whether their men have enough rest before the next battle. They even have to consider the morale of their fighters. It is not uncommon for numerical superior armies to lose a battle against an inferior army, merely because the men did not have the same moral level. Kingdom feels real because the world feels real, and it seems anyone could die. Consequentially, it makes us get closer to our main characters, and fear for their lives more, while making us cheer for their successes more. Which leads us to the next point. 2. Kingdom manga Characters The characters are charming, captivating, and awe-inspiring, sometimes they are all these together. There is a reason why an author may not want to make their world feel too real; either than ability. If the world is real, then the characters themselves will be judged by the readers on real standards. Readers are going to ask if they like a character or not as a person. And most people are not that charismatic. So are kingdom characters charismatic? Absolutely. The likable ones are interesting The main characters that we follow are some of the most self-less, warm, and entertaining people you will meet. To watch them interact feels so cozy, like how you would feel with your real friends. Add to that the additional charisma that these characters have and you find yourself constantly surrounded by a charismatic bunch. Take Shin for example, our lead character. He starts of the story as a slave boy, and yet, you could never tell. From the time he was a child till today, he and his best friend, Huo, have always had a dream. To be great generals. This is so that they can win their freedom. Watching this character push through his life with a cheerful personality, and constantly chasing his goal, literally never stopping to cry and pity himself, is an inspirational sight that can only be experienced as you read the story. The non likeable ones are interesting Additionally, some characters are not likeable in Kingdom, yet they are not any less captivating. When they appear on screen, it is hard to look away. Such a character is Ousen. This character is not likeable. He is always serious, and literally never jokes. He also does not have extreme anger like Moubu, which can be amusing, nor does he have extreme seriousness like other characters. Instead, Ousen is just emotionless, this blandness being heightened by his face mask. Yet whenever Ousen does make an appearance in a chapter, that is never a boring chapter. He is always followed by some shenanigan’s, and it is captivating to see him use his mind to solve unrealistic situations. The awe-inspiring characters are… well, awe-inspiring Finally, you have the awe-inspiring characters. There are few characters in fiction that have a weight to them, and Ouki is one of those characters. The mention of his name makes other characters in the story stumble, and it is so weird, because it makes even me, the reader, start. This shows you just how much weight this character has. Kingdom has a number of characters like this throughout its story, which makes it hard to hate any of the characters. Even the villains. Speaking of which… 3. The Villains Kingdom’s villains are tragic, sympathetic, frightening, and despicable. Kingdom has some of the most fleshed out villains that you could ever read about in fiction, who carry a certain energy to them in the plot. The technique that Yasuhisa Hara uses to make sure his villain’s weight felt throughout the story is distinct introductions. When Kingdom begins, we already on the