What actually IS the appeal of One Piece?

[@JoeyLocks]

I love how many people try spelling out how much they love one piece in long video essays only to end up at “you just gotta watch it to get it”. It truly is unique. Great video!

[@Dragonwrter51]

Great video! I always laugh when people complain about how long One Piece is, because if you get caught up in it and start to love it, 1000+ episodes and a bunch of movies and specials, are still not enough. People rewatch their favorite parts, watch KZbinrs and podcasters react to it for the first time, and endlessly debate head cannons and theories. We want more, even after 20 years. So, if they don't like it, fine, it's not for everyone but if they do...length isn't the issue.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Its one of those things that SOUNDS like cope even if you're right. " No, i promise the 1000+ episodes go by really quickly" Even if I think that's actually true... it does SOUND implausible

[@blank3914]

Before I'm anime watcher who can watch many animes but after I watch one piece/read I stop watching other animes coz one piece is complete package one piece naruto bleach are the best

[@Pharrow]

I thoroughly enjoyed your comparison with Luffy and Blackbeard, there is often not enough evidence in a protagonist’s dogma to be wary of truly agreeing with them. What Luffy wants for everyone is something that does indeed pose harm to all, because a world where absolute freedom exists is a world in which people can and will exercise negative freedoms. I wonder how he will overcome this conflict. Usually in shounen, to defeat an opponent is to defeat their ideas, and aside from just beating his ass so badly that people don’t ever want to do bad again I have no idea. He’s not equipped to even properly challenge that kind of thing outside of just handling individual cases of negative freedom abusers himself, which isn’t a real solution to the serious hole that negative freedom exists as in his own desire to be truly free.

[@elparadox1575]

One thing I always tell people about One Piece is that the world of OP feels like it exists and watching the show is like watching a historical documentary.. like you're always left wanting to learn more about the world and its mysteries

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I can see that yeah! It's like if david Attenborough, fist fought a leopard every so often during the documentary.

[@tymitch95]

I love the gag sound no matter how often it's used😂😂😂

[@Dwizard101]

The power system of One Piece is what drew me to the show I’ve always loved devil fruits and their different powers and functions I remember alabasta being one my favorite arcs because of the introduction of ace and crocodile both some of my favorite logia’s.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

It's the arc where i feel the show truly becomes itself.

[@piromaniaco3579]

You just crafted an amazing video of OP essence.🎉 It was a real joy to watch. You're doing an amazong job, keep it up, ots a matter of time for you to get thousands of views and subs! Thanl you again.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Thank you so much! Your kind words mean a lot :)

[@branchminer1]

This was really a great video with a FANTASTIC voiceover. Seriously, you have the perfect narrator voice! Reminds me of my young days watching Thomas the Tank Engine on TV. Anyway, I’d like to comment on your opinion of the writing quality post-timeskip. I, personally, believe the writing just gets better (with some exceptions of course) and view the post-timeskip as where the story really gets to shine. The biggest differences are, I think, the change in writing style and, in the anime’s case, the pacing. First, the story in the first half is very much adventure-based, with location intrigue at the forefront. In the second half, however, the overarching story takes center stage, This means less immediate mystery as the series focuses on the bigger picture. If you, as the audience, found the adventure aspect of early One Piece one of its most endearing identifiers, then the second half will certainly feel like it’s lacking something. Second, the pacing. I know everyone has harped on Toei to no end, but it really cannot be understated how much terrible pacing can tank one’s enjoyment of a show. I got to Dressrosa until it became so unbearable that I was actively hating the series. After all, how can those big, tension releasing moments hit when the tension is stretched to the point of breaking ten episodes ago? This goes for emotional moments too. How can I be expected to be sad when the show keeps shouting at me to cry by showing me the same scene (or slightly different variants of it) over, and over, and over until I want to cry from rage? How can I stay invested in a fight when Toei adds so many extra attacks that both opponents should be long dead before the real climax is even close? For me, the solution to these issues was reading the manga. I honestly didn’t think it would be that much better, but binging Zou and Whole Cake was more addicting than even the best moments of the anime were. Thinking that maybe those two arcs were just a cut above the rest, I returned to the anime for Wano, and I fell right back into apathy. Sure, the animation and art style were finally up to par with the story again, and the really good moments did get my heart stirring, but I never felt the highs of even the most dull moments of reading the series. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to read manga and enjoy it. I know that. And for those people, they’re just kinda screwed, which sucks. And the anime can be good, look no further than One Pace, which really shows how good pacing can elevate One Piece to unfathomable degrees of quality. Still, even One Pace has issues, such as inconsistent translations and poor editing in some portions (I’m looking at you, Fishman Island). I was frustrated to the point that, when watching through the show with my younger brother, I downloaded both One Pace and the original episodes and made my own supercut of One Piece, fixing the poor editing of some One Pace episodes and making my own for the arcs they hadn’t covered yet. It was really, really hard work, but it drove home how bad the pacing actually was when I had to go frame-by-frame and make cuts to either make it more like the manga or, if it was changed too much, make a better version. Ultimately, I really value the experience, but I would not do it again, and it means I cannot introduce One Piece to any more of my family, since none of them read subtitles or manga. Hopefully the remake coming out in the future eliminates these issues, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Sorry for the monster essay, but I am very passionate when it comes to this series.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Thank you so much for your kind words! Yeah, I think the 1st half does have more classic "goonies adventure" vibes that I very much appreciate, so I definitely have that bias going I've always meant to go back and read arcs like dress Rosa just to see how they feel with better pacing, or at the very least watch it using one pace. Either way, I appreciate your engagement, praise, and enthusiasm for one piece!!

