If you have even the remotest respect for the classic Dragonball Z series, you will not only recognize these character designs, but find yourself easily amused by this rollicking series. Battles are fierce, but not so lengthy that you forget why you’re watching, and the characters are just as wacky as any DBZ villain you might find, with less of a sadistic desire to destroy the world. Individual crew members may seem weak or ill-suited to a life at sea, but they all have their morals and merits that make them worthwhile.
While not exactly a children’s series, One Piece offers enjoyement to nearly everyone, from fans of pirate stories concering murderous and fierce crews known and feared the world over, to those who remember their own childhood dreams of adventure and fun on the high seas.
Our story takes place largely in the East Blue sea, where the crew of the going merry acquires a crewman with the dubious but apprently highly-prized title of Usopp the Liar after a fierce battle with a former pirate-captain-turned-butler who is willing to sacrifice his whole crew to ensure a rich new life for himself on land. (Their strange loyalty in the face of a captain who obviously gives no worth to their lives is confusing, but not out of place in anime-land apparently.) Now that their crew has grown to include, Luffy himself, Zoro, the (future) best swordsman in the world, Nami (the navigator and resident thief), and of course, Usopp the Liar, they travel to the only floating restaurant, Baratie, in search of a cook. When an explosive accident forces Luffy to become a bus-boy to pay off damages, the crew find themselves in the midst of a battle with the dreaded Commodore Don Krieg. A meaner, and more deceptive jerk you won’t find on land or sea, so the crew joins forces with Baratie’s cooks to defend the restaurant. Maybe this will convince Sanji, the soux chef, to join the crew! At the very least, it will repay Luffy’s debt to the owner…
An interesting element of this series is the frequency that strange powers or skills seem to occur in pirates due to weird upbringings (Zoro is mastering the three sword technique, with the third sword held in his teeth), vizarrely strong physical aspects (Red Foot Zeff was known for kicking people to death with his intensely strong legs), or bizarre magical transformations (Luffy ate a Devil fruit, and now has Gum-Gum Powers, where he can stretch his body like a rubberband). Someone should do a study on the ratios of weird powers vs. career choices as pirates. I knew it was a dangerous occupation when I joined up, yar, but I didn’t know it was going to be weird.
All in all, a fun series to watch, and even someone who has never followed the series will enjoy any random episode. The dialogue is far from witty, but quite amusing nonetheless, and the childlike nature of Luffy’s morals and actions only make the character more likeable. Avast ye, and go buy some Straw Hat pirate fun!