It kind of feels like the main function of this volume is to move all the pieces into place for the climax. (But I do love the climax itself! Coming up, volumes 31 and 32.)
Taiko drums: in the great translator tradition of Mt Fujiyama!
(Aisa hates when he calls it a kintama (golden ball) - I gather the reference is obscene.)
You gather? You can't guess what a word made up of ball/balls + adjective indicating unusual value might imply? ;)
God I love Ace's cover story; he is such a dork throughout. His first disguise attempt almost killed me. At least he covered up his Whitebeard tattoo, but he still had the one with his name in full view, and naturally it didn't even occur to him to do up his shirt. About the only way a disguise that bad could fool anyone is because it's so bad it doesn't even look like a disguise. So of course he has to throw even that away by blowing his cover at the first opportunity. XDXD
[Ace backstory spoilers]That arc alone has me just about convinced that even if he and Luffy are only adoptive siblings, they've got to be second cousins or something at least somewhere back in their family tree - there is no way those boys don't share some DNA somewhere. Whyyyyyy did they never animate it? Such a waste
( ... )
You can't guess what a word made up of ball/balls + adjective indicating unusual value might imply? ;)
Oh, I can guess. ^_~ It's just that I haven't really encountered its usage in Japanese, so I don't automatically sense the obscene meaning. I mean, "golden ball" doesn't sound obscene in English, but only because we don't happen to use it with that particular innuendo. (Compare "golden shower," which probably wouldn't make anyone blink in Japanese.)
(Totally agreed on your Ace backstory comment, btw. Ace and Luffy are SO alike.)
I love that Sanji's role is kind of a test run for his role in Enies Lobby. Go, Sanji!
it's so refreshing to see supporting characters who get to be competent and to surprise us like that. *g*
Agreed, Wiper is an interesting character. It just blows me away how Oda can create such a universe of characters who are, many of them, just as interesting (wonderful, funny, complex, flawed) as the main characters. He's like Dickens in that respect.
I'm thinking more along the lines of euphemisms like 'family jewels'. From that angle it's hilarious just how similar the two terms are. XD
I love that Sanji's role is kind of a test run for his role in Enies Lobby. Go, Sanji!
I thought of it as more of a logical continuation of his Mr Prince routine from Alabasta. He gets to be sneaky quite a few times, but I don't think he's gotten to rub it in the bad guy's face to quite the same degree since. *g*
It just blows me away how Oda can create such a universe of characters who are, many of them, just as interesting (wonderful, funny, complex, flawed) as the main characters. He's like Dickens in that respect.
I'm sure it helps that One Piece moves along at such a (ahem) leisurely pace - gives more time to develop each stop along the way - but it's still a hell of an achievement. I tend to liken it to Terry Pratchett's Discworld myself - huge sprawling world full of wonderful characters, variously side-splittingly funny and horribly serious. Small wonder Oda's sold more manga than
( ... )
This volume is where things start to pick up again for me in this arc. Conis and Nami both have awesome moments (though I'm also all in favour of Nami's initial pragmatic approach, buying time etc); we see more of Robin being helpful and loyal to the crew; Luffy is funny and amazing; Enel's freak-out, etc. And Sanji and Usopp are back in the story! They didn't get to do that much, but Sanji particularly was terrific, and Usopp was also instrumental int he Nami rescue, showing up in just the right moment. \o/ Things are looking up! (And, towards the end of the volume, so are people... echoing the start of the whole arc, in fact. There's always something higher up in this arc!)
Drat, I wanted to hold onto all the volumes in this arc until we were done talking about Skypiea, but volumes 24-26 are due back tomorrow, so I guess I'm going to run an errand today.
It kind of feels like the main function of this volume is to move all the pieces into place for the climax.
I glided through the start of the volume pretty quickly (all the Wiper/Nami/snake/Conis stuff), then bogged down when Luffy started fighting with Enel. Though I did like how Luffy was the one creature who could, in essence, neutralize Enel's attacks. Kami my arse.
