One Piece, Vol. 1

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This series follows a young boy/man named “Straw Hat Luffy” who seeks to become a pirate. Honestly, the first chapter of this volume, where Luffy is a young boy who has a wholesome friendship with a pirate crew led by Captain Shanks.

My first impression of Luffy was pleasant. After this chapter, we have a ten-year time skip. Having read this first volume, I found some minor issues or nitpicks in the remaining portions.

I found the pacing to be quite enjoyable and exciting, although there were also some points where I found it unfulfilling. In some areas, I felt that the arcs or points were incomplete, too convenient, or rushed. Several elements escalated quickly, which meant I had to reread a few panels back to fully comprehend what was happening.

The second aspect is the motivations of the characters. I felt that character motivations were missing. It was common for characters to tell us what they wanted (e.g. Koby joining the Navy and Luffy becoming a pirate) without explaining why or exploring their motivation. Meanwhile, we have Zolo, who dreams of becoming the greatest swordsman of all time. Because of the pacing issues, the backstory of his motivation didn't hit very hard, since he was a better sword fighter than his childhood friend who passed away unexpectedly. It seemed underdeveloped.

As a protagonist, Luffy wasn't my favorite. I need to see more depth in him before rooting for him. I won't expect him to be the most likeable character in this volume, but I'd like to see more complexity in him in the future. Besides his relationship with Captain Shanks, I'd like to know more about his parents, his hometown, his reasons for becoming a pirate, etc.

It's a very easy and quick read, and I also think it's a great concept for a series. This volume was a pleasure to read, despite my slight nitpicks in the past.

Warning:

There is some disturbing content in the manga, including self-mutilation, shooting someone in the head, smoking, putting a cigarette out in someone's eye, and some fat shame. Of course, you can enjoy it regardless of your age.