One Piece Vol 14

[sara_tanaquil]

Little Garden, continued. The best part of this is Zoro trying to cut off his own feet, and Sanji answering the telephone. (The battle with Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek? Not so much.)

Comments

[miaruma]

Ahahaha, I love this whole VOLUME. I don't even have to reread it it is so vivid in my mind. I just, the fact that Zoro is like, oh well I'm gonna die BETTER STRIKE A COOL POSE. Oh Zoro <3333. [Thriller Bark] and that it is an actual thing with him. Ugh Zoro, you are so fabulous.

I just love how Oda effortlessly weaves hilarity (Zoro :D) with D:-Moments (Broggy's hand getting speared, them slowly being waxed to death etc).

Also I am always amazed that not that much has happened yet, story wise, and we're already volume 14. In a lesser manga, this would make me doubt the storytelling abilities of the mangaka, but with OP it mostly makes me go ODA TELL ME MORE. MORE!

[sara_tanaquil]

In a lesser manga, this would make me doubt the storytelling abilities of the mangaka, but with OP it mostly makes me go ODA TELL ME MORE. MORE!

So true! The anime often feels unnecessarily dragged, but the manga, never.

[Thriller Bark]
and that it is an actual thing with him.

OMG, it never occurred to me to connect this scene with Thriller Bark, but I see what you mean. Oh, Zoro. T_T

[printfogey]

Yes! The first One Piece volume I ever bought, just because I was so happy that Usopp was essential in saving the day. Which is still the best part of the volume in my opinion. ^_^ (Second best would be Zoro's posing and telling Nami and Vivi they should have struck a pose when they had the chance. Third best is Sanji and the dendenmushi call.)

Re-reading this I sometimes get surprised at how nasty Mr 3 is. He claims to have turned people into "artistic" wax statues before, doesn't he? [Impel Down and Marineford]And yet I too was genuinely happy to see him in Impel Down and cheered for him when he stepped up to do his bit there and at Marineford. I guess the severity of the prison plus remembering the shitty way Crocodile had treated him both helped.On the cover pic: the Swedish caption is something like "You'll soon get to see them again". So I took it that for some reason Rika thought they'd be back much sooner from the training. (Though I'm honestly not sure why Rika would want to see Helmeppo.) Maybe the Swedish translator was talking through his hat,

[sara_tanaquil]

Usopp, yay!

I agree, Mr. 3 is super creepy and sadistic in this arc.

[Impel Down]He's portrayed in a much more comic vein in Impel Down, which is why I enjoyed him so much in that arc. Honestly, I think Buggy kind of has a good influence on the idiots who team up with him. Alvida was a lot less annoying after she hooked up with Buggy, as well. (I love that last we saw, Mr. 3 still seemed to be hanging around Buggy -- though they've probably parted ways since. Can't wait to see Buggy again.)

The Japanese on the Rika cover pick is ちょっとお別れ ("A Brief Separation") - I see where the Swedish translator was going with his translation, though it's a bit different.

It's possible that she originally thought they would be back sooner, but that doesn't really explain why she's beating down on that poor Marine while the others are laughing.

We did see Rika hanging out with both Coby and Helmeppo when they were still training at the local base (having picnics, etc) -- though I am certain Helmeppo was not the favorite, heh.

[printfogey]

Great point [Impel Down]about Buggy! I've always found it weird how his crew seems so devoted to him despite the fact that he executes his crewmates when he thinks they're making fun of his nose, but perhaps that's another aspect of that odd charisma of his.

We did see Rika hanging out with both Coby and Helmeppo when they were still training at the local base (having picnics, etc) -- though I am certain Helmeppo was not the favorite, heh.
I'd forgotten about that pic! Well, then she might have warmed up to him a little.

And Rika being mad at one particular Marine... it fits with other themes if it was because he was making fun of Coby and Helmeppo. But it does seem needlessly cryptic. Maybe Oda had intended to make it clearer through the caption but goofed for once.

[justsonya]

I love Zoro's determination to be waxed in a cool position if nothing else.

[sara_tanaquil]

Zoro can make even total idiocy look cool. <3 <3

[wednesday_10_00]

I actually kind of like the Miss Goldenweek fight, just because Luffy's reactions are so hilarious (and then when he's drinking the tea and crying because he wants to help his nakama so bad, awww). But the highlight of this volume is definitely Zoro. And Vivi's reactions to the rest of the Strawhats, haha.

"Good thing I struck a pose." LOL FOREVER + Nami: "NOW what are we going to do?" Zoro: "Too bad. Shoulda struck a pose while you still had the chance."

I don't really have anything more to add. I just love this gag that much. XD

[mangaroo]

Surprisingly, I don't have a lot to say about this volume. My reactions were mostly sadness for Dorry, joy in Zoro's pose (less joy in his leg-hacking) and Karoo's quacks, and the realization that every new ally has to go through the process in which they discover that Luffy is secretly awesome under his thick, bouncy layer of bouncy thickness.

I read shounen manga badly. I seriously missed Dorry pinning Luffy under one of the cave-house things and was wondering how he got there.

While I think fighting for 100 years after you have apparently forgotten the reason you're fighting is stupid, I do respond to the nobility of fighting even though you are incapacitated. (Hey, I crushed on Zoro for fighting Arlong's goons even though he was still Mihawked. Does Zoro ever get a chance to heal?)

[vol.15 spoiler]I was so sad about Dorry and so angry with you and weekday for telling me no one died in the present. Then I started vol.15. Glad I did so before commenting here, because I was aaaaaaaangry that you had overlooked Dorry's death. Oh, I love the giant

[sara_tanaquil]

[Volume 15 + series spoilers (for anyone else who is reading this, it's safe for mangaroo)]
I was so sad about Dorry and so angry with you and weekday for telling me no one died in the present.

Now you're starting to get it. ^_~

Since you already know the trope, it's not a spoiler to say that Baroque Works (and particularly Alabasta) is where the no-one-dies-in-the-present fan credo really got its start. I cried for character after character who turned out to be alive three chapters later. In fact, I think it was when I was rejoicing over *spoiler* not being dead a little further on that gnine (who was visiting and marathoning Alabasta with me) taught me the Law of Death in One Piece (only she left out the BIG NASTY EXCEPTION, the wretch).

I was SO sad when Dorry "died" (I totally bought it) and so happy when he turned out to be alive again. Giant love!


Does Zoro ever get a chance to heal?LOL, oh, poor Zoro. Sadly, I can think of worse examples from later in the series. But I kind of think he wouldn't want it any other way. (This is a bit later on, but in volume -- 16, I think? -- he's finally recovered from the wounds on

[mangaroo]

why Nami is running around in a bikini for a while... which turns out to be a plot point

I'm relieved to hear the point is plot and not cleavage.

the fight and action sequences make far more sense in the anime

Yeah, as I was reading it, I thought Zoro's flaming swords would probably make more of an impact had they been animated. And that's just a scene I was able to understand in manga format. It's like I need all manga action explained in narration. ("Observe the giant placing a house on Luffy." "Observe the quacking spotbill running away faster than Usopp can catch up to ride him.")

[sara_tanaquil]

I'm relieved to hear the point is plot and not cleavage.

Well, at least in this case it ostensibly is.

Sad to say, for all his many excellent virtues, Oda does not seem to be immune to the boob obsession which afflicts male mangaka. *sigh* [Er, belated spoiler protection for vols 61+](Have you SEEN any of the New World character designs?)