Also holy crap man after seeing some people read whole arcs and miss out on multiple things plastered right on the page, your reading comprehension and ability to see deeper than surface level is SO refreshing. Much love.
I love seeing your journey and breakdown. I can't wait for you to learn more about Robin and Enies Lobby, and Thriller Bark. One Piece is my favorite Manga and it's awesome seeing someone new to the series seeing the same things I get from One Piece. Enjoy the journey.
Seeing how much you guys love Berserk got me to finally picked up Berserk off my shelf and read it with no knowledge of what its about other than its hyper violent, I bought the first 2 volumes a while back and man I had no idea what I was sleeping on, the artwork in this manga is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I'm hooked
A thing about Long Ring Long Land in the anime is that that is where 4Kidz ended their dub, and that it's where funimation picked up their dub of One Piece. LRLL is the first arc funimation dubbed and the first time those VAs played the straw hats. After LRLL funi went back to the start of the siries from ep1, but starting at LRLL meant they had a cast for characters like Chopper and Aokiji for hundreds of episodes before they actually appear in the show (or i guess reappear?)
Dude the algorithm seems its not going for your favor, i have to manually look for your channel (just turned the notifications) But love your stuff and your take on my favorite manga!
Ughhhh Foxy is the most annoying character to me 😂😂😂 also just wanted to say that I binged all your One Piece videos in 6 hours. I’m so excited for you to get more into the Water 7 arc and see your review of that!
Man, you are not wrong on many things, but you will have to wait a bit longer (or much longer)... You'll be rewarded :D. Also, prepare yourself, there are some very emotional scenes ahead. Regarding Foxy, I liked out by the time, I really liked the final gatling with Foxy slowed as a relief, but it was too long on the anime for it's purpose
You are about to hit a stretch where maybe most of the people that got into One Piece years ago and stayed on to continue to watch and read. The anime overall is good but the problem is extended scenes and pacing, not really much filler compared to other anime but there is filler here and there. I do love the anime for the voice acting and seeing everything come to life.
I watched OP over 20 times and read the manga maybe 3 times, I always skipped this arc, I couldn't like the Foxy part. I liked luffy's affro though. I can't wait to hear your review of water seven, Enies Lobby and post Enies Lobby
Now that the Straw Hats have been in the Grandline for a moment we get a reminder again, like Mihawk's intro, of just how big and powerful the world is when they meet Aokiji.
For such a short and (mostly) inconsequential arc in the story, you've really hit pretty much every meaningful development in a deep and concise way. That makes me very confident that you will enjoy and make fantastic reviews for the arcs to come cause you truly understand the essence of One Piece. Can't wait for the next video !
Consequence is in the eye of the beholder. For me, this arc informed me about more of how to expect weather and geology in the grand line to behave, while the Davy Back and Aokiji interactions give us looks into marine and pirate cultures, and everyone's actions here in how they interact with other groups is extremely informative of how they'll interact later on, as well. Take note that Aokiji wouldn't attack Luffy because he didn't specifically have orders to. Or how there's a romantic concept of cheating to achieve your dreams in competition with other pirate crews
From my understanding, Foxy is grossly overused as filler in the anime. He's perfectly used in the Manga! This arc has a lot going for it not only for how funny it is, but it's the first real time Zoro and Sanji work together which is huge, it's Robin having fun with the Straw Hats, and not to mention the end with Aokiji
Adding three extra games and Foxy showing up at least two more times and Aokiji showing up on a completely different Island. Grossly overused is appropriate if not an understatement.
@jeremysmith7176 I wonder how one pace handles it since that's how my roommate and I have been taking my husband through One Piece. I'll just have to see.
This guy reads the manga the exact way Oda wants him to it’s actually scary, the amount of stuff that he predicts or asks about is almost perfect as to what will actually happen
I love these one piece reviews. I currently watch the anime with my parents after convincing them and we just got to water 7. You certainly have a good understanding of odas writing and intentions and its really cool to see you speculating about the story while reading it for the first time.
You can totally call this a review, your analysis is better than 90% of "reviewers" out there. I've been continually impressed at how often you're hitting the nail on the head preemptively
Glad you liked this arc, it gets so much hate from fans but I always appreciated the low stakes and the comedy, which for me is the funniest arc in the series
So my favorite thing about this arc is just how well it develops Zoro and Sanji’s relationship, and it’s done so causally that it’s easy to miss. It’s the first time they truly need to rely on each others strength and going forward this team up will be the foundation of many of their decisions.
