#I absolutely love that it's canon that Zoro had to watch Luffy get a total beat down by Kaido

[celexdraw]

Part 10! Luffy getting absolutely flogged by an enemy in front of a crewmember is my favorite thing

Other parts: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

[charmed-and-alarmed]

EPISODE 5: Scooby and the Gang meet Dracula the Straw Hats versus Dracule aka 'new trauma boy has entered the chat'

my episode 4 coverage

Luffy's childhood pirate flag was better than the one he made last episode

Also it's so weird to show Luffy and Garp together when Luffy is young bc we just saw him free range childhood-ing at that bar. Where was Garp then??

Koby saving Helmeppo = the start of a beautiful friendship

"youre his first mate" now that I know that was never confirmed in canon, this line is 1000% funnier

Ok does Luffy know how navigation works? That scene with Garp implies he might have had some training, but I wouldn't put it past him to only have food-motivated navigational skills

Sanji's introduction is as good as Zoro's. The added bonus of them having tuned down his horrific flirting to something far more palatable is just *chef's kiss*

Everyone teasing Nami about Sanji's flirting (well, Luffy laughs along but clearly has no idea what's going on) is iconic

Mihawk. Dracule Mihawk. Is it a complete waste to have Don Krieg there as canon fodder? Absolutely. But you cannot deny how fucking badass Mihawk is. Note that he refers to Don Krieg's gun thing as a "final gambit" implies that everyone in this world thinks in terms of finishing moves.

"little eggplant" is such an adorable nickname for Sanji. Zeff & Sanji's relationship is so dysfunctional - I want to love it, but they're just so fucked up, I can't judge

Poor Koby, learning that the world is full of hypocrites. Soft boy. Helmeppo just wants to pat his head and hide him from the mean mean world

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I love Sanji's accent. I like that it separates him from everyone around him, but doesn't go the stereotypical 'chefs are French' route

I'm sad we don't get real Gin. He was a very cool, very complicated. Both me and Sanji are sad about his loss

Also Zoro clearly spews bullshit about Nami so she'll contradict him, revealing more than she would have told him otherwise. Like Nami, you are being played. Zoro isn't even particularly good at it, you're just not at your best right now

Zoro's "I had one friend" - dude, you and Kuina were friends for less than 24hrs.

Between Garp and Luffy, it's clear who got all the cunning in the family. Also Garp's "I want the freedom to handle things how I like" is suuuuuch a douchebag line. Suuuch scum. I take back everything I've said about liking Garp, he is clearly just a 'doesnt play by the rules' cop from a TV drama.

I like that Zoro meets Mihawk super early on in the story. Like, we need to see him be totally wrecked. Zoro needs to experience being totally unprepared for what it's going to really take to achieve his goal. Poor Zoro is here thinking "it's too soon. I didn't think I would meet him so soon" and we get to see he has the potential for greatness, but is clearly still at the beginning of his journey. Did you really think you'd be the greatest swordsman before you hit 20?

Also Zoro's "you said it yourself, you don't have any friends" to Nami is such a dick move? But also a well deserved 'fuck you' to Nami for trying to play aloof rather than accepting the vulnerability that comes with actual friendship. I get why she's conflicted and upset, but I can't help but disagree with her attitude in this part of the series. Like I love her, but she's just enough of a hypocrite to piss me off

Of course Mihawk likes the hat, Luffy. His weird friend/rival/ex-husband had a hat just like that

I love sword fights a lot, but the one between Mihawk and Zoro is painful to watch. It's the fight with Kuina again, and one again Zoro refuses to see that he doesn't have to be the best right now

However I love how Mihawk looks at Zoro though - like a prey animal surveying a particularly interesting bug.

Aaaand when it comes down to it, Luffy never even considered the possibility that Zoro would lose. And Zoro sounds like such a child for once when he makes his vow. Gah. What an ending

Immediately to the next episode

[gildedmuse]

do you like any of the one piece manga colorspreads? if yes, which ones?

I typed up a very long response to this, but since I'm still getting use to my new phone I managed to accidentally close the window.

Here's a outline:

I only started the series a little over a year ago because all my siblings watched it and I wanted in on that sweet bonding time. I didn't even expect to like it honestly, though they changed fairly quickly. I have plans to read the manga, but I'm still working through the series (what I post on this blog is pretty much where I am in the show more or less.

Since I've never read the manga I have no fucking clue what these things are or if they have some kind of deeper meaning. I barely know what chapter or arc they're from.

I totally have favorites. Some of them have Zoro in them so obviously.

Strawhat Story Time

Honestly, this has to be canon, right? If it isn't it needs to be. I want Robin to take out a book and read the rest of the crew to sleep everytime they are stuck on an island for the night. Of course, I have no idea what she's reading since this is Nico Robin we're talking about; it could be an overly cutesy fairy tale adventure, a dry government approved text on the history of the Grand Line, or just a book of the most gruesome deaths ever recorded (I hope she switches it up every Island or so) but I'd like to think which ever of the possible options Brook always accompanies here with an appropriate backing sound track.

Meanwhile you have Usopp and Chopper looking totally enrapt. Which makes sense. Usopp, of course, loves a good story. I know he's an amazing marksman and all, but part of me still wishes his role on the ship was the chronicler of their adventures or maybe just storyteller. And baby brother Chopper is still innocent enough to fill with wonder as the events unfold, worried the scary looking big dog and kitty cat will never get along and be friends like he so wants.

