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A review by maxsebastian
One Piece (Omnibus Edition), Vol. 21: Includes Vols. 61, 62 & 63 by Eiichiro Oda
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Alright. One Piece's Fishman Island saga does meet the hype it has accrued from when it was originally set up as the Straw Hats journeyed to Sabody. This omnibus contains the first half of the saga. With incredible character moments, a dynamic new setting, and the most clear execution of Oda's theming yet, Fishman Island is in strong contention for one of the strongest sagas of One Piece. The only thing that drags this saga down is Oda's continued focus on extended action scenes, which I find often distract from the main story, especially due to detailed yet hard to read paneling.
After the time skip, it was exciting to see the return of the main cast, learn about their solo adventures, and catch up on their power ups. While a lot has changed for these characters, their personalities still shine through. While I continued to find Sanji's prancing around women frustrating (as well as Oda's visual depictions of them), there are some interesting hints of growth away from these habits in this story. Given her previous relationship with fish men and the return of the Arlong pirates in this saga , I was most intrigued by Nami's arc in the Fishman Island Saga. Robin's arc is rather limited but left a lot of interesting questions up in the air for me.
While we've previously spent time on the seas of One Piece as well as a saga above them, it was fun to spend time in their depths. One of the highlights of this saga was the team traveling to Fishman Island. From the technology needed to traverse the deep sea to the featuring of the Kraken and a parallel to Davey Jones and his crew, I had a lot of fun in this part of the One Piece world.
While many elements of Fishman Island are strong, the most powerful is Oda's focus on the themes of slavery, racism, and fear of difference. From the relationship between Fishmen and the Celestial Dragons to the connection between the Fishmen (are there non-male Fishpeople?) and merpeople, Oda builds up conflict here that I hope remain central to the One Piece story. Seeing the Straw Hats consider what being a pirate actually means in a world controlled by an authoritarian regime is fascinating.
After the time skip, it was exciting to see the return of the main cast, learn about their solo adventures, and catch up on their power ups. While a lot has changed for these characters, their personalities still shine through. While I continued to find Sanji's prancing around women frustrating (as well as Oda's visual depictions of them), there are some interesting hints of growth away from these habits in this story. Given her previous relationship with fish men
While we've previously spent time on the seas of One Piece as well as a saga above them, it was fun to spend time in their depths. One of the highlights of this saga was the team traveling to Fishman Island. From the technology needed to traverse the deep sea to the featuring of the Kraken and a parallel to Davey Jones and his crew, I had a lot of fun in this part of the One Piece world.
While many elements of Fishman Island are strong, the most powerful is Oda's focus on the themes of slavery, racism, and fear of difference. From the relationship between Fishmen and the Celestial Dragons to the connection between the Fishmen (are there non-male Fishpeople?) and merpeople, Oda builds up conflict here that I hope remain central to the One Piece story. Seeing the Straw Hats consider what being a pirate actually means in a world controlled by an authoritarian regime is fascinating.