#analysis: arlong park arc

[sanji-luvr]

Arlong Park - A Critique On Capitalism

After watching the Arlong ark arc it seems obvious to me that the arc is a critique of capitalism.

Initially, i didn't know what else to say on this but the obvious factors for me was Arlong's laser focus on money. As the arc progressed and we found out more about how he runs the villages he 'owns', it became clear that it is a perfect reflection of the current landscape we're living in now.

Paying to live under Arlong's rule is a scary prospect. Having to work day in day out to have the chance to see the next month is a terrifying ordeal. To be poor is a death sentence - quite literally. Bell-mere's story is one of great tragedy as it not only points out how cruel and unforgiving the capitalist system is, but it also points out how we are often dehumanised under it. Arlong didn't care about Bell-mere as a person, didn't care about her childhood, how she came to be the mother of Nami and Nojiko. He essentially saw her as a disposable source of income and nothing more.

Without getting into the details, the story of Bell-mere was a turning point for me, as I'm sure it was for most fand of One Piece. Up until now, the anime was essentially fun and games, and so the death of Bell-mere was a jarring watch. In refusing to deny her connection to Nami and Nojiko, she walked, willingly, into death. And as we progress in this arc, and the rest of One Piece, the importance and necessity of community and family is pointed out again and again.

Arlong meant this act of violence as a warning, and after witnessing the death of her mother at a young age, Nami took it as such. Shell-shocked and traumatised, she signs up to work for Arlong. At this point however, we are kept in the dark as to why. This omission was interesting to me for a number of reasons, one being that Nami had essentially betrayed her community, effectively being shown as a class traitor. My one take on this is on how capitalism alienates you from your community. That is how it works. It ensnares you with promises of a better life, of freedom, and draws you away from those who truly value you.

It's all the more tragic when you consider Nami's age. As a child, things seem incredibly black and white. In the case of Bell-mere: she was poor, and thus couldn't afford to live under Arlong and was shot as a consequence. The only option from there is to make enough money so that the same doesn't happen to you. In her case, however, her aim was to pay for the freedom of her village, and to do that she had to endure being ostrasized by the very people she wanted to save. But you can't outsmart the system from within it, no matter the advantage you think you have. This truth is heartbreaking, not only because Nami was so young, but because she was also incredibly earnest and genuine in her intentions. Later, when the money is taken from her, she is incredibly distressed, watching eight years of her life essentially thrown away.

I will admit, I was fooled into thinking that Arlong might stick to their agreement honestly. His remarks that he'd rather die than break a deal made over money gave me a false sense of hope. But when the other shoe dropped, it reminded me of one of the most frustrating things about capitalism - the goal post is always shifting. What Arlong managed to do was find a loophole: he hadn't broken his promise per se, but he had figured out a way to make sure Nami could never fulfil her end of it. The capitalist system, and all other systems that stem from it exist to keep you in the position you started in. And this realisation crushed Nami, as it does many of us. In the the midst of it all - after losing her mother, being isolated from her village, labelled as a witch and having your dreams stolen from you, freedom seems impossible, and understandably so.

In comes the Straw-Hats.

I think it's fair to say that Luffy's philosophy, and by extension the Straw-Hats philosphy, is community. There are two moments that stand out to me going forward from Nami's realisation, and those are when Luffy gives his hat to Nami, and his speech during his fight with Arlong. The message in these moments is clear to me: community aid is the antithesis to capitalistic ideals. Where capitalism preaches individuality above everything, Luffy is grounded in his community. The hat scene is an offering of support, and the fight against Arlong is Luffy acting on his sentiment.

The way Luffy goes about his life is the exact opposite of Arlong. He's built his crew on necessity, calling on people to do the things he can't do, to fill the gaps with skills that he is aware he lacks. He acknowleges this himself, stating that he is "confident he cannot live without help".

This scene was emotionally charged for many reasons, but the one that I have to discuss is how reliant Luffy is on his community, and the lengths he is willing to go to in order to protect them. Where Arlong boasts about his strengths, there is no mention of any flaws or skills he lacks in. And this is no accident. He is presented as an immovable figure, impossible to do away with, so much so that the people of Cocoyasi Village refuse to rebel against him for a second time. The system seems like it's impossible to take down. But the Strawhats manage it, not through individualism but through community efforts.

In the end, we learn that the answer to capitalism is mutual aid. Oppressive systems can only be taken down with community power, and that starts from the grassroots. Smaller communities band together and help their own, and it grows from there. The Straw-Hats showed us that, as wishy washy as it sounds, you cannot implement systemic change on your own.

[sailing-ever-west]

I'm obsessed with Nami in the realm of female character writing, because on the surface her arc is to be saved by a guy/group of guys, and generally with female characters that's used to take away their agency or power and/or support a romance. But with Nami...it does none of that. Her story is about learning to depend on others, but rather than reducing her power in any way, it increases it. The isolation she experienced before wasn't independence, but part of her oppression, so having a family to support her gives her infinitely more freedom.

Luffy is her captain, but the way Luffy does that is never to lord over people, it's to raise them up with him. And, importantly, he waits for it to be her choice. He stays supportively in reach until she asks for his help. The only time he intervenes without permission is to stop her from actively harming herself. And when he does intervene, it's not to whisk her away and keep her somewhere else safe where she's dependent on his security and protection, it's to literally beat the crap out of her oppressor so he's never a problem again and she's free to live her life either way. And although Sanji acts romantically toward her and the rescue follows his grand ideals of fighting for a beautiful lady, there's no expectation that she now owes him anything or has to give him a chance just because he helped her out of an abusive situation. He did it because he cared, not in exchange for anything. They were all willing to fight and bleed for her with next to nothing in return, and that's so vital.

Nami being a woman is definitely relevant to her story (using her beauty and pretend helplessness to steal without suspicion, the fact that she takes after her mom who was tough as nails in the male-dominated marines, the very real isolation and fear of being female surrounded by [fish]men with power over her), but it's important to note that she doesn't need saving because she's a woman, or due to any weakness on her part. She is shown as incredibly strong, brave, and clever, right from the beginning, but she was trapped in a situation with Arlong that would've been impossible for anyone to get out of alone. Now with a crew by her side, she no longer has to.

[ccapdis]

It's good that @crepes-suzette-373 made this post because I've been wanting to voice my thoughts on this topic for a while. Iti's nothing new, but I personally find the concept of 恋/koi within the story very interesting, as I think it's the word chosen to convey Sanji's feelings for Nami deliberately. I don't think it's a topic up for debate as there's no much depth in it, but anyway, I want to post my ramblings on Sanji, how he feels about Nami and women and the perception others have for that.

恋/koi (love) as a concept is significant, and I think it will gain weight later in the story. After all, it has been heavily present from the beginning, since Sanji first mentioned it in Arlong Park, going to Hancock and Gloriosa referring to a famous East Blue's poem (Hancock's love for Luffy reminisced Gloriosa to the same love that former Amazon Lily's empresses developed), and even going through Chopper on SBS.

It's a concept that I doubt will fall on deaf ears, as in this post, I believe too that it will potentially have a significant role in the future, be it for Hancock or Sanji's side (or both).

And when it comes to Sanji, it's always been in relation to Nami (except for that one time in Dressrossa, but it was the time he fell for Viola's lies when she still pretended to be Violet).

Indeed, 恋 is exclusively romantic, and in fact I have seen some translators choose to translate it as “true love". Furthermore, it connotes “desire, longing, wanting” and refers specifically to the “falling in love” part of it.

But all of this, the part in which the author 'lets us know' that this is how Sanji feels for Nami and that's when he brings up this 'East Blue poem', that hasn't been worded by Sanji, at least yet.

Bear with me. Back in Punk Hazard, Sanji used ホレち/horechi (from verb 惚れる/horeru) which means “to fall in love”. And then, in WCI, as we already know, he does indeed use the verb 好き/suki when Nami hugs him. Compared to 恋/koi or 愛/ai, it is a much more relaxed and informal verb.

Funnily, much, much later in the story, in chapter 1005 during the Wano arc, when confronted to Black Maria, he says "I want to love all the ladies" and he uses the verb 愛したい/aishitai ('I want to love', literally). And then, in the most recent chapters, when he fights S-Shark to protect Nami, he says 愛の力/ai no chikara (the power of love). What's different from 恋/koi? Well, 恋 is used only for romantic feelings, while 愛 (which he used to refer to all the ladies) is not necessarily romantic. In fact, it refers to a kind of pure and selfless love.

So, maybe, maybe Sanji still has to have some development to know truly what kind of feelings he truly harbors, and learn what he really wants.

Further in the analysis (and I'm aware this is already a pretty cheesy post) I went on to know how others perceive Sanji's relationship with Nami.

In Thriller Bark, Absalom said 妙 に 執着/myō ni shūchaku (deep concern and attachment) to how the Penguin zombie, with Sanji's shadow, felt for Nami (that “he was strangely obsessed over her”). Later on, he says that Nami is "the woman he wanted to protect"/守りたかった.

