rainsometimes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rainsometimes) wrote2010-05-25 10:34 pm
rainsometimes) wrote2010-05-25 10:34 pm
One Piece chapters 583-585
I've got some disjointed thoughts on the latest three chapters of One Piece.
First, I want to say that while I was very interested and intrigued by chapters 583 and 584, I also had some problems with them. I wholly enjoyed #585, though. I'm dividing them up with under separate cuts so readers who want to avoid negativity (or positivity??;p) can do so more easily.
Chapters 584, 585 On the one hand, I'm quite happy to finally - finally! - get to know all these things about Luffy's background that have hitherto been almost completely blank. His mother's fate and identity remain unknown, as do the reasons for Dragon abandoning him, but otherwise our picture of Early Luffy is a lot more complete now. Early Ace, too - and boy, that part is shocking, how much different he was back then from the carefree young man we first met in the story. I was delighted to find out that Dadan was a woman. There's a real satisfaction in getting all this stuff filled in.
On the other... well. First.
Too Much Angst; or, Where Did The Happy Idyll Go?
My tolerance for sad, heavy, really hard-hitting drama has been severely strained these last few months - maybe even the last year or so - of the manga. It's already heartbreaking enough just to see Ace as a little kid with the whole future waiting for him, so why add so much extra pain and darkness in their pasts? I found it hard to take, and I can't help but feel I'd like these chapters so much more if they'd been put before Marineford. No doubt Oda's got some good reason for it, and I may well feel differently once the flashback is over, but that's my immediate emotional reaction right now.
Similarly, I have to wonder why it feels like every Strawhat flashback have to outdo the former in sadness. It just gets a bit too much, at times. I mourned the presence of peaceful Fuusha village in this new, dark, edgier version of Luffy's past. (Not that it's a retcon, of course - Oda probably had it all clear in his head ages ago - just giving the impression it had on me).
Also, as an Usopp fan I confess I'm disappointed that his and Luffy's backgrounds aren't all that similar after all. It makes me wonder if we're supposed to think that Usopp - with his safe, peaceful and relatively not-too-bad background - is a lot more shallow than the other Strawhats and particularly than Luffy-the-protagonist-who's-suffered-so-much-more. That thought, unwarranted though it probably is, still made me sad.
Luffy's Strength
My other problem was mostly from chapter 483 and the start of 484. See, in chapter 1, "Romance Dawn", Luffy actually struck me as a decently normal kid. Braver and more stubborn than most, sure, and Shanks example and above all his sacrifice would clearly push and inspire the kid for greatness. But he still seemed fairly real.
Seventeen-year old Luffy is, of course, not so normal any more. But I've never really had a problem with that, because Oda presents such a great mix of his personality and fits the storylines to it so that his (Luffy's) heroism always feels right to me. I enjoy being surprised by him time and again, and while I don't always understand him, that doesn't stop me from being awfully fond of him.
So, clearly something happened during ten years to make the 7-year-old brat (who could be a bit of a whiner) into 17-year-old pirate. Probably not just Garp's hard training, either, but something more emotional - not just the memory of Shanks' sacrifice, though that would likely remain important. I was fine with that.
However... I didn't expect the hard bits to happen so early. Didn't expect Dadan and her gang to be so brutal and uncaring of their charges, didn't expect Garp to have such bad judgment (in fact I'm not even sure if I like Garp anymore); certainly didn't expect li'l Ace to be so angst-ridden and hostile to everyone and quite cruel to li'l Luffy.
And I also didn't expect Luffy to be so extremely tough and determined and apparently selfless already. He felt too much like the Luffy we know, under the circumstances. Paradoxically, this made Flashback Luffy less plausible and harder to relate to, to me.
But then later in chapter 584, we get a very moving explanation, when the crying Luffy explains why he couldn't reveal Ace's and Sabo's treasure even under torture. He didn't have anybody - he couldn't go back to Fuusha village (not sure why not, but okay); and there was only Garp, when it came to family. Pain was better than being alone. *sniffle* This just explains so much about Luffy.
Still. I didn't like the torture scene at all. Just felt like way too much, as did Luffy's withstanding it so heroically, even if his motivation at least made sense now. I know that heroes in popular fiction are never allowed to give in to torture, but that didn't mean Oda had to put the torture there in the first place. It seemed to imply that Ace and Sabo were so hard-hearted that only Luffy's withstanding all that pain for them could make them befriend him.
Anyway! On to the latest chapter, which I really liked! There's a new angsty turn of events at the very end, but before that, there was actual happiness! The part I liked the best was Makino turning up. The Mayor, too, but mostly Makino. A really nice person with no tough-guy posturing - it's been way too long to see that. She was only in a couple of panels, but the context was greatly cheering. Fuusha Village is still a part of Luffy's life after all, and at least two of its inhabitants can be trusted with knowing where Ace and Luffy are.
