LoneLobo
February 10, 2010, 02:54 PM
Welcome to a new LoneLobo Review. Well, to be honest, I didn’t want to do my next review before the next Friday, but... after reading this chapter, I guess I had no choice. I HAD to do one. Those of you who have read the chapter know why this is quiet some... chapter. Be warned, there are not many funny things and jokes in this review, because this chapter is not a good foundation for that. Nonetheless, in my humble opinion, I think I just wrote my best review of all times. So please take your time reading it, as I think this chapter deserves every sentence I wrote about it. That said, let’s start.
Chapter 574: The Death of Portgas D. Ace
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3083/11839852.jpg
There isn’t much to say about the cover page of this chapter, as there is no new cover story or anything interesting happening. We just got Luffy beaten by Nami and... that’s all... but hey, I think Nami’s boobs look huge from this perspective... ah, damn it. Let’s talk about the chapter title: The Death of Portgas D. Ace. Oh, crap. This title doesn’t screw around, it just points out what we have to expect this chapter. Not more, not less. There is a very nice German expression for that, but sadly I do not know of an English equivalent. It’s called “Nomen est omen” in Latin, “the name says it all”. And now, sit back and... get out a handkerchief.
At Death’s Door
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/4184/94235398.jpg
We pick up where we left of last week: Ace being punched through the chest by Akainu to protect Luffy. Everyone was I think quiet shocked, because after all this time we finally freed Ace in chapter 571, just to get him a fatal wound at the end of 573? Whitebeard, okay, I think everyone was prepared for his death at one point or another. But Ace? IMHO, I think this was a brilliant move to distract us from everything, which happened.
Let’s continue. We get the usual shocked faces of a lot of people. They deliver all one message: WTF happened? Oh, and take a good look at Whitebeard and Garp. Back to the action, Ace seems to be still alive and Akainu walks towards him to finish what he started. Jimbei, being the honorable shark he is, jumps in to save Ace and gets freaking burned by Akainu. Aftet taking this attack, and I think it’s a pretty strong one, he seems to be okay and even talks about his resolve once more. Poor Mr.3 is finally rescued after being abandoned last chapter by Ace and Luffy. I wish they would’ve thanked him more for what he has done. But even now, all the WB pirates want is for him to make a key.
Then we get one page I really enjoyed, and that is the one about Garp and Sengoku. Sengoku slams Garp into the ground and Garp even tells him to hold him down, because else he would kill Sakazuki. “What do you mean to do, Garp?” shows that he was already on the move to do it and at this point I have no doubt that he would’ve succeeded in killing him. Even though Garp “tried” to stop Luffy and stood besides Ace the whole time, the last thing he wanted to happen was the death of Ace. And now this is exactly what will happen. Poor Garp.
Vista and Marco, who is back in action thanks to Mr.3 (I had to point this out), attack Akainu who seems troubled to face “Haki users now”. This should finally confirm all our thoughts that Haki users are able to attack the human form of a logia.
On the Verge of Death
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/558/25732101.jpg
Luffy catches Ace and holds him, noticing all the blood at Ace’s back. Ace is sorry for not being rescued in the end, but Luffy doesn’t care. He wants a doctor to treat the wounds. Take a close look at his eyes, there is just one thing you will notice there: Despair. He is seriously troubled there. “Ace... are you going to die? // ......No... you promised...!!!” These sentences alone depict this quiet nice. He seems to know that Ace will die from this wound, but he tries to ignore this and things back to their promise. This scene then changes into Ace hugging Luffy. He tells him that Luffy was one reason he had to life, being the son of Gol D. Roger and all. This is something really nice to say, showing once more the deep bond between those two brothers. I want to say at this point, that you should take a close look at every sentence Ace says. These are exactly the words a dying person would say, remembering one’s live and coming to terms with other people, in this case even thinking of Dadan.