Then there is Nami, just content to listen while Robin does her thing. Honestly, she's probably just happen no one is actively trying to kill them at the moment. Plus they're camping which saves money so, yeah, she happy.

Neither Sanji nor Franky will be able to tell you what the story is about after she finishes. Sanji because apparently being read to like a child is a big turn on for him. Franky because, well, poor guy is already half asleep. His eyes are open but only just. It gives off big team mom and dad vibes. Franky probably spent his day fixing the ship, watching and playing with the three youngest brothers, keeping the older two from killing each other, and helping Nami as needed. Dude is exhausted, but he's trying to stay up and enjoy this little family moment.

Unlike Luffy and Zoro who are both dead asleep. Neither of them seem like big bedtime story guys. Luffy passes out instantly anyway and is really only interesting in stories if they can tell him something fun to do. Zoro doesn't even care about that. Stories are either are up in which case why bother or they've already happened I'm which case who cares?

Knights Of The Sunny's Dinner Table

A lot of these I like just got the weird AU settings. Like medieval king Luffy surrounded by his knights (plus whatever Nami is suppose to be.) A few observations:

- Usopp'd knight outfit makes him look sort of like Hercules'n and is perfect.

- Brook has a lute why not just make him the bard! Full metal plate armour is heavy. Brook doesn't have the muscle for that. he doesn't have muscles at all (yohohoho!)

- Chopper is fucking adorable

-. Zoro is obviously Luffy s personal knight and protector. Fight me on it. Love how his jolly roger is on his armour. I assume that means that even back then he fought three sword style.

Zoro Is ON A Cat

I just like this one okay? First, shout out to Usopp who looks completely balling. Second, did Zoro defeat a giant panther in a fightnjust so he could ride around on it? I think we all know he did.

That's like the first time I've seen him wear his bandana like that. I approve.

Rainbows And Rock N Roll

Hey, you guys remember that time the Strawhat started a band? No? Oh, right, that's because all recordings of them were destroyed for public safety reasons.

It makes so much sense to stick Luffy with symbols. Like yeah, of course he'd be in the band but how many instruments would you trust him with, really? Where as Usopp seems smart enough that he could easily learn guitar.

Zoro as the drummer also makes perfect sense. He gets to hit things real heard and he's like a steady presence on the crew. The only problem with this drawing? Why no third drumstick in his mouth. Do you coward. You should have gone three stick style.

Also I'd be all about a modern AU where these idiots start a band. And the only bar that will have them just happens to be the one a young medical student visits. He absolutely hates their music, it's loud and annoying and they don't seem to practice or even have a plan, they just get up on stage and chaos ensues. And people absolutely love them. He doesn't understand and yet.... He keeps coming back, every Friday like clockwork.

If nothing else the obnoxious boy with the symbols whose role seems to be bouncing around stage, hanging them together whenever he feels, rallying the crowd and random back up vocals has some amazing sexual chemistry with the silent drummer guy in the back, the one to rocking green hair probably because he thinks it makes him look punk. Like.... It's almost frustrating when he hears girls swooning over them because come on. That can't all just be an act, right? What if they haven't realized it yet? What if they're just that unaware. Law would be more than happy to fill them in provided they thank him with a place in ghei- oh God how much has he had to drink tonight? Fuck he hates The Strawhat Pirates. It's not even a good band name!

ETA: New phone problem. It posted before I was done. I guess I'll do the other seven in a separate post.

[takaraphoenix]

Here’s the thing that makes One Piece an absolutely unique fandom experience for me personally. The shipping.

If you’ve met me in fandom before, I think of ships in terms of main-ship and side-ships, even outside of reading/writing. Like, “Oh, this is a nice ship. Cute interactions in canon, would like to see them alongside Main Ship”, but I wouldn’t actively seek a side-ship out. And all of the ships I consider main-ships are always centered around that one character I latch onto.

In, say, Shadowhunters that one character I latched onto is Jace and all the ships with him are ships I like to read and ships I like to write centered around. Other ships like, say, Clary/Simon? Super cute, love them in canon, love writing them as a side-ship and reading them as a side-ship but would most definitely never seek a fic around them out to read or write a whole fic about them. (Note: In the rare cases non-Jace-ships happen, those fics are dedicated to people I care greatly about and know they love that ship.)

Now, before I get lost in examples, I think this sums my way of shipping up relatively well. Latch onto one character, mass-consume all the ships I sail with that character, perhaps produce for said ships (either in actually written fanfiction form or simply in plotting fics inside my head... which happens in a lot of the fandoms I don’t write for), enjoy non-that-character-ships as side-dishes.

One Piece is, in my fifteen years of being in fandom and consuming for a lot of different fandoms, the absolutely only fandom where that... just was never the case. I’ve had a total of five Luffy-ships in this fandom. Five. Over the stretch of the 16 years that I have been watching that show now (German premiere being in 2003). That’s... not really a lot of ships, all things considered. Since it’s such a short list, let me give you said list:

Trafalgar Law, who might have been the latest but quickly climbed onto my number one spot as flag-ship for this fandom

Sir Crocodile

Bon Clay

(Roronoa Zoro)

(Sanji)

And the latter two are in braces, because I used to ship them. They were my East Blue ships. The first ones I latched onto back in the day, but the more the show progressed and the closer the crew grew, the less I really saw them as ships and the dynamics changed more into a family-like one. So I had a total of five Luffy-ships and have a total of three Luffy-ships as of right now.

