User blog:Angel Emfrbl/Long Series

My thoughts on Long Series
Not to be funny on Oda's part.but there are 10 movies already and you want one every 2. OP is in its 12th year, thats almost 1 movie for every year. And what is Oda planning? Another ten years of OP? That means 5 more movies. Its not like your dealing with Marvel and DC comics here where one writer does all the writing, an artist does the sketches, another the colour, another the speech bubbles. We've got one guy and his about 4 assistants doing the job. And S. Jump mag isn't the same as how those companies works.

If Oda dies, OP dies with him. Its not like if Oda dies, another takes over which is what happens in the west. Thats although isn't always gtood. This is what happened with Michael Turner when he died and he did some beautiful artwork for his Aspen company and others. But when he died I stopped buying his companies comics, because the new writer and artist weren't as good without his direction. He left behind a beautiful legacy no one person's shoes could fit.

Heck even Superman's creator has passed on yet Superman is still around. Which again is another example of a bad thing in my opinion since Superman's been **** since he died. I don't know whats going on with the New Krypton storyline. I think its finished with. The annoying part with DC comics is I got into the Legion of Super Heroes and what did DC do? end their 2nd version of the Legion and begin their 3rd, bad, run which didn't go down popular with the fans. See its okay to reboot a series like the LoSH, but it hadn't been running year years before they did it. I myself would have preferred if the orginal Legion (V.1) had stayed, but if they had to revamp it, they just introduce new Legionaries and retired the old.

The other problem is, how is it going to end if Oda dies? When I think of Superheroes, I think of 50 years of the LoSH. The older stories are inaccessible to the younger generations. This is what I think they should have done; admitted the Legion was dated, finished their storyline. Introduce the new Legion in their place, with a new audience. Trouble is fans are whiners and complainers. When Ferro Lad dies, there are complaints about his death, he is regarded as the first Comic Book Superhero to give up his life for the cause (at least for DC comic) and considering his short lifespan in the comics pretty much created to die. Now they've touched this storyline again in the coics with LoSH V.2, but they had his twin brother die, not him. He later goes on to join the LoSH.

Oda knows the direction he is taking OP, but I feel while this is a big storyline, it should end at a 15 year run at the most. With Naruto, theres a series I always felt would have been a great little story if it had just polished itself and be done in 5 years, I've tried to get into it a few times, but its just too DBZish for my liking. After DB, series with almost the same intent to become a clone o fit, should be short and sweet to be awesome. I mean we've had some great moments with OP, but the series never seems to end and a lot of fans share the "when is it going to end I wonder" thoughts that I do. Most expect another 8 years are left at least.

Which brings me back to the movies. This definitely feels like Oda wants this to be long... Which is fine since Oda's at the top of his game right now. But... When you loo at his history One Piece is pretty much his only major work. He did a handful of one shots, and thats it. Nothing else. Even DBs managka did other stuff before Dragonball. I don't blame Oda for hanging this out because its popular, but he has even said himself he is turning to One Shots after this, which is only going to be little crumbs for them and not whole loafs of bread.

To me, a series is good when you can compact the storyline into about 1-3 feature lengths worth of film without loosing most of the elements. OP did this once with Alabasta, but we lost too much like Ace. One Piece can't do this. I enjoy the series, but part of me wonders if this series is just too long for its own good. I think of Case Close A.K.A. Detective Conan, which is in the same boat. I look at the series and I often go "When is this going to end?". Its a nice series, but one that shouldn't have gone on as long as it has (since 1994).

Then again, I don't like the idea of going around looking for another series to follow. While I'm an anime fan, I do like other animes, but I like one to occupy me for at least a year (one release every week) while I which the rest. Without this long series, I have nothing to look forward to. But there has to be that closing line, "Its over, move along" upon the last episode somehow. My ideal season would end after a suitable run, with all major plot resolved, but leave a tiny bit of possibility for fans to continue imagining what happened next. Normally shows do with "Oh and heres junior isn't he cute, he has his mothers eyes and my lazer beam shooting hands". Enough to be satisfied, enough to accept the show is over. Enough to reassure your worth as a fan meant something.

Actually first series that comes to mind is Dragon-Half on this note. A handful of episodes and it finishes with the largest "And... Whats going to happen next?". But that finished too soon because the writers for it got sent to jail.

Don't do drugs and comics folks!