One Piece

And that video above is about the best you can expect of One Piece. Yes, it is finally time for me to speak my piece on the last of the Big Three, and I have been putting this off because t is one of the worst I have ever seen. I still watch it so I can keep up with the fans who insist it's great, but it is insanely ridiculous. It startedout somewhat promising, the problem is that every time you think you have a handle on the wierd, the show introduces some new even weirder thing that makes you want to throw your TV out the window. Then you calm down, wrap your head around it, and then just when you think it all makes sense, something even wierder comes up and it starts all over again.

One Piece is about pirates, specifically the Straw Hat pirates, led by Monkey D. Luffy. Luffy grew up admiring a pirate named Red Shanks and told him that one day he would find the legendary treasure of Gol D. Roger and become King of the Pirates. Red Shanks admired the Luffy's ambition even though he was young and gave him his straw hat telling him to give it back when he was King of the Pirates. Luffy is commited to this dream, but he has one significant obstacle, he has eaten the cursed Gum Gum Fruit that makes his body like rubber but also means he can't swim. This is silly yet inspirational in the beginning, and I will explain the significance of the cursed Devil Fruit later because it is that big of a deal that it warrants it's own section. However, the silliness builds up and becomes overwhelming despite Luffy's serious attempt to become King of the Pirates, in fact, the whole idea of his search for the legendary One Piece seems to be overshadowed by other problems that come up. First of all, Luffy finds Roronoa Zorro, a bounty hunter who fights with three swords, one in each hand and the third in his mouth, which is easily the most ridiculous fighting style ever, but he makes it bad ass. Zorro manages to get himself into enough trouble for a death sentence, but Luffy offers to save him if he will be his first mate. Zorro agrees not knowing two things, one that Luffy's determination and rubber powers will allow him to actually succeed, and two, that Luffy has neither a boat nor a crew aside from the two of them. A girl named Nami is impressed enough to join their crew as a navigator and help them along, though we later find out she has ulterior motives. After a few adventures they pick up Usopp, son of Yasopp, one of Red Shanks crew and a friend of Luffy's along with a new boat named the Merry Go, and also Sanji, a chef who aspires to cook the grandest seafood feast ever and has learned to fight using only his feet so he can save his hands for cooking. Usopp is a great marksman, but he also has a tendency to exaggerate his stories wildly. Sanji is a ladies man with a big crush on Nami, but most peculiar is how his hair always hangs in front of one eye, which I was willing to let go until one episode he was upside down and some how the hair still hung of his face in complete defiance of the laws of physics, but even physics is arbitrary in the world of One Piece. Then we find out the truth about Nami, she is actually working for the Fishmen and trying to collect enough money to buy freedom for her hometown. When Luffy finds out how Nami is being manipulated he leads the crew to fight the Fishmen because he is always looking out for his crew and wants to help Nami. Then things get really weird. The next crew member is Tony Tony Chopper, a reindeer who ate the Human Human fruit, the only fruit that will turn an animal into a human. He is now a short anthropomorphic reindeer who wears shorts and a top hat and is actually a vey competent doctor, but will forever be alone, until of course Luffy recruits him. From there they begin travelling through a series of islands, each one stranger than the last, including Skypeia, the island that floats in the sky and is populated by winged people. Wait there's more, but your head will explode if I go any further.

Going back to the Gum Gum Fruit, it is one of many Devil Fruits. The Devil Fruits are supposedly very rare, and yet everywhere they go it seems at least one person has Devil Fruit powers. The Devil Fruits are believed to be possessed by the Sea Devil, or rather, each one is possessed by a different devil that gives it it's power. The fruit in itself doesn't really do anything except look unique and weird. But once someone takes a bite of it, the devil transfers into the person and that person now has the power of the devil, which varies by fruit, but all share the same weakness, whenver submerged in water above the knee the person is paralyzed and can not use their powers. This is a problem for pirates living on the open sea, and yet many pirates have Devil Fruit powers, so Luffy's situation is not so unique or special anymore. The fruits come in three varieties. The first is animal types which allow the individual to transform into an animal, as well as a third hybrid form. Tony Tony Chopper is the only one known to prefer his hybrid form, for it to be his weakest form, and to figure out how to access four or five additional forms, although they require special pills and training to unlock. Then there's elemental tupes which simply give the user to turn their bodies into an element such as fire, smoke, or ice, and to control that element. Finally there's the Logia fruit, which is simply any other power that doesn't fall into the other two categories, which includes the Gum Gum Fruit.

If the Devil Fruits had been the only weird thing defining all the weirdness on the show I think it would be great, but instead they introduce giants, three-headed people, the Long Islanders that are exceptionally long, a guy stuck in a chest and cyborgs, although that last one actually is pretty cool except everything else has gotten so convoluted that nobody really knows what's going on anymore. Oh and the most annoying thing is that Luffy is constantly screaming about everything because he is hyperactive. I just wish I could share his enthusiasm, I just really hope they find the damn tresure soon.