In Gyojin Island, 過剰 に 反応/kajō ni hannō is said by Hody's pirates, which referred to him overreacting to attacks on Nami.

Robin brings attention to the topic in chapter 1078 by saying "if Nami screams, someone is gonna rush in instantly".

And let's not forget the most famous:

This is part of my reasoning and why I believe that Sanji, despite him being the one in love with Nami throughout all the story and it being an idea very present in the manga and the characters in it, might not have yet figured out how he feels and what he wants when it comes to women and love.

[beanghostprincess]

sdfsdf i have to say that i LOVE how much u post abt SanUso, bc it's been an underrated ship for a while... it's really fun seeing all your headcanons and analysis in the tags (+all your other posts abt them!) I remember it was a ship of mine when I started watching the anime around 2003 and it reached the post-arlong park arcs and how they always seemed close in the anime... whether romantic, platonic or anything else, it's just cool to see that there is a larger fandom around it now and ppl post abt it so liberally :) (tho tbf, i did not go on internet forums back then bc anime forums were confusing and i was only a wee teen...)

Awwww I am so happy you enjoy my posts about them!!! They mean the world to me!! And even if I haven't been around here for long, I've seen some growth when it comes to the popularity of Sanuso too!!! It makes me,, Extremely happy,, To see more people giving them love,, They deserve it 💛💙

[tartytarttaker]

I thought Nami seemed the type to do money laundering, but thinking back on Arlong Park Arc, this analysis would be absolutely inaccurate and an insult to her character. Nami doesn't cut corners. She only has hard earned money. Methods questionable.

[monkeydluffy19920]

“The fear of losing someone you love”

This is probably mentioned before by fellow shippers but after re-reading Arlong Park arc again (for another prompt) it started to make even more sense why this whole Tea Party mess was such an emotional roller coaster for Nami and there might also be a reason why Oda-sensei decided to use such strong emotions with Nami when they reunited.

Perhaps the painful loss of the past haunted her the whole arc and now that she could finally be sure that she won’t lose another one she cares about, she shed the tears of joy out of relief.

SN Day (March 7) - Free theme ( @sannamiweek​​)

[mochiajclayne]

one piece fights and the meaning behind them: an interpretation (part one)

Note: This is solely my perspective on the fights that left an impact on me. Take what resonates with you. May contain spoilers. Scroll with caution!

Luffy vs. Arlong

Nami's room in Arlong Park symbolizes the chains that bind her, a reminder that Arlong is only using her talents for his ambition, like a bird inside a cage. Luffy destroying that room and defeating Arlong means Nami gaining her freedom.

In addition, Nami does go out and steal treasure from other pirates, however, she still needs to go back to that room--like a trained bird conditioned to return to their cage. It's not true freedom.

The fight could also reflect the shift on Nami’s perspective about pirates. In her introduction, she hates pirates in connection to her past but the more time she spent with Luffy, she realizes that as a pirate, he is different. Luffy destroying that room = eliminating the stereotypical bias fueled by hatred.

"I don't know how to use swords. I don't know how to sail the oceans. I can't cook. I can't lie, either. I'm confident that I can't live without help." - Luffy With power scaling being a thing in the One Piece fandom, this scene is widely ignored for the sake of "this character is powerful than that character" discussion. Let's embrace the fact that the Strawhats need each other and they are actual nakama.

Luffy vs. Crocodile

This fight emphasizes on trust between nakama. We see the drastic difference between the Strawhats and Baroque Works--Luffy trusts his friends while Crocodile says he never trusted anyone, even Robin. Eventually, it led to his downfall. 

Note that Baroque Works is an organization composed of devil fruit users, however, the agents themselves aren’t even acquaintances and Crocodile playing the mysterious boss long before he decided to meet them implies that their connection is solely business. To this, Luffy emphasizes that he will never be like Crocodile as he will lay his life on the line to help his nakama.

Moreover, in the middle of their third fight, Crocodile implies that Luffy is a fool for having ideals not fit for a pirate as the sea is harsh and there are people like him. Gives off a realist perspective, if you ask me.

Lastly, this fight introduces the recurring theme of fools with ideals and dreams surpassing what is expected of them (or the lack thereof).

Luffy vs. Enel/Eneru

Power always have its weakness. This fight depicted that being overconfident can lead to lapses in judgment. Enel, someone powerful to the point that he can play god, is too dumbstruck to fathom that an actual person isn't at all fazed by this logia powers.

Enel is known for taking advantage of people's weakness whilst testing their morals. He was too busy playing god to the point that he forgot that he is as vulnerable like the people he exploited. Luffy is a reminder that he is mortal, far from being an omnipotent entity.

This is perhaps a far fetched assumption but this fight is a foreshadowing to Corazon’s statement about the D family being sworn enemies of the god. Enel here as the false god and Luffy, a member of the D clan, defeated him.

Luffy vs. Silver Foxy

Long Ring Long Island arc might not be everyone’s favorite to the point that there is an unnecessary hate, however, the Davy Back fight reflects the Strawhats’ values as pirates and its drastic difference to the Foxy Pirates. Here are some examples:

+ Interfering with the events - in the majority of the events, Foxy uses his power to grant his crew an advantage. In Luffy’s case, he never interferes with his nakamas.

+ Blatant cheating - what’s interesting here are the reactions of the Strawhats particularly in the Groggy Ring. Weapons aren’t allowed in the game, making Zoro enter the field without his swords. Later on, the members of the Foxy Pirates are openly wielding weapons but the referee chooses to overlook such, making Sanji and Luffy mad (these people uses their body to fight yet they are the ones who reacted). Pirate fights aren’t fair by nature, however, the Strawhats value impartial and just behavior.

Davy Back Fight is a traditional pirate game where one may gain or lose a crew or more. In a way, it depicted the kind of relationship where the concept of being a nakama is way too good to be true as the crew may come and go quickly, change allegiances, etc. The Strawhats, however, does not conform to the traditional expectations of pirates.

Luffy vs. Usopp

THIS IS THE MOST PAINFUL FIGHT. And I've seen people using this card as a slander against Usopp, which doesn't sit well with me at all. This fight tested Luffy's capabilities as captain--and how his words/decisions reflect on the rest of the crew. The very same fight reflect Usopp's insecurities that he's been repressing for so long and is prompted by a culmination of overwhelming feelings such as shame for failing to protect the money, not being powerful enough, etc.

Take/interpretation: Usopp unconsciously clinged to the idea that he is still in the Strawhats because of Merry and when Luffy decided to get a new ship, it felt like his greatest fears came true. Thus, the reaction.

This fight isn’t about who was right or wrong. It focused on the emotional aspects, how anger and frustration could breed into lapses of judgment and make one say words they don’t mean like how Luffy was about to say that Usopp should quit the crew but Sanji kicked some sense on him, literally; how insecurities could make one forget their good attributes like how Usopp perceived himself as weak to the point that he said Luffy don’t need someone like him in order to become a pirate king when in actuality, his sniping skills are top tier.

"Everyone has things they can and cannot do. I'll do what you can't do, and you do what I can't do". Usopp needed to hear this and thankfully Sanji said such statement. Luffy is the kind of nakama that don't give a single fuck about how powerful a person is, he picks people who are true to their character and values. Moreover, he believes in them.

Part two will cover (1) Luffy vs. Rob Lucci, (2) the fight with Kizaru and the Pacifista before the Strawhat separation, (3) Luffy fighting the Gorgon Sisters in Amazon Lily, (4) Marineford.

[opbackgrounds]

Having read your Warlord analysis and how they were stepping stones and the system being eliminated in-universe is a good thing... what do you think of Mihawk, plot-wise, compared to the other 6? Like, obviously his role is Zoro's final obstacle to his dream, but, like, as a character. At this point, all the other 6 OG warlords have been dealt with in some shape or form (defeated or allied), except Mihawk. Plus, Mihawk works alone and he sparred with Shanks regularly before he lost an arm, and Shanks is the one who made everyone at Marineford stop fighting despite this "weakened" state. Even with him being retroactively added to the Warlords after Oda came up with them, he just seems so different compared to the other warlords. Is there a point to this or is it all window dressing to his function in the story?

The thing to remember about the Warlords is that they were a relatively late addition to the story. Oda said in one of his interviews he always had a plan for the emperors, but added the warlords later, even (semi) jokingly stating he only called them that because it sounded cool and wished he'd gone for a lower number so he wouldn't have had to figure out where to stick them in the story.

When Mihawk was introduced, it wasn't as a warlord. That title only came closer to the Arlong Park arc when Johnny and Yosaku name-dropped Jinbe. I personally think that when Oda first introduced Mihawk he hadn't thought up--or at least hadn't solidified--his plans for the Warlords, and only made him one retroactively to give the group a sense of legitimacy.

