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the_scrivener_named_bartleby 's review for:
One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 12: Includes Vols. 34, 35 & 36
by Eiichiro Oda
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was the best book of the series so far.
It's been a long-standing issue of the series that because there is an aversion to death, there are no stakes. Seeing these characters in a lot of present tense promotional material also doesn't help in terms of knowing that they all survive, in one way or another. So finally there are some real stakes: emotional.
Usopp really shines in this one and there is a lot of interpersonal conflict and tension that has long been missing. Awkward questions that were never answered. And the way that these volumes very naturally bring them to the fore make them a lot more enjoyable. Though you basically know the Straw Hats will win, you want them to punish the guys who fucked with one of their crew members. When Usopp vents his frustrations, they're points that you may have felt at one point or another and are now being acknowledged, so the series actually forms a connection with you. To say nothing of the long-standing mystery of Nico Robin and Zolo being the only one to distrust her.
So, because of that promotional material, you know that these problems will be resolved. You know by the general pacing of the series that most conflicts get resolved within the arc that they happen. So you're left to excitedly wonder how it will be. How will Usopp get back together with the gang? Is the Going Merry going to become the ship of Theseus? Nico Robin's not truly evil, is she? For the first time in the series' history, I really do want to know what happens next. I'm not just tolerating the franchise and telling myself "Well, done with that one, moving on." There is an authentic desire to jump into the next book and learn what comes next.
Still... this is good by One Piece standards. The best (so far) by One Piece standards. And that's to say there's no spark of excitement that a really good book or show or series or movie gives you, that addiction or hyperfixation that makes life worth living. I hope that the series reaches that point, and this is a good start for it, but I'm still just wary and apathetic. Less apathetic than I was before, mind you.
It's been a long-standing issue of the series that because there is an aversion to death, there are no stakes. Seeing these characters in a lot of present tense promotional material also doesn't help in terms of knowing that they all survive, in one way or another. So finally there are some real stakes: emotional.
Usopp really shines in this one and there is a lot of interpersonal conflict and tension that has long been missing. Awkward questions that were never answered. And the way that these volumes very naturally bring them to the fore make them a lot more enjoyable. Though you basically know the Straw Hats will win, you want them to punish the guys who fucked with one of their crew members. When Usopp vents his frustrations, they're points that you may have felt at one point or another and are now being acknowledged, so the series actually forms a connection with you. To say nothing of the long-standing mystery of Nico Robin and Zolo being the only one to distrust her.
So, because of that promotional material, you know that these problems will be resolved. You know by the general pacing of the series that most conflicts get resolved within the arc that they happen. So you're left to excitedly wonder how it will be. How will Usopp get back together with the gang? Is the Going Merry going to become the ship of Theseus? Nico Robin's not truly evil, is she? For the first time in the series' history, I really do want to know what happens next. I'm not just tolerating the franchise and telling myself "Well, done with that one, moving on." There is an authentic desire to jump into the next book and learn what comes next.
Still... this is good by One Piece standards. The best (so far) by One Piece standards. And that's to say there's no spark of excitement that a really good book or show or series or movie gives you, that addiction or hyperfixation that makes life worth living. I hope that the series reaches that point, and this is a good start for it, but I'm still just wary and apathetic. Less apathetic than I was before, mind you.