Syrup Village: 5/10; not the best intro for Ussop but I really like Django. Also like the Gaimon one shot story that takes place around here Whiskey Peak: 7/10; this ones ok. Better for establishing some stuff and for a couple great Zoro and Nami moments, than as a stand-alone standout arc. A premium box set of the first two story arcs of One Piece, one of the most beloved and bestselling manga series of all time!

Zoro's introduction is spectacular, though. Sets up Coby and Helmeppo casually, the Marines as a if not corrupt then definitely doubtful organization and Zoro as an absolute badass.

Orange Town: 6/10; establishes some cool recurring motifs of One Piece. I like the dog subplot and good intro to Nami. In retrospect though, there’s so much, especially about Buggy, that’s just not well fleshed out yet

Digital Reads A Curse For True Love : the thrilling final book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series Little Garden: 8/10; the giant stuff and Usopp stuff is great. Sanji is cool here, and Baroque Works finally starts to feel like a threat. Eiichiro Oda debuted in WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP in 1997 as a comic creator and artist with ONE PIECE. One of the most popular comic artists in Japan today, Oda started out by winning the Hop Step Award (a monthly award given by Jump for amateur artists) as well as the esteemed Tezuka Award. His art style is reminiscent of Akira Toriyama, Sergio Aragones, and the movie Yellow Submarine.This box set includes volumes 1-23, which comprise the first two story arcs, East Blue and Baroque Works. Arlong Park: 10/10; the first high point of the series. Excellent stuff both in terms of fight sequences, characterization, and themes. Features some of the best scenes in early One Piece. Buggy and Nami introduction is awesome as well. Luffy shows off and Zoro is still insane. Buggy + Luffy is always great and Nami is pretty cool, but doesn't properly shine till Arlong's Palace.

I think I read most, if not all, of these volumes as a kid but it was great fun starting my catch up by a re-read. The series is way better than I expected it to be, now that I’m all grown up. The ending is fine and I like Vivi staying in Alabasta not because she's completely useless but because having a character tag along for a while without needing to join the crew is a really good idea. Especially cause this series relies really heavily on character interactions, so introducing nee people for the crew to interact with is always pleasant. I also have to highlight the absolute craft of the author who is clearly a master at his work. He strikes perfect balance with his characters that are so colourful and camp while not totally ridiculous; the stuff he comes up with is terribly imaginative and charming, be it the powers, animals like the bowing bear (my absolute favourite), the world or the characters... Eiichiro Oda ( 尾田栄一郎, Oda Eiichirō) is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of the manga and anime One Piece.This box set includes volumes 1-23, which comprise the first two story arcs, East Blue and Baroque Works. With exclusive premiums and great savings over buying the individual volumes, this set is a pirate’s treasure for any manga fan! I finally decided to reread One Piece from the beginning in color. My rating is completely pointless, though, as I've been reading One Piece since I was 9 and I still think it's a masterpiece. Although I always hear that the beginning is pretty rough to reread, I actually enjoyed most of this a lot. I will be honest and say I skipped Coby and Alvida's introductions, cause I've read those chapters so many times and I'm not a big fan of them. I think While at first I found the manga to be simply okay, the more I read, the more I grew to like it and while I found the first few arcs to be generic shounen (2 to 3 stars worthy), the Baroque Works arc was absolutely phenomenal and earned the current 5 stars! Going into this I had very little knowledge of the series, I knew the main character could stretch, and he wanted to be a pirate. I like doing long running series to read. It's fun to sit down before I go to bed and red a couple chapters.