If my guess is correct, Mihawk the Strongest Swordsmen was a thing in Oda's brain long before Mihawk the Warlord, which could contribute to his different role in the story compared to a guy like Crocodile.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Mihawk is primarily Zoro's problem to deal with, rather than Luffy's. Several warlord have had aspirations to becoming the Pirate King which makes them a something Luffy has to deal with.

Mihawk being a swordsman is it's own separate deal, which automatically sets him apart. Mihawk is the pinnacle Zoro needs to reach, just like finding the One Piece is what Luffy needs to find in order to become the Pirate King. He was introduced as the end goal, so it makes sense that he's stuck around all this time. He's really the only Warlord whose main connection with the crew comes from someone other than Luffy.

It might also feel different because Zoro's dream is a lot more concrete than most of the other Straw Hats. His goal is wrapped up in beating the crap out of one specific person rather than some nebulous ideal, and that person was introduced super early on when Oda still thought the series was only going to last for 5 years. As the story expanded, Mihawk's role and influence did, too.

[warlordgab]

Nami analysis: Luffy will definitely become the Pirate King

This was originally meant to be a collection of a few Nami character moments to defend her from the trend of hate against her. But, a friend of mine got me to make an actual analysis about her given the recent manga developments. It's mostly about some aspects of Nami's growth throughout the series.

Let's start with one memorable scene from Skypiea...

...when Nami kept panicking, Luffy told her she shouldn't stop acting so pathetic for she's a companion of the future Pirate King.

Here, Luffy makes a connection between their success and the certainty of his dream. As in Nami shouldn't fear because Luffy being the future Pirate King means they'll always succeed at the end.

After Luffy gets BFR'd, Nami makes this her earnest belief. Instead of submitting to Enel in fear, or playing along with his plan to ensure her survival, she draws enough courage to take a firm stand...

...and face Enel on her own.

There's even a subtle symbolism in both scene. When Luffy is giving Nami the reason why she shouldn't panic, he gave Nami his treasured hat. And when Nami is about to finally challenge Enel, she grips Luffy's hat. (Oda is an amazing writer!!!)

It's subtle, but you can see Nami drawing courage from Luffy, his values, and his dream, to challenge a monster she had no way of beating

Oda decided to continue Nami's character growth in the movie he wrote, Strong World.

After realizing Shiki (and his army of mutated animals) headed towards East Blue, which included the hometown where her sister and other loved ones lived in, her first response was looking for Luffy...

...instead of panicking like she did in Skypiea, she sought the person that could reassure her everything would be all right. We went from symbolism to something a little bit more straightforward.

Even when Shiki defeated the East Blue team, Nami managed to keep her cool, so she could mess the plans of a legendary pirate who could easily crush her. Even when was caught and left to die, she didn't give up and proved she was willing to die to protect her hometown.

Huge displays of selflessness and actual courage. However, it's interesting to see that, as character moments, they were built upon her growth in Skypiea and Arlong Park. Why can we say that?

In Arlong Park she realized there are burdens, and even emotional luggage, she couldn't carry on her own so she had to rely on others to keep going. In Skypiea, she drew the strength needed to face overwhelming odds from Luffy.

Now, Luffy described Nami as their vanguard against Shiki, which indicates he knew that Nami was trying to fight Shiki's army from the inside. But, she never planned to carry this burden on her own. Luffy instilled in her the belief that being the companion of the future Pirate King means they'll suceed regardless of the setbacks they may suffer. At the end of the movie, we get the twist that Nami not only believes in Luffy...

...she gets embarrassed about the recorded proof of her faith in her captain when she realized Luffy didn't hear it. Arlong Park and Skypiea laid the groundwork for her belief, while Strong World solidified it.

Also, it’s worth noting her stand against Shiki is reminiscent of the brave attitude displayed by Silk (Nami’s earliest prototype) from One Piece’s first pilot: Romance Dawn V.1

A girl who was more than willing to fight in order to protect her hometown and her loved ones regardless of the foe. Was that intentional on Oda’s part? Who knows...

Now, how did Nami character change post-timeskip?

If we stick to the manga, everything they've been through so far had strengthened her faith and trust in Luffy and his dream. We can see it in the Wholecake arc...

... when facing Cracker, Nami declares with absolute confidence that the fact Luffy is the future Pirate King is pretty much the guarantee of their victory. Not everyone invokes a NLF when talking about Luffy.

So, when Sanji goes as far as brutalizing Luffy, and trash-talking his dream, Nami's response was... 

...which makes a lot of sense given how her confidence on the future, and part of her growth as a person, are tied to Luffy's dream.

The disrespect Sanji was forced to show now can be used as a contrast given recent developments; when Nami was in a life-or-death situation, scared and helpless before an enemy she couldn't beat on her own, she was offered a way out: disavow Luffy's dream of becoming the Pirate King...

... However, even when facing certain death, having no other way to defend herself or run away, Nami couldn't lie about Luffy becoming the Pirate King, not even to say her life. In the japanese version she answers: "Luffy will become the Pirate King... definitely"

We've seen Nami lying to weasel her way out of danger, but this time, she's literally incapable of lying about the fact Luffy will reach his goal. From her perspective that's a truth you simply cannot deny or reject under any circumstances.

That's an outstanding display of loyalty, but the overall theme connecting this moment to previous showings is "faith."

From Skypiea, she was told being a companion of the Pirate King ensured success, in Strong World, she was embarrassed to admit how strong was her faith and trust in Luffy. Post-timeskip, we now see her shouting it confidently to the enermy, and now she believes in Luffy so much, that not even facing death can make her say otherwise. That's how you develop a character!

I know I left out the Drum arc, Water 7, Shabaody, Fishman Island, Punk Hazard (Bellemere would be proud), Dressrosa, and Zou... but, it would take months and a kilometric post to cover hundreds of chapters worth of development. I only covered the essentials.

If you want more, check out the author's works; the manga and the Film series (SW, Z, and GOLD).

Point is, Nami is a great character who truly deserves to be described as “queenly,” not only because Oda said so, but also for her progression during this long-running story

BONUS:

Finally, I’m going to address an ugly trend in the west. Nami had been getting a lot of hate as of recent years. Even highly influential figures within the fandom tend to put down Nami. Many belittle her character, and they even compare her to other series’ characters that get treated as “chew toys” by their respective fandoms.

Why so much hate for Nami’s character?

Short answer: she has been dealt a bad hand

First, her role in the story and the crew puts her at odds with fans of characters they usually hype as greater figures of authority and power within the strawhat group. She commands too much authority, and that make fans pretty insecure about their favorite character’s position.

Along with this factor, there’s the fact she’s the most “human” in a crew (and a world) filled with superhuman people. Haters probably feel that someone so normal shouldn’t have so much agency. Specially when compared to other women

Speaking of which, that’s another reason why Nami gets so much hate. Her role as a heroine, and her superior navigation skills, makes her an incredibly important character to this story. And that makes the fans hyping other females see her a threat to their favorites’ position, like some sort of competion.

Which leads me to the other point people hate her: Nami’s relationship with Luffy. She’s closer to Luffy than many other women, which include more powerful and overhyped girls, and yes I said girls, because there’s more than one powerful female characters getting that hype

Last factor I’m going to mention is the pettiest of all: the way she responds to other characters. You probably realized that she reacted quite well to Inuarashi’s and Tonoyasu’s compliments, right? Well, thing is many fans want her to respond in a similar manner to their favorite character(s). Problem is that she doesn’t...

She’s a fiery woman with a lot of agency that doesn’t fall for flirting nor physical aesthetics, while challenging the main characters’ decisions, and/or questioning their idiocy. Meanwhile, there are physically stronger women who are far more submissive and/or subservient...

Overall, she’s on a bad position in the west.

Regardless of what haters feel or think, Nami is an amazing character that deserves as much love as she gets in Japan (probably even more). So, screw the morons trying put her down and/or failing to understand her worth. She’s the “queen,” and people should bow

[animebw]

Thoughts on One Piece So Far

Oh hey, it looks like I’ve somehow read 200 chapters of One Piece! That’s, like, 20% of its current chapter count. And to think I only started reading it back in October. Guess time really does fly when you’re having fun! But hey, now that we’ve bitten off a sizeable chunk of this manga, I figure now’s a good time to do a quick rundown of my overall thoughts so far. The shorter posts are good for my time management, but I haven’t done too much deep analysis in the way I would with a normal binge-watch. Which means I’ve got a bunch of big-picture thoughts rattling around in my brain that I haven’t gotten a good chance to talk about yet. And that’s no good; with a story as massive as this, sometimes you gotta take a step back from the details and look at its entirely. So, with 200 chapters under my belt and the adventure well under way... what are my overall thoughts on One Piece?

