Gol D. Roger, a man referred to as the "Pirate King," is set to be executed by the World Government. But just before his demise, he confirms the existence of a great treasure, One Piece, located somewhere within the vast ocean known as the Grand Line. Announcing that One Piece can be claimed by anyone worthy enough to reach it, the Pirate King is executed and the Great Age of Pirates begins.
source: One Piece Mangarock
About:
One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It was first serialized on July 1997 in Weekly Shonen Jump and is published by Shueisha. It is currently ongoing with over 894 manga chapters and 825 anime episodes. Its author/mangaka Eiichiro Oda, has made comic book history by attaining a Guinness World Record title for having the 'Most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author'. As of October 2017, the manga has sold over 430 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling manga series in history. Following this, for ten consecutive years, One Piece has been the best-selling manga. Yayyy! Go One Piece!
Thoughts
I'll try to be as objective as possible since One Piece has been my all time most favorite anime. In fact I watch it at least 3 times. First when the episode is out, Second after the end of the current arc, I rewatch that arc again to fully grasp and appreciate the arc as a whole and Third, just when I feel like it. XD
Art
While there are many out there who love One Piece, a number of people don't. When asked why they hate it, the most common answer was "I don't like the artstyle" , "The animation sucks!", "Why do the characters looks so cartoonish and childish?" , "Are they even putting effort in this"? etc... They might actually be right there, when One Piece first started, its art and animation was really simple even silly. Take a look at the pic below, taken on Episode 1.
It felt like it was filled with Microsoft Paint's bucket fill. Well maybe not, but it really is pretty simple. In their defense though, the anime first started on 1999, so maybe there aren't many useful tools back then and making it more detailed is time-consuming. As years go by, the art and animation in One Piece improved a lot. When you compare the first episode with the recent one, you can't help feel old as to the difference is just too big and noticeable. That's almost two decades difference in art and animation right there and it was evolving right between your eyes.
Plot
The gem of this anime/manga is its world. The world of One Piece is by far the most thought out, most elaborated, and the most realistic world I have ever seen in an anime. Realistic in a sense that the world doesn't revolve mainly on the actions of the main characters but is just one big world where characters live as it should always be, not the other way around. The concept of adventure is very well defined. Travelling from one island to another might be seen as repetitive but that is what an adventure anime is all about.
The story at first was pretty straightforward, Luffy. a young boy who aspires to be the next 'Pirate King' by finding the lost legendary treasure 'One Piece'. We are then slowly introduced to his future crew one character at a time, every single one of his crew has a unique and a totally tear-jerking background story which makes One Piece not only fun to watch but will also make you cry (or at least teary-eyed). Everything at this point is what is to be expected for a typical shounen adventure anime. However, things start to get interesting after they've crossed the Grand Line. We came to know of the 'Shichibukai' (The Seven Warlords) at this point, now one would expect that Luffy would have to defeat all these seven warlords after he defeated one but that wasn't the case as we were introduced to an even bigger world. We were thrown out into the skies(Sky Island arc) and after the skies the government (Marines) was next (Water 7 arc). and then back to the Warlords(Thriller Bark arc) and then the most badass arc (Marine Saga arc) and so on... Now, this is how an adventure anime should be, full of surprises and twists.
The depth of the story will totally surprise anyone. If you really look closely and pay attention, you will see the amount of foreshadowing done in this show. The happenings in the new episodes are somewhat already foretold in the older episodes without us even noticing. That is some great writing in there.
Characters
This show would totally be different if it wasn't because of its main characters. Sure they might act too silly and immaturish at times but that is part of their charms. I would also like to note that most characters in One Piece are aged 15-19 with the exception of Nico Robin being 28, Franky 34, Brook 88. So I think it's understandable if most of them act the way they do. Their small crew of pirates is not perfect, but the way each character fills the shortcomings of another is very admirable. As for character development, WOW! I have never seen a show with such a very strong Character Development. It is known that all of the main characters has a heavy tear-jerking backstory line. But the way they've evolved over the years is just great.
Sounds and Music
I don't speak Japanese but I have memorized the majority of the OST in One Piece. by only hearing it over and over. I know I'm not the only one, that is how good the songs in this show is. It's catchy, it's fun, it's that good.
While there are a lot of good things to say about One Piece, there are also some issues about it:
Subbed vs Dubbed
Always go for Subbed. Most if not all animes that are english dubbed are horrible. They lack emotions lol
Pacing
The pacing is in fact a problem especially if you watch it on a weekly basis, it tends to be very short with very little advancement. This is the reason why, I rewatch the whole arc again after it is finished, to fully grasp and appreciate it. If you're one of those easily bored and forgetful, I suggest you watch One Piece by arc rather than by episodes. It's most enjoyable that way.
Fillers
If you don't know, Fillers are not part of the main plot. It's main purpose is to buy some time for the author/mangaka. In the anime, this is mainly done to not allow the anime to catch up with the manga. Since, the anime is released weekly and the manga is not. Sometimes the author/mangaka takes hiatuses or breaks after every other week due to personal issues or to gather material. That's why Fillers are added to allow a substantial space for the anime and manga.