One Piece is one of the longest-running manga in existence, boasting a four-digit chapter count an elaborate setting and Loads and Loads of Characters, making it difficult to review in a mere 3,000 characters. It's accomplished a lot and deserves its success, even if I wonder if it's too "big" for its own good.
The story is hard to summarize briefly, initially focusing on Luffy's quest to become Pirate King, and gradually becoming more complex. The setting has a rich and detailed history, and many of the individual islands have elaborate backstories, showcasing excellent worldbuilding.
The cast is incredibly large and diverse, ranging from main characters with backstories and dreams to minor characters who have little more than a name, a semi-unique design and a defining quirk. Unfortunately, as the cast grows, some characters end up being neglected even if they have important roles to play. Robin comes to mind, but she's far from the only example.
The fighting is rather enjoyable. Devil Fruits and other abilities provide a wide variety of superpowers, from the relatively standard(Luffy being a Rubber Man) to the bizarre(Wanze fights with ramen), leading to memorable and enjoyable battles.
Unfortunately, as the series has gone on, many of the battles have grown larger and more chaotic. In the past, the series would show one-on-one fights from start to finish, but starting around the Time Skip midway through, the series would often quickly swap between several different battles, often cutting away just as things are getting exciting. I understand that Oda has to consider the pacing, but rushing through the fighting scenes isn't a good idea, either.
On a similar topic, One Piece has a rather poor anime adaptation. Strictly speaking, it's faithful to the story and covers the manga without changing too much(save for some minor censorship), but that isn't always a good thing. The problem is that since anime episodes cover more ground than manga chapters, and the creators don't want the anime to get ahead, anime episodes employ lots of padding, often resulting in each episode covering a single manga chapter, if not less. Since manga chapters generally take a lot less than 20 minutes to read, this can result in a rather tedious experience that makes some wonder why Toei doesn't get with the program and make One Piece seasonal, like other adaptations of long-running manga. In any case, I recommend reading the manga instead.
One Piece is a massive time commitment, and currently, it isn't quite as good as it was at its best(for me, either the Water Seven or Marineford arcs), but it's a high-quality manga that's worth a look.
Enjoyable, if sometimes overambitious
This review covers through Chapter 1012
One Piece is one of the longest-running manga in existence, boasting a four-digit chapter count an elaborate setting and Loads and Loads of Characters, making it difficult to review in a mere 3,000 characters. It's accomplished a lot and deserves its success, even if I wonder if it's too "big" for its own good.
The story is hard to summarize briefly, initially focusing on Luffy's quest to become Pirate King, and gradually becoming more complex. The setting has a rich and detailed history, and many of the individual islands have elaborate backstories, showcasing excellent worldbuilding.
The cast is incredibly large and diverse, ranging from main characters with backstories and dreams to minor characters who have little more than a name, a semi-unique design and a defining quirk. Unfortunately, as the cast grows, some characters end up being neglected even if they have important roles to play. Robin comes to mind, but she's far from the only example.
The fighting is rather enjoyable. Devil Fruits and other abilities provide a wide variety of superpowers, from the relatively standard(Luffy being a Rubber Man) to the bizarre(Wanze fights with ramen), leading to memorable and enjoyable battles.
Unfortunately, as the series has gone on, many of the battles have grown larger and more chaotic. In the past, the series would show one-on-one fights from start to finish, but starting around the Time Skip midway through, the series would often quickly swap between several different battles, often cutting away just as things are getting exciting. I understand that Oda has to consider the pacing, but rushing through the fighting scenes isn't a good idea, either.
Speaking of the pacing, it can be best to binge read One Piece rather than wait for it each week, particularly if doing so allows you to read an entire arc at once, rather than waiting a week or more for each chapter.
On a similar topic, One Piece has a rather poor anime adaptation. Strictly speaking, it's faithful to the story and covers the manga without changing too much(save for some minor censorship), but that isn't always a good thing. The problem is that since anime episodes cover more ground than manga chapters, and the creators don't want the anime to get ahead, anime episodes employ lots of padding, often resulting in each episode covering a single manga chapter, if not less. Since manga chapters generally take a lot less than 20 minutes to read, this can result in a rather tedious experience that makes some wonder why Toei doesn't get with the program and make One Piece seasonal, like other adaptations of long-running manga. In any case, I recommend reading the manga instead.
One Piece is a massive time commitment, and currently, it isn't quite as good as it was at its best(for me, either the Water Seven or Marineford arcs), but it's a high-quality manga that's worth a look.