Well, short version: it’s good! I’d even say it’s very good, especially ever since we got to the Grand Line. It moves along at a decent clip, with each new arc introducing something new and interesting about the world and the people within it. It juggles tons of moving pieces, but it’s able to balance them out well and find time to give everyone cool shit to do. These long-ass fight scenes could easily descend into utter chaos from Too Much Stuff going on, but Oda always does a great job keeping all the balls in the air and directing your attention through increasingly complex multi-tiered showdowns. And while his art can be overly busy at times, he 100% nails every last splash panel. Like, goddamn, some of his two-page spreads belong in an art museum. On top of that, this is such a bizarre, fascinating world, and I can’t believe it manages to make magic superpower-gifting fruit and walking gun dogs and specially magnetized islands and the criss-crossing global geography all feel like part of the same universe. And we haven’t even gotten to the musical skeleton yet! You really feel like the possibilities are endless; literally anything could show up on the next island and it would make sense as part of this universe.

As for the Straw Hat pirates themselves, I’d say their strength as characters comes more from their group dynamics than their individual characters. On their own, Nami and Zoro and Sanji and Usopp and even Luffy are all very simple. But throw them together in a constantly evolving series of challenges that demand different kinds of character match-ups, and damn are they entertaining to watch. There’s no shortage of great little moments that spring just from how they interact with each other, whether butting heads or pushing each other forward. They do have a bit of the old Jojo’s problem where they’re basically only dynamic characters when the plot’s specifically focusing on their arc and are reduced to quip and punch dispensers at all other times, but as long as those personalities are entertaining- and they are- that’s perfectly fine. They’re first and foremost vessels through which we get to experience the world and their friendship, only occasionally stepping to the forefront for truly personal introspection. But whenever things do get personal- in other words, the backstories- that’s when One Piece becomes truly great. I still don’t think we’ve topped learning about Nami’s past in the Arlong Park arc. That was just... so good.

All that said, while I’m definitely enjoying One Piece a lot, it’s not yet one of my favorite things ever. It’s not even in my second tier of “I love this thing and think about it on a near-constant basis.” Maybe that changes as it keeps going and keeps getting better; some anime and manga really are designed for the long haul. But even 200 chapters in, there are very few moments where One Piece has really, for lack of a better word, “gotten” me. A god-tier fight scene, a heartwrenching tragedy, a moment of sheer emotional catharsis, something spectacular enough to sweep me away with awe. It’s got highlights and strong spots aplenty, but there have been very few moments where I’ve sat back and said, “Wow, this is incredible.”

Which means we’ve got to talk about the elephant in the room.

I am trying my absolute fucking hardest not to mentally compare One Piece to Gintama. They’re two very different anime/manga with very different goals, and they both deserve to stand on their own merits. And no piece of media is going to get a fair treatment from me if I��m constantly comparing it to my single favorite work of fiction ever. I am perfectly capable of taking One Piece on its own merits. That being said... yeah, these are both long-running Shonen Jump titles. They’re both huge, sprawling stories with a massive cast of characters, targeted primarily at a young male audience, trading in comedy and drama alike as they seek to restore your faith in the power of friendship and family. They’re certainly the longest works I’ve ever tackled on this blog: Gintama’s manga wrapped up around 700 chapters which translated to 367 episodes of anime and a movie, and One Piece just recently crossed its thousand-chapter mark, which would hypothetically land it around 600 episodes if not for all the gosh darn filler. So it’s kind of inevitable that I’ll end up comparing them to some extent.

And the sad reality is, everything that One Piece does well, Gintama does at least five times better.

Okay, let me clarify: the one thing One Piece has over Gintama is its worldbuilding and sense of adventure. Gintama mostly stays in a single city, but One Piece travels the entire world, and every location we visit is cool and exciting. In terms of the sheer breadth of the story’s world, One Piece is unquestionably king. But in terms of the sheer depth of literally everything else? It’s equally no contest in the exact opposite direction. Gintama’s characters are miles more complex and interesting. Its themes are infinitely more varied and realized with more detail. Its battles are charged with far greater emotional weight and thematic resonance. And it’s just able to do so much more in terms of actual content. Luffy and his crew are on this journey for the long haul, but Gintama’s loose relationship with structure allows it to tackle literally any kind of story you could possibly tell. From big battles to one-off vignettes to meta commentary to subversions and celebrations of every conceivable trope on the market, Gintama is a show that does everything a show can do, and does it better than it’s pretty much ever been done. All while still weaving a long-running narrative encompassing a staggeringly large cast of characters that are all given cool and important shit to do, down to the very last side characters you forgot about because they last appeared over a hundred episodes ago.

Like, let’s compare the Alabasta arc to, say, the Yagyu Clan arc from Gintama. In Alabasta, Crocodile is the big evil baddie who turns the people against their just and honorable king by feeding them lies. They get so swept up in the lies that good people on both sides of the conflict are tricked into attacking each other for crimes neither of them have committed, all while Crocodile stands to profit off it all out of a megalomaniacal desire to rule the world. He is unquestionably evil with no caveats, and his Baroque Works underlings are all equally evil in the exact same way. When the Straw Hats show up, they do battle against the agents in a series of one-on-one duels with few personal stakes beyond Beat The Bad Guy, all while racing a ticking clock to stop Crocodile and expose his lies before the good people on both sides tear each other apart.

Then there’s the Yagyu Clan arc, in which the antagonist is Kyubei. Kyubei is a traumatized enby forced by their family to fit into a toxic gender role, which has turned the a possessive abuser. They coerce Otae into marrying them by playing to her self-sacrificing tendencies, inspiring the rest of the main cast to come and save her. Over the course of their battle, in which the often-antagonistic Odd Jobs crew and Shinsengumi fight on the same side, we learn about all the important members of the Yagyu clan as people and how their influence poisoned Kyubei by forcing them into a box they don’t fit in. It’s not just a battle against evil, it’s a battle abusive parenting, and how that abuse can hurt people enough to turn them into abusers in turn. It sympathizes with the pain Kyubei’s suffered without excusing how they’ve turned that pain against someone else, respecting their identity while acknowledging that even people from marginalized groups can become abusers. And at the battle’s end, a defeated Kyubei realizes they were wrong and apologizes to Otae for hurting her, their parents apologize for raising them so toxically, and Kyubei begins the long and painful process of untangling their gender identity in a world that wants to fit them into a specific box, all while becoming a genuine positive influence in Otae’s life and one of the show’s best characters.

Do you see the difference here? The Alabasta arc is still good, and it does what it does well. But holy fucking shit, can you imagine anything like the Yagyu Clan arc in One Piece? Anything with that level of nuance and intensity and boldness in the subjects it tackles? It’s a treatise on abuse, its often inherited nature, gender identity, and how self-hatred can curdle into hatred of others. And it introduces yet another group of excellent recurring characters we’ll see throughout the show. And it includes a team of protagonists that don’t always work together but find themselves on the same side because of circumstance. And it finds time in the middle of all that for an episode in which four people engage in psychological battle to be the first to wipe their asses in a restroom with no toilet paper without breaking the flow. And it pulls all this off in six fucking episodes. The Alabasta arc is a climactic showdown paying off 100 chapters of build-up that’s over 50 chapters long, and Gintama packs more variety, complexity and emotional weight into a six-episode side arc that isn’t even close to the best arc of the series. There’s just no comparison.

I think the biggest problem with One Piece is that for all the complexity of its world and systems, it’s actually a very simple story. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad, friendship and teamwork win the day, don’t listen to oppressive power structures because they’re evil and oppressive, live free and true to yourself. That’s not a bad story to tell, but without added complexity, it limits how good One Piece can be. Gintama explores similar themes, but it does so with a level of maturity and nuance that One Piece hasn’t even come close to. Yes, the show that regularly breaks the fourth wall and makes dick jokes every other episode is genuinely mature in how it approaches its themes of colonialism, oppression, revolution, and social issues. I can’t hold One Piece accountable for not being Gintama, because nothing is Gintama, and it was never going to top it in my eyes. But when I think of how fantastic these kinds of long-running shonen can be, I can’t help but see all the ways in which One Piece could be better. There’s a reason the backstories are uniformly the best part of this manga; they’re the spots where we get to see the characters really, truly mess up, or be outright wrong in a way that has catastrophic consequences, or suffer the kind of tragedy that turns them into a different, much more flawed person. Those are the rare moments where One Piece is emotionally complex, where it achieves its full potential and is genuinely great. At all other times, it’s merely really darn good.

But hey, really darn good isn’t anything to scoff at either. At the end of the day, this is just me nitpicking where One Piece falls short to the best of its contemporaries. Standing on its own, it’s still a really fun adventure story, and I’m having a very good time with it. I’d say my current score is... 8/10 or thereabouts? Yeah, that seems about right. We’ll see if it can keep getting better as it goes. Until next time!

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

Tag Guide

(I have enough of a pile of posts built up now that this is kind of necessary, I think, hahahaha. I try and keep stuff at least a little orderly. Feel free to ask me to tag for stuff! I’ll update this post as I go and it’s now linked in the blog desc to make it easy to find.)