[@GhERM2SOIED72]

Well said! Framing Blackbeard as the champion of negative freedom ("noone will stop you from doing what you want- it's all fair competition") and Luffy as positive freedom ("You should have the ability/resources to attempt whatever you want") is good for explaining both those concepts and the characters!

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Thank you!

[@Sansooonite]

When i first started one piece i thought it was too long but then i am almost finished with what's out so far and i want more.

[@tymitch95]

"I prefer, the silly little pictures to move." Goated statement that my ADHD brain must agree with LoL. 24:00

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

🤝 my brother

[@GhERM2SOIED72]

If you like comics, read the comic. Starting with Chapter 0 before 1 would be cool. If you don't, wait for Studio WIT's "The One Piece". Maybe starting with Episode 0. I got one of my friends into One Piece by starting in either Return to Sabaody or Sabaody.

[@BrianaBird3]

I knew almost all of the major story beats and had been spoiled so many times for certain bits of the show, and I think it only added to how much I enjoyed it when I watched for the first time.

[@Thatdutchfellow]

Really good video, explained really well why One Piece works as a series.... Also is your voice like the long lost brother of youtuber Nitrorad. The voice and the way of speaking reminds me so much of him. In a good way he is a great video game reviewer.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

omg thank you! I'm loosely familiar with his content so I appreciate the compliment!

[@BenersantheBread]

Good writing that makes you feel things a lot despite the often silly premises

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

@@BenersantheBread the silly little guy moments make the heavy shit that much better. Big true

[@houdini6928]

One pace help elevate the pacing issues, it's not totally optional but it cuts scene to match the manga's tempo

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I really need to check it out.

[@AG-fm5tc]

Tbh I didn't watch one piece because of length and the fans. Any video ive seen haven't really given good reasons until now. Congrats on making a future one piece fan out of me

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I think this is the best comment I could have gotten. Enjoy the ride, friend.

[@BrianaBird3]

I appreciate the English dub for getting me through some of the longer and more annoying parts of the pacing issues, so I don't have to always watch the show in order to get the information. It's not bad.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I straight up think Roger in the dub is better than the sub. He's phenomenal

[@SpiritSquadMTG]

I've made a few friends watch OP, but MANNNNNN I still hate the fact that I have to give what I call "the Sanji warning" beforehand.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Omg too real

[@FruitDog69]

I’m about to play through the one piece pirate storm 4 now cause of this

[@notme6304]

if you are gonna watch out of order, I recommend starting with g8. it's not canon, do you won't be spoiled to the story, and its a really good tell of whats to come

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Dude G-8 is straight up better than some official manga arcs on God. G-8 and the amazing voice acting are like the strongest arguments for watching the anime.

[@Spacey09]

very good video ! :)

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Thanks dude!!