Nami asks Enel to take her with him.This confuses me on several levels. First, it's not clear to me what Nami is trying to accomplish other than escaping pain. (Here, Oda's "no one dies" trope reeeeeally works against him, since I don't believe Zoro and company are dead.) She doesn't really have a plan to stop him. Next -- and more significantly, I guess -- why the heck did Enel take her? Am I supposed to believe he's a breast man? I mean, he has "killed" all of his followers. He
( ... )
This confuses me on several levels.As far as what Nami's trying to accomplish, I think it's purely a matter of buying time. (I don't think she thinks the others are dead, either, only unconscious, so rescue is not out of the equation.) That's partly why she really starts freaking out when it looks like Enel's ark might take off and deprive her of any options (because the whole time she's just looking for a way to turn the tables and escape
( ... )
Comments 8
(Aisa hates when he calls it a kintama (golden ball) - I gather the reference is obscene.)
You gather? You can't guess what a word made up of ball/balls + adjective indicating unusual value might imply? ;)
God I love Ace's cover story; he is such a dork throughout. His first disguise attempt almost killed me. At least he covered up his Whitebeard tattoo, but he still had the one with his name in full view, and naturally it didn't even occur to him to do up his shirt. About the only way a disguise that bad could fool anyone is because it's so bad it doesn't even look like a disguise. So of course he has to throw even that away by blowing his cover at the first opportunity. XDXD
[Ace backstory spoilers]That arc alone has me just about convinced that even if he and Luffy are only adoptive siblings, they've got to be second cousins or something at least somewhere back in their family tree - there is no way those boys don't share some DNA somewhere. Whyyyyyy did they never animate it? Such a waste ( ... )
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Oh, I can guess. ^_~ It's just that I haven't really encountered its usage in Japanese, so I don't automatically sense the obscene meaning. I mean, "golden ball" doesn't sound obscene in English, but only because we don't happen to use it with that particular innuendo. (Compare "golden shower," which probably wouldn't make anyone blink in Japanese.)
(Totally agreed on your Ace backstory comment, btw. Ace and Luffy are SO alike.)
I love that Sanji's role is kind of a test run for his role in Enies Lobby. Go, Sanji!
it's so refreshing to see supporting characters who get to be competent and to surprise us like that. *g*
Agreed, Wiper is an interesting character. It just blows me away how Oda can create such a universe of characters who are, many of them, just as interesting (wonderful, funny, complex, flawed) as the main characters. He's like Dickens in that respect.
Reply
I love that Sanji's role is kind of a test run for his role in Enies Lobby. Go, Sanji!
I thought of it as more of a logical continuation of his Mr Prince routine from Alabasta. He gets to be sneaky quite a few times, but I don't think he's gotten to rub it in the bad guy's face to quite the same degree since. *g*
It just blows me away how Oda can create such a universe of characters who are, many of them, just as interesting (wonderful, funny, complex, flawed) as the main characters. He's like Dickens in that respect.
I'm sure it helps that One Piece moves along at such a (ahem) leisurely pace - gives more time to develop each stop along the way - but it's still a hell of an achievement. I tend to liken it to Terry Pratchett's Discworld myself - huge sprawling world full of wonderful characters, variously side-splittingly funny and horribly serious. Small wonder Oda's sold more manga than ( ... )
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Very true!
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It kind of feels like the main function of this volume is to move all the pieces into place for the climax.
I glided through the start of the volume pretty quickly (all the Wiper/Nami/snake/Conis stuff), then bogged down when Luffy started fighting with Enel. Though I did like how Luffy was the one creature who could, in essence, neutralize Enel's attacks. Kami my arse.
Nami asks Enel to take her with him.This confuses me on several levels. First, it's not clear to me what Nami is trying to accomplish other than escaping pain. (Here, Oda's "no one dies" trope reeeeeally works against him, since I don't believe Zoro and company are dead.) She doesn't really have a plan to stop him. Next -- and more significantly, I guess -- why the heck did Enel take her? Am I supposed to believe he's a breast man? I mean, he has "killed" all of his followers. He ( ... )
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BRAIN BLEACH! BRAIN BLEACH!
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