Organizational Tags

jonny reads op: Readthrough posts.

jonny answers: Answering asks.

jonny talks: Anything I say that’s not asks or readthrough posts. There’s fewer than you might think. 

jon does opening translations: I started translating the openings for fun and then people wanted to see them, so!

japanese and not japanese: Exactly what it says on the tin.

one piece and not one piece: Ditto above. 

about me: Posts or answers specifically about my, Jonquil’s, opinions and experiences.

language learning: Posts relating to, well, language learning. Specifically Japanese.

opspoilers: Posts about the latest chapters.

raw spoilers: Posts about the latest chapters prior to release of the official translation. 

Reoccurring Topics

character meta: All my long non-Japanese-related rambly meta character essays.

kakekotobullshit: My ‘this is a dumb Japanese pun and here’s why’ tag. 

oda’s name game on point: Double meanings behind names!

tanjokes: The puns behind the user-submitted birthdays.

luffy’s nicknaming escapades: Luffy’s adventures in calling people anything but their actual names.

skull joke: Brook’s jokes are actually funny in Japanese I swear.

fun with sound effects: ドン!

let the pirates say fuck: There is so much swearing in One Piece and the degree to which its censored in English is a crime.

the pronoun game: In which I never shut up about the nuances of Japanese’s various ‘I’ and ‘you’ pronouns.

love words: Uses of the word aisuru/aishiteru, and why it fucking destroys me.

panel breakdown: Translations/comparisons between the English and Japanese for specific panels or pages.

honorifics: About honorifics (chan, san, kun, etc) and their use.

the other kind of ships: People ask me a lot of questions about shipping for some reason.

sexism talk: Because it’s One Piece, it does come up from time to time, so this is the tag to blacklist if you want to avoid that.

ask meme: The tag where I keep all my ask meme answers.

panel appreciation: Sometimes I just need to share certain gorgeous panels.

opmeta: General meta analysis post tag.

fic recs: I read a lot of fic, so I end of recommending a lot of stuff, especially in response to different asks!

Arc Tags

(Note: I only started my readthrough proper at the end of Alabasta, so some of the earlier arc tags have few or no posts.)

romance dawn || orange town || syrup village || baratie || arlong park || loguetown

reverse mountain || whiskey peak || little garden || drum island || alabasta

jaya || skypiea

davy back fight || water 7 || enies lobby || post-enies lobby

thriller bark

sabaody || amazon lily || impel down || marineford || post-marineford

reunion || fishman island

punk hazard || dressrosa 

zou || whole cake island || reverie || wano kuni 

[creative-type]

Building up to Arlong Part II

 In my previous post I started my analysis of the East Blue Saga, looking at the arcs leading up to Arlong Park to see how Eiichiro Oda grew as both an author and an artist in those early chapters as he built the series slowly towards the first “epic” moments of One Piece. 

I ended that post with Orange Town and how Buggy managed to do something no villain before him had done (be memorable and interesting). It’s interesting to see how Oda follows up on this breakthrough with...well, this guy

I don’t really have much to say about Gaimon’s arc...chapter...whatever the heck it is. It’s completely random and doesn’t fit well with the rest of the East Blue chapters.To be fair to Oda, he does  cut loose and show off some of his wacky creativity, and there is some world building as the Red Line gets its first inauspicious mention.

There’s also something to be said about Luffy and Nami getting to know one another better and further insight into Luffy as a character, but it’s not anything that isn’t accomplished better in other places

I will admit this made me laugh, though

Syrup Village

Moving on, we jump to Usopp’s recruitment arc. This one is one of the more intriguing of the East Blue arcs (intriguing not equaling good) in that I liked a lot of the individual pieces but found the overall product to be a little lackluster. 

I think part of this is the setting. One Piece is at its best when it’s exploring wild and crazy new places, but Oda hasn’t gotten to that point in the series yet. This arc’s supporting cast is also pretty generic. Usopp’s Pirate Gang aren’t the most annoying little kids I’ve ever seen, but they are annoying little kids. Kaya is...okay. She shows some real gumption after Kuro shows his true colors, but I’m not sure that makes up for all the time she spent being boring early on.

Usopp himself can be hard to like, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Usopp is the everyman of One Piece. He’s not a power fantasy like Luffy or Zoro nor supernaturally talented like Nami. He has the greatest personal flaws of any of the Straw Hats, and his dream is the only one in the crew to be internal rather than external. With that in mind, firmly establishing Usopp’s foibles and his weaknesses makes his victories - both in this arc and later in the series - all the sweeter, even if it makes these chapters a bit of a slog to get through.

This arc does manage two things that would later become staples of the series, and once again we have our villains to thank

There are some very specific trends in One Piece’s villainous organizations. Most are headed by the main antagonist of the arc and are fought by Luffy. Below the leader there’s usually an annoying, but decently strong character taken out relatively early on (think Pearl, Mr.5/Miss Valentine, Satori, etc). This character acts as both hype and a teaser for bigger fights to come, but also carry some narrative weight by giving insight into the plans/mindset/priorities of the enemy organization as a whole. 

Lastly, Oda usually adds a lovable, quirky villain who, if not the second in command, is one of the strongest fighters in the arc. These characters humanize the Straw Hat’s enemies, add levity, and are generally really fun - so much so that more often then not they return later in the series as a recurring character.

The Nyaban brothers fit into the annoying but decently strong category, but Jango steals the show as the first lovable, quirky minion of the series (I think Oda tried with Buggy’s crew, but they lack the necessary charm to pull it off). Heck, the first thing we see him do is accidentally hypnotize himself after moonwalking down the path to Usopp’s village. Later on it’s hard not to feel at least a little bit sorry for the guy when we see the hopeless position Kuro has put him in. Jango may be an antagonist, but he’s fun and likable and honestly having him join the marines through the power of dance is amazing.

Gin, Hatchan, Betham, and Kaku all fit to one degree of another into this mold, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Jango.

Secondly, Kuro is the first cerebral villain of the series. Alvida and Morgan relied on brute strength, and while Buggy exhibited a certain amount of cunning he, too, was focused on overwhelming firepower and his Devil Fruit to win the day. 

Kuro of a Thousand Plans. His epithet says it all. Kuro is conniving, sneaky, underhanded, and without a shred of honor to hold him back as he meticulously plans to murder a sickly girl for nothing more than his own peace and comfort. 

All of Oda’s most memorable villains have this Machiavellian mindset. Crocodile, Doflamingo, and most of all Blackbeard are all chess masters to one degree or another. Though their end goals are completely different, you can see a lot of Crocodile especially in how Kuro built up an unshakable reputation while biding his time to strike. They even share a penchant for breaking speeches

It’s such a little thing, but the words “I suffered” elevate Kuro to one of my favorite East Blue villains, well above even Buggy. It’s so needlessly cruel, twisting the knife right where he knows it will hurt most, just because he can, and I freaking love it.

As a side note before moving on, Oda’s attention to detail is also to be commended during this arc. The way Kuro adjusts his glasses makes for an excellent and chilling re-read bonus, and connecting Morgan’s past to Kuro’s gives the former a little more depth than before.

The Baratie

It’s interesting to compare the Baratie to Syrup village because in many ways these arcs have opposite strengths and weaknesses. Where Syrup village had strong antagonists and a weak setting/side characters, the Baratie is the most memorable locale of the East Blue Saga and has an extremely strong secondary cast.

The Baratie as a concept brilliantly fits into the world of One Piece. The idea of a floating restaurant in a world that’s 90% ocean makes perfect sense, and it’s one of the times that Oda integrates the setting with his characterization. It’s not creativity for creativity’s sake, and unlike Gaimon’s sub-arc...chapter...whatever that was there’s a method behind the madness. 

This excellent setup is the backdrop to some superb character writing. Sanji is by no means my favorite Straw Hat, but his strained relationship between Zeff and the rest of the Baratie is done extremely well. It’s one of those situations where no one is 100% right or wrong and you just wish they’d all enter counseling or something so they could figure out how to talk to one another without resorting to violence.

It doesn’t hurt that this is when Oda figures out how to properly use the power of Tragic Backstory (tm) to its most devastating effect. While no (named) characters die, Sanji’s backstory is raw, painful, and emotional in all the right places. It’s in expressing these extreme emotions where Oda’s cartoony style is at its most effective. Oda’s characters don’t just cry, they cry ugly, and that’s so important when setting the tone of these heavy moments.

I don’t have much to say on Kreig or his crew because he’s boring and I despise Pearl with every fiber of my being, but once again we get some fun fight choreography. I especially like the sequence when Sanji spits his cigarette into Gin’s face before kicking him halfway across the deck, only to get a tonfa to the ribs for his effort. 

Also this happens, and it’s soooo satisfying to see Kreig get punched in the face. 10/10, would watch again

But the one thing that the Baratie does best of all the East Blue arcs - better than even Arlong Park - is world building. The entire series people have been telling Luffy and co. that the Grand Line is super dangerous and that he shouldn’t go, but it’s only here that we see that we see that played out in real time with Mihawk’s introduction to the plot. The Straw Hats have thus far been presented as invincible badasses when they’re nothing more than a big fish in a little pond.

