#IReadsYou Review: ONE PIECE Volume 38

ONE PIECE, VOL. 38
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Eiichiro Oda
TRANSLATION: Taylor Engel, HC Language Solutions Inc.
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Megan Bates
LETTERS: HudsonYards
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3454-1; paperback (March 2010); Rated “T” for Teen
208pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 1997.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series, beginning in September 2003, under its “Shonen Jump” imprint.

As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates.  The enchanted “Devil Fruit” gave him the ability to stretch like rubber, but it also took away his ability to swim.  Undeterred, Luffy set out to sea and gradually enlisted a motley crew known as the “Straw Hats.”  Zolo the master swordsman; Nami the treasure-hunting thief; Usopp, the lying sharpshooter; Sanji the high-kicking chef; Chopper, the walkin’ talkin’ reindeer doctor; and secretive archeologist, Nico Robin join Luffy and sail the oceans on the Merry Go.  Their goal is the legendary treasure known as “One Piece.”

The Straw Hats arrived in The City of Water on the island of Water Seven in hopes of getting Galley-La, the famed shipwrights of Water Seven, to fix the Merry Go, which was much in need of repairs.  They got only bad news.  The shipwrights told them that the Merry Go was beyond repair, which eventually led to Usopp leaving the crew.  Then, the Straw Hats were accused of trying to assassinate the city’s Mayor Iceberg, who is also the leader of Galley-La.  The real assassins are members of the Navy’s covert agency, CP9, and Nico Robin is apparently one of them.

As One Piece, Vol. 38 (Chapter 358 to 367; entitled “Rocketman!!”) begins, the Straw Hats are scattered about the island.  CP9 agents are also close to retrieving the blueprints to Pluton, a destructive ancient weapon, and they need Nico Robin to decipher them.  They leave Water Seven on the miraculous Sea Train.  Luffy and his new found allies are soon right behind them in the Rocketman.  Meanwhile, the dreaded tidal wave, Aqua Laguna, bears down on them.

THE LOWDOWN:  Reading like a manga version of a Roland Emmerich movie, One Piece also races through the streets and back alleys of The City of Water like a spy thriller.  Readers of shonen manga (comics for teen boys) want action, and One Piece always delivers.

The meticulously drawn art, which seems to capture every line on everyone and everything and every background detail brings this to vivid life.  No American comic book for young readers is drawn with this attention to detail and such craftsmanship, nor is any one written with such complicated and intricately plotted action scenes. One Piece is in a league of its own.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers of good comics will want the “Shonen Jump” title, One Piece.

A
8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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#IReadsYou Review: ONE PIECE Volume 35

ONE PIECE, VOL. 35
VIZ MEDIA

CARTOONIST: Eiichiro Oda
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Megan Bates
LETTERS: Elena Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-4215-3451-0; paperback (March 2010); Rated “T” for Teen
192pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda.  It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 1997.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series, beginning in September 2003, under its “Shonen Jump” imprint.

One Piece focuses on Monkey D. Luffy, who wants to become the King of the Pirates.  The enchanted “Devil Fruit” gave him the ability to stretch like rubber, but it also took away his ability to swim.  Not deterred from his dream, Luffy set out to sea and gradually enlisted his very own pirate crew, known as the “Straw Hats.”  They sail the oceans on their ship, the Merry Go, searching for the legendary treasure known as “One Piece.”

One Piece, Vol. 35 (Chapters 328 to 336; entitled “Captain”) finds the Straw Hats in The City of Water on the island of Water Seven.  They are going to use the gold they found during their Skypeia adventure to repair the Merry Go.

The gold nets them 300 million berries, but all that money earns them the attention of the Franky Family, a band of ship dismantlers and part-time bounty hunters.  Meanwhile, the newest Straw Hat, Nico Robin, goes missing, and Luffy makes a shocking announcement that puts him at odds with shipmate, Usopp.

THE LOWDOWN:  At less than 190 pages of narrative, One Piece Volume 35 reads like a graphic novel twice its size.  Featuring visually potent art, this volume of One Piece has intrigue, superhero-like fights, an assassination attempt, a shocking announcement, and a fight between brothers.  The weirdo characters and outlandish settings are in abundance, and there’s the ever-present cliffhanger that will make you return for another volume of pirate goodness.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers looking for top “Shonen Jump” titles will want One Piece.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

I Reads You Review: ONE PIECE, VOL. 34

Creator: Eiichiro Oda with JN Productions (translations) and Megan Bates (English adaptation)
Publishing Information: VIZ Media, paperback, 232 pages, $9.99 (US), $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-1-4215-3450-3 (ISBN-13)

One Piece is a popular shonen manga (comics for teen boys) created by Eiichiro Oda and featuring the adventures of a group of pirates known as “the Straw Hats.” The star of the series is Monkey D. Luffy, who has the ability to stretch like rubber. He got this ability by eating the “Devil Fruit” (specifically the “Gum Gum” variety). Since he was a child, Luffy has wanted to become the King of Pirates, mainly because, as a kid, he listened to the stories of the pirate, “Red-Haired” Shanks.

Luffy cannot swim (a side effect of the Gum Gum Fruit), but that did not deter him from setting out to sea. Over the series, readers watched as Luffy gradually gathered the crew members who would become the Straw Hats. They are Zolo the master swordsman; Nami the treasure-hunting thief; Usopp, the lying sharpshooter; Sanji the high-kicking chef; Chopper, the walkin’ talkin’ reindeer doctor; and newcomer, the mysterious archeologist, Nico Robin. Together, they travel on their ship, the Merry Go, searching for the legendary treasure known as “One Piece.”

Starting this past January, VIZ Media accelerated the publication of One Piece, with five new volumes published each month (until June 2010). Currently, the American publication of One Piece is in the midst of the series’ fourth storyline, Water Seven.

As One Piece, Vol. 34 (entitled The City of Water, Water Seven) begins, the Davy Back Fight, a game in which the Straw Hats take on the Foxy Pirates, comes to a shattering conclusion. Luffy finds a way to beat Foxy the Silver Fox, Captain of the Foxy Pirates. Before Luffy and company can head onto their next adventure, they must face Admiral Aokiji of Navy Headquarters, and he has come to collect Robin. Aokiji will kill to get her, and the crew will bear witness to his cold-blooded power.

One Piece is a rousing adventure, and while I sometimes compare it to Pirates of the Caribbean, One Piece is much more imaginative. The art that actually tells this story to readers will amaze, but there are graphics in this volume that simply blew my mind. Once the Straw Hats enter The City of Water, Water Seven, creator Eiichiro Oda and his staff put their drawing skills to work and create an entire functioning city. And this city, which acts as a set for the story, is essentially just background art! Our attention will be held on the art depicting the Straw Hats and the new strange people and weird creatures they meet in Water Seven. Those visuals are fantastic, but to also have this remarkable architecture and cityscape in the background… Well, One Piece impresses, and the reasons for its success are right before our very eyes.

A

Buy One Piece, Vol. 34

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