That, in itself, wouldn’t be overly rare, I have a shorter list on ships on other fandoms too (albeit the pool of potential partners is insanely large in this fandom so it is worth a mention). The really peculiar thing about One Piece is that it gets me highly invested in other ships.

The writing is so brilliantly detailed with so many flashbacks that they just make me care so insanely much about the side-characters that are literally only important for this one arc and will most likely never be seen again. Yet still I care so much so that I ship and mass-consume fics about them and admire fanarts about them and even occasionally spin ideas for them in my head.

East Blue was, granted, mainly filled with me consuming Zoro/Luffy and Sanji/Luffy and obviously the Zoro/Sanji/Luffy OT3, but I also read Gin/Sanji.

Alabasta was where that... for me unusual multishipping really started though. Aside from the shit-ton of Crodocile/Luffy things I consumed, I absolutely fell for Chaka/Pell and Nami/Vivi of course and my second largest ship in that story-arc, Smoker/Ace. I... I read so many Smoker/Ace fics back then.

Sky Island was actually the first one that was purely non-Luffy. Noland/Calgara, man.

Water 7 was maybe the most peculiar one, because it was the first case of latching onto an arc-exclusive character - Paulie. Oh boy, I loved Paulie. I shipped him with basically everyone on Water 7, but most of all Iceberg, Rob Lucci and Kaku. Generally though, like, his whole team-turned-traitors. (Which, actually what prompted this post; seeing CP-9 at the end of Dressrosa again really reminded me of how much I shipped those.) But also Iceberg/Franky, damn was I invested in that one.

Thriller Bark was less shippy for me because zombies, man, I fucking hate zombies, but I still ended up shipping Yorki/Brook and reading fics about their past life.

Summit War might be where I really started shipping Mihawk/Shanks. Like, a lot a lot (it’s one of my total OTPs in this series, I love them a lot). Also Marco/Ace. And, of course, the return of Crocodile/Luffy as well as Bon Clay/Luffy. Obviously, the biggest take-away from this plotline though was the start of Law/Luffy on Sabaody. Damn this was a huge, giant-ass plotline with so many things happening in it.

Fishman Island was... non-shippy for me because fuck I hated that stupid waste-of-space story and legit could have done just entirely without.

Anyway, I don’t know what the point of this post is. I just find it utterly fascinating that among the hundreds of shows/cartoons/anime/movies that dragged me into shipping and fandom, One Piece is the only one where my usual shipping-rules don’t apply and I just latch onto whatever and whoever I like. Also, this is a public complaint that there is only one fic in the Vivi/Rebecca tag.

[eloarei]

Because I like shipping and statistics, I guess.

(Sort of prompted by this post. ...Or maybe it was this post.) So, here's me, looking at all my ships and deciding if they (and their canon relationship) count as the “emotional heart of the story”, OR if I were to reach in and rip them (primarily their relationship) out, would the story be torn apart? YES = they are necessary to the story! NO = the story would get on fine without their relationship UNCLEAR = their relationship has an uncertain importance to the plot Before you read the whole long list (and keep in mind, these are just my ships, and not even all of them, and just my opinions), have some statistics. TOTAL SHIPS = about 87 YES ships = 56 (m/m = 28, f/m = 28) NO ships = 15 (m/m = 9, f/m = 6) UNCLEAR ships = 16 (m/m = 8, f/m = 7, f/f = 1) and because the original intent of this post (as mentioned here) was to see if m/m ships tend to be the “emotional heart of the story” (aka do I mostly ship m/m and is that why?) : M/M ships = 45 (YES = 28, NO = 9, UNCLEAR = 8) F/M ships = 41 (YES = 28, NO = 6, UNCLEAR = 7) F/F ships = 1 ^^; (UNCLEAR = 1) And have one more set of stats, dealing with if these ships are canon or not. (“Mostly Canon” are ships whose canon status is debatable, like it was never explicitly stated, or it's an option, like in some games.) CANON = 27 (m/m = 5, f/m = 21, f/f = 1) Mostly CANON = 12 (m/m = 2, f/m = 10) Not Canon = 48 (m/m = 38, f/m = 10) So, I could probably stand to analyze these stats a little more, but the overall takeaways I'm getting are these: – My ships are fairly evenly SPLIT between m/m and f/m. – MOST of my ships are relevant to the overarching story of the series. --Most of my ships are NOT CANON, but not by a huge margin. --The “heart of the story” is SPLIT between m/m and f/m ships in my favorite series. Feel free to scroll through my 87 ships, if you want to see how I labeled them (“heart of the story”, versus not). Includes some reasoning, in most cases. Ships (or their series, in a few cases) listed under the cut: Killugon, Leopika, Oumugi, Cobymeppo, UsoNa, ZoLu, Hanna/Zombie, McHanzo, Reaper76, Roadrat, Promptis, Gladnis, DekuMight, Mammet, Genosai, Victuri, Destiel, Shakarian, Jaal/Ryder, Newmann, R/Julie, Kataang, Zukaang, Korrasami, Wuko, Gigolas, ZADR, Wolfstar, Fawkes/LW, Gob/LW, Nick/SS, Trying Human, Otasune, Bosselot, Torikoma, Noragami, Oremo, Gamako, JeanMarco, CLAMP, Taibani, Tiger/Bunny, Okabe/Kurisu, 93, 58, Otani/Koizumi, Doctor/Rose, Johnlock, Sterek, Hannigram, Rumbelle, Hopurai, Sorriku, Akuroku, Leo/Ezio, Haytham/Ziio, JakDax, Nate/Elena, Lutecest, GoldenHeart, Mitjo, Blackice, Felix/Calhoun, Om/Shanti, Grocket, Max/Furiosa, Capable/Nux, Seregil/Alec, Thom/Goran, Diana Wynne Jones, Robin McKinley, Jesse/Suze, Mabelmando, Muck, Vito/Wilhelm, Lewis/Vivi, Fry/Leela, Goliath/Elisa. Good lord I can't believe I typed those all out. Well, anyway. Now you don't have to bother clicking through just to satisfy your curiosity, if none of those piques your interest.