After one last attempt to ignore the fact with saying “No!! You're lying!!”, there is now another change in Luffy’s eyes. Despair fades away and his expression changes to awareness. This is the moment he fully realizes that Ace will die. With his voice getting weaker each second, Ace now says his last words to his brother. But even during this moments, he says that he is the child of a demon and a good for nothing. You know, I think this says a lot. We all know that he was troubled his whole life because he is the son of Gol D. Roger. But I think this chapter made it clear what kind of pressure it had to be for a child, growing up in a world where your very existence is considered a sin. He wasn’t loved by anyone, which depicts how much all he wanted was not fame, but being part of a familiy. He found that familiy for one part in Luffy and for one part in Whitebeard. This also makes me wonder if Gol D. Roger was such a nice guy most of us think he was. In fact, we know nothing about him at all except for some facts Rayleigh said. It is quite possible that Roger did some pretty nasty things back then, which may be the foundation of most people’s hate against him. Of course, this is just a possibility I want to point out.
The Death of Portgas D. Ace
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1240/99550011.jpg
Despite being the son of a demon, Whitebeard and his crew still loved Ace. The affection and gratefulness from Ace is depicted here by his choice of his last words. He directs a thank you to them, showing how much he longed for the answer to his question: “Should I’ve been born?” The crying we see then in one of the most brilliant double spreads ever is then I think the regret of dying here and being sad that he cannot be around for Luffy anymore. His sad look then changes into a smile and he falls to the ground. Like Gol D. Roger, he chooses to die with a smile on his face. What does that mean? First, it could mean he finally came to terms with himself and accepted his fate in the end. Second, I think he accepted his origin and in the end he forgave his real father, accepting his origin. This is underlined by the flashback on the last page, saying “Gol D. Ace... the name of our child”. In this second where he dies, he isn’t just Portgas D. Ace. It should be more accurate to say that in this moment, Gol D. Ace dies.
While the vivre card vanishes and Ace dies, Luffy’s expression changes one last time. From awareness his face then changes to one we have never seen before in One Piece. His eyes loose all their color, his mouth opens for a loud, but silent cry. All his face shouts at us is pure and endless pain. And this finally brings us to the final conclusion: Portgas D. Ace is dead.
Conclusion
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2264/panorama1s.jpg
Man, what a chapter. To be honest, this one touched my heart. Not the first time I read it, but when I wrote this review. Analyzing every page and the looking at the last page was really intense. I think some of you might know what I mean. The rest... you’re heartless.
This is most of the time the point where I start to predict, but there is one thing I have to talk about. Oda killing a character for real? And not in a flashback? What? Yes, you ‘re right. All the time we were complaining that Oda never kills of (important) characters except for flashbacks. Like Peruh (you know, the falcon guy). This let us to believe that he would never go out of his way. Well, he did this time. And I think this was a brilliant move, making something most (if not all) would not expect to happen. First giving us loads of hints that Whitebeard will die (hey, this still is possible). Then Ace gets free. And then he goes out of his way and kills him? Whoa! This was one great move. I think he saved the moment to kill a character for real for a moment he thought he really wanted it to happen. This moment was now.
Predictions
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7245/1213.jpg
What will happen after this sudden change of events?
A time skip. Most of you know of Oda saying that movie number ten will be Luffy’s last adventure as a seventeen year old. This is a good opportunity to do a small time skip, for example a few weeks. What happened after Ace’s death is shown in flashbacks.
Luffy will go berserk. He will awaken his King’s haki and will own everyone... well, that’s unlikely to happen... But I can see him awakening his haki in some sort.
Luffy will have a mental breakdown. I can certainly see that.
Whitebeard will go berserk. Marine Ford will fall and this age will come to an end. Likely to happen.
Sakazuki will die in the next chapter. OR he will live and become a nemesis for Luffy, who will hunt him down in the future. Both good possibilities.
One last comment
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/8775/panoramae.jpg
Normally I don’t give a rating to a chapter. I think it’s hard to find a perfect chapter, like it’s hard to find a perfect movie. Something is always there which stops me from giving a movie ten points. A ten point movie, like a ten point chapter, has to be perfect in every aspect. This chapter gets 10 Points out of 10 from me. This one is perfect in every facet. This also something which distinguishes One Piece from other certain shounen manga. A great story with great characters and character development. As it continues, it keeps getting better and better. It stays interesting and does not let you down. This is combined with an unmatched skill of storytelling by Eiichiro Oda. At this point, I’m just glad to be a reader of One Piece.
