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For a story woven through multiple decades, there are bound to be numerous ups and downs, and so is the case with Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piece. Even after 25 years of weekly serialization,One Pieceis going strong with consistently growing popularity. The manga series has garnered phenomenal critical and commercial acclaim over the years. However, there was one point in the story where fans felt the story somewhat dipped in quality.
This was during the Fishman Island Arc, the first arc post the time skip. Many fans feel the story was much better before the time skip happened. The story got back on track with the arcs that followed after Fishman Arc. Currently, the popularity and the intrigue ofOne Pieceis unparalleled. This is simply because of Eiichiro Oda’s approach that gives him a great advantage over his contemporaries.
The Change in the Story and Reception Post Time-Skip
To put it simply, the story prior to the time skip was much more intimate as an experience. The scale of the story was somewhat personal to the Strawhats. This changed significantly when the stakes reached new heights post the Marineford War. By challenging the likes of Admirals and the Celestial Dragons, the Strawhats attracted more attention from dangerous figures. As more characters became crucial to the storyline, almost every arc dabbled with multiple narratives at once.
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For instance, during Wano, significant time was given to Roger’s adventures as well as Oden’s life. This completely shifted the focus from what was going on with the Strawhats for a substantial amount of time. This is something that is only possible inOne Pieceamong the popular shonen anime titles, as a result of the scale and magnitude of the story.
Fans believe that this style of storytelling shifts the focus from flaws, making them less apparent compared to other manga, shieldingEiichiro Odafrom the harsh criticisms that his contemporaries receive.
An Advantage That Eiichiro Oda has Over Kishimoto and Kubo
BothNarutoandBleachhave linear narratives compared toOne Piece.Masashi Kishimoto’sstyle deals with one plot point at a time, with some juggling between different storylines. This was apparent in the way Jiraiya’s infiltration and Itachi’s revelation were executed one after the other. Similarly, inBleach,Tite Kuboresolves one plotline before delving into the next. However, Oda has an extremely complex style.
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He introduces something and then gives snippets of information for years, before the whole truth is presented. This is partially the result of the rich world-building inOne Piece. At all times, the readers are aware that multiple events are happening on different islands. Initially, the story followed the Strawhats but now the focus keeps shifting between different characters and their crews. With so much happening, it’s hard to pinpoint the plot holes inOne Piece.
If one aspect of the story is lacking in some way, the thrills of a different one will more than compensate for it. Plus, it needs to be mentioned that Oda’s storytelling is tight and he considers how a particular concept will develop, leaving less room for jarring gaps in the story.
With that, there’s also the fact thatOne Pieceisn’t perfect by any means, but the way Oda incorporates so many ideas and executes them phenomenally, it’s hard to hold onto the flaws when there’s so much happening. By following this approach, Oda has somewhat protectedOne Piecefrom the usual negative discourse around shonen anime, but has also given fans a rich work of fiction that accounts for an exhilarating experience.
One Pieceis available to read on the MangaPlus app and website.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :926
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
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Eiichiro OdaOne Piece