Hunter x Hunter: --Gon/ Killua : YES, Gon and Killua's relationship IS the heart of the story. Without their intense friendship, many of the plot points in the story would never have happened. While Gon may still have found his father, the whole story would be extremely different, perhaps to the point of unrecognizability. –Leorio/Kurapika : NO. Unfortunately, as much as I love them, their relationship is not strictly integral to the story. --Meruem/Komugi : (mostly canon) YES. While it's not the entire story, their relationship IS vital to the fate of both characters and that particular arc. One Piece: --Coby/Helmeppo : UNCLEAR. While Coby and Helmeppo are not main characters, Coby was a catalyst in the early part of the series, and will probably be important again towards the end. Also, while Coby could have gotten where he is without Helmeppo, Helmeppo would likely not be who he is now without Coby, making Coby integral to Helmeppo's story. --Usopp/Nami : NO. I love them a lot, and they're both important to the story in different ways, but their relationship is not strictly necessary. --Zoro/Luffy : UNCLEAR. Obviously, Luffy is the main character, and Zoro is also super important. The story probably could have gotten where it was going without Zoro's involvement, but there have definitely been several key points which would have been different without him. (Early one, especially, and the end of Thriller Bark.) This one might require more thought. Hanna Is Not A Boy's Name: Hanna/{Zombie} : YES. While the story may still have happened without {…} (Conrad still showing up that night), the entire story would have had a different tone, as {…} is the narrator, and certain key events would have played out differently. Overwatch: McCree/Hanzo : NO. Admittedly, they don't have a lot to do with each other in canon, no matter how much I like them. Soldier 76/Reaper : YES. Their story was vital to the formation of Overwatch as we know it. Roadhot/Junkrat : NO. Not exactly vital to the overall story, although they do seem fairly important to each other. Final Fantasy XV:   Noctis/Prompto and Gladio/Ignis : NO. I mean, I love the ships, but technically neither of these ships are really super important to the overall story. I would be willing to listen to arguments for this one though, since obviously the relationship between the four of them actually is super important. Boku no Hero Academia: Izuku/All Might : YES. Nothing would have happened in this series if it weren't for the relationship between these two. Not only would Izuku be lacking the power to succeed, he'd have been lacking the training and also possibly the inspiration. Likewise, All Might would likely have stagnated, instead of grown as a character. Back to the Future: Marty/Doc : YES. There would be literally no point to the entire series without either character or their relationship exactly as it is. One Punch Man: Saitama/Genos : YES. Although it may be debatable, I believe that Genos' involvement with Saitama is critical to the story. Is it, at very least, critical to Genos' growth. Yuri on Ice!!: Viktor/Yuuri : (canon) YES. Canon-gay main characters; kind of the point of the story. Supernatural: Dean/Castiel : YES. Though Dean and Sam's relationship is probably still more important, I would definitely argue that most of the plot from season 4 on could not have happened without Castiel's involvement with Dean. Mass Effect: Shepard/Garrus : (mostly canon) UNCLEAR. Garrus was fairly important to the story, especially early on, but even if he had never come around at all, the story would have been about the same. However, since you get to determine the story to some degree, you could say their relationship is about as important as you make it. Ryder/Jaal : (mostly canon) UNCLEAR. About the same as above. Their relationship was important, but not significantly moreso than other characters'. Pacific Rim: Newton/Hermann : YES. Without them working together, the plot would not have been resolved. (One could even argue their arguing was critical to the story.) Warm Bodies: R/Julie : (canon) YES. Like most of my other book ships, these two were written with each other in mind. Avatar/Legend of Korra: Katara/Aang : (canon) YES. Though the story could have got along without their romantic involvement, their general relationship was absolutely vital to the plot. Zuko/Aang : YES. Their relationship provided most of the conflict from the early half, and much of the character development from the later half. Korra/Asami : (canon) UNCLEAR. If they had been only acquaintances, the plot would likely have carried on mostly the same, however the ending would have been different, of course. Mako/ Wu : NO. Their relationship made a couple of plot points in the last season, but the story would have got by okay without it. The Lord of the Rings: Gimli/Legolas : NO, although I'd be willing to hear arguments to this one. I don't recall that their relationship was particularly necessary to the plot's resolution. Invader Zim: Zim/Dib : YES. Literally the entirety of the story would be pointless without their relationship. Harry Potter: Sirius/Remus : YES. Primarily in the 3rd book/movie, but the story would have gone drastically differently if not for their past friendship. It would likely have had a huge butterfly effect. Fallout 3: Fawkes/Lone Wanderer : YES. Fawkes was key in helping get the GECK, and also having LW, y'know, not die in the DLC. If Fawkes didn't massively respect the LW, the LW would just be shit out of luck. And also dead. Gob/Lone Wanderer : NO. Poor Gob's just stuck slaving away as a bartender. Hell I don't think you even have to talk to him once to advance the story. =[ Fallout 4: Nick Valentine/Sole Survivor : YES. Nick is instrumental in helping SS find their son, and if it weren't for his respect for them, SS would have a very difficult time with several legs of the journey. And don't get me started on how their backstories are a mirror of each other! Trying Human: Rose/Hue, Longus/Don, Philena/EBE1, Quazky/Gracelis, FJ12/Pigment : (canon) YES. The charm of a good webcomic, eh? =D Metal Gear Solid: Snake/Otacon : YES. Moderately important in MGS1, Otacon and Snake's relationship becomes crucial in 2 and 4. Also, “Can love bloom on the battlefield?” Yes, Otacon. Yes it can. (I'd write a manifesto about these two if I had the energy.) Big Boss/Ocelot : YES. Quite a lot of the entire series would never have happened if it weren't for Ocelot's hero-worship crush on Big Boss. It's pretty important. Toriko: Toriko/Komatsu : YES. To be fair, I haven't read/watch this series in years, but the earlier parts of the series put a lot of focus on the budding partnership between these two characters. Ugh, talk to me about the part where they climb a giant beanstalk in order to eat a heart-shaped vegetable in tandem to commemorate their partnership. Geez. It's a little hard to say if their relationship was vital to the actual plot, because I'm still not sure what the plot was, but it was definitely vital to the story. Noragami: Yato/Hiyori : (mostly canon) YES. As the main characters, the story revolves mostly around them, and if they didn't care for each other, there would be no reason for half of the events to happen. Kazuma/Bishamon : (mostly canon) UNCLEAR. At least one key backstory event only occurred because of their relationship, but the story might have happened similarly without it. Kofuku/Daikoku : (mostly canon) NO. I love them, but the story could probably exist okay without them. Ore Monogatari: Takeo/Yamato : (canon) YES, but obviously, as