One Piece

Overrated? Really? If One Piece is overrated, then Naruto and Bleach are so overrated that it transcends the boundaries of human comprehension and perception!
Yes. One Piece is just that good.
It's different from the other top shounen mangas--the quality is constent; good, unlike the drastically degenerating plots of other mangas (you know what I'm talking about). In fact, One Piece just keeps getting better and better.

The miniscule little plot hints dropped during each arc is gradually building up an amazing new world. It just keeps getting more and more exciting--it's like watching a totally new world with its own unique laws and dictations (governmentgovenmentgovenmentsecrets&conspiraciesomgthetension) unfurl right in front of your eyes. But you have to pay attention to some of the details and the foreshadowing going on to grasp the enormity of everything.

And everything DOES develop; mysteries are beginning to unravel and we're starting to see the whole picture and stuff. Character development? Yes. I see some... However the characters are already almost fully developed from the moment their backstories (which will make you cry) are revealed! Sort of like stock characters. Chracters do learn things, but it's subtle. You can't have characters suddenly changing personalities, right? I'm pretty sure in other mangas like Naruto and Fairy Tail the characters all still have their own rooted personalities and mannerisms. The character development is still there, but not as obvious.

Regarding the overused and repetitive plot aspects of One Piece--aren't all shounen fighting mangas repetitive? It depends on how you view it: shounen mangas pretty much ALL involve the main protagonist fighting and defeating an enemy, fighting and defeating another one, and another one: constantly one-upping and fighting new enemies...
One piece has fights, yes, but the fights are thoughtful and planned and there is a whole lot more going on than 'just a fight'. Mm. Revolts, subterfuge, religion, friendship, corruption, power, sacrifice-- all these intricate and interesting ideas are blended into each fight to create a delicious and enjoyable smoothie of awesome. Yummy.

Anyways. I love One Piece. But it might not be the one for all (...it is the one for me, though...), with inspirational & developed characters, action and adventure, an interesting art style (hey, the art is somewhat atypical in the sense that characters can look very different from each other 🙂 , provoking stories (some characters' backstories made me cry...) and an epic plot to boot.

Recommended for all (hmmm... 12+?)

One Piece is a likable series for many reasons, enjoyable characters, thrilling bad guys, pirates in general have always been kind of cool.
Now in the Western world One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach are called "the big three" and it's easy to see why since they're the three most popular series all published in the same weekly magazine. One Piece is easily the most liked of the three in Japan, and it's clear to see why that is...
One of the most redeeming quality of One Piece is that the quality hasn't change. Even after 600 chapters the art is still good! The mangaka doesn't waste pages and he actually fills panels and even every double spread page is a masterpiece. The best part of One Piece I think was

when Ace is captured by the Marines and man, seeing all these crazy pirates going up against the marines was just intense, not to mention emotional.And the brilliant thing is that even though we were over 500 chapters in, at the end of that arc was a promise for better things to come. It was a promise of characters growing stronger, the adventures getting bolder, and the action getting more... actiony?
The only problem I have is how similar every arc tends to be... I know One Piece fans, you might hate me for this, but I'm quite sure you know what I'm talking about... the buildup to the outcome is usually quite the same. But to be honest this is only the beginning of another epic adventure and there's a lot of interesting and fun things popping up chapter after chapter so I'm eagerly waiting around to see how much this series will change that.
No, this does not mean I hate the other two of the big three, I'm just saying I think in my opinion One Piece is better and it's been the only series of the three that I haven't dropped yet.
Young or old, I recommend this series, go check it out and have fun.

This manga, titled One Piece, is an aboselutely masterpiece manga. The characters are unique, and the plot is interesting and unpredictable. There's humor in this manga. It's not like other shouen manga, eg. Naruto and Bleach, where the plot gets too repetitive, or just too much flashback. There are no other manga like that except for One Piece. It's the best manga! At first, when I read the first chapter, I commented about the drawings and stopped reading. Then, my friends persuaded me to read. That's when I begin to read and I can't just put down the manga. It's masterpiece!

Tips: Read it if you don't. You'll regret it if you don't read it! Absolutely masterpiece.

what's so good about naruto, bleach or fairy tail? i honestly and seriously think one piece is the best of them all--coming from a girl like myself. i mean, i had been watching and reading all the aforementioned manga/anime but had to give them all up because my benchmark, one piece, was just too high. incomparable, nonetheless. the drama and comedy are just right. the development is suave. i cant stand too many irrelevant killings and petty dramatic insertions.

p.s. one piece is not overrated. it is simply a masterpiece. ratings and sales are the proof.

When I am asked what my favorite manga is I can't answer with just one manga, but I try to limit the list to 5 mangas in no particular order. One Piece was the first manga to ever make it on the list and will probably have a place on the list until it's finished. BTW the other mangas/manhwas on my favorite list are Noblesse, Tower of God, Saint Oniisan, and Beelzebub.

Before becoming a part of the manga fandom, as a resident of the U.S, I saw One Piece as a cartoon that was more suited for kids. The fact that Naruto and Bleach is more popular than One Piece here among the "Big Three" is mostly the fault of the American cartoon company, 4Kids, who licensed One Piece and heavily censored and edited the anime. (please, it's not even close to what's it's supposed to be) When I learned that One Piece is the best selling manga in history (the series sold over 280 million volumes sold as of the end of 2012, with the initial release of volume 61 breaking the record for the first print publishing record of all books in Japan "Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix") as well that 88% of its readers in Japan are adults, it gave me the motivation to seriously start reading it. The experience was a pure joy and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Each arc gets more and more exciting as you read on and everything from epic battles to comedy relief brings the characters to life. As one of the comments said, it's all about the journey and not the destination. And it's a very epic journey. (in fact, at one point in the manga, Luffy says he doesn't want to know where One Piece is right away or it'll make the adventure boring) That's why you have to experience the adventure thoroughly to properly understand how good the series actually is. I myself didn't really get why it was considered one of the best after reading several volumes. Continue on without question and you won't regret it. Personally I found the Enies Lobby Arc the climax of the series; after that I considered One Piece to be one of my top favorites and certainly the best mainstream shonen manga.

