ANIME REVIEW | ONE PIECE: EAST BLUE SAGA EPS. 1-53 (SPOILER FREE)

 Episodes: 1-53
Arc:
1. Romance Dawn Arc (eps. 1-3)
2. Orange Town Arc (eps. 4-8)
3. Syrup Village Arc (eps. 9-18)
4. Baratie Arc (eps. 19-30)
5. Arlong Park Arc (eps. 31-44)
6. Logue Town Arc (eps. 45-53)


The East Blue Saga[1] (“東の海”イースト・ブルー "Īsuto Burū" Hen?) is the introductory saga of the series. Monkey D. Luffy meets Shanks as a young boy living in East Blue. This is where he recruits most of his crew and, ultimately, where the adventure begins. This saga is made up of six story arcs.

The saga starts off with a flashback of Gol D. Roger's execution. Before he dies, he tells the crowds to go out and search for his treasure. This sparked the Golden Age of Pirates in which countless pirates raise their flags and set off to find One Piece.

The East Blue Saga focuses mainly on Luffy setting off for the Grand Line and gathering crewmates. During the saga, Luffy gains four comrades: ZoroNamiUsopp, and Sanji and earns a bounty of Beli.png30,000,000. (Source: One Piece Wiki)

Remember that time when I was so hell bent to not watch One Piece because there are more One Piece episodes than my bank account balance (just kidding), but look who's watching One Piece now. 
My friend managed to convince me to lower down my ego and start binging on One Piece because I saw him retweet this one OP edit on Twitter. I thought the edit was so cool. Honestly, I have no regrets starting OP even though sometimes I found myself calculating the number of episodes I have to watch per day to be able to catch up before my semester break ends without realizing that once my semester break ends, I will be transported back to hell (aka university).
Watching the first episode, I watched with an open mind. I wasn't expecting anything. However, I didn't know how amazing the plot actually is (despite dragging a little bit). I'm currently on episode 146 and I'm loving it so far. So, without further ado, here's my take on the first saga which is East Blue Saga. 

PLOT 


In East Blue Saga, we basically got to see the reason behind Luffy's persistent determination to chase One Piece (the valuable treasure) and why he wanted to set sail on the sea and become a pirate. I love how there is a significance of Luffy's straw hat.

Episode by episode, Luffy recruited his early crew members with a small ship. I love how the characters are being introduced because it's not info-dumping. Besides, we got to see a brief glimpse on the characters' past. These events made the characters more real.

The fight scenes (especially in Baratie arc) can be slow at times, so I just skipped a few scenes. And we all love that one episode in Arlong Park between Nami and Luffy 😏


ART STYLE


Considering OP was first animated in 1999, the art style is average. However, it doesn't dissuade me from enjoying the anime.


SOUNDTRACK

I'm guilty for this because I normally skipped the opening and ending. But, I do love the first ending. I think once I'm able to catch up with the current episode, listening to the first ending would be heartbreaking and nostalgic. I can already imagine the bittersweet feeling creeps in. 



CHARACTERS


If you're familiar with my reviews, you would know by now I most likely will hate the main character. So, I was half-expecting to hate Luffy. I imagine him being loud and boisterous for no reason. Well, boy was I wrong.

Monkey D. Luffy

For now, he's my most favourite pirate. But the charts position keeps on changing anyway. I love how he's humble, he's strong when he needs to be, he's friendly with everyone as long as they don't harm his friends and he's adorably stupid. I hate how main characters are always slow and such a nincompoop, but weirdly, it fits Luffy's image. Because it doesn't make him stupid, just innocent. 

And his cute and bright smile? I fell in love. There were times when Luffy was fighting and I couldn't help the dum dum of my heart. 

One thing I love most about Luffy is at least we don't get to see him trains hard to the point of exaggerating and unrealistic.

Roronoa Zoro

I love how laid back Zoro is but trains harder than anybody else. He's super chill. Plus, he's a swordsman. I have a soft spot for them. Zoro is voiced by Kazuya Nakai who voiced Mugen in Samurai Champloo. Zoro and Mugen share a lot of similar traits with each other to the point I miss watching Samurai Champloo. 

Nami

My best girl Nami. She's strong, smart, independent, cunning and cute. I wish I could marry her. But then, I want Nami to marry Sanji 😆 Seeing Nami's past in Arlong Park Arc made me fall for her. She literally had to carve her way up to make a living. I won't spoil too much about it. Just know that Nami is an angel. 

Sanji Vinsmoke

In Baratie Arc, we are introduced to Sanji (the cook at Baratie restaurant). At first, he was okay. I love his fighting style. But then, seeing Sanji groveled and cried in front of everyone at Baratie is a beautiful sight. A gangster crying and cooking? Sweep me off my feet hun. 


However, I don't really like how much of a womanizer he is because I ship him with Nami 😂 So, seeing him flirting with other girls made me SUPER CRAZY JEALOUS as if he was my boyfriend (note how protective I am towards Nami). Sanji is actually my ideal type of men minus the womanizer part.

Usopp

Usopp is a liar. His exaggerated lies can be annoying sometimes but he's honestly me but with less self-preservation. Despite being a coward, Usopp is braver than most of people. I remember one quote saying, "bravery is not being fearless, it is being afraid and doing it anyway." And Usopp literally taught us that. 


RELATIONSHIPS


So, at first I ship Nami and Zoro hard. Seeing them stand side by side is hella cute. They remind me so much of Mugen and Fuu from Samurai Champloo (again). The way they constantly bicker and Nami using him but Zoro never really turned her down is canon. 

But then I realize, their relationship is more like a brother/sister kind of thing. Nami believes in Zoro the way a little sister seeks protection from her brother. And that's when I found a new obsession. And that obsession is called SaNa (Sanji x Nami).


The first time they met at Baratie restaurant, Sanji instantly fell for Nami at first sight. I love how we got to see through Sanji's eyes when he first laid his eyes on Nami. I think that's foreshadowing of their relationship (probably but I will pray everyday for SaNa to happen).


JUST LOOK AT HOW CUTE THEY ARE TOGETHER. The way their personalities match. Imagine the two of them on a date, Nami cutely bossing Sanji around and Sanji worship the steps Nami walked on, sigh what a cutie. Do us a favour and get married already. 

Honestly, even when they stand side by side or sitting in the same room, I got nervous hahaha. This is my normal symptom for fangirling. 


OVERALL

Considering how much I like the first saga, I'm sure I will enjoy OP later saga. I can't wait to finish this series soon (hopefully). Everyday, I'm looking forward to watching OP in hopes I got to see more SaNa lol jk of course for the actual plot.

2 Comments

  1. onepiece ni punyalah lama gila citer dia, sampai sekarang tak habis-habis lagi

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    1. itula pasal. awal2 macam tak nak layan one piece sebab panjang sangat, tapi sebab tak nak rasa left out maka saya pun tengok jugak xD penat gak marathon ni fuhhh

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