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Otherwise, let’s go!
Volume 13:
This was one crazy ride. Went from a bounty hunter group to “save the princess” to Jurassic Park to giants. It just felt like this volume was all over the map, and I felt like this was the weakest so far. Zolo takes out all the enemies, then he gets blamed for it by Luffy. The dramatic moment of Ipparappa or whatever his name was seemed like a great moment to unite the Straw Hat Pirates, but then their drive is shattered by the mysterious lady and then by their own quirks once they land at Little Garden. To me, it felt like Oda was tossing a whole bunch of stuff to see what sticks, and the story suffers for it.
Side notes: the Princess’ name sounds like Nefertiri from The Mummy, and I was like, “Hey, it’s Omanyte/Omastar!” when I saw that squid. I usually chose the Omanyte fossil in Pokémon. I don’t know why. Maybe because it’s blue, my favorite color? Also, does “sapoten” really mean “cactus”? I know “saboten” does, but I’ve never heard of “sapoten”. Even when I looked it up, I found nothing but restaurants. Is it supposed to be similar to “saboten” without actually being “saboten”?
Volume 14:
Well, at least this volume didn’t jump around as much. Luffy’s group seems to spend as much time apart as they do together. The candelabra looks like something that would be found in a The Nightmare Before Christmas world. Was there any explanation why Goldenweek didn’t paint on Luffy directly? Seems like since he stretches, that’s a whole lot of canvas to paint on. Usopp should win the award for MVP just for surviving all the attacks, not to mention snapping Luffy out of his trances. I’m also not sure if Karoo is awesome or stupid. What do you all think?
Sanji reminded me of Luna in “A Canterlot Wedding” from My Little Pony. And is the princess’ fighting style the same in the anime? I mean, it’s Japan, so it could go either way.
Volume 15:
I’m liking this arc better than the last. Of course, the Straw Hat Pirates continue to have perfect timing, but at least they have a reason to get side tracked. Of course, the day I read this volume, I was creeping myself out about West Nile virus. (I got bit 30+ times, then I had a headache three days later.) Walpor’s situation provides a good contrast to Vivi’s. One fled to protect himself, the other to protect her citizens. The big rabbit-bears would make awesome Pokemon. I thought Walpor would make a return appearance much later and kind of be funny villains more than serious ones. Splitting up actually makes sense in this arc, but the people of these villages need snailphones!
Speaking of snailphones, you fail as a villain if you can’t recognize your underling’s voice whom you’re calling. Sanji wasn’t exactly the most convincing No. 3.
The fight started over the size of a kill? Whoa, they’re Sanji and Zolo’s senpai!
Oh, and kick-butt grannies are awesome. Especially if they team up with reindeer. However, I don’t think I would want to be treated by her. Yikes!!
Final Comments:
These three volumes kind of run the gamut from weak to strong. The giants fighting is a good way to remember a lot of feuds start over silly things. The two act as more of the traditional hero-rival pairing found in most shounen series. I really didn’t care for the giant arc, but the Drum arc seems to be shaping up to be much better.
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