LoneLobo
Credits: All chapter 574 pictures taken from Jump Spirit.
In the end, a tribute to Ace
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6734/panorama1cg.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8944/panorama2k.jpg
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3659/panorama3j.jpg
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7817/panorama4s.jpg
http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/3478/panorama5.jpg
Chapter 574: The Death of Portgas D. Ace
http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/3083/11839852.jpg
There isn’t much to say about the cover page of this chapter, as there is no new cover story or anything interesting happening. We just got Luffy beaten by Nami and... that’s all... but hey, I think Nami’s boobs look huge from this perspective... ah, damn it. Let’s talk about the chapter title: The Death of Portgas D. Ace. Oh, crap. This title doesn’t screw around, it just points out what we have to expect this chapter. Not more, not less. There is a very nice German expression for that, but sadly I do not know of an English equivalent. It’s called “Nomen est omen” in Latin, “the name says it all”. And now, sit back and... get out a handkerchief.
At Death’s Door
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/4184/94235398.jpg
We pick up where we left of last week: Ace being punched through the chest by Akainu to protect Luffy. Everyone was I think quiet shocked, because after all this time we finally freed Ace in chapter 571, just to get him a fatal wound at the end of 573? Whitebeard, okay, I think everyone was prepared for his death at one point or another. But Ace? IMHO, I think this was a brilliant move to distract us from everything, which happened.
Let’s continue. We get the usual shocked faces of a lot of people. They deliver all one message: WTF happened? Oh, and take a good look at Whitebeard and Garp. Back to the action, Ace seems to be still alive and Akainu walks towards him to finish what he started. Jimbei, being the honorable shark he is, jumps in to save Ace and gets freaking burned by Akainu. Aftet taking this attack, and I think it’s a pretty strong one, he seems to be okay and even talks about his resolve once more. Poor Mr.3 is finally rescued after being abandoned last chapter by Ace and Luffy. I wish they would’ve thanked him more for what he has done. But even now, all the WB pirates want is for him to make a key.
Then we get one page I really enjoyed, and that is the one about Garp and Sengoku. Sengoku slams Garp into the ground and Garp even tells him to hold him down, because else he would kill Sakazuki. “What do you mean to do, Garp?” shows that he was already on the move to do it and at this point I have no doubt that he would’ve succeeded in killing him. Even though Garp “tried” to stop Luffy and stood besides Ace the whole time, the last thing he wanted to happen was the death of Ace. And now this is exactly what will happen. Poor Garp.
Vista and Marco, who is back in action thanks to Mr.3 (I had to point this out), attack Akainu who seems troubled to face “Haki users now”. This should finally confirm all our thoughts that Haki users are able to attack the human form of a logia.
On the Verge of Death
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/558/25732101.jpg
Luffy catches Ace and holds him, noticing all the blood at Ace’s back. Ace is sorry for not being rescued in the end, but Luffy doesn’t care. He wants a doctor to treat the wounds. Take a close look at his eyes, there is just one thing you will notice there: Despair. He is seriously troubled there. “Ace... are you going to die? // ......No... you promised...!!!” These sentences alone depict this quiet nice. He seems to know that Ace will die from this wound, but he tries to ignore this and things back to their promise. This scene then changes into Ace hugging Luffy. He tells him that Luffy was one reason he had to life, being the son of Gol D. Roger and all. This is something really nice to say, showing once more the deep bond between those two brothers. I want to say at this point, that you should take a close look at every sentence Ace says. These are exactly the words a dying person would say, remembering one’s live and coming to terms with other people, in this case even thinking of Dadan.
After one last attempt to ignore the fact with saying “No!! You're lying!!”, there is now another change in Luffy’s eyes. Despair fades away and his expression changes to awareness. This is the moment he fully realizes that Ace will die. With his voice getting weaker each second, Ace now says his last words to his brother. But even during this moments, he says that he is the child of a demon and a good for nothing. You know, I think this says a lot. We all know that he was troubled his whole life because he is the son of Gol D. Roger. But I think this chapter made it clear what kind of pressure it had to be for a child, growing up in a world where your very existence is considered a sin. He wasn’t loved by anyone, which depicts how much all he wanted was not fame, but being part of a familiy. He found that familiy for one part in Luffy and for one part in Whitebeard. This also makes me wonder if Gol D. Roger was such a nice guy most of us think he was. In fact, we know nothing about him at all except for some facts Rayleigh said. It is quite possible that Roger did some pretty nasty things back then, which may be the foundation of most people’s hate against him. Of course, this is just a possibility I want to point out.