it's a romantic comedy. The story is literally all about them. Kill la Kill: Gamagoori/Mako : NO. Although they featured together in a few important scenes, the story could have progressed without them ever being in the same frame. Attack on Titan: Jean/Marco : NO. The entire story would have probably been just fine without them, although Jean might be a different person without Marco's influence. CLAMP: (mostly canon) YES. I'm just gonna go ahead and say that all of my ships from CLAMP series are vital to both the story and the characters' growth. This might be an exaggeration, but only slightly. Tiger&Bunny: Kotetsu/Barnaby: YES. Because, obviously, what's Tiger&Bunny without Tiger and Bunny? The story would have gone nowhere without either of them, and the focus on their growing relationship was super important. Steins;Gate: Okabe/Kurisu : (mostly canon) YES. The plot forces the relationship between Okabe and Kurisu in an interesting way, so it is sort of super relevant. Saiyuki: Sanzo/Goku : YES. Gojyo/Hakkai : UNCLEAR. To be honest, I just haven't watched the series in a while, so I'm a little cloudy on the finer points of this ship. I'd say they're important, and from what I remember they are important to each other's story, but I don't recall how vital their relationship is to the overall plot. Lovely Complex: Otani/Koizumi : (canon) YES, because it's a romantic comedy and these are the two main characters. Doctor Who: Doctor/Rose : (canon) YES. In love with two different Doctors, and (as far as I know) the only one to end up with one permanently! Their relationship was so damn important that it came back even after Rose retired as a companion! Sherlock: Sherlock/John : YES. The series wouldn't even remotely exist without their relationship. Teen Wolf: Stiles/Derek : NO. The necessity of either character to the overall plot is debatable; they certainly didn't have to interact in order for the series to continue, even if those were some of the best scenes. Hannibal: Hannibal/Will : YES. Though I never caught up with the series, it was clear even from the very start of season 1 that the relationship between these two was the drive of the whole story. Once Upon a Time: Rumpelstiltskin/Belle : (canon) UNCLEAR. Though they're both important to each other and other characters at multiple points in the story, their relationship is probably not all that important to the other characters. (To be fair, this is based mostly off of seasons 1 and 2.) Final Fantasy XIII: Hope/Lightning : NO? It's been a while since I played the game, and while I love Hope, I seem to recall that he wasn't terribly important? (Was anybody important in that game? What even was the plot??) Kingdom Hearts: Sora/Riku : YES. I mean, Sora did spend pretty much forever searching for Riku, and Riku did spend basically the whole time being a pain. Axel/Roxas : UNCLEAR. Roxas' existence and story probably could have happened without Axel. But to be honest, it's Kingdom Hearts; I could never remember all the fine details. Assassin's Creed: Leonardo/Ezio : UNCLEAR. I mean, Ezio would have died or failed several times without Leo's inventions, but Leo himself wasn't strictly necessary. Haytham/Ziio : (canon) YES. Well, Conner wouldn't exists without them, so. Jak and Daxter: Jak/Daxter: YES. There would have been literally no point to the series if it weren't for their relationship. Uncharted: Nate/Elena : (canon) UNCLEAR. A rare female love interest, Elena was there from the very beginning and throughout the whole series, kicking ass and helping the plot along. Could the series have gone on without her and Nate's intricate relationship? Probably. But who would have wanted that? Bioshock Infinite: Robert/Rosalind : (mostly canon) YES. Only because of their fantastic weird obsession with science and themselves was the cross-dimensional travel that made the plot happen even possible. Nimona: Blackheart/Goldenloin : (mostly canon) YES. Their relationship is central to the backstory, and the later parts of the story. Long Exposure: Mitchel/Jonas : (canon) YES. Again, because it is a webcomic, and they're specifically written with each other in mind. Rise of the Guardians: Jack/Pitch : UNCLEAR. While both are critical to the story, it probably could have gone on fine without their interactions. However, Jack's personal arc wouldn't have had the same emotion without Pitch's involvement. Wreck-it Ralph: Felix/Calhoun : (canon) UNCLEAR. Their relationship was a key point in the story, but the overall plot could have probably happened without it. Om Shanti Om: Om/Shanti // Om/Sandy : (mostly canon) YES. Without Om's love for Shanti, the entire second half of the plot wouldn't have worked out. Sandy's love for Om was also critical. Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket/Groot : YES. I think it's safe to say that the whole crew would have died if it weren't for Groot, and it's unlikely that he would have been there in such a capacity without his partnership with Rocket. Mad Max: Fury Road: Max/Furiosa : (canon) YES. Story couldn't go anywhere without them, and their relationship was important at certain points. Capable/Nux : (canon) YES. Though their relationship was not vital to the overall story, it played a huge part in the resolution. Nightrunner: Seregil/Alec : (canon) YES. Canon-gay main characters, obviously the story goes nowhere without them. HERO: Thom/Goran : (canon) UNCLEAR. Though the relationship between the characters is a key element in the story, it probably could have happened pretty similarly even if the two did not develop a romantic involvement. (Would've been a different story; still, Thom's other relationships are roughly as important.) Diana Wynne Jones' books: Howl/Sophie, Vierran/Mordian, Tom/Penny, etc : (canon) YES. All main characters, written with the intention of being involved with each other, they are vital to their stories. Robin McKinley's books: Narl/Rosie, Cecily/Little John, Beauty/Beast, etc : (canon) YES (mostly). Main characters written to revolve around each other, with the exception of Cecily and Little John, whose relationship was probably not strictly necessary for the overall story. The Mediator: Jesse/Suze: (canon) YES. Same deal with my other canon book ships: they were literally made for each other. Gravity Falls: Mabel/Mermando : (mostly canon) NO. Their relationship was only relevant for an episode, and had it not existed, most of the story would have been the same. Motorcity: Mike/Chuck : UNCLEAR. It probably ought to be a “no”, but the series didn't get that far, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. XD; The Reward: Vito/Wilhelm: (??? canon?) YES. I mean, the story was 100% about their bromance. Mystery Skulls Animated: Lewis/Vivi : (canon) YES. Poor ghost man just misses his nerdy girlfriend. Futurama: Fry/Leela : (canon) UNCLEAR, since Futurama didn't really have an overarching plot for their relationship to be relevant to. But GOD did you see the last episode? I mean, they were definitely a central plot point of the story, even if they weren't strictly 'necessary' to it. Gargoyles: Goliath/Elisa : (canon) YES, hella yes. Their relationship (both platonic and romantic) was greatly important to the overall story, many times. Though the gargoyle characters could have existed without Elisa, the story would have lacked most of its emotional component. (And that’s just about that! I left off a bunch of old ships, because there’s just no way I have the time and energy to list stuff I haven’t been into in years. Also I probably forgot some, but oops?) 

