

Ah !! where do I begin with One piece.
Before I start with my review, I have to say that as much as I will try to be objective, I am probably still going to be a bit biased because this show is a big part of my childhood and has a special place in my heart.
I started watching One piece about 17 years ago, and as far as I can remember, this anime has been one of the more popular shows and for good reason. Now I am gonna discuss its pros and cons by using 8 different criterias :
The story : 8/10
as far as I am concerned this is the strongest aspect of the series, Oda , the writer, managed to create a gripping and interesting plot thanks to his impressive skills as a storyteller, the charming atmosphere, the thrilling mysteries and the deep themes of freedom, adventure and sacrifice all make this story so fascinating to follow. However I admit that sometimes Oda tends to spend way too much on unncessary subplots which make some arcs a lot longer than they have to be. another ngative point is that as the story progresses, more inconsistencies pop up, which is pretty expected considering that the story have been going on for more than 25 years. What makes the matter worse is that these negative points are amplified by the fake out deaths , which undervalues the stakes a lot. However, for me personnaly the positives overweigh the negatives which doesn't stop the story from being an 8/10.
The cast : 7.5/10
One piece has a charming and vibrant cast of characters, each one of them have their own motivations and unique personnalities. Their quirks alone make them always so fun to watch. But I admit that sometimes , the gags and humour are way too overused , which can make them a bit annoying , another thing is that the artstyle can be off-putting but with time they will definitely grown on you.
The worldbuilding : 10/10
I don't think that much needs to be said here , One piece's worldbuilding is one of the best in all anime. only a handful of other shows can rival it , aside from made in abyss, Hunter x Hunter and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, i can't think of other works that are on the same league on that aspect.
The pacing : 1/10
This is probably the one think that can make people drop this show, Toei animation milked the series as much as they wanted and mase some arcs utterly unwatchable. Pre-timeskip had a pretty decent pacing but the second we reach impel down, it starts being bad, and post-timeskip it all went to shit.
Dressrosa for example had some episodes where 0.4 chapters were stretched out into 20 agonizing minutes.
The animation : 5/10
the animation pre-timeskip is pretty updated, while it wasn't bad for its time it doesn't hold a candle to numerous other animes. and when the timeskip happens and we're supposed to have a spike in the animation, it becomes even worse. that was generally the case until we finally reach wano, but while the animation is pretty good in the current arc, the use of the dragon ball aura was so bad that it made some moments impossible to follow and things hard to discern.
OST : 6/10
the score in one piece is pretty damn great however it's way too overused, the same music that was playing in episode 10 is played in episode 900. there are many instances where it was misused as well.
The power system : 6.5/10
when i first started the series i found the devil fruits to be pretty interesting, figuring out how to counter each ability made the fights fun to watch. However after haki was introduced devil fruits became less relevant, and many inconsistencies have been created. and at this point it all comes down to who has the stronger haki, which is to be honest is pretty boring.
The fights : 6/10
the fights were never Oda's forte, while they are packed with emotions , the choreography itself was never that interesting compared to other animes , but one piece was never about the fights so ...
Honestly I feel like objectively speaking , a proper score for the one piece anime should be a 6/10, but like i said in the beginning, i may be blinded by nostalgia and the unforgettable moments that happened in the series ( i want to live , nothing happened , thank you for loving me, the one piece is real ) make it hard for me to score it that low so i gotta give it a 7/10 , any more than that is straight up delusional because of all of the previous flaws i listed.
The Pros :
very good story.
amazing mysteries.
charming cast.
emotional moments.
great backstories.
devil fruits
The Cons :
unbearable pacing.
fake out deaths.
mediocre animation for the most part.
average fights
haki
And the reason the one piece anime's average score on this site is 87% is because the fans of the series are so hardcore and can't look at it without removing the nostalgia goggles (me included).
but if one wants to experience this series, the manga is definitely the way to go.
41 out of 52 users liked this review