All the stuff with Mihawk is big-picture storytelling and one of Zoro’s best moments. I don’t think that anyone who follows One Piece needs to be told how well Oda does at developing his world. More important to the build up to Arlong Park is Oda’s use of immediate foreshadowing. Right about the time Mihawk shows up Johnny and Yosaku catch Nami checking out bounties, specifically Arlong’s though he’s never named and we don’t see his picture. Immediately after Nami steals the Going Merry so she can run away, and we see her facade start to crack a little under pressure. Note especially how utterly exhausted she looks in this panel here

This all happens in the same chapter Zoro challenges Mihawk, and the action cuts between the swordsman’s pre-fight banter and the story of how Johnny and Yosaku lost the Merry. Zoro’s fight is the more immediate concern, but when constructing the chapter, instead of going out on that high note Oda cuts back to Nami a second time, this time sailing alone on the open ocean

If it weren’t already obvious by the whole rest of the series, this scene proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that there’s more to Nami than meets the eye. This is the first time we see her truly vulnerable, almost to the point of being broken, and it puts a completely different meaning to all her actions previous and what we’ll see coming up in later chapters.

I do think there is some significance to putting the Nami scene last over Zoro’s, because as the last thing the audience reads it’s what tends to stick in their mind longest week to week. We don’t see Nami again for a long time, and when we do all her defensive walls are firmly back in place. This is the Nami Oda wants us to remember when she’s going around Cocoyashi village telling Luffy to leave her the hell alone.

The Conclusion

What really stands out to me when going over these early chapters leading up to Arlong Park is Oda’s vision for the series from the word go, even when his execution isn’t as consistent as later on in the series. The whole East Blue saga exists to do two things 1) build the core of the Straw Hat Pirates 2) answer the question Who is Luffy.

Each antagonist from the lowly Alvida to Arlong himself has a weakness in their leadership ability that directly foils Luffy. These chapters show us what kind of pirate, what kind of captain, and most of all what kind of man Monkey D Luffy is, and what values he will and will not stand for. 

Arlong Park is the emotional peak of the East Blue saga, and it works because Oda has taken the time to build up to that peak. The impact would not have been the same if it had been placed earlier in the series because it would not feel earned without seeing Nami interact with the rest of the crew for as long as she did. Nor would it have worked if Oda hadn’t placed the breadcrumbs of her story for the audience to pick up along the way. 

It’s impossible for every arc to hit all the high points that Arlong Park does, because not all arcs are designed to do so, nor should they. That being said, there’s a steady increase in quality seen even in these early chapters as Oda gets his sea legs and figures out exactly what story he’s trying to tell.

[sanjiafsincedayone]

SaNa is a good ship

It’s time I make a proper post… It’s been too long and I really want to be a contributor to this fandom, I just can’t always make time for it.

I want to talk about Sanji and Nami and some pointers, if you will, about why shipping them makes sense. Now this does not mean that SaNami is a superior ship in anyway or that others aren’t free to ship whatever they want, because first and foremost shipping is supposed to be fun.

So, what I want to say are just why SaNami can make sense from a writing perspective, and also with some of my own added opinions on why it’s a good ship. This post will not cover all my reasons for shipping SaNa personally, but there will of course be bias, it’s not really anything any shipper can ever avoid. But I am trying to talk about things that still makes sense, so I still consider this an analysis. I hope you enjoy this.

Sanji and Nami’s personalities work well together and they understand each other.

Arguably this could be said about most strawhats, but I still want to talk about it a little deeper. As the story has been written there are many good moments of interaction between Sanji and Nami that shows that they have a pretty mature relationship, despite what many might think. And especially during Enies Lobby (Nami talking to Sanji about his chivalry), Fishman Island (Sanji talking about Nami’s past), Punk Hazar (Nami asking to save the children) and on Zou (them discussing the minks, Nami being worried and of course her talking about Sanji’s past) the two of them seems to have gotten some good serious moments together that comes with showing understanding for each other.

We can also see that their minds are quite alike with similar mentality and intelligence. Something that is actually rather important, and for me personally a reason why I usually like certain ships. Being on the same level and having enough understading of each other is a good way to develop any relationship. Basically they get along really well and they would have a good foundation for a romantic relationship to grow from.

But at the same time they also have their moments of disagreement, and they can listen and discuss to get to an answer which is essential if we would want a relationship to work well (of course Oda isn’t exactly the most realistic writer, but still). This is a good and stable ground to base a relationship on, because it shows that they actually listen to each other. It’s also important that they actually seem to want to learn more about each other, and that Oda has used them to show the other person’s past or to highlight their personality traits. I’ll get back to this a little later.

Despite what people may think they can grow as people and as fighters in each other’s company.

Nami and Sanji have a lot of fights that relates to the other. Nami has even specifically been pointed out as a weakness when it comes to Sanji. I’ve talked about that in more detail in my post: Sanji and Nami - Fights and danger. This is in itself rather interesting because that means Oda subtly ties them together quite often. It’s a way to highlight their relationship without the other even having to be present.

In fact, when it comes to their battle abilities we’ve already seen the both of them get stronger and develop new skills in regards to the other. Sanji even seems to get Nami as a “battle booster” in a lot of fights. What I mean by that is that Oda specifically make Nami a part of Sanji’s battle in some way which can then lead to him winning the battle. The first example is in Arlong Park where Kuroobi talks bad about Nami which pushes Sanji over the edge, Sanji vs Wadatsumi is another. Even a case as with Mr. 2 turning into Nami is an example of this. Over the years this has happened a lot. And in both fights and with Sanji’s sacrifices we can see that Nami is a more prominant figure than any other.

Then with Nami we can see how her fight with Kalifa came from after Sanji lost, and in Skypiea too Nami fought to protect Usopp and Sanji. Sadly Nami doesn’t have as many fights, but there are still examples where Sanji has been present, in thought or otherwise. Even when they had their body switch Nami commented about how Sanji’s strong body saved her.

We also saw Nami under Sanji’s command as they fought against Big Mom, something she and the others later got praised for. Sanji also didn’t act when Nami got attacked by Wanda after Nami told him she could handle it. Mostly I just want to point out that just because Sanji likes protecting Nami that doesn’t mean that he thinks she’s weak or that she won’t grow as a fighter in his presence. Somehow there is this image of Nami not getting any time to shine because of Sanji if they are togehter because “she’s a delicate thing and not a person that can take care of herself“, but this just isn’t how Oda has written it. This is not how Sanji sees Nami. He wants to protect her, yes, but not because he think she’s weak.

One very important thing when writing characters is for them to grow and evolve as the story progress, of course this goes way beyond just getting stronger. Some might think that Sanji and Nami as a combination would simply be stuck in their worst habits, particularly Sanji and his perverseness. But as we have already seen a few times in the Whole Cake Island arc, and even before that, there are plenty of times where Sanji acts very normal and mature around women too. And this includes his relationship with Nami. Actually Sanji’s relationships with his female nakama is already a good ground for him to develop how he acts towards women. Unfortunately, Sanji digressed a bit after the time skip, but that has mostly been amended by Oda already. The latest chapter was something of a setback for Sanji, but it is still a part of his character to be a pervert, and I am sure that trait is there to stay.

But again, as with all the strawhats Oda has shown them both growing individually and also together, being there to witness the other person’s moments and thus giving them a better understanding of each other.

Now as for Sanji’s trope of being a pervert it wouldn’t’ take a lot to make it work even with Sanji getting romantically involved. Early on a lot of Sanji’s jokes were more based on fawning and flowing hearts rather than actual perverseness. Getting back to that a bit and also making it solely focused on Nami would enable Sanji to still feel like the same character without it getting in the way of a serious relationship. In fact, Nami acting tsundere and hitting Sanji for being a pervert could even still be part of their interactions too, just with a slight twist. As it is now most of Sanji’s perverted jokes are already aimed at Nami. So, the jokes could still be there, and Sanji could still fawn, just in a different way. Basically what I’m trying to say is that Sanji would simply have to stop his over the top actions, mostly with other women, which is something I definitely don’t see as impossible. Now the key is writing this well of course, but either way this would be a subtle enough change to make Sanji still feel like the same character while still making him more mature.

Many people are quite tired of Sanji being over the top with nosebleeds and such, but it’s still to be expected of Sanji’s character. However, we need to remember that Sanji being a pervert doesn’t have to mean that SaNa can’t happen. Sanji is not in a relationship, and thus him oogling other girls is not an offence against Nami (though I would prefer him being more chill). It’s also very possible that what Sanji really craves is true love, just look how he acted towards Purin, trying to convince himself that he could be happy with her, only to get devestated when she proved to be evil. We’ve also seen Sanji become much more innocent when actual prospects of love has been present. Like asking for a simple kiss on the cheek from Violet.

Hence Sanji getting romantically involved could in itself be a very natural way for Oda to make him grow and develop as a character. Same could happen with Nami. Nami has already changed more prominently than Sanji has though, so her growth as a character could be slightly different.