Admiral Aokiji (ow kee jee, it may be worth watching his scene in the anime to hear the pronounciation) translates to Blue (ao) Pheasant (kiji), and follows the real life naval tradition of Admirals having their own coloured flag, such as Admiral of the Blue. Oda takes it a step further and adds an animal as well. Only Admirals have this style of epithet - his actual name is Kuzan.
I already made a comment, but here's a second one. You are the first new One Piece reviewer I've watched in 5 years, cause I can't stand the significant amount of people who just read for the fights and complain when we get lore dumps. Your in depth look at this series is such a breath of fresh air, and you continually hitting this right on the head in a secondary comment not taking it seriously makes me can't wait for you to get to specific arcs and moments
There's a filler arc that preceded the Long Long Island arc called G8 arc. It takes place just after the crew left the Sky Islands. Instead of landing in the open ocean, they land in a marine base called G8. It's a really solid arc where the Straw Hat crew's opponent is a brilliant Marine Captain who manages the base. It showcases the Straw Hat Crew's abilities at this point and there are plenty of funny moments in the arc. There was another filler bit during the Long Long Island arc which had a second Davy Back Fight because Luffy challenged them again without thinking. There are a couple extra games, it's ultimately inconsequential to the arc and it just pads out more than it needed to. Aokiji (I think it's pronounced "Ow-key-gee") is still a favorite character in the community. I think Foxy is a fun character with an interesting power all things considered. Him gaining a giant crew by way of winning Davy Back fights using his devil fruit to perform underhanded tactics. Really contrasts Luffy's honest and straightforward fighting style and fruit. It really just boiled down to grit and some luck, Luffy was certainly pushed to a point against Foxy.
@@f.carasind4188 the extra games didn't need to happen since there were already a lot of character interactions in the G8 arc. I just don't think the second round of Davy Back Fight was worth the effort. It's clear that there isn't a new member to be gained from the Foxy Pirates considering how tight knit and niche the crew is. With the manga, it ends with Luffy taking their Jolly Roger to give to the old man who had been stuck on stilts for so many years as compensation for Foxy injuring his horse. A sign of compassion Aokiji took notice of, swaying how he handled a good deal of the interaction to close out the arc. The story didn't need a second Davy Back Fight which ended with a 500 man gamble to take the stakes to a new height. This is unnecessary to the scale of the story and and such a stake is over the top. Narratively, Straw Hats can't lose this and as such all tension is removed from that fight. Compare that to losing a single member in a fight. The Straw Hats can technically function and go their own way without a member, it wouldn't be quite the same but the story could still continue. Argument could be mirror against G8, and I'll counter that with the fact that G8 was substantially better written and handled. Marines are competent if somewhat lax and weren't expecting a pirate crew to land in their remote base.
@@otterfire4712 I agree with you but thanks to the extra games (and sometimes even for absolutely unknown reasons) we got changes in the story that go against one of the core elements of this arc. SPOILER FOR WATER 7 It shows Robin how Luffy and the Straw Hats act when their nakama are in non-deadly danger and how hard it is to become their nakama. It isn't even enough to have a profession they are in dire need of.
@@f.carasind4188 not like Jaya, Skypiea, and Long Long Island arcs didn't help give Robin time to immerse herself with the Straw Hats as the newest member, much like Chopper and Vivi journeying to and in Alabasta. The filler Davy Back fights were still unnecessary and make Luffy even dumber for accepting a second round then there was the big crew bet that'd put the Straw Hats several generations in debt to the Foxy Pirates if they lost. Outrageous change to the core rules of Davy Back Fighting.
I really appreciate your take on this arc, it isn't widely loved. Like you, I believe it sets up ideas, and this saga, in very smart obvious,and subtle, ways... There's the obvious Nico Robin set up and questions around Luffy's heritage, some of the ideas you mentioned and my favourite one being the idea of how a "dysfunctional crew with no hierarchy won't cut it in the grand line". Those few, "inconsequential" panels of the ship they pass that ends up falling victim to a wave because that crew lost it's captain to the Davey back fight with Foxy, and so no one wants to do anything is such a great example of that
1:34 "When you get immersed in One Piece, it is hard to not be in a good mood" As I assume at the time of posting you're reading the start of Water 7, you'll probably appreciate the irony of that line.
Holy. The amount of times my non-existent poker face would've given things away had I been in the studio just listening while he recorded this. Let's just say he's an attentive reader. Also, it has probably been repeated to death, but the G8 filler arc (situated between Skypiea and LRLL) is perhaps the best anime filler we have had for One Piece. Recommend a watch just for the humor and the character moments. It's really cool.
