One Piece More: Closing Out 2011

One of the worst things about a year ending is trying to remember everything that has happened in the last 364 days. So much has happened in a year that it feels like not much has happened. Then you try to remember it all and things get even more confusing. Why do people even try to remember everything that has happened in the last year when it is hard enough to do that in our own life?

Whatever, let’s get into this.

-Mikey

Best of 2011


Mikey: One Piece had a phenomenal year as it kept on breaking manga volume records in Japan. You would think that eventually One Piece would stop breaking its’ own record but that didn't seem to be the case. Here in the United States, things have been somewhat quiet as Funimation released the Log Collection sets and Viz kept on publishing the volumes and chapters in Shonen Jump. It sounds as if One Piece was quiet but there were a few things that you could call our top 3 One Piece moments.

3. Time Skip in Living Color

After two years of being separated, the Straw Hat Pirates have been reunited with each other. The crew has been together for a year in the manga but I love to see things animated. You can hear how excited each Japanese voice actor was to reprise their roles.

The reunion of the crew also marked the return of the comedic chemistry of the Straw Hats. All of them have great chemistry with each other. It felt as if they were never separated. The time skip had only serve to make him even more ridiculous and zany than ever. The Straw Hats didn't just improve their power.

2. Shonen Jump Alpha

The announcement of Shonen Jump Alpha was one of the biggest manga related announcements this year. The fact that one of the biggest manga companies in Japan was willing to allow an American company to publish its’ content online almost simultaneously was amazing to hear. Of course, this does mean that print magazine will be discontinued in March 2012 which is sad to hear.

What this means for One Piece fans? It means that we will be able to read the newest One Piece chapters legally which I have waited for a long time. There may be a two week delay but it will be worth waiting for a translation that is accurate. It is great to have a legal option to read One Piece.

One Piece fans will be literally thrown into the New World as Shonen Jump Alpha is going to show us what it has to offer.

1. One Piece: Season 4 

US One Piece anime fans have been waiting for this announcement for a long time. Fans of the Funimation release have been asking relentlessly if Funimation was going to acquire the rights to continue dubbing One Piece. It should have been obvious that Funimation was going to dub more episodes, the question was when?

The announcement of Season 4 will keep One Piece dub fans abuzz about what Funimation will do to cast several new characters. Then there is the question over which voice actors will retain their roles from One Piece: Unlimited Adventure. Hopefully Patrick Seitz will retain his role as Franky because we didn't get to hear enough of him from the video game.

What I am looking forward to though is watching Water 7 animated for the first time. I have heard many good things about it and can't wait to see it.

SuperNeku:

3. The Fishman Island Arc

For a little over a year now, we've seen the Straw Hats endure battles and obstacles since they reunited at Sabaody Archipelago. Now that the arc is nearing its’ conclusion I can say that although it was a little hit and miss, I enjoyed what we were given. In my opinion it’s a little similar to the Skypiea arc where we got good stuff, then a bit of padding then back to the good again. Like I keep saying, even when the story slows down, I still enjoy it even if others don't.

You all cannot deny that the crowning achievement of the arc were the fight scenes. I'm still amazed every time I see them and I'm hoping for more of this in future arcs now that we know what the Marines and the Blackbeard Pirates are up to in the New World. Also the anime is just starting to depict the arc and it is looking great so far. Keep watching and reading guys.

2. Animated Timeskip!

Last year I placed the time skip as part of my joint number one spot and one of my immediate questions of it is "How is this going to be handled in the anime?" Once Toei officially began depicting the time skip in October and I saw "We Go!" for the first time, I could already tell that I was going to love the animation of the Return to Saboady arc and that One Piece was going to be a better anime than ever before.

The extra scenes they did and choices of voice actors for each of the brand new characters were great decisions, and I'm looking forward to seeing the later fight scenes animated.

1. Experiencing One Piece in English

This one is more personal for me. As I keep saying, One Piece isn't as popular here in the UK as it is in the US and Japan. Sure we have the manga which is fine, but the anime is nowhere to be seen here. With my limited understanding of expensive licensing, I've pretty much accepted that the anime is never coming here.