But basically Sanji and Nami getting together, if written well, could make the both of them better people/characters while still maintaining the gags that Oda loves. He could even throw in more of the jealousy type gags, which he already uses from time to time with Sanji in regards to Nami.

Now I’ve talked about what many see as a problem when it comes to Sanji x Nami, so now I’ll move on to things Oda has done while writing that should be taken into consideration.

A change in the relationship

For romance to work in One Piece without the readers getting thrown off there needs to be a clearer development in a at least partly romantic tone. If Oda ever writes romance for a strawhat I don’t see it being too obvious, but it still needs to feel natural for the readers to accept it. Of course past development is also important, but that is just a foundation from which new interactions and feelings needs to develop.

Now, if we ponder the idea of Sanji and Nami actually getting together (if so most likely slowly getting more developed together in a romantic way) towards the end of the series we could possibly already see the change in their dynamics that would be necessary.

In the most recent arc we’ve seen them act in ways towards or in regards to each other that we have not seen before and in storytelling this kind of catalyst is very common. It’s why tropes like “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” are used a lot. Because even if things are always slowly developing there are usually a need for a trigger to make a bigger change more plausible when writing. This is a way to make readers more adapt to the focused on relationship and more in tune with the fact that it’s changing. I’m not saying this is exactly what is happening with Sanji and Nami, but it could be, at least in part.

(Please ignore the bad translation) The slap in itself could be seen as a sort of turning-point for them, a hurdle they will need to get over, and that might then lead to further development between them as a reconciliation is necessary. In a story this could be the low point in their relationship, the final straw of a problem that will need to be resolved by the end.

We did see them talk about it briefly, which is another moments that should’t be ignored. Nami specifically said she won’t forgive Sanji, something Sanji specifically worried about. It’s another very common trope in storytelling, and I was quite surpised with how Oda highligthed it so much.

Nami is acting typically tsundere in regards to Sanji here, and that too is a typical manga trope that could mean something when it comes to Sanji and Nami’s relationship changing. Nami clearly wants Sanji back, but she is still hurt and has not yet forgiven him. This just shows how personal it was this time. Also, again Oda took the time to highlight Sanji’s worry about Nami’s reaction specifically, something that is very in character but also makes the readers realize that what happened between Sanji and Nami with the slap was not to be taken lightly.

And the thing is that it’s still not resolved, proving it could be an even bigger deal. Meaning Oda could very well have a plan for their proper making up that in the long run also become a new catalyst for a serious romantic development. It happens gradually, but is sped up by bigger individual moments. The wedding itself or the end of the arc still holds possibilities for more such moments to happen between Sanji and Nami.

Involvement in each other’s storylines.

Sanji has often had Nami play a part in his fights, as I briefly mentioned earlier, and out of all women in One Piece Sanji has by far had the most interactions with Nami. Which is nothing strange considering she’s a nakama and she joined before Robin. But besides that Oda also likes to put Sanji and Nami together quite a lot. Especially if we compare between Nami and Robin this becomes rather obvious. This is of course not a romantic indicator in any way, but it does show that Oda focus more on developing and showing their dynamics compared to again for example between Robin and Sanji. Even when I group Sanji tends to communicate more with Nami than with Robin. Basically we can see that at the very least Oda is more interested in the dynamics between Sanji and Nami than Sanji and Robin. Of course the fact that the five first strawhats have been together longer also matters here, but either way Sanji and Nami has had plenty of moments over the years. But most of those moments have been rather subtle, or one-sided.

As many SaNami fans has noted before, the fact that the two of them seem to be unconscious a lot of the time they otherwise could have had rather good moments is also interesting. Even so the two of them have shown great interest in each other’s past, they’ve been involved in the other person’s fights in different ways and have of course had plenty of moments where they help the other or worry about the other. This could also be about only nakamaship as they are both very caring people, but there are still quite a lot of these moments between them compared to some other strawhats. Meaning Oda has indeed put some effort into showing their interactions. It’s not a ship with zero development if you will, no matter if you see it as purely nakamaship or not the two of them have had quite a lot of moments though often very subtle.

Now, we should also note that Oda has repeatedly used Nami as a means to highlight Sanji in this arc. Which is also a way to show Nami’s true thoughts about Sanji, that she as a rather tsundere character don’t usually show. The increased focus on one character from another is also a very common way to make readers see things that might not have been noticeable before. We can see that the chapters in Zou and after has actually had a lot of casual readers react to certain SaNami moments (even Toei has upped the moments in the anime). Of course not all see it as a serious leeway into romance, but the fact that it has been noticed could very well be a start. And again, having moments like the slap, showing how Sanji is particularly worried about Nami’s reaction and having Nami say that she will never forgive Sanji are other examples that brings attention, as well as show how personally affected they are by each other.

Sanji’s interest in Nami

Putting aside Nami’s side of things for now, the fact that Sanji is so obviously interested in Nami does make it more difficult for other ships to happen. Now, this is in no way me saying that Nami has to be with Sanji because she owes it to him or because what he wants is more important than what she wants. No, because this is not the real world. This is a story written by a person with a purpose and an end in mind.

What I’m trying to get at is that Oda writing about Sanji’s obvious interest in Nami and showing him being jealous many times means that for Sanji to not break character there needs to be a good resolution. Now, either Oda could write Sanji off to another character that makes him happy, or he could leave things open, meaning no change from how things are currently. But doing the opposite, meaning making Nami end up with someone else while Sanji can just stand and watch while being jealous, does not seem very likely. Mostly because Oda would have to resolve a love issue and that’s just not his focus. Again, this could make Sanji seem like a horrible person, but this is all in line with how Oda has written him this far. (The same can actually be said about Hancock, though she’s less important as she’s not one of the main characters.) To simplify we can say that to have Sanji happy at the end of series there are three likely outcomes, either he ends up with Nami, with someone else or Oda leave things the way they are with no romance at all for the strawhats. Because it seems unlikely that Oda will change this part of Sanji’s character that he has actually gone out of his way to show plenty of times.

The last one is the most likely one since we know Oda won’t focus too much on romance. But it is by far more possible that Sanji ends up with Nami than any other woman. Why? Well, because Oda has over 20 years put more emphasis on Sanji’s relationship with Nami over any other woman. Now Purin was perhaps a real contender until she turned out to be evil, but it seems unlikely that Oda would throw in yet another possible romantic interest for Sanji after the current arc. (Or he could kill Sanji and get rid of the ���problem”.) More or less, unless Oda wants to deal with heartbreak again for Sanji the best option is for Oda to either let things be or to give Sanji what he wants; love. I know it sounds bad, but this has nothing to do with Sanji being rude or possessive or not wanting what is best for Nami. A real person can deal with this and put the others person’s happiness before their own, but they would still have to deal with it, meaning Oda would have to deal with it and I just don’t think he would. He would somehow have to compensate simply for Sanji to have the happy end I’m sure Oda will give to all of his main characters.

A character like Sanji that has also always been about love, often talking about it, and also with the recent developments regarding his past, makes him a more likely option for love by the end of the story. Love is always a hurricane!

I suppose one could argue Oda would just simply make Sanji move on to another “target”, and that is of course a possibility too. But if so the choices Oda has made with focusing Sanji so much on Nami would be rather odd. Even just evening it out between her and Robin would have been a better way to go from the beginning.

Romantic themes

Again, we have to remember that everything Oda puts in the manga is a conscious choice. A choice that to a various degree has a purpose within the story. Now, a lot of the things he’s done with Sanji and Nami are moments that in different ways can be seen as unnecessary unless Oda wants to show Sanji’s interest in Nami more prominently. I am talking about romantic themed moments in particular, because there are of course also many moments that can be purely seen as between nakama. That being said, moments between nakama are of course also important and are needed for a more solid relationship no matter if it’s later developed into romance or not.

What are romantic themed moments then? Well, no matter how much of a joke it might be Sanji rescuing Nami from a forced wedding and holding her in a wedding dress is a story point that didn’t have to happen that way. Sanji took a knife for Nami while the bad guy questioned why Sanji would die for her. That is in at least some way a romantic scene. Not a moment for romance to develop between the characters, but clearly there for the readers to note. The thing is that symbolism is a very important tool when writing, and having two characters involved in the rescue of each other from marriages is worth noting at the very least.

In Thriller Bark it’s also interesting to note that Sanji’s zombie talked about love as a strong power in front of and because of Nami. Nami even recognized it as something Sanji would say. It was not about being a pervert, but about love. He also had Sanji’s zombie protect Nami while later on kicking Robin. Now, these choices were made by Oda, and though they could be insignificant, they should still be taken into consideration.

