One Piece
 

Is anyone watching One Piece?

I really liked Fairy Tail and saw a lot of people recommend One Piece as a similar show. Most people said it doesn't get good until around episode 200. Normally, I'd start a series from the beginning. But I don't want to sit through 60-70 hours before the good stuff starts.

So if I jump in at Season 7 (episode 196) would I be alright? Or am I going to be totally lost? That's a couple episodes before the CP9 Saga begins.

Re: One Piece
 

I only have seen what's released on DVD by FUNimation thus far (which is up to episode 205). FUNimation has the license of the next batch of episodes (207 - 263) which is targeted for a summer 2012 release.

If you have never watched One Piece, I don't recommend jumping directly to episode 196. You will lose on select good episodes and more importantly learning/introduction about the characters (especially for Luffy's crew). There are also good episodes you will lose on (particularly in the Arlong Arc and Alabasta Arc).

Re: One Piece
 

I've seen less than 200 episodes so far (I'm currently working on a review of Collection 5) but it's easily one of the best anime series I've seen to date. I don't understand why anyone would suggest that the early episodes are less engaging than later ones. You would regret not beginning at the very beginning. The characters are amazing. The entirety of the series is incredible. Start at the beginning. Don't think about it being a huge commitment -- just jump in and see if you like it.

Give it a test run by watching a few of the beginning episodes.

I've also been reviewing the Fairy Tail releases and I would expect fans of that series to equally enjoy One Piece if not appreciate it even more than Fairy Tail. Both are entertaining, but I consider One Piece the better of the two.

Re: One Piece
 

I do think it starts off slow, mainly because they're building up the world... and there's a ton of filler that wasn't in the original manga, some of which is ok but most of which is painful to watch, mainly because it's, well, filler, and they can't really progress the characters or storylines. It's not as painful as Naruto filler, but it's still there. And then there are arcs that just tend to drag on, like parts of Alabasta and Skypeia. Overall though, it's great, though I still prefer the manga.

I do think you need to start out at the beginning; but what do you like about Fairy Tail?

Re: One Piece
 

One thing I like about Fairy Tail is that it moves at a brisk pace. Even though some arcs are 20+ episodes, it doesn't feel like it's stalled. I got turned off from Bleach in how a simple 1-on-1 battle could take 3 episodes. I don't mind filler episodes in between arcs, and I actually wish Fairy Tail had more. But I don't like arcs that take forever and move like a snail.

Another thing I like about Fairy Tail is the visuals. The animation is excellent and feels very fresh and vivid. I watched the first episode of One Piece and it felt flat and ancient. Even though it was made in 1999, it felt like stuff from the 80s. That was a turn-off.

Most importantly, I like the characters and the world. So it does make sense to start out at the beginning with One Piece. I was thinking that with 500+ episodes, if I started around 200 that leaves me 300+ episodes to get caught up on the storylines. But I guess you guys are right.

Re: One Piece
 

Due to the nature of these shows, where they're basically retelling a manga story that is released on a weekly basis, there are going to be stalling tactics and filler when they get near to catching up to the manga story. That's why things tend to drag, as they prolong fights and put in filler to give the manga time to get a sufficient lead. The good thing about something like One Piece is that it's so insanely popular that it should allow all of the manga to get animated despite being one of the longer shonen series.

Unless you have an aversion to reading, I would suggest sampling some of the newer stuff (I think Funimation streams some of it)... you'll be confused by who is who, but it should give you some kind of idea of whether or not you'll like it. And then, if you don't want to sit down and watch hundreds of episodes, maybe read some of the manga in the beginning to catch yourself up and allow you to skip some of the earlier seasons (maybe until they get to Sanji or Arlong).

I highly recommend both the anime and the manga, but I understand how daunting these series can be. Heck, even for stuff that I love, like Dragon Ball Z or Yu Yu Hakusho, I feel like I'm forcing myself to watch all of the episodes, whereas I love reading the manga over and over.

The author who draws Fairy Tail also had an earlier work animated (Rave, called Rave Master here) but I'm not even sure if that's available here. That's where the "dog" with the drill nose comes from. I also recommend trying out Soul Reaper. And while it is very different, the newer Full Metal Alchemist series is great.

Re: One Piece
 

One Piece is the show with the Pirates or whatever right?

I watched a couple episodes on CN like 10 years ago, and my first impressions were not good. I was extremely turned off by the goofy looking character designs and all the annoying slapstick comedy going on. Is the show mostly all comedy and sillyness? If so then it's not for me. I'll probably try something like Naruto instead.

Re: One Piece
 

Did you actually check to see what is filler and what isn't?

The last time I did the math on filler episodes to canon episode ratios:
Bleach was 49.5% filler.
Naruto was 40.1% filler.
One Piece was 8.78% filler.

Going by that, One Piece has very little filler.

As for the show itself. I was hooked from the original 98' Pilot and was engaged in the show from the start. Honestly I didn't find the pacing slow until the drawn out Alabasta and Skypiea arcs. The only filler that was bad was a short 4 episode or so arc between those two arcs.

Re: One Piece
 

You're right, I counted and I think there are 54 filler episodes to 518 episodes in the first part of the series. That is a pretty good ratio. Alabasta is drawn out in the manga too, and Skypeia is perhaps the worst arc in the manga overall, so maybe they were just being faithful to the manga... :)

It is not all comedy and sillyness but there is a good deal of it. I'll say this, I originally dismissed One Piece because of the character designs but they grow on you. Keep in mind, however, that the target audience for this is young boys, so like a lot of other shonen jump series they hit on themes like friendship, loyalty, and growing to overcome obstacles; you won't find a lot of stuff like romance, for instance.