|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||
|
|
Reviewed by Charles Webb I've only ever really nibbled around the edges of Eiichiro Oda's popular-with-everyone-but-me shonen saga, One Piece, mostly, it must be said, because for so long, the series looked like such syrupy, high-action/low-brain power concoction. Honestly, I didn't want to waste my energy on the sort of work that just plateaus at high energy, leaving your humble reader with no time to catch his breath. It was something about the art style and the wildly exaggerated character designs (the toothy grins were perhaps off-putting). Suffice it to say I went into this first real experience with the seafaring world of On Piece with a bit of prejudice. Mid-way through volume 36 (part of the ongoing "Water Seven" arc) I was surprised to find that the series is rich in that great unquantifiable, "heart." You see, Oda's interested in telling these big, garish boys' adventure stories (I almost wish that were the title of the book given its very specific focus) that come from a place of sincerity and genuine affection for his characters. Its heroes - Luffy and his eclectic band of pirates - live and risk their lives for one another under Oda's idealized (and admirable) version of friendship. These aren't just books about weird, rubbery pirates on the high seas (well, not completely) they're Oda's long-form essay on what it means to be a capital "M" man. But let me back up a bit and get into the meat of the plot: Luffy and his crew are currently stranded on the ship building island of Water Seven after their ship, the Merry Go, received massive damage in their last adventure. Still trying to sort out repairs, the crew is accused of attempting to assassinate the beloved Mayor Iceberg, with the blame falling specifically on the mysterious Robin who has, in turn, disappeared. With a town of burly ship builders on their heels Luffy and his Straw Hats try to clear their name, locate their missing crew member, and find out just why the mysterious CP9 organization would want to kill Mayor Iceberg. Volumes 36 and 37 and structured a bit differently from one another, with the former dealing with the present, forward action and the latter delving into the history of Mayor Iceberg, Water Seven, and the mystery of Pluton, rumored to be the most powerful weapon in the world. Both volumes touch on the same issue, however: the unbreakable bonds of personal loyalty among friends and crews. Volume 36 sees Luffy attempting to overcome the doubts of his crew about Robin's innocence (or at least shot at redemption) while Usopp, the Merry Go's engineer confronts the sad fate of his beloved vessel. Volume 37 does the loyalty thing while also spinning a story about personal responsibility: in a story about the building of great and terrible weapons, Oda demands that his characters own up to their complicity in building dangerous things while at the same time holding that technology is inherently neutral. It's not just heady stories about emotional growth and all that - One Piece is a damned good action story, throwing everything it has at its motley cast of characters while still keeping the flow of events readable thanks to Oda's art. Yes, the art even grew on me fairly quickly when I saw how detailed on downright articulate his work is. Oda appears dedicated to his craft in a way that doesn't allow for skimping on the detail. It's great to see crowd scenes drawn at a distant still maintain a level of clarity with particular attention paid to architecture and the design of Water Seven. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm hooked: I want to know what happens to these characters in the next volume and more importantly, I like them well enough to want them to survive. You can view more of Charles's work on his blog, Monster In Your Veins. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line!
Charles Webb
Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com
Share |
1 November 2010
|
||||
 |
| home | reviews | news | features | about us | advertise | privacy policy | contact us |