A lot of ideas for manga are based on real life examples with a fictional twist. One Piece brings together pirates vs. marines with mythical beasts and devil fruit powers. This allows for a lot of leverage for the design of many interesting characters. We have our protagonist, Luffy, a rubber man who's ability to stretch combines close combat with long ranged attacks (I mean seriously, who else but Oda would think of this) and his crew who goes up against a multitude of villians with their own unique devil fruit powers and developed abilities. The fights in this story become more and more epic as the challenge becomes tougher and tougher with the result of the characters becoming stronger each time as well. Not only do each individual's abilities evolve, their teamwork becomes phenomenal. The creativity put into this series is simply a blend of genius, meaning no one else could've written anything like it.

Oda Eiichiro-sensei was fully aware that his art style might put off some people (that's where some of the bias comes from in America) but as One Piece's popularity grew, his unusual art was shown to be be one of One Piece's selling points. It allowed him the freedom to draw interesting battles, funny scenarios, and bizarre characters. Rather than getting "used to the art," you'll find yourself immersed in it.

Another selling point of the manga is that although there is always the comical annoyance between the crew members, all the members loves and values their crew dearly as all of them have joined Luffy's crew because of some sort of dream; dreams that were inspired by some sort of tragedy they experienced or by some person they have met. You'll find yourself touched by the characters interactions as you see them go through hardships as well as joyful moments, with their dreams becoming the drive force that makes each individual powerful. You'll have fun with the characters as they all have their own role in entertaining the reader; comedy and seriousness is blended together perfectly in series as each one of them has their own very unique personality. This allows for a plenty of hilarious gags intricately put in each chapter. As you observe their adventures, jumping from one island to the next, you'll see the crew always getting into some wacky situation as troublemakers and how they're always ready to be heroes and save anything from a small village to an entire nation. Because of how they always meddle into the affairs of others, the tiny crew starts off as nobodies only to become infamous worldwide as the plot progresses into something enormous.

The idea of many people is that many shonen manga reach its peak at some point and only get worse if the author attempts to keep the series going on for too long instead of ending it, but One Piece has been going on for 600+ chapters and has only gotten more interesting. Oda always knows how to take the series into the right direction. (he says at chapter 597 that the series reached its half point then)

When I first started reading the manga, I did not rate it that highly. But as time went by, I started getting really into it. The story became really engaging during the Arlong arc. It is this arc that started to set this manga apart, showing me the best that it can be. After this arc, One Piece never looked back, occasionally dragging in some instances, but always picking up after a couple of issues.

I've grown to love the characters, the art, and the stories of this series, and I don't say that lightly - One Piece has made me laugh my ass off at its lightest moments, it has made me cry during its most tragic times, and in between the laughter and the tears, it has never failed to delight me to no end.

I highly recommend this manga. The best way to enjoy this manga is to pick up the tankōbons, because the piecemeal issues from WSJ can leave the reader hanging on a regular basis.

I used to be obsessed with this manga. It was fun, exciting, and very well done, but after that AMAZING rescue arc, I've been loosing interest. It's starting to drag on. It's still a fun read, and the consistent updates are nice, but it's become more of a filler read. I'm worried it's going to end up like Detective Conan since the series is still going strong.
Once again, still a fun, worthwhile read for those of you with some extra time on your hands.

A really good series, The adventure and fighting aspect of this series is top notch, if not the best ive seen. And the comedy is gold, Cant get enough of luffy and his crew. The thing that really keeps me interested in this series, is that this series will have a strong ending, which will be {suprise} luffy becoming the Pirate King. Expect this series not to end with a whimper but a bang, Ive give it a 10 for its interesting settings and characters, not to mention the animals.

This is, imo, undeniably one of the best mangas ever. And if it keeps up this quality till the end, I really believe that it will be the best manga ever.
One piece has something for everyone. On the surface it may not appear that special, but a book cannot be judged by its cover, and one piece proves it the best.
The story appears simple at first, but later on it shows the true depth of this manga when things like racism,oppresion, etc. are dealth wonderfully by it. The characters are great. They are deep characters, very well fleshed out, and you can't help but love them. The sense of adventure is always there, and everything is done really well. A manga that can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone.
Well, I can go on and on, but this really is the best manga imo.

Oh my god! this is the best manga i've read so far!! at the beginning, the artwork is childish but it gets better and better 😀
What i like, is that it is not the 'Typical Shounen Type', i mean, they don't fight here and there with no sense of mind. In this manga, they all have a goal and they are doing their best to fulfill it.
i really like the characters, especially Luffy and Zoro :3
I know this manga is dragging on and on... i mean, 660 chapters are way too much but it is worth reading! people might think it gets boring but if you really like this manga, then it would not be boring at all!!!!

It's so rare to find these kind of mangas nowadays because of all the romance-shoujo :/ Up to now, i found no other 'pirate' mangas but the shoujos in which there are only blushies!
One Piece is Unique in its own way! So read this manga and be sure to get into the story to like it!
it deserves a 10/10 =)

There are some excellent, shinning parts (prison breakout, sky-pea, and many others) but the last couple of arcs have been really boring (mermaids, and now the hot-cold island).
=> this is over 50 chapters of bleh!

The author seems to have lost the knack he had for finding fun and imaginative reasons for splitting up the crew and giving them thrilling challenges...