Discussion The Popularity of One Piece Among Adults

[jorped]

first of all the first anime that i watched already knowing that what i was going to see was an anime , yes when i watched dragonball and other popular old animes i hadnt a clue that they were called animes and i didnt even know what was a manga lol , was Naruto and it was already more than 2 years and half ago. On that time it was summer and Naruto started airing on a channel here on Portugal and me and my twin brother got addicted to it since the first chapter. On that time i remember that the episodes aired everyday more and less at 19:30 i think and somedays me and my brother went working in my dad worplace and on those days it was boring because of the work but me and my brother were always talking about what we thought that would happen and we were anxious that the time was fast to ....

after only 15 episodes i was so addicted that i couldnt wait and for me and my brother, 5 episodes a week was 2 slow, so we looked on the internet to try to find places to see online, at first i watched the episodes on youtube , which isnt a really good place to see that stuff but around episode 50 i found a site called "foipararnanet" which had all the epidoes subbed on portuguese (brasil) and i was so excited, cuz during sometime i was looking on the internet for a place that had it and i wasnt finding any. On that time i didnt have much confident on my english so i was trying to find a place with the episodes with portuguese legends which is almost impossible but i found that place with portuguese (brasil) and i was so addicted that in some days i even got to watch 30 episodes, which is basically most of the day lol, but as i said i was very addicted , in the summer i managed to see the 220 episodes from Naruto classic and 70 from Naruto shippuden , and still on that time i didnt know what was a manga
as i didnt have any more episodes to see i started watching the episodes weekly , until i discovered that naruto manga existed and that is was more advanced comparing to the anime, since then its already been more than 2 years since that i started reading Naruto manga and Naruto is still the one that i most like!

About OP i like it alot but for me his anime is a total FAIL. also on the channel that aired Naruto , already sometime ago, i dont know exactly but it was already more than 2 years ago i think it also aired OP and i watched some , but it was so boring !!!! i can believe that anybody that saw the manga can like much of anime , cuz i think that it is alot more boring than the manga and ........ i dont know, when i watch the anime i think that it is a total crap comparing to the manga, i will give an example , a episode recent that was when coby started crying because of all the lives that were being loosed because of continuation of the battle on the manga we got perfectly that with only just a panel but what happened on the anime ????
- him crying during the all episode , it was so annoying , the manga in a panel managed to envolve so much more than with those 20 minutes of crying.

because of the anime being so ..... i only discovered OP few months ago, a bit before the beggining of this year.

in somethinks i can be very addicted, i am a bit of extrems, cuz or i like or i dont , if i do i generally can spend lot of time in it.
So much of the people will find impossible to do what i did but when i really like something i can be all day seeing it, and for example talking about OP i managed to read the all chapters in more and less 8 days ( on that time it was 609 i think), cuz i was really into the story, although i dont like much of certain thinks about it.

but i am suprised that somany adults like OP cuz sometimes it is so "childish" that it really irritates me , if it wasnt moments like ace death , the all situation of going merry funeral, i dont know if i would still like OP these much, those moments were really one of the greatest moments of OP.

Since i read OP i started reading others , which means that in more and less 2 months and half i managed to read the following mangas:

One Piece, Fairy Tail, Death Note, Beelzebub, Bakuman, Toriko, Giant Killing, Slam Dunk, Monster.

and this was because as i read Naruto and OP and liked both of them alot i decided to try to discover more about mangas

 

[Geez]

@Jorped I don't know HOW you do it, but almost every time you post you can't help but speak about Naruto Please stop doing that. If you do read other mangas, you'll find out eventually that naruto is the childish one. In my opinion, this manga died a few years ago already.

Another reason for One Piece's popularity is that it received a lot of ex naruto readers, who grew up and became bored of it. They read it but are more excited about OP releases.

 

[Zeltrax]

I first watch one piece like 8years ago.Was switching tv channels then i saw OP.watch it for aw few episodes then the tv station stopped airing it.7years later.I overheard my classmates talking bout OP.So i decided to watch op from ep1.Up till now XD

Hahaha, you mean kids central right?
I remember vaguely that it was air then too.
But that's not how I got to it, I was just bored and found One Piece next to naruto and bleach so I was like.. "Okay,let's try this!" became
"MUST WATCH ONE PIECE"

 

[Shiki_Dance]

I think... and this is just my opinion, but there's a difference between a series being emotionally mature and it being serious.

If a bunch of characters die, and there are dark and dramatic scenes, that makes a series (or a story arc) serious, but that doesn't mean the characters are mature. Luffy might be an idiot hero, but when it comes to dealing with emotional trauma, he has shown that he can grieve and move on the way an emotionally mature person should, and yet still be shaped by, and grow from, the experience.