[recentanimenews]

The 6 Things We Need From A Live Action One Piece Series

  In July 2017, it was announced that Tomorrow Studios was planning to produce a live action One Piece series. Then, in March 2019, a synopsis for an American adaptation of One Piece was found on Netflix (though it was later removed.) This led to a reaction of equal parts excitement and anxiety: "Yay, more One Piece!" and "Ehhhh, maybe not like this." Live action American adaptations of anime have gotten, to put it extremely gently, a mixed response. We haven't really nailed down the formula for making them consistently good yet, so by leaping ahead to adapt One Piece, it's kind of like we made a sandwich out of rotten ham and some old tires and now we think that we're ready to open our own restaurant. 

  But I have hope. I really want One Piece to be good, and it usually is! So I'm not gonna stick my fingers in my ears and "LA LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU" to the sounds of Hollywood trying desperately to figure out what a Luffy is. Instead, I'm gonna offer advice of sorts. In translating the manga/anime to a live action format, there are a few major things that need to be worked out, and one of the most important ones is....

  1) Luffy's Stretching Powers Have To Look The Best In History

  We can create such true-to-life looking video games that you'd swear the latest Call of Duty was a documentary. We can create borderline photorealistic special effects that, for a few hours, turn our superhero epics into living, breathing worlds. But for some reason, we can't create a man's stretching powers in a way that doesn't look A) Awful, or B) Absolutely horrifying. And if you haven't noticed, stretching is like 90% of what the main character of One Piece does when he's not eating. 

  I mean, we've nailed it down in horror movies. Films like The Thing prove that we're totally able to stretch a dude out as long as we're gonna eventually turn him into a hideous monster. But look at any Fantastic Four film, whether it's the two from the mid 2000s or the 2015 reboot, and get ready for a buffet of awkward transitions between an actor and his CGI rubber-ness.  If One Piece is able to smooth this process out, it will frankly be a special effects miracle. Even if the show is terrible, it will be lauded for finally being able to make a man extending his limbs look adequate.