Great video as always! Important to note, Aokiji implied that his debt to Luffy's Gramps was what was keeping him from killing Luffy, not being a REASON to kill Luffy. And the pronunciation for Aokiji's name is Ow(like you're in pain) Key, and the letter G. Japanese readers understand that his name Aokiji means Blue Pheasant, which isn't really translated into English. Just something to keep in mind!
Always such a pleasure to watch your videos. The way you see so much within the pages still astounds me. Hearing such an in-depth analysis of the manga from a FIRST TIME READER, is VERY impressive and refreshing. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the future arcs!
They did add filler to this arc with a 2nd davey back games straight after with new events, I still got a kick out of it though. Really excited to hear your thoughts on what's to come.
I enjoy your reviews so much, you have a lot of really insightful commentary! And so much of it are things that I can't comment on at all at this point, just, I can't wait to see you read further on. There's one thing I've noticed for the next arc, so in advance (it's just the transcription of a name, but it comes up a lot): there's a mistranslation in all the official English language material. They're going to start talking about something called the "Aqua Laguna" in it, but it is in fact supposed to be "Aqua Ragna". It's the shortened form of "Ragnarök", and I see it a lot in Japanese media, and nearly always mistranslated as "Laguna". I think that your analysis is great, and that you do just as well, or better, than seasoned mangas readers and anime watchers. You pick up on things that many people don't, and see structure and foreshadowing that a lot of people miss. Getting things wrong sometimes is also something you're meant to do, because Oda definitely has his red herrings! That's also part of the fun, IMO, realising that you've been tricked and how clever the real reveal turns out to be. I've been reading One Piece (and other manga) for a long time (more than twenty years), and I've even reread One Piece a few times. I learned Japanese and now I read all my manga in that language (I even work part time as a manga translator now, but not for One Piece, and not into English), but I actually started out as a fantasy reader! I'm starting to want to get back into fantasy novels after watching you and other booktuders get into One Piece and other manga, I just have a hard time choosing where to start. Though after watching your Elric video, that is probably going to be it. That sounds so up my alley, and I had the completely wrong idea of that book before, I realised. Zoro is in many ways such a personification of Bushido, both in how he acts and in how he talks. There's a reason why Vivi kept calling him "Mr Bushido" throughout Alabasta! I love his trajectory in the series. He's definitely trying to empower Chopper, in much the same way that Luffy told Nami not to act as a member of the future pirate king when facing Ener in Skyepia. I think it's a way to say "trust in yourself and in us", though it does sound a bit harsh, yeah. On Aokiji's name: you can think of it as being in two parts, "Ao" (blue) and "kiji" (pheasant). Don't worry about the pronunciation too much, we all know who you mean! The pronunciation is one area where watching the (subbed version) anime really helps, though, if you want to get it exactly right. The episode where the crew meet Aokiji is 227 if you want to check just that one out. I love the way he talks. I think you're completely right about Luffy being strategic, but also genuinely trying to defeat Aokiji here. I think that he's just always going to TRY, even though he might die doing it. But yes, I also enjoy Long Ring Long Land a lot! Unfortunately the anime pacing makes this arc really tedious to watch, which is a shame considering how much fun it is in the manga. Though these days I tend to go with the One Pace fan cut, it pretty much takes all the filler out. The voice acting and music by themselves just makes it worth it (I mean, I even pretty much hear Tanaka's voice when I read Luffy's lines, that's just how Luffy sounds to me), but I wouldn't recommend watching much of it uncut. I completely agree, this isn't an arc where you worry about how things are going to turn out, it's an hilarious journey to the expected ending. It's just a well done comedic interlude and a bit of prologue where we get to see the crew interact and deal with a highly annoying but also highly entertaining antagonist. Also, story this long needs calmer bits in between the major arcs just to give the reader a bit of room to breathe and digest, I think. If a story tries to keep the tension at maximum at all times, it will all eventually start to feel tiring. It every part of a story tries to hit you hard, you'll eventually just start to feel numb. All right, so that was a massive comment. Anyway, thank you for the video!
After his fight with Mihawk, Zoro said: "The king of pirates needs no less than the geatest swordsman right?" So as long as Zoro believes Luffy is going to be the king of pirates he's going to stick with Luffy because their goals have basically become one.