That's not to say that the alternative is bad storytelling. The titular character of Hamlet is built out of angst, and it's a masterpiece of literature. But for a long running series like One Piece, in my opinion, it needs to be taken in small doses or else you just get frustrated at the characters. I think a common writers trap is that angst = depth, or that a serious story is a "better" story. I couldn't disagree more. Can a great character have angst? Sure. Can a great story be serious? Of course. But those traits are not what makes them great.

I used to work video game retail. I can't even count the number of times some kid would claim a game to "suck" just because it didn't have an "M" rating. Seriously? The "M" is what makes it good? Wow, and here I thought Okami and Psychonauts and Zelda were great games. I guess I was wrong.

There are definitely child-like aspects to One Piece (laser beams!). Of course, this is what makes the series awesome and FUN, even if someone could interpret it as childish. The trick is that this childishness is balanced with situations that people are actually going to care about (slavery, revolution, racism, freedom).

And who can't love a story about adventure? The oldest stories in history are about just that.

Um, my post is getting long (again...) so I'll stop. But as far as explaining it as people who began reading when OP started getting older, I think that only accounts for part of it. That's no different than other long-running series. What makes OP different is in how it retains and even expands its older audience while other series start to lose them as their readers age.

 

[$nipe]

I've always thought of One Piece as a masterpiece of 'pop' art, and I think that's why it's so beloved by children and adults. Compared to other shonen heros (at least the ones that I know), Luffy is basically an antihero in the sense that his values aren't really 'good'. He's not a good person, he's just a very, VERY humane person: selfish and nonchalant. His goals lie within a realization of his self-conceited whim: being 'free', having people his beloved people near him and doing as he wishes.

Anyone would fall into loving a character that turns the world upside-down and actually shifts it in a right direction just by acting selfishly. By putting moral principles and centering them in self-satisfaction, it creates a hero that doesn't believe in doing good or a better world, yet it manages to do it. As unreal as a 10-minutes workout, non-fat yogurt and free beer, One Piece draws the proverbial "child" in transactional analysis out of every reader. As 'pop' as it can get. Now compare it to Naruto, where the reader is put into emotional distress by a character who doesn't know what to do to actually change the world. Of course, readers don't want the conflict or the difficult paradoxes: they want the easy way out. That's why they love One Piece.

I love it too.

 

[RezzieThaRapper]

Today I just turned 19... and I've been following (non-dubbed) One Piece since around the time the Thriller Bark arc got started...

My father's job used to take him to tokyo a lot... Even way back in 2002 he used to bring back Manga (we just called the backwards comics cause of how they were read) by the suitcase... So it's been in my household for at least that long...

I had tried to get into it many times before... (through the American version though, I was that one guy who liked the One Piece Rap, lolz) but I didn't REALLY get into it until YouTube... I saw a video about the differences in the Japanese version and the English Version... wow... that's all I will say on the dubbing matter

I didn't start at the beginning, I had "Seen (Not really "watched") it" already... I skipped the Alabasta & the Sky Island arc... And started right before the Usopp/Luffy Duel and read up until the Thriller Bark which I hated because of Brooke at first (I loved him by the time of Sabondy though)

After I read Water 7, I went back and read the Arlong Park Arc and then finally "Watched the anime" up until the end of the CP9 Saga... I must say the animated version of the CP9 saga is the best thing I think I will ever see...

Now how is this all appealing to me now that I'm an adult? The story really doesn't target an audience, if you read the Sabody arc, then you probably became a weekly follower... The story since then has been nothing but mind-numbingly good... EACH CHAPTER... EACH EPISODE... I can't think of any Chapter that would cause anyone to abruptly start following in the middle of all this... and now everyone is waiting for the strawhats to go all out in part 2... so Oda has "trapped" loyal readers with his story telling that remains unbiased to ANY age group... I know a 67 year old Grandmother who loves One Piece more than anybody... So maybe I should ask her to make an account, she'd answer this question nicely, lol

My bad for the eye sore post length...

 

[OdaForPresident]

I started reading One Piece when a friend handed me the first three volumes of One Piece to check out. This was also the first manga I ever read and the sole reason for my current manga addiction. I was hooked instantly. So OneManga to the rescue and I started catching up with the series. I caught up with the releases when the series was somewhere at Enies Lobby, so that must have been around 7-8 years ago? I think I was around 19 when I started reading, I just turned 27 and I'm still looking forward to the new release each week.

Of course I also have some volumes at home, though only 1-12. For sure I'll end up owning the whole series at some point. I do feel though that my interest in One Piece is slacking a little bit, don't really know why though. I don't think its the manga, so it must be me.