  2) It Needs A Diverse Cast

    There's no reason that a show about a strong, goofy dude that sails around the world making friends and has no second job shouldn't have the most diverse cast, like, ever. It would honestly feel weird if it didn't. But while most people would probably be pretty cool with this, there's always a subsection of people that say things like "NO. THAT WOULDN'T BE ACCURATE TO THE MANGA AND IT WOULD RUIN EVERYTHING!" But even Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the whole thing, has listed out what countries the Straw Hat Crew most represent. So them being a diverse crew is pretty canon. 

  3) It Doesn't Need To Be 100% Devoted To The Source Material

    There's a certain rush that comes out of seeing something that you've loved in one medium displayed in another. When we saw all of the Avengers in a group shot in The Avengers, we went nuts because for decades, that image had only existed in comic books and cartoons. So I do expect the live action One Piece to try and replicate some of the story's bigger moments - the walk to Arlong Park, the raising of the hands to signify the relationship with Vivi, Caesar Clown's laugh. Ya know, the important stuff.

  But do we need it all? No. The best adaptations in history have rarely been 1:1 with the source material. Look at Jurassic Park. Decent novel that would make for a terrible movie if adapted directly from the page to the screen. Steven Spielberg and David Koepp knew what to cut, and what to add, and the same needs to go for One Piece. As long as it holds true to the spirit of the story and doesn't stray too far from the backbone of the plot by doing crazy things like removing all the boats or making Sanji likable, I'm not sure I care if it does its own thing. Honestly, I'd be more interested in seeing it if it DID decide to go off the trail every once in a while. 

  4) It Needs A Heart

    I just mentioned that it needs to embody the spirit of One Piece and by that, I mean it needs to have One Piece's heart. And One Piece's heart is more than just keeping all of the names the same and all of the islands in order. Beneath the gags and the punches, One Piece tells a story about adventure and about finding a family when the idea of that formerly seemed impossible. It does have dark moments, but it's not a cynical show. It's about good people helping good people, and as long as the Netflix adaptation adheres to that, it will be doing something very right.

  5) Train The Actors And Actresses In Combat Classes

  I don't mean that every performer needs to learn MMA (though that would be rad). I mean that every main actor needs to be able to have a convincing brawl. And this is mostly for budget reasons. The amount of powers in the One Piece world means that A LOT of money is gonna be spent on effectively showing off everyone's lasers. In the TV streaming world, where they don't have Marvel/Disney money to throw behind every episode, they're gonna need to balance this out with human moments and with the cast getting in more realistic fights.

  And I don't think that's a bad thing. First of all, I've always wanted to see Nico Robin throw down. She's an assassin. She should be breaking necks left and right, both with her powers and without. But also, guys like Zoro are practically made for well choreographed battles. Remember all of the brutal fights in The Raid and movies like it? Now imagine that with your favorite sleepy, direction-less swordsman. See, I've already sold myself on this show.

  6) The One Piece Must Remain A Mystery Until The End

  Ya ever watch Twin Peaks? It's pretty good and you should give it a chance if you haven't. Anyway, the show kind of lost its appeal when the mystery at the center of it got revealed. And that's honestly my biggest fear for a One Piece TV show: Some executive who thinks that manga is a type of hibachi sauce is gonna pressure them into giving away the secret of the One Piece too early. One Piece can't get Twin Peak'd.

  What some don't get is that the best part of the mystery isn't the reveal. It's how well the journey is concocted. We don't think M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable is a great movie because at the end, it's revealed that Mr. Glass caused all the accidents. Any screenwriter could reveal that. We think it's great because the lead-up provides such a fascinating glimpse into how people would feel to find out that superheroes actually exist in the real world.

  The best part of One Piece isn't us scrabbling over ourselves to figure out what it is. It's us falling in love with characters and enemies and locations and plot lines that are all based around the quest to find the One Piece. To quote Miley Cyrus, "It's the climb." 

  Anyway, until it comes out, you can always enjoy One Piece on Crunchyroll. Always. Until the end of time. Probably.

  Are you excited for a live action One Piece series? What storylines would you most like to see adapted? Let us know in the comments!

    ---------------------

  Daniel Dockery is a writer for Crunchyroll and a huge One Piece fan. You can find him on Twitter. 

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[gildedmuse]

Oh.

My.

Fucking.

God.

Sometimes, when I pause in the middle of an episode, Crunchyroll will take it upon myself to say I finished it and start me on the next one. Usually, I catch this and go back. Usually I'm not in this much pain. This particular time I was, and so I didn't realize I had missed anything until I was going back to collect a screenshot that came out wrong.

And do you know what I missed?

DO YOU KNOW WHAT I FUCKING MISSED!?

I... Like.... I boys and smile hug face eys hey you I....

It's okay. Give me a second. I do know how words work.

I just can't handle them right now, that's all.

I mean look at them! Look at my two sword boys! Just look how cute!

No, I mean, really look at them. Study the moment, take it all in. Because I'm going to need someone here to explain to me what is SUPPOSEDLY happening here. I mean, without a doubt, I know what is actually happening, but for the life of me I can't think of how to describe this moment that doesn't boil down to, "obviously cause they want to bang" and somehow I doubt that is what they were going for.