[@kareem5916]

As someone who has read through one piece multiple times I don’t think the anime is watchable with the way it wastes one’s time. But I still understand the need for an anime and I really hope the new “the one piece” is gonna be good and well paced cuz one piece need it

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

How am I supposed to enjoy my one piece without my 62 year old asian woman shouting "GUMU GUMU NO!" :^) Thanks for watching homie

[@lolaelin_]

maybeeeeee I’ll check it out

[@martinacosta3821]

If you read manga, thats WAY way better, tho you have to watch some episodes ik anime, you will know witch are those

[@ZhaneDFrost]

In defense of the trans characters, a trans youtuber name Conure made a great video explaining on how it comes from a place of genuine ignorance due to the time it came out. It doesn't feel malice and do comes from a place of curiosity. And even then, it managed to still portrayed the trans in positive light with Ivankov and Bon Clay during a time where transphobia is still very much normalized at the time.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I completely agree with that take (love me some conure btw) When looking at one piece and it's depictions of queer characters, I feel it important to remind oneself that this is being written by a middle aged japanese straight man, He's probably gonna miss the mark due to lack of understanding but it's clear his heart is in the right place. "He a little confused but he got spirit"

[@BEANCO-td1hr]

I think the storytelling is equal if not better post time-skip, but i can only say that as a manga reader. I've watched bits and pieces of post time-skip one piece and it's abysmally bad compared to the manga due to pacing. it's hard for anything to emotionally resonate when it's dragged out as long as humanly possible.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

🤷‍♂️ it's certainly possible I'd like the manga post time skip stuff more, but I definitely think the post time skip companions were less engaging than characters like vivi. I HATED Rebecca and the fish man island princess

[@BEANCO-td1hr]

@@Too-Much-Caffeine I actually really liked Rebeca and Shirahoshi. Vivi is still better than them, however I think post time-skip oda focused on more characters and while I prefer a larger cast not all of them hit as well as pre time-skip characters do. I also prefer the dense nature of post time-skip arcs, which is why I like Dressrosa and Egghead so much. I did grow up with exclusively reading East blue and Baroque works over and over again, so I feel a lot of the impact has been lost on me after the 10th re-read...

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

@@BEANCO-td1hr that's fair! I really liked dresrosa and i've heard nothing but good things about egghead, i also didn't watch dresrosa weekly but rather waited for large chunks of it to come out at a time. so i feel like that allowed me to bypass the massive pacing issues with the anime.

[@commonsynths4520]

Ivankov is the best hahaha, great video up until the faults. i didn't find any of those 'problems' to be a problem for me. japan gives no fucks, and Pirates don't either. i watched the entire video and it was well made. RUN Sanji, RUN!!!!! YEEEEHAWW!!!!

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I don't fully understand what you mean but I appreciate the compliment!

[@1500Sachem]

"Makes it feel like a 14-year-old boy who can't keep it in his pants is drawing this" If you've seen any of ODA's QnA's, you'll realize that's very much a good description of the guy lmao. He married a Nami Cosplayer ffs.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

yeaaaaahhhh...

[@Stitxhes]

Tony Tony Choppa~☆

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

SHUT UP BE MY FWREEEEND

[@Criegrrunov]

I absolutely hate Luffy and the fact that everyone cries from their nose which I find completely disgusting But I love this series quite a lot! From the World building and all the stuff regarding the Void Century, to the simple yet amazing magic system in the form of Haki and the DF, to the fact that the world keeps moving even without the influence of the protagonists, the fight scenes, the importance and care they give to character development, wacky and weird character designs plus eye candy for both genders. I just love 95% of One Piece! And am only eager to keep seeing more. And I absolutely wish Im does actually look like a serious threat and not look as ridiculous as Vegapunk does given these 2 were build up for years and have only been shown silhouetted and such...

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I'm shocked that you hate luffy but also still like the show lmao. That seems hard to come to terms with, but hey, fair enough. Thanks for watching :)

[@Criegrrunov]

@@Too-Much-Caffeine No problem! Really liked the video. And I hate Luffy mostly because he does stupid stuff that puts not only his crew but others around him in danger without any reason other than him not being able to control being so loud and impulsive, one would think he would've learned his lesson after Sabaody, but since he always keeps succeeding through luck/plot armor, he never learned beyond that one isolated incident that he has to learn how to behave himself as to not put everyone constantly in danger. He is smart, but he barely uses his brain unless it is a literal life or death situation instead of doing stuff to actively prevent being in those situations in the first place, just look at how many blunders he made helping Law through Punk Hazard to Wano, and how Law could barely tolerate him because of that, people like Law, Sanji, or Robin shouldn't let this fly off and actually have an intervention with him but I know that won't happen. I also dislike that he screams and shouts a lot but that's more on my personal side. Again, really neat video!