Why tf was I not notified with this?! It's been 5 days! And with Long Ring Long Land, not a lot of people like it. And the anime has a few filler episodes, but only like 1 or 2 filler for the Davy Back Fight. Although Afro Luffy solos. But the really great part of LRLL is the ending parts with Aokiji. I also recommend watching episode 217. I also recommend it you watch both sub and dub. The scene with the Afro is hilarious in both. Wow. I gotta commend you. You've made some predictions, and one of them is pretty spot on. 10:05 I don't believe he really had a shot at winning. HOWEVER I believe he came at Aokiji fully intended not to lose. Also, "DOFLAMINGOOOOOOO! 😢"
Love your analysis of the themes of this arc! I'm excited to see your reaction as your predictions play our or not. Also, for the name: Aokiji is an epithet for the Admiral. It translates to Blue Pheasant (Ao + Kiji). Pronounced like "ow-key-gee" Though you do slightly pronounce the a and o as separate sylables. Thanks for the video!
Loving your reviews so far! Can’t wait for you to do Water 7 and Enies Lobby (still my favorite arc to this day). I have loved OP from the start but the upcoming arcs are the ones that took me from thinking of OP as a fun and enjoyable work of fiction to thinking of it as so, so much more. Godspeed Nakama, we await you at Egghead Island!
Anime only here. Long Ring has a special place for me. I caught an episode late one night and decided to see what this pirate anime was really like. The next morning I started from the beginning and have been hooked since. That being said, on a rewatch I skip to Aokiji's arrival because the Davy Back feels like filler. Its twice as long as what felt necessary (I know, the manga handles it much better). I don't hate it though, just usually want to get straight into Water-7
Long ring long land: a little bit of time to breathe and laugh in between two juggernauts. In the anime: an arc that grossly overstays its welcome and breaks characters with its weird forced plot points introduced to make more filler. Also, admiral Ao (blue) Kiji (pheasant)
Regarding your bit about Zoro telling Chopper to stop crying. Oda has put these over the top "what real great pirates codes/morals/rules" are into his story into the background. But when you become a pirate you are giving away your safety net and anything goes. You're putting your life on the line and you deal with the consequences of what happened. Crying and complaining won't help and his crew is still there. That's why Zoro is telling Chopper to be quiet and believe in them to win him back. It's also why Luffy doesn't really react when he hears Choppers outburst as well.
You always mention that Zoro wants to be a "master swordsman", and while that's not exactly wrong, it doesn't properly represent his actual objective, which is to become the strongest swordsman in the world, a title is currently held by Mihawk, which is why Zoro has to defeat Mihawk to achieve his objective. Great video as usual.
You talking about the Going Merry as its own character shows you are real One Piece megafan material already (as if it was in doubt from your reviews already lol but that CEMENTS it), and the mystery from Skypeia of what or who Usopp saw repairing the ship is probably the moment I had the realization you're talking about here of the crew's concern for the Going Merry like a fellow crew mate and the sense of it as a character with its own character arc.
Holy fuck Jimmy listening to you talk about all these details makes me feel so proud for some reason ahahahaha, it's amazing, I'm so glad you love the story so much. You definitely deserve to get as much out of the story as you're putting in, it's wonderful. The introduction of Aokiji is by far one of the most terrifying things to date, it's quite like a sharp whiplash from the relaxed nature of LRLL. On top of that we get a sneak peak at Doflamingo and his fearsome attitude. It's always so thrilling to see all these powerful dudes There is a lot about to go down and I can't even imagine how much information you're going to be wrapping your head around, even just at the start of the Water 7 arc. Though hearing some of your comments now I fear for how you may feel when certain things come to light, I know it's going to be a brilliant journey and I can't wait to see how blown your mind gets moving forward, have a good one man
I've watched the anime, skipping the filler episodes. I like this arc and I think it's lots of fun. I think the game with Zoro and Sanji was well done in the anime, and worth watching if you feel like it.
I’m currently reading One Piece and in the 600s chapters. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on upcoming arcs as the story just keeps getting better and better
aokiji would be pronounced ah-o-key-jee! also im glad you are enjoying one piece!! water 7 and ennis lobby is one many fans hold dear and it is very good and enjoying. also i love how you react to the manga and the questions you ask its fun seeing such an active reader adn your reactions! you are also developing such insightful views of the characters and i cant wait for your reactions as you continue your journey in reading! i also can not recommend enough G-8 filler arc! it is episode 196-206 and it is the most fun i've had with a filler arc and my favorite one so far (though i did enjoy the post-water 7 filler arcs as well) sometimes i almost wish it was a canon arc
i get so excited when you talk about your predictions because i am ahead of you and know whats going to happen and i feel like i can tell already which parts youre going to love
Great review! As usual, you've asked some very interesting questions that I cannot wait to see your opinion on the answers, whatever they are and whenever they may come. 😊
As far as just wanting to have a fun time, Long Ring Long Land is an amazing arc and it usually never fails to put a smile on people's faces. But you mentioning how this arc apparently had some filler in its anime version really reminds me how this arc and the one before it was described to me once: That Long Ring Long Land is a canon arc that feels like filler while the anime arc before it G-8 is a filler arc that feels like canon. Would recommend checking the G-8 arc out on the side if/when you have the time, but I hope you enjoy Water 7 and Enies Lobby and I'm looking forward to your thoughts on them once your done! Fair sailing, Jimmy!
