HALP.

[chibi_trillian]

I'd been saving up the most recent chapters of OP for a rainy day when I really needed something to cheer me up. Said rainy day was Friday, and it got rainier when I discovered my download of Chapter 499 was corrupted! OP HQ's 499 download is empty and I do not feel like weedwhacking my way through MangaHelpers to try and find a download link that works, so can somebody hook me up with some sweet 499 love?


I find in interesting that both the first chapter of One Piece and the "middle" chapter are marked by a brutal "on-screen" death. Oda's not shy about killing people in flashbacks, but having it happen present-day, in front of the main characters? Almost never. Admittedly, Captain Dias from 497 may survive (whereas the bandit that Roux shot in the head most assuredly did not), but Dias was humanized in a way that Random Nameless Bandit Q was not. He had a wife and a kid and he just wanted to go home. Oda could not have found a better way to reinforce the casual cruelty of the Tenryuubito than have them kill somebody helpless on-screen in front of the Strawhats.

The fact that death is so rare in OP makes me pause and think about some of the other shows I watch--JLA/JLU has an IMMENSE casualty count, and that one's rated for young children. But they don't emphasize the importance of death--it never shows up on screen, all you see is property damage. Oda makes almost every death a huge deal. The death of a loved one forged most of the Strawhats into the people they are today, and Luffy makes a point of not killing his opponents, even though he knows they might recover and come after him. Oda used killing to display the corruption that runs rampant in the Marines, though Purin-Purin and his crew died off-screen. All we saw was their ship being destroyed on Nezumi's orders. And Doflamingo forcing Sarquiss to kill Bellamy, even if the death itself was off-screen, really kind of hit it home that the Shichibukai are SRS BSNS. And the fact that Captain Kidd's bounty is high because he causes massive collateral damage? It's a phenomenal way to showcase what makes Luffy special. Luffy's bounty is high because he foments civil discord and makes the government angry, not because he kills lots of people.

I'll be interested to see where this goes from here.

Comments

[kotszok.livejournal.com]

S-so smart.

Also you can read OP on onemanga.com

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

I know, but I want my own happy on-computer copy of it to love and cherish.

[perimadeia.livejournal.com]

Here's the link to Bink's scanlation of 499.

http://www.mangashare.com/dl/One-Piece_499/1516/

[maldoror-gw.livejournal.com]

Heh, I also liked that Kidd's bounty was higher because of casualties; not only does it send the message that, y'know, civilian casualties != ok, but it proves that, whoever sick and corrupt some branches of the government are, SOMEBODY in the organisation has his/her priorities right.

If the link in previous comment doesn't work, I have the chapter here, I can email it to you.

[ecphrastic.livejournal.com]

Excellent points as usual: where it goes from there, naturally, is to TRAFALGAR LAW'S FUCKED UP DEVIL FRUIT POWER AND HIS CUDDLY LAVENDER TEENAGE-REBEL WAYS FGSFDS

[angstymcgoth.livejournal.com]

I like all the points you've made, and the way that Oda is definitely dealing with some "deeper" issues in this arc. Plus the fact that there are only about 1,000,000,000+ plot threads flapping around; I'm really excited for every chapter these days.

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

SCORE! Thank you a thousand times over!

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

Kidd's also the first pirate we've seen on OP that's apparently being a for-reals historical pirate, i.e. the scourge of the seven seas and something that incites fear in the hearts of helpless civilians. Zeff got a bit of stealing-type piracy going back in his day, but he had principles and things he would not do. Kidd, on the other hand, doesn't really seem to have lines drawn anywhere beyond what's in his own best interests and/or amuses him most.

Also, Jewelry Bonny's exclamation of "A pirate who goes around helping people? Who ever heard of that?" apparently means the pirates the Strawhats met on Jaya are the norm, not the exception. >>;

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, his Devil Fruit must be in 504, which I have not yet gotten a chance to love upon (I'm caught up to 503 now). Pray do not spoil me, dearest Laney, upon the secret powers of the epically slashable Mr. Law.

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

I saw a secret on F!S about someone saying "I'm not sure I like where this arc is going" with regards to the current plotline of OP. I can understand now why people would be uncomfortable--in the course of a handful of chapters, Oda's brought up racism, human slavery, rampant abuse of the weak by the powerful, and oh yeah, Ace is going to be publicly executed. This just makes me root harder for Luffy--even though he knew he shouldn't, he stood up for what was right and oh, I love him so so much right now. I can't wait to see where this is going.

[angstymcgoth.livejournal.com]

Don't get me wrong, because I LOVED Thriller Bark for being straight-up OP crack (especially following the Ennis Lobby arc), but I felt a little...unsatisfied after it was over (kind of a, "what, that's it?" reaction). Seems like the one gearing up right now is going to be on the same scale as Ennis Lobby (squeeeee~)

I think we could all see Luffy dishing out the Tenryuu-beatdown pretty early on XD AND IT WAS GOOD. I hope he fleshes out some of these axillary captain characters because it's like you said, Luffy really seems to be the only one doing things out of conviction (plus, I like seeing how he stacks up against the competition XD)

Okay! That was kind of excessive but I'm in squee mode, I'm sorry.

[ecphrastic.livejournal.com]

I most certainly will not, but when you do, boggle with me.

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

Having read 504:

JESUS CHRIST. THAT'S FUCKED UP.

[ecphrastic.livejournal.com]

UGH IT IS SO GREAT

ARE YOU IN DESPAIR BECAUSE OF ITS AWESOMENESS because I would understand if you were

I am calling it the Whaa? Whaa? no Mi for now.

[chibi-trillian.livejournal.com]

DESPAIR! THE STATE OF DEVIL FRUIT USERS TODAY HAS ME IN DESPAIR! GOING ABOUT BEING ALL UNF AND TATTOOED AND INTERESTING AND THEN HAVING WEIRD AS FUCKING SHIT POWERS THAT RIP OFF PEOPLE'S STILL-SCREAMING HEADS AND REPLACE THEM WITH CANNONBALLS SO THE HEAD CAN SIT THERE AND WATCH THE BODY BE DESTROYED! IT'S LIKE THAT THING WITH A GUILLOTINE ONLY WORSE! DESPAIR!

[ecphrastic.livejournal.com]

EXACTLY MY DEAR TEACHER EXACTLY

...BUT MAYBE IT'S NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL! MAYBE THE MARINE DIDN'T DIE! MAYBE LAW HAS AN INTEREST IN PROSTHETICS AND STAGE MAKEUP, AND REALLY FAST HANDS, AND ALL HE DID WAS MAKE THE CANNONBALL LOOK LIKE THE HEAD AND THE HEAD LIKE THE CANNONBALL!! AND THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY JUST BECAUSE THE CANNONBALL HEAD IS FLOATING OFF THE MARINE'S NECK, THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WHEN YOU'RE REALLY SURPRISED, AND THE MARINE WAS REALLY SURPRISED BY HOW GOOD LAW WAS AT SPECIAL EFFECTS!