When I heard about the releases of the One Piece collections by Funimation, I knew now that there was no excuse for me not to own it now and finally bought a US copy. Once I had sat through the Morgan, Buggy, Kuro and a bit of the Baratie arcs in English I knew instantly that I had experienced the anime in such a different way that it felt almost like a different show. The voice acting is superb and the dubbed dialogue feels much stronger to me in my own language than it does watching subtitled versions on a computer. I still love the Japanese version, but Funimation has opened the gateway for me and I am going to continue buying these collections as they come out as well as the Season 4 DVDs once they get released. I encourage fellow UK and US One Piece fans to do the same.

Sora:
3. The Announcement of Season 4 Dub

What an unexpected surprise! I have been waiting a while to hear Franky and the whole Water 7 cast in English, ever since the thought crossed my mind a year ago. Waiting for FUNimation without any news was concerning, but with this announcement, all my fears were erased.

2. Seeing the Straw Hats Post-Timeskip

As at this point I was officially free from spoiled information, the excitement of seeing the older crew! I get a thrill every time I sit down for a new episode! Though their bodies have changed, their personalities haven’t. As it has been 2 years in actual time since they have been together on the big screen, seeing the whole crew together after so long really got to me. It is the longest stretch of time Luffy has been without his crew beside him, and it feels that way.

Three particular things which I had been looking forward to seeing: Franky’s new-and-improved body and hair, Man-sopp, Sanji’s reaction upon seeing Nami, Robin, and receiving the news that Luffy was sent to Amazon Lily. All three of which were excellent.

Just seeing the chemistry of the assembled crew reminded me of how much I have missed their interaction these past 2 years.

1.No Longer Spoiled

This seems like a silly thing to get excited about for those of you who read the manga then watch the action animated in color, but because my traditional method of taking in One Piece is to watch the anime then read the manga. My cruel friend tortured me by revealing many major plot events which ruined my enjoyment of most of the episodes this year.

Since episode 505, I have been spoiler-free and have been enjoying every shock and unexpected twist that has come off of the screen! Without spoilers, my enjoyment of the series has increased exponentially, and proved why One Piece is my number 1 ranked anime in terms of original plot, character design, and everything else that One Piece is made of. 

2012 Wish List
A few things that we want to see for One Piece in 2012.

Sora:

I only have a few things that I am looking forward to this coming year, but they are very important to me. Hearing Season 4 in English will be a treat, and I plan on catching up from where I left off on episode 136. I am very eager to hear Franky’s humor in English and each CP9’s odd speech in English as well. I believe it will be very well done.

The other event I am excited for is seeing the Fishman Island arc animated, as I have been hearing little tidbits about it now for a year while following the Unofficial One Piece Podcast and seeing my colleagues talk about it on the blog. It seems to be a pretty good arc, and I am very curious as to the actual capabilities of the Straw Hats now. Other than that, just seeing a whole year of plot I know little of will be a joy, something I haven’t had since about 3 years ago. So here’s to a great new year of One Piece!

SuperNeku:
Now that the Fishman Island arc is on the verge of ending, I'm expecting an encounter with either someone familiar to the Straw Hats or someone entirely different. Of course there should also be inevitable battles with Big Mom, the Blackbeard Pirates, the Supernovas, and of course the Marines. I would also like to know more about the ancient weapon Uranus but other than that; it’s hard to know where the Straw Hats are going to go so I'll have to cut this one short.

Mikey: 
One of the first things I am expecting from One Piece is finally watching all of Water 7 in a language that I can understand. Of course, Funimation most likely won't release Water 7 arc in 2012 but the fact that we will get to it eventually makes me excited to own the first Season 4 sets by this time next year.

Another thing I hope to see is a successful launch for Shonen Jump Alpha. The ability to have a clean translation to follow along with the Japanese release is a dream come true. The best part is that it looks to be right at the beginning of a new story arc, and this makes for a reader friendly story arc. There are so many things to look forward to as we enter the New World and it nice to have Shonen Jump to help lead the way.

What a year! 2011 was an interesting year to be a One Piece fan. We witnessed the death of Ace in the anime while we explored the dangers of Fishman Island in the manga. It is going to be amazing what 2012 will bring to us. If you want to know where One Piece is going, take a look at where we are now because there is nowhere to go but amazing.

We are going to keep doing what we do best and provide you coverage of the series. There are several ideas for articles that you will see in the future. This year was a great year for us and 2012 will be even better!

Good bye 2011, and hello 2012.



Written by: Mikey, Neku, Sora
Edited By: Dsaftler