Stoked to keep seeing how you're experiencing the story! I think the reason Long Ring Long Land gets a less than stellar rep is due to it being sandwiched by 2 much more impactful arcs. Personally, while I find it charming, I'm not as invested in the tension crafted by the story. At the end of the day shounen will be shounen for better or worse :)
Haha I have to say, I was really impressed by your thematical analysis, guessing that Oda was building up to crew members leaving the ship. Big brain moment! And then... you took a quick left turn by guessing that Zoro, most loyal Straw Hat, who has Luffy's name tattooed on his heart, who would kill and die for Luffy, would be the one to leave 😂 I chuckled! Can't get them all hahaha
I think most people hated this arc because it drags in the anime, there's even more events and they even lose Robin as well not just Chopper. There's a skating race and Luffy doesn't know how to skate, and also a race to the top of the hill which are actually pretty funny. In the manga we never really see Foxy after this arc but in the anime we see Foxy multiple times later he even had an entire OVA special and was also in some of the movies.
LRLL is a nice breather after Skypiea. In the anime adaptation, they put a filler arc before LRLL, then a filler arc after LRLL, and then a THIRD filler arc where Fox comes back and challenges the crew again. In the manga, this little breather ran for about four months of publication, but on television, it stretched for roughly ten months.
I had alot of fun with this arc. One standout is Foxy shooting a bunch of masks of himself at Luffy and then walking past, hiding among them. There's a short anime filler arc set between Skypiea and Long Ring Long Land that's super worth checking out. Aokiji biking on the frozen ocean is for me one of the coolest visuals in One Piece to date.
I think really, especially in the context of what’s going on in the water 7 saga, long ring long land is important for helping establish and showcase character dynamics, personalities, teamwork etc. you get things like the first time sanji and zoro really seriously agree to work together, you get to see all these different interactions with the main cast in a setting that’s really not as serious as a main arc so they can just be themselves. Having this time with them where they’re borderline just goofing around having a sports day is brilliant since it gives you all this time to really just enjoy them as friends.
Yeah this arc was pretty fun, a nice little break. But yeah everything with Aokiji is absolutely perfect an amazing introduction to him and whats to come in water 7. I cant wait for your video, im so excited!!😍
I am 100% behind the belief that this man because of his mindset and the details he specifically looks for makes him one of the fans that have the best, most full and true experience when reading One Piece. Most of the time Oda puts something down, he picks them all up and goes into the next arc with the best mindset. Earned a sub goddamn, one of the best reviewers of OP I have ever watched
Based off of your reactions to the series so far I can say with like 99% certainty that this next saga will blow everything else out of the water for you
I loved this arc. The Aokiji encounter was chilling (hehe) with how completely he defeated them. Teases some mystery about Robin. Great setup for what's to come, with powerful foes and deeper mysteries. Also the Davy back fight is a good way for Nico Robin to showcase her abilities. Usually when a new member joins, they get the following arc to show their usefulness, but Nico Robin hadn't really had that yet. We see how competent and useful for the crew she is. This arc is also nice with expanding the pirate lore and just doing piratey stuff in general, which One Piece doesn't have a ton of. Plus like you said it was hillarious. Loved the gags around Afro Luffy like it made him stronger. Nice video, great analysis. Good instincts, not saying which part :p.
One thing about this arc that is important to a lot of theories are all the small clues and references that will be hinted and mentioned in the future as well. Another thing that makes this arc very important is that I read that at one point Oda didn't think he'd made One Piece so long and that Long Ring Long Land was originally close to the end and thus had a lot of important setups that he's most likely going to use towards the end of One Piece that's still coming up. Exciting times.
Aokiji... it's pronounced: however you want. Also, DON'T go back and watch the G8 filler. (Repeat BS in the comments gets so annoying, don't mind me. But thank you for your hard work and perspective. 👍🏻)
