After several recommendations and multiple signs from the universe, I realised it was time to start One Piece. I deliberated over watching the anime but decided I wanted to read the manga instead. I needed a consistent schedule in order to catch up before it ends, but knew I would burn out if I committed to too many chapters per day. One chapter a day feels like the right balance, in that I am both left wanting more by the end of each chapter, and that one chapter doesn't take much time to read.

In the past few days I decided I want to keep a personal diary of sorts, documenting my thoughts on the story, favourite moments, as well as my guesses as to where the story will go. I figure that fifty chapters is neither too frequent nor too often for me to commit to. Maybe some of you will be interested to see my thoughts as I go... who knows, perhaps my terrible guesses and early interpretations will be funny to see!

To preface, the spoilers I know are:

* >!I know that the devil fruit that Luffy ate is some kind of godlike or special one (though this is not a surprise as he seems to be the main character!).!<
* >!I know who several other crew members will be.!<
* >!I know that Shanks has some relation to Roger (though I am not 100% on specifics).!<
* >!I know that Usopp and Luffy have a falling out at some point, and that the Going Merry breaks down (unsure if this is at the same time).!<

Of course, I would appreciate that no other parts of the story are spoiled for me. Let's go:

Firstly, I was very surprised as to how funny the story is (especially in the first few chapters) and how dynamic the artwork is (see attached, I really love this panel); the visual storytelling through the panels is superb. 

The world building is excellent so far, really enjoying its slow expansion as Luffy builds up his crew and explores. As a character Luffy is very funny, bone headed for certain, with absurd levels of self-belief (each of which I admire). The stretching ability was not something I knew he would have going in, so it has been great to see how versatile the ability is (I particularly like when he absorbs cannon balls/bullets). On this note, the devil fruit is a great concept (reminds me of the British show Misfits in terms of the versatile powers the characters can have) with Buggy's modular powers an interesting idea (the Buggy adventure covers are great, I hope he returns as he seems to be on Luffy's tail having recently been on Gaimon's island!). Another aspect I Ioved was that Kuro and Jango helped to create Axe-Hand Morgan, was a cool realisation to see as his jaw was stepped on in the flashback, I hope more of this linking of characters backstories and interactions continues!  
  
I also want to record some thoughts on the crew as it grows as well as the individual story arcs (I am only part way though the Baratie arc currently):

Crew:

*  Luffy: See above also! Excited to see him grow and develop his skills. I love how honourable he was in chapter 50, saying he had to stay to work for Zeff to pay for the explosion in the Baratie.
* Zoro: A great balance to Luffy's goofiness, very sweet and sad motivating backstory with a ridiculous triple sword style (I find it so funny that everyone calls out their/others attack and styles as they go). It's cool to see he has a reputation that Luffy is not aware of, as well as many other contacts (Johnny and Yosaku most recently) in the wider world, this makes the world feel a lot more fleshed out and I'm enjoying discovering things.
* Nami: Hilarious that she has just ran away with the treasure (again). I assume she will be back, and I look forward to finding out what/who "Bellemere" is! Of course there is the usual anime drooling over a female character, thankfully not so much from the crew (aside from Sanji it seems...), but I like that she has a strong will of her own. Hopefully she will eventually decide to stay with the straw hat crew (presumably after she deals with her backstory which we are yet to see).
* Usopp: Man I loved Usopp's crew in Syrup village, so funny. I look forward to finding out more about his father (who Luffy seems to know from working with Shanks) and seeing what more Usopp can bring to the crew (other than his great spirit and loyalty).
* Sanji: Not sure if he counts as crew yet (still reluctant to be the cook) but he seems suave (albeit a creep, though Nami played into this well for the free dessert bowl). Admirable morals (feeding the starving Gin) and seemingly can hold his own against Patty. 

Arcs:

* Romance Dawn: Banger introduction, whirlwind introduction to a lot of characters (Shanks, Koby, Alvida, etc.) that I am sure will make a comeback, and a good taste of what is to come in terms of action/stories.
* Orange Town: First real challenge for Luffy + Zoro in fighting Buggy's crew and a cool introduction to his devil fruit abilities (see above). Chouchou and Boodle's stories were heartwarming, great to see you don't need devil fruit or insane sword skills to play a role in defending your town. Nami joining (somewhat reluctantly) and helping them head towards the grand line felt like things are finally getting into a groove.
* Syrup Village: Gaimon is king, that's all. I hope his island is left peaceful for the rest of the story (I saw Buggy visited and, after getting shot by Gaimon, had a party), would be great to see the crew visit again at the end to chill with him. The Kaya/Kuro story was interesting, the battle on the slope was slower paced than I expected but Kuro (poop jacket and all) had a cool plot to retire as well as cool Wolverine-esque claws. Jango's moonwalk was underutilised. I hope that the Usopp crew kids fulfil their dreams (and don't stop screaming that the pirates are coming)! 
* Baratie: Really feels like we're getting into pirate territory now. The Baratie restaurant is very cool, seems like a neutral(ish) ground close to the grand line. Don Krieg's face off with Zeff the chef was great, and I'm excited to see Zoro face Mihawk soon. Nami is clearly on her own mission right now, hopefully we get a bit more backstory from her to find out what she's really looking for.

Well, that's all I have right now. Really enjoying One Piece so far and I'm excited to see where the story leads! Would be great to hear any (spoiler-free) thoughts and or comments. Especially for those who know the story, perhaps you can point out things I may have missed/should go back and check on. See you at chapter 100! 



One Piece a day - chapters 1-50