The Death of Portgas D. Ace
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1240/99550011.jpg
Despite being the son of a demon, Whitebeard and his crew still loved Ace. The affection and gratefulness from Ace is depicted here by his choice of his last words. He directs a thank you to them, showing how much he longed for the answer to his question: “Should I’ve been born?” The crying we see then in one of the most brilliant double spreads ever is then I think the regret of dying here and being sad that he cannot be around for Luffy anymore. His sad look then changes into a smile and he falls to the ground. Like Gol D. Roger, he chooses to die with a smile on his face. What does that mean? First, it could mean he finally came to terms with himself and accepted his fate in the end. Second, I think he accepted his origin and in the end he forgave his real father, accepting his origin. This is underlined by the flashback on the last page, saying “Gol D. Ace... the name of our child”. In this second where he dies, he isn’t just Portgas D. Ace. It should be more accurate to say that in this moment, Gol D. Ace dies.
While the vivre card vanishes and Ace dies, Luffy’s expression changes one last time. From awareness his face then changes to one we have never seen before in One Piece. His eyes loose all their color, his mouth opens for a loud, but silent cry. All his face shouts at us is pure and endless pain. And this finally brings us to the final conclusion: Portgas D. Ace is dead.
Conclusion
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2264/panorama1s.jpg
Man, what a chapter. To be honest, this one touched my heart. Not the first time I read it, but when I wrote this review. Analyzing every page and the looking at the last page was really intense. I think some of you might know what I mean. The rest... you’re heartless.
This is most of the time the point where I start to predict, but there is one thing I have to talk about. Oda killing a character for real? And not in a flashback? What? Yes, you ‘re right. All the time we were complaining that Oda never kills of (important) characters except for flashbacks. Like Peruh (you know, the falcon guy). This let us to believe that he would never go out of his way. Well, he did this time. And I think this was a brilliant move, making something most (if not all) would not expect to happen. First giving us loads of hints that Whitebeard will die (hey, this still is possible). Then Ace gets free. And then he goes out of his way and kills him? Whoa! This was one great move. I think he saved the moment to kill a character for real for a moment he thought he really wanted it to happen. This moment was now.
Predictions
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/7245/1213.jpg
What will happen after this sudden change of events?
A time skip. Most of you know of Oda saying that movie number ten will be Luffy’s last adventure as a seventeen year old. This is a good opportunity to do a small time skip, for example a few weeks. What happened after Ace’s death is shown in flashbacks.
Luffy will go berserk. He will awaken his King’s haki and will own everyone... well, that’s unlikely to happen... But I can see him awakening his haki in some sort.
Luffy will have a mental breakdown. I can certainly see that.
Whitebeard will go berserk. Marine Ford will fall and this age will come to an end. Likely to happen.
Sakazuki will die in the next chapter. OR he will live and become a nemesis for Luffy, who will hunt him down in the future. Both good possibilities.
One last comment
http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/8775/panoramae.jpg
Normally I don’t give a rating to a chapter. I think it’s hard to find a perfect chapter, like it’s hard to find a perfect movie. Something is always there which stops me from giving a movie ten points. A ten point movie, like a ten point chapter, has to be perfect in every aspect. This chapter gets 10 Points out of 10 from me. This one is perfect in every facet. This also something which distinguishes One Piece from other certain shounen manga. A great story with great characters and character development. As it continues, it keeps getting better and better. It stays interesting and does not let you down. This is combined with an unmatched skill of storytelling by Eiichiro Oda. At this point, I’m just glad to be a reader of One Piece.
LoneLobo
Credits: All chapter 574 pictures taken from Jump Spirit.
In the end, a tribute to Ace
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/6734/panorama1cg.jpg
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8944/panorama2k.jpg
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3659/panorama3j.jpg
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/7817/panorama4s.jpg
http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/3478/panorama5.jpg