 

[Ninja_Pirate]

I first came to know about one piece in 2003... at evening cartoon network use to show dragon ball Z in toonami and suddenly they started showing one piece.. the first time i saw luffy in action and devil fruit concept i fell in love with it and started downloading all animes i possibly cud put my hands on.. once got to the lastest only i start reading manga..

what i love in one piece is that how it has grown in all this years.. it started with so less characters and just with a concept of a hidden treasure but suddenly it involves so many mysterious people.. so many things abt one piece.. the suspense the adventure.. the feeling of ..what next.. waiting for SHs to kick someones ass for being wrong.. the sense of justice.. and definition of freedom.. and so much.. i could go on for ever..

 

[Franckie]

The survey is not surprising because it follows how mangas tend to sale. Generally the people who fill out SJ's survey cards where series are ranked weekly generally are mid-teens and younger. The people who buy volumes and such, however, generally are late-teens and older.

I can't exactly recall what got me into One Piece. I have been following the series for a good number of years already. I think it was around the time when 4Kids began airing the episodes. I watched the show but didn't like it, which contrasted some of the reviews I've read about the manga. I took a look at the manga and the rest they say is history.

The one thing I can say about One Piece is that the series is good; the quality is generally top-notch. What I enjoy most about One Piece is Oda's comprehensive storytelling; the same can't be said for the majority of manga out there. The variety of characters and their development, the epic arcs and fights, the wacky designs and the sheer immensity and depth of the One Piece world is second to none. Other series such as Bleach and Naruto need years to accomplish what One Piece does in a single arc.

Not to say that One Piece is flawless though. To this day I still have trouble dealing with Oda's art. Nonetheless, the art is far superior than what I see in other series such as Hunter x Hunter and Air Master.

 

[Anduren]

How I got into One Piece: (its kinda long)

Spoiler

My 1st exposure to One Piece was halfway into the english dubbed episode where Sanji saves Luffy from drowning after he beats Don Kreig. I just happened to walk by the room while my sister was watching it (shes a big anime fan). Both me and my sister were in our 20s at the time, so I guess we count as adults. The artwork wasn't all that appealing but after seeing all the commotion I had a lot of questions about what was going on.

My conversation with my sis went like this:

Me: What happened?
Sis: He beat the bad guy.
Me: Why'd he fall in the water? Where are they?
Sis: They're on a ship. The bad guy trapped him in a net before he was beaten.
Me: Why doesn't he get free?
Sis: He cant swim.
Me: Why?
Sis: He ate a Cursed Fruit.
Me: Whats that?
Sis: It's a long story.
Me: Whats the show?
Sis: One Piece
Me: Whats that?
Sis: Watch the intro.

Sooo....... I watched the intro to the show and that was about all it took. "The Great Age of Pirates" sounded really catchy, and to top it off, it reawakened the kid in me that used to bury treasures in my backyard complete with protection curses and digging all over looking for old coins. On top of that, the intro left me with a lot of questions, along with what little I saw of the scenes I did: What exactly is "One Piece"? What's a Cursed Fruit?
I have yet to find the answers to these questions which is what keeps me hooked on the story, and it seems as time goes on only more questions get added onto the list: What happened in the Void Century? Why are Poneglyphs so important?

I think that the story of One Piece is so in depth, its like a tree with roots spreading all over far away from where it started. It is mystery piled on top of mystery and it gives its readers a sense of adventure that they normally lose as they grow old and out of being kids. In today's world everything from the north pole to the south pole has been discovered, so that sense of adventure and discovery is lost on most adults. One Piece provides its readers with a whole new world to explore from scratch complete with its own world map and a mysterious history that is taboo to learn. On top of this is its writer's mastery of appealing to the most basic human nature to seek freedom above all things. I've always been one to like movies, games, etc. based on content as opposed to graphics.... so it's my solemn belief that as far as storytelling goes, there isn't any out there that can match One Piece in its epicness.

 

[itoken1]

many adults like One Piece, yes. it is good popular in japan. almost a national treasure - real one piece of us hehe
but serious. one piece is now dozen years age. I 13 when it started - not adult. But now ( =) ). so no forget time since start.
more wonder even girls like!!! sooo good for Otaku like me. should start thread about

 

[Tamotsu]

you say true itoken. you look liek a killer. i read one peace when i was 4 year old. but i don't liek it. it has no girls with big....but i read it again

 

[Kotaku]

No, I first reading One Piece when I 27 year old. That time I finally get university after ronin very long. So I very happy and feel like I go adventure with the Mugiwara at same time I go univercity adventure. Now I feel I grow with Mugiwara.

I like Nami because she is girl with big... Why you not like Nami and Robin, Tamotsu-san?