[@Maybe73]

What do u mean cry from their nose Isnt that what people in real life do

[@insatiablehunger2138]

Would

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

🤔

[@vicentesalvador5370]

We r we r

[@timothyjaydyning3247]

sigh... other countries talking about japan sensibilities.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

????

[@peterdworzanski7177]

Show is made for teenage boys my guy. We get it you’re all for women but also the show has a talking skeleton and a rubber man beating up shark people. It’s not that serious. Side note, Oda really likes messing with fans who try to tell him to stop making jokes he likes by making them worse. It’s not coming from me. He’s literally telling people, “It’s my story. I can do what I want with it!”

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

That's exactly why I care. It's for teenage boys, the people who will grow up to be the biggest potential threat to women in society. It's better if the media they consume gives them good ideas about women. One piece is a goofy show but it deals with serious things all the time. slavery, genocide, racism, facism. If it can be serious enough to handle those topics with tact, it can be serious enough to handle sexual assault with tact. Yeah he can do whatever he wants, that doesn't mean it's above critique. I haven't seen what you're talking about but if that's an accurate description of his behavior, that's very childish.

[@raulvazquez2648]

Everything is good until you talked about how they treat women in the show and the way of thinking is definitely a western view just let the creater be himself it's the reason why one piece blossomed

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

Japan is a far right hyper patriarchal country. Their attitudes towards women and minorities are terrible. You could say my thinking is western, but a more accurate description would be that my thoughts are just better. Oda is a very talented artist and story teller, but that doesn't mean he's incapable of having bad tendencies

[@blank-mq8ef]

i dont think you understand what positive and negative freedom are. negative freedom is not a bad thing just as positive freedom is not inherently a good thing

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

I know what negative and positive freedoms official definitions are, I'm just using the terms here to point out themes in the show since i can't really think of a better name for luffy/blackbeards versions of freedom.

[@blank-mq8ef]

@@Too-Much-Caffeine ye i can see that but calling them positive and negative freedoms in this context doesnt make any sense. trying to think of it the only other way i could think of it would be being liberty and chaos, as while blackbeard does want freedom he doesnt want rights, its more just chaos as opposed to everyone being free to do as they wish as long as they dont oppress others

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

@blank-mq8ef As long as the audience understands what I'm on about, I really don't care if it's not the proper usage. The sociological definitions aren't really relevant to the discussion, the context in which I'm using them I feel makes it pretty apparent what I'm referring to. Also, to be frank, I don't think your average normie is even aware of those terms.

[@nartendowarz]

but can luffy beat GOKU tho???

[@saberYT2005]

Chopper Solos

[@ijsbeer1499]

ur video was good, untill it went into trans politics. stfu about it. this is one piece -.- no one cares about it, except people virtue signaling... don't need a whole freaking segment about it.

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

He doesn't know

[@1500Sachem]

Buddy it was 1 minute in a 34.5 minute video, not even 5%. It probably took you longer to write that comment down than to watch it. Sounds like YOU care a whole lot more than you're willing to admit huh?

[@Novelasylyrics]

Random on internet: "no one cares about trans politics in one piece" Oda: makes a whole arc where the protagonist wouldn't have survived if he didn't have help of the queen of the okamas; this queen is one of the founders of the freedom fighters and revolutionary army, in this army there's a lot of visible queer people and after the time skip they move their base to the okama island; this person talks about how they've surpassed gender as a concept meanwhile Luffy's friend who's also an okama when they were introduced sang a lot about ambiguity and its charm; Oda reveals Ivankov is based on a real life friend who's an okama and how all this really interested him; Franky is a cyborg, a concept really appealing to transhumanism and certain trends in feminism where they use it to rethink what gender is and he even said 'existing is not a crime', a statement a lot of trans people resonate a lot; in Wano Oda introduces two characters that don't follow gender norms... And I could keep going 🤷 Don't embarrass yourself, mate

[@floppavevo5920]

One Piece is an inherently political series. If you missed the political stuff, you weren't paying much attention to the story.

[@masteyeah4512]

I agree most of them until 25:11 you want one piece like the rest of modern woke shows?

[@Too-Much-Caffeine]

one piece IS woke. it's an anti capitalist, pro LGBT, pro worker story about the common man's struggle against the rich and powerful. That's about as woke as it gets.