Sorry for the super-late post. I like reading manga and I hope it's ok to share now even though it’s October.
I am currently reading
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. It's a longer running series that started in 1997 and is still publishing new material each week in
Shonen Jump. I am around chapter 800 and there are around 880 chapters that have been published.
One Piece gets its title from the treasure that Gol D. Roger, referred to as King of the Pirates, left behind for anyone daring enough to search for it. Roger was executed by the World Government but his message sparked a new era called the Great Age of the Pirates. The story then focuses on Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who ate a mysterious fruit that give him the ability to be stretchy like rubber (a gum-gum fruit). Luffy is determined to find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates. Along the way he forms a crew and they gain notoriety as the Straw Hat Pirates. Each crew member has their own personal goals but they are all united under Luffy.
There is so much more to this story but I want to keep this post short...
I am enjoying this manga. I started reading it 1997 as a kid and have kept with it as an adult. I stopped here and there because I prefer to read a bunch of chapters at a time (and I also don't have much spare time). I can't believe it's already been 20 years! The characters have come such a long way since the beginning and it's insane that there's still so much more to come.
I rate
One Piece a
3 out of 4 stars, although it's hard to rate since the author says he's nowhere near finished.
I recommend
One Piece to anyone who enjoys comedy, action, and adventure.
One Piece is one of the few manga I can recommend to all ages, from kids to adults. The story is straight forward enough for kids to follow and develops enough complexity for adults to be entertained too. I find a similar theme with the characters, they are simple enough when introduced but start to show more depth as the story progresses.
There are also moments where I catch references to pop culture either in character names or places.I have noticed that Oda has become known for doing this and rereading earlier chapters as an adult I catch so many more 'easter eggs'. One instance would be the
El Chavo character references. There is no way a kid in Japan (or UK/USA) born after 1995 would know that reference to a Mexican comedy sitcom that finished in 1980. Those references are purely for Oda and his older readers and I really have come to appreciate that.
Well, that’s my contribution I hope it wasn’t too long winded.