Here, let me lead you through this:

As we have discussed, there is a party happening. Everyone is enjoying themselves in their own little ways: Franky is behaving like a mech to entertain the fairies, Zoro is drinking, Bartolomeo is following Zoro around with more drinks, Luffy is just a bouncing ball of food, Law is standing alone off to the side glaring out into the middle distant. So everyone is having their own fun.

Zoro, apropos of nothing, walks over to Law to talk to him.

Okay..

Weird.

This isn't Luffy or Franky or even Robin. Zoro doesn't just go talk to people. So far we have seen every other Strawhat at this gathering dancing or talking or laughing with someone. The only people Zoro has interacted with are people with bottles of alcohol they want to share with him.

You guys, Law does not have a bottle of alcohol.

So why has the least social member of the Strawhats purposefully sought him out? By the way, "come here?" Oh you sweet innocent sunflower. Why not just open with, "Torao! Hey Torao! Laaaw, come here! I want to hang off you out!"

[Oh you bet your ass we will be going through this scene shot by shot.]

At which point Zoro squats down, and even though it's not his "fly into the sky and cut him up!!!" smile, there is definitely more than a small hint of "danger approaching" to that grin, like he's trying to decide what to do with his prey.

Law doesn't look overly happy about any of this and has clearly decided the best policy is just to ignore Zoro. Let's see how that goes for him.

Every single thing about these pictures is perfect. From Law completely losing his mask of dark seriousness, to Zoro's smile going from over the top, clearly laughing his ass off at Law's reaction, to a slightly more dangerous but still brilliant 'got you now' once Law falls into his lap.

You know that moment in the second from the top. That moment where LAW FALLS INTO ZORO'S LAP?

And finally, my boy's just honestly smiling, having apparently achieved his goal of getting Law in his lap having Law on top of him forcing Law to join in, I guess.

I mean, look at his face! That's not a maniacal grin, isn't leering at him the way he does when he sees something he really wants to cut into pieces. He's not beaming in that way that shows all his teeth and means he's reallying messing with/laughing at you, nor is it his smug victory smirk, the one that means he's already won but still looks preditory for some reason. That is just an honest, happy smile.

For Law.

If Drum island suddenly experienced months of 90° weather it still couldn't represent how much I'm melting inside from that.

Not too mentioned Law's look of total shock. I don't think he's even actually struggling, you guys. I mean, Zoro's strong but not so strong his mere presence prevents the Op-Op fruit from working. I honestly think Law is just freaked out because he's forgotten what physical contact with other humans is like unless he is either actively fighting them. Look at his eyes. They have gone completely BSoD. He has no fucking clue what is happening or why it has to be happening to him.

No wait you guys it somehow keeps getting better!

Because Zoro just sitting there, holding onto Law for like two minutes, smiling and laughing and, okay, sure clearly a little drunk but absolutely having a great time. The only thing that manages to pull his attention off Law for even a second is when he's offered more alcohol and you guys?

Guys, he doesn't even react to the offer of free alcohol immediately!

[Law's face says he either knows he's in trouble if Zoro keeps drinking or he knows he's in trouble that Zoro didn't immediately give him up for more alcohol.]

And of course Law is still completely frazzled. "Why is Zoro-ya touching me where not in a fight right now and he's acting all friendly is he planning some kind of sneak attack? No this is Zoro-ya he thrown himself off a mountain to fight another mountain but he's still holding me and acting friendly and arg I cannot handle this what is happening!?"

I love how Law is angling his body as if he's scared of leaning back and actually Ohmigod touching Zoro, but at the same time, making non real effort to escape. Honestly, watch the gif. The boy doesn't even push, really

He's basically sitting there, not trying to get away, but feelings horribly nervous and desperately trying not to lean against Zoro.

[Give in, Law. I'll bet Zoro is all warm and fabulous to cuddle with.]

Basically, this is what my gay brain sees: You know when you like a girl (or guy) but you're both pretty quiet and shy (or silent and badass serious) plus, you know, you're both dealing with a lot what with almost being murdered and taking down an evil regimen. So there is no way you'd ever ask them out or anything.

But then, miracle of miracles, you both live! Everyone lives! And there's a huge celebration with food and drinks and even more drinks and you are a goddamn sword heddghog who defeat a mountain so people keep filling your cup and the you notice the cute emo boy sitting all alone looking so grim even though you guys won! And you're just tipsy enough to think yourself, fuck it, no one that hot should be alone all night so you go over and without thinking about it, grab him and pull him over to your lap.

And you know when you're really not good with people and ha e this reputation for being dark and broody and even in the middle of a party it doesn't feel normal to relax after years of constantly thinking about revenage. Then suddenly a bit guy has you in your arms and it's super embarrassing because you have no idea what to do and know your going to humiliate yourself and just want to get out there but he just keeps his (really musclar, warm) arm curled around you feel you have to protest the manhandling even thought you aren't sure why?

I mean if I had to take a random stab at what these guys were thinking.

I mean, I assume that the official explanation probably has some perfectly innocent heterosexual justification as to why the less sociable Strawhat absolutely had to pull Law in for an impromptu snuggles session but fuck if I can see it through all the gay.

Quick, someone with a straight brain, please explain to me what is happening in this scene!

Because otherwise every time I see the two of them interact after this, I'm gonna be forced to assume that canonically speaking, Zoro struck out with Law.

This is the single greatest moment ever.