 

[ZERO PHOENIX]

I'll bite. I got into One Piece sometime around 1999 or 2000. Seems like a long time ago. I've seen One Piece bounce from KidsWB to the Cartoon Network to being off the air and all over the place. I got into it because I liked the colorful artwork, and I liked how the themes of bonds and friendship were interesting, profound, without being lame. It also helps that Monkey D. Luffy was a beast.

It was a simpler time when I got into it and I still had some element of a healthy childhood so One Piece gives me a nauseating sense of nostalgia every time I pick it up but that's part of why I like it. The world is imaginative, the characters are likeable, and Oda's endless imagination makes me feel like a kid again.

 

[tonyyao82]

Great stuff, everyone!

I do think that One Piece came out during a time where Japan was trying to find itself since the country was going through some rough times (post-recession in the mid-90s'). Young people (around 1997) didn't know what to expect in the future and One Piece got those people to fight for what they want to believe. That's why it has a lot of sentimental value among adults.

 

[Poneglyph420]

Well I'm almost 32, and have been into OP for about 4 years now... I think.
The story is moving and has depth and value of character.. So it's easy to see why OP is so universally accepted.
I know for me as the crew has progressed, so has my interest and addiction...

Indeed 97 was a tough year for markets and finance.. but not fearful or dreadful...
Especially for the youth of Japan. However Oda has captured many deep parallels with our own world and even our own nature as people.. For those reasons, as well as OP's mass proliferation of various media throughout Japan and worldwide...

It's really a manga beyond comparison.. IMHO.

Link: http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2011/02/10/one-piece-readers-90-adults/

 

[tonyyao82]

Ahhh, yes, the link from Sankaku. That was the site with graph pictures. :P

It truly is a manga beyond comparison.

 

[thatwouldbeawesome]

I am 26 and I know one piece is great!

 

[shionoro]

I discovered one piece when i was 11 years old on rtl2 (like some people here) ans grew to love it at first sight. I Watched the anime until the rainbow mist filler (and to be honest, i actually liked the filler episodes back then as a kid) and then there were just reruns and no new episodes.

At that time i discovered mangas for me and bought one Piece Mangas to the latest Volume available in germany, always being angry about the slow translation. BAck then, it went up to the middle of enies Lobby arc.
I also Read Naruto back then and some other stuff i would never read today, like Shaman King and some time later, being 16-18 or so, i began thinking: you are too old for that stuff, you should grow up.

I stopped buying volumes back then and just finished deathnote and wanted to stop after it because i began thinking: it's all the same, and also didn't not want to be a kid anymore, since i kinda felt strange being the only one in my environment who liked and read mangas.


So for a time, i totally stopped reading Manga judged one piece as one of those series you like as a kid, but eventually will notice how ridicoulus and predictable it is once you grow up.
Out of curiosity, i serached for online mangas, because there was a manga i always wanted to finish , Anne Freaks, and just wanted to read the 2 volumes i could not buy in germany.
I ended up reading some of the other mangas i liked before, starting with naruto.
I totally grew sick of it and felt confirmed in my view that you stop liking that stuff when you get older, because, seriously, i could not relate to all the characters anymore (no naruto flame intended, just my opinion). As for me, the plot portrayed everything i wanted out of my life, the characters were those young 'i can do everything when i just try hard enough' guys. I Always liked the side characters, but NAruto wasn't my hero anymore.
I guessed with OP it'd be the same, but i was proven wrong.
I was pretty shocked: OMG it's STILL awesome!
This was the day i got into reading manga again, exspecially reading them online.




I think one piece stands out compared to other shonens because unlike (and again i will take naruto) Naruto, the characters are not behaving like teenies, but like adults. I know they act more stupidly and are not really older, but for example, take gaare or sasuke: As kids, they had something bad happening to them, and then......they went super rampage wanting to killl everyone bla i am not loved by anyone.

They are teens who need someone who stops them, which is, in this case, naruto (and probably, in sasukes case, will be naruto, too).

In One piece you also have many characters with sad pasts, but all those characters, despite still feeling the pain', dealt with their past and kept going and did not go crazy. There is no selfish 'my life is so sad i go emo and hate the world'.
They all have a goal they want to archieve.


Very early, we have shanks in the story, a mentor figure for Luffy, who sets the standard for moral in one piece. It's not stupid fighting that satisfies omnipotence fantasies from teenagers like DBZ, there are things the character fight FOR and there's stuff not worth starting needless battles over it. Like Shanks in the Bar, like Luffy and zorro in Jaya.

In short, one piece throws all the teeny topics over board. No romance issues, no super power godlike skills just for the heck of it, but a good portion of humour which shows that the manga does not take tiself too serious at times, while other works tend to try to be 'sooo serious' all the time.

 

[Uriel]

I always says that One Piece doesn't have adult characters, but rather adult situation and context with childish characters that bring those to complete unexpected reactions.

Welcome to the OP forum, shionoro