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Title: One Piece: East Blue Vols 1-2-3

Author: Eiichiro Oda

Publisher:  Viz

ISBN: 9781421536255

May Contain Spoilers

Eiichiro Oda is doing something right with this series, and it boggles the mind to think that it has already reached 56 volumes in Japan.  If that wasn’t enough to keep the artist in pens and screen tones, the print run for #56 was 2.85 million, the largest first printing for a manga.  Ever!  The manga has spawned an anime series that has what seems like a gabillion episodes, and there have also been 10 movies released to date.

The thought of catching up on this incredibly long-running title causes me to hyperventilate, but Viz is helping out a little by releasing omnibus versions to snag new readers, just in time for their big One Piece marathon.  Starting in January, Viz will be releasing a whopping 5 volumes of the manga per month, until they catch up to the Japanese releases.  It’s a huge investment in both time and money, but after sitting down with East Blue, I am more than ready to dive more deeply into the series.  The omnibus versions contain three volumes, and are priced at $14.99, which is a bargain.  To offset this a bit, the paper used for the book is on the thin side, but it didn’t detract from my reading experience.  I wonder how these are going to hold up over time, though.

Things get rolling with Luffy, a lad who dreams of becoming the King of Pirates and discovering the infamous treasure One Piece.  He is impulsive and never thinks anything through, and instead just jumps into situations head first, usually without knowing all of the background details.  When he was a child he ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, which gives him the ability to stretch his skin like rubber.  So sad he had to give up the ability to swim to get this new power.  Hardly a fair trade-off when you want to live your life on a little boat in the middle of the ocean! 

I have watched some of the anime, and have read chapters of the manga here and there, so the plot wasn’t totally new for me.  I love Luffy’s personality.  He’s a goof, he isn’t the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but he has a very firm sense of right and wrong.  He is also loyal to a fault, and he is overcome with admiration when somebody wants to protect their “treasure.”  It doesn’t matter what it is, just as long as that person is inspired to do their best to protect something that is important to them.  This quality immediately endeared him to me.  He may be simple minded, but he gives people the emotional jolt they need to appreciate what is important to them.

Zolo is really cool, too, but I wonder how he can speak clearly with that sword in his mouth.  Is he a ventriloquist, or what?  He would probably also need a skilled dentist, because parrying some of those killer blows with his teeth can’t be good for the enamel.  Despite his unorthodox fighting style, which, you have to admit, is kind of silly, Zolo is one of the coolest characters in manga.  Maybe it’s the green bandana that draped so dapperly over his head?

One Piece is a fun story, full of comedic situations and silly character designs.  The art style took me a bit to get used to, and the illustrations will never be described as elegant or even attractive.  Most of the characters have oversized heads plopped onto tall, lanky bodies, and proportions can be very odd indeed.  The panels are too cluttered for my tastes, but the facial expressions are engaging and occasionally laugh out loud funny.

If you have been living under a rock and haven’t sampled One Piece, this volume is a great way to dip your toe in the water.  You get three volumes for the less than the price of two manga, and at fifteen bucks, you get some solid entertainment for your money.  I just wish the paper was a little bit more robust.

Grade: B+

Review copy provided by Viz