Sanji’s other sacrifices can more easily be seen as him simply being the kind man he is and being there to help his nakama. Another detail that Oda could have done differently is the love letter that Sanji wrote to Nami in Water 7. Again, perhaps it’s just seen as a stupid joke, but it was another romantic typical gesture that didn’t have to happen. Same thing with Oda’s recent joke about Nami proposing to Sanji. Did it have to be there, in that way? Even better examples are Sanji actually asking Nami if she loves him. Something he hasn’t done with any other woman which just shows that it wouldn’t have been strange at all for Oda to simply skip them. Or at least make them happen with other characters too.

Also, the first time we saw Sanji with heart-eyes was with Nami. And they were openly flirting after and Sanji even got a hug. Even if it is not meant to be taken seriously it’s still there to be noticed, and many people shipped Sanji and Nami early on because of it and moments that followed in the Arlong arc.

Again, Sanji does a lot of love-related things to many female characters. But there are things that makes Nami special. Even the –san and –kun matters in this because it would have been so easy for Sanji to just call other women with –san. It wouldn’t be weird at all, so why doesn’t he? Why keep it specially for Nami? These are definitely choices Oda has made consciously, and even if they are rather minor they are still worth taking into consideration. Not to mention that even if they are significant or not they are still great moments for shippers.

Shipping Sanji and Nami is actually rather great, because we get a lot of good moments that with shipping goggles on can easily be seen as romantic. We never expected Sanji to carry Nami in a wedding dress, we never expected Nami to cry about Sanji being gone, or worry about never getting to see him again (at least not voicing it out loud), we never expected Nami to slap Sanji and for Nami to be so personal about her not being able to forgive him. Things can change constantly, but either way Oda is bringing a lot of excitement to the SaNa shippers.

In conclusion, these are just some of my reasons for why SaNa is a good ship and why the way Oda has told the story with Sanji and Nami’s characters is not in the way for a romance to develop. Meaning that’s it’s easy for us that like Sanji and Nami together to dream on and hope for romantic development to happen. What we can say is that no matter if SaNami is for you or not it is still a good ship in the sense that it could work within the story and the friendship and proper dynamics are there for shippers to support. Everything else is just a bonus really!

I hope at least some of you found this to be an interesting read. There are of course plenty of other good reasons to ship SaNami that I didn’t bring up, but I felt like writing this with a certain focus to storytelling and writing. Let me know what you thought, I love reading your comments! Thanks for reading~

[dshanks-op]

OVER 1000 FOLLOWERS! YOOOO in just little over 4 months.....I’m speechless. 

I’m glad there are a lot of LuNa fans who enjoy my analysis and content and I appreciate each and every one of you who decided to follow me. 

I initially joined because I wanted the LuNa fandom to get more vocal and to celebrate more of our awesome pairing, especially with the abundance of moments and hints that we got last year! 

Since then, I noticed a shift in behavior and I’m glad it’s become what it is today. So many awesome analysis and reviewers along with the unison of the community :D

Since this is a big checkpoint for me, I wanted to take this opportunity and describe when and why I started shipping LuNa:

Like many of you, it was during the climax of the Arlong Park arc. There's something special about the way it was executed and handled and it still stands as one of the most iconic arcs in all of OP. It is a testament that it has not been replicated or been compared to anything else, because there's none like it. Oda made this arc all about Nami and her character. While at the same time Luffy is the one who ironically skips all the background info about Nami and still decides to recklessly crash a feared fishmen's territory. All for the sake of making his navigator cry. Never, in all of OP, has Luffy done anything remotely similar for anyone else. He had no background info on her or the situation, blind faith in her character and actions, and complete anger while putting his life on the line for her without a legitimate reason. What sealed the deal for me was when Luffy takes the fight to Nami's old room. He gets a small glimpse of what her life must've been like and he absolutely loses it. Arlong couldn't even move his damn sword an inch while Luffy was holding onto it with his mere fingers. Arlong should be grateful Luffy didn't hear a word about what Arlong did to her step-mother otherwise he may have been the first villain to be actually killed (jk btw lol but he seriously would've lost much early on). Not only did Luffy become enraged of how Arlong treated Nami, he took it upon himself to make sure that room doesn't exist! And he even says he will destroy any place she doesn't want to be in! The world gov't should be more afraid of Nami than Dragon because the second she starts to hate the world, it's game over lol.

Anyways, that pretty much sums up when I started shipping this awesome pairing, and I hope we get many more moments to come. Ship on!!

[kai-keda]

"Nakama" isn't a significant Japanese word though, or even difficult to translate. Lazy One Piece fansubbers who couldn't figure out a translation for Luffy's declaration of friendship to Nami in the Arlong Park arc that they liked made it appear that way and it took off as some special phrase to Western fans, whereas in Japan it's just a standard word for companion.

I think the idea is that it's one of those loosely defined words because you do see it used seriously in One Piece but mostly by Luffy. Even characters in One Piece raise an eyebrow at how seriously Luffy takes the term even if he's not the only one to do it. I've heard the word and have heard it taken seriously by other characters in other anime, too. Where they'll tell people that they aren't just friends but really close friends - using the term "Nakama" for the later but I also hear it used casually in other anime.I really think it's just a case of "it depends who you are". Like how the term "companion" can mean something serious for some and nothing special for others.I'm not 14 anymore. I know that "nakama" is not some big super special term that everyone has to take seriously all because Luffy and a few other fictional characters do.However I do stand by that "nakama" means more than just "acquaintance" which is what a lot of people act like Toriyama meant. English has different words to mean different levels of friendship that some people take more seriously than others, why is it so hard to believe that Japanese might as well?It does not take away your romantic feelings for someone all because you can say "they're my best friend." Ask any long-lasting married couple and they'll tell you as much. I think this idea of not being allowed to call your S/O your best friend comes from the stupid friend-zone myth where people think that if you're friends, you can't ever get in a relationship. Hi, my name is Kairi Yajuu and if we're not friends first, I won't look twice at you. You should meet my sister, Reda Suki, her husband was part of her friend group for god knows how many years and she only ever went out with people who were in said friend group in high school.What's really frustrating about all this is that I could not care less what Toriyama thinks of Goku and Chichi's relationship - I practice what I preach tyvm - but this particular interview needs to stop being used so grossly inaccurately.It doesn't prove jack shit and just like with the kiss scene, claiming that being friends with your S/O means you harbor 0 romantic feelings will just tell me that you're very immature and wouldn't know a healthy relationship if it bit you on the butt.All that interview says to me that I didn't consider before it is that Vegeta sought Bulma out and used her for comfort which is cute and something I can totally believe from our lovely tsundere prince. So I accept it as a headcanon/analysis.

[monkeydluffy19920]

Sanami week day 3: can you hear me  (pt. 2 - post timeskip)

My mate  @pernanegra  has made good analysis about Sanji’s and Nami’s relationship  (part 1, part 2 , part 3,  part 4 and part 5) and they sum up well how much has happened after the time skip.

New World hasn’t only offered lots of promising moments for them but also huge steps of developments for Nami and Sanji. Not only as individual characters but we can see how their nakamaship has been changed in steady pace since they reunited after 2 years. Like Pernanegra has said in his posts, they are not the same anymore. Sanji was ready to let them escape safe and sound but Nami refused to put their lives above his. Then later Sanji refused first to help the children in Punk Hazard but Nami insisted to save them but never forced Sanji to help her.

Sanji’s disappearence has caused so much worries for Nami ever since their ways parted but she never gave up on hope. It is no secret for anyone that she was the one who pushed her nakama forwards and unfortunately Sanji turned her away but it wasn’t his fault because he just wanted to protect his friends. The slap was important from the very beginning and all we can do is to wait how their proper reconciliation will look like.

There are some similarities  between Arlong Park arc  and Zou/WCI arc - Nami taking daytime naps in Zou which could indicate how stressful being unaware about Sanji’s whereabouts must’ve been for her because last time we’ve seen her in same situation was when she got frustrated in Cocoyashi. - Both of them were driven into their situation against their will (Nami was kidnapped and worked hard to gather the money for the village meanwhile Arlong wrecked it all. Then Sanji was dragged into the political marriage and was blackmailed). Neither of them couldn’t escape without serious consequences - Neither of them did not want to be followed but their friends still did that - Bellemere got shot by Arlong and Sanji is about to face the same by Pudding - Both fought for their freedom, they tried it alone but couldn’t and their hearts called for help even though their minds tried to deny it telling tha “everything will go fine if they just don’t interrupt the plan) - Both tried  to push Luffy and others away but failed - Both faced the very bottom in middle of the struggle but were never left behind (Nami ended up stabbing herself and Sanji found out that Pudding never loved him. Then Luffy steps up, gives Nami the hat and forces Sanji to tell what he really wanted to say) - After the turmoil Nami learnt the importance of friendship and trust and so will Sanji 

I am extremely sorry that this second part of the third prompt of the  @sannamiweek​ is so delayed (but maybe it’s still 3.3 somewhere around the globe xD) but I faced some technical issues since tumblr kept complaining how big the GIFs were even though I squeezed them to smaller sizes  and now that I tried to upload them they didn’t even work  after millions of tryouts *sighs*