Forum:Cafe Arc Reviews

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Captain Morgan Arc Review
The first story arc in One Piece story.

Monkey D. Luffy a kid who aims to be the new Pirate King is found in barrel by a group of pirates the Alvida Pirates. There he meets Coby a cabin boy who wants to become a Marine and defeats the captain of the crew, Alvida.

After that, Luffy and Koby arrive with a boat in a Marine island and there Luffy finds his first nakama, the bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro, he defeats Captain Morgan the marine base leader and then he and Zoro start their journey.

Review 1

 * Title: Another turn for the better
 * Wroter: YolkaEd
 * Rating: 9/10

Comments
Fresh off the disaster in Arabasta, the Straw Hats encounter an old enemy turned friendly: Nico Robin, the Vice-President of Baroque Works. Right off the bat, she makes Luffy accept her in his crew. When I first read this, this didn't come off as a big surprise to me, as I had already stumbled far into the Enies Lobby anime, but if I had read it from the beginning without looking ahead, I'm certain that I would have been surprised beyond belief.

Oda has his way of mixing several new twists into his story. The introduction of the salvaging monkey Masira, the long haired orangutan Shoujou and their boss Montblanc Cricket. The sudden appearance of the monstrous silhouettes up in the sky was also a shocker for first-time readers. I mean, first a Shichibukai, now monsters? Well, it IS the Grand Line, so who am I to complain.

This arc also introduces one of the biggest douchebags in the entire OP universe: Bellamy the Hyena, who is under the extreme belief that dreaming pirates are going to be destroyed in a so-called "New Era", as is his crew. After his first encounter with Luffy, one just has this urge of dragging him out of your tankobon or TV-screen and slam his face in the ground. Oh, and did I mention that he only attacks those he believes to be weaker than him without even bothering with the bigger guns? DOUCHEBAG!

This arc helps present new information towards the reader, such as giving us a new look on what the hell Buggy the Clown's doing, while we are introduced to two new Shichibukai members: Donquixote Doflamingo and Bartholomew Kuma. We are also presented with the man Ace has been hunting: Blackbeard, who also has a D in his name, and hopes to claim Crocodile's position as his own.

All in all, the only negative thing about this arc is it's length, which is far too short. But, it does help fit in a lot of elements that will come in play later. Oh, and that douchebag got what he deserved from Luffy: A punch in the face. If only WE could do the same, then this arc would be perfect...

Review 1

 * Title: Powerfully Dark
 * Writer: Joekido
 * Stars: 9/10

Comments
Wow, Oda sure done it now. One Piece has taken the turn from being goofy and light-hearted to mature and dark. This is perhaps the darkest arc in the series, much darker then the Arlong Arc. This arc is known for it's excessive use of plot twists and turn, first the Straw Hat Pirates are suppose to look for an shipwright but things start to go wrong which piled up in every chapter.

Review 2

 * Title: The Ever Changing Face of One Piece...
 * Writer: Angel Emfrbl
 * Stars:8/10

Comments
It seems to be the page turner in the series. At this point the series feels like it is maturing. Maybe its because the series is ten years old and the fans who started reading it ten years ago are now much older... Maybe Oda is loosening up... Who knows.

I wasn't around the forums when this arc started so I missed the reaction to seeing that the Going Merry was doom to fail. At the end of the arc (when I came into forum posting), I do remember a lot of Paulie fans talking about how he would be the next shipwright. I also remember how everyone had expected Franky to be the next villain and suddenly he was not. I also remember everyone's reactions to the CP9 agents. Again mixed reactions.

I suppose this is the first Arc where Luffy doesn't get to be the big kid, he is being more serious then usual. First with Usopp, then with Robin and the shipwrights. Usopp missed Luffy's reaction to the news of the Going Merry's doomed status, so by the time he announced the news they were changing ships Usopp saw a Luffy who had thought everything through and had a resolved mind on what he wanted to do. Whereas Usopp was not there on the announcement of the Going Merry's unsail worthy status and therefore hadn't had time to let go of it. Out of the crew he cared for it most.

Its the first time we also see Usopp try to best someone on his own without aid, without running away, first sign of bravery. Usopp still had to lie to kid himself. If it hadn't been over the Merry though, he had run and never thought about taking on Luffy.

Robin takes the spotlight on this arc. She reveals a darker side but tries to save her friends from it, but in the process it just causing her friends to chase her. Franky's past is revealed, along with Iceburg's. I'm not sure on Franky, whether I like him or not... Never will be sure.

Review 1

 * Title: As good as it gets
 * Writer: Santoryuu108
 * Review: 10/10

The Enies Lobby arc picks up where Water 7 left off, with the Rocket Man arriving at Enies Lobby. Soon the Straw Hats, the Galley-La Company, and the Franky Family enter into all-out war with the Enies Lobby staff, and before long the Straw Hats move on to search for Nico Robin and defeat any CP9 agents in their way. There are many great battles in this arc, and each of the Straw Hats (except Robin) exhibits amazing abilities never before seen. These include Luffy's Gear Second (similar to Rock Lee's Hidden Lotus from Naruto), Sanji's Diable Jambe, where he sets his leg on fire, and much more. In addition to the incredible fight scenes, there are also many touching moments, such as the Going Merry's death. Overall, this is my favorite arc of One Piece, because it truly brings out the best in the series.