User blog comment:Blackendedsoul/I hate Luffy - I worship Akainu/@comment-68.125.53.218-20120714000408

Loved reading this and all the posts (glad I did in reverse chronology, the discussion with PX was the best). It's all about zeroing in on those core character traits sans the entire world they were formed from, and then it's just the question of how we each value those traits. For me, I simply weigh the positives of Luffy moreso than the negatives, whereas Akainu still rides a very thin line.

Also, I agree with Imhungry4444, though it helps that Oda's plan is immense.

Speaking of Oda, what was that about random no-names claiming they knew what One Piece was meant for? Who says we can't find that out from the source?

"Does art tell you something? Does manga advocate something? As a matter of fact, I don't put any messages in the manga I draw. If I draw a story, the themes emerge on their own. I do my utmost to find an answer in what I come up with, but each reader is entirely free to decide what he or she takes away from the story. So I don't send messages. But, hmm. It's not as if I don't have anything to say. If I were to add some words on my own to the chapter I draw every week i the manga, they would be, 'Live another week with a good cheer and vitality.' That's all. Thanks for your support."

—Eiichiro Oda

Unless that isn't a real quote (in which case, please let me know), I think that about cinches it. Thanks for the good discussions (and the bad, which were funny to see), it's so hard to find good debates on controversial topics connected to animated pastimes in a mature fashion, internet or otherwise. Now I just need to find someplace where my Bleach thesis (could be long enough for one) on Gin, among others, would actually be understood or discussed. CX