In a different way, it also felt good to see the layout of Goa Kingdom,as we now know the island is called edit as of chapter 589: actually, the island is "Dawn Island" - Goa Kingdom is the political entity/edit; where the mountains, the Gray Terminal, Fuusha Village and the capital are in relation to each other. The description of the city as a completely segregated society - super-clean, puts all its trash in Gray Terminal - was arresting. The Capital of Goa Kingdom may well be the place closest to RL Western civilization. Raid it, boys! Raid it!
Also. I like Sabo! I like that there were three brothers, and not two - to be honest, the constant emphasis on Ace and Luffy's relationship during the past year and more (moving though it has been, and led to insights about them both) had made me just a little reluctant to see even more focus on it. But Sabo's presence makes it more multifaceted, not so locked and exclusive anymore. And I appreciate that. (That's how I feel right now, anyway - future plot twists may well make me eat my words!) Furthermore, the revelations about his own background serves to further ram in one of the great themes of this series - genetic family can be good but also bad; the chosen family is better. Biological parents (Dragon, Yasopp, Nico Olivia, Franky's parents) can leave you behind, while surrogate parents/mentors are more likely to sacrifice themselves for your sake. (Leaving you with crippling guilt, perhaps, but still!) And sometimes parents cause their children even more harm than that, pushing them into their set norms out of pure selfishness.
But I still really miss the crew.
EDIT: *facepalm* ...way to mix up the chapter numbers with those a hundred chapters back, self. Corrected to 583-585. *>_<*
First, I want to say that while I was very interested and intrigued by chapters 583 and 584, I also had some problems with them. I wholly enjoyed #585, though. I'm dividing them up with under separate cuts so readers who want to avoid negativity (or positivity??;p) can do so more easily.
Chapters 584, 585 On the one hand, I'm quite happy to finally - finally! - get to know all these things about Luffy's background that have hitherto been almost completely blank. His mother's fate and identity remain unknown, as do the reasons for Dragon abandoning him, but otherwise our picture of Early Luffy is a lot more complete now. Early Ace, too - and boy, that part is shocking, how much different he was back then from the carefree young man we first met in the story. I was delighted to find out that Dadan was a woman. There's a real satisfaction in getting all this stuff filled in.
On the other... well. First.
Too Much Angst; or, Where Did The Happy Idyll Go?
My tolerance for sad, heavy, really hard-hitting drama has been severely strained these last few months - maybe even the last year or so - of the manga. It's already heartbreaking enough just to see Ace as a little kid with the whole future waiting for him, so why add so much extra pain and darkness in their pasts? I found it hard to take, and I can't help but feel I'd like these chapters so much more if they'd been put before Marineford. No doubt Oda's got some good reason for it, and I may well feel differently once the flashback is over, but that's my immediate emotional reaction right now.
Similarly, I have to wonder why it feels like every Strawhat flashback have to outdo the former in sadness. It just gets a bit too much, at times. I mourned the presence of peaceful Fuusha village in this new, dark, edgier version of Luffy's past. (Not that it's a retcon, of course - Oda probably had it all clear in his head ages ago - just giving the impression it had on me).
Also, as an Usopp fan I confess I'm disappointed that his and Luffy's backgrounds aren't all that similar after all. It makes me wonder if we're supposed to think that Usopp - with his safe, peaceful and relatively not-too-bad background - is a lot more shallow than the other Strawhats and particularly than Luffy-the-protagonist-who's-suffered-so-much-more. That thought, unwarranted though it probably is, still made me sad.
Luffy's Strength
My other problem was mostly from chapter 483 and the start of 484. See, in chapter 1, "Romance Dawn", Luffy actually struck me as a decently normal kid. Braver and more stubborn than most, sure, and Shanks example and above all his sacrifice would clearly push and inspire the kid for greatness. But he still seemed fairly real.
Seventeen-year old Luffy is, of course, not so normal any more. But I've never really had a problem with that, because Oda presents such a great mix of his personality and fits the storylines to it so that his (Luffy's) heroism always feels right to me. I enjoy being surprised by him time and again, and while I don't always understand him, that doesn't stop me from being awfully fond of him.
So, clearly something happened during ten years to make the 7-year-old brat (who could be a bit of a whiner) into 17-year-old pirate. Probably not just Garp's hard training, either, but something more emotional - not just the memory of Shanks' sacrifice, though that would likely remain important. I was fine with that.
However... I didn't expect the hard bits to happen so early. Didn't expect Dadan and her gang to be so brutal and uncaring of their charges, didn't expect Garp to have such bad judgment (in fact I'm not even sure if I like Garp anymore); certainly didn't expect li'l Ace to be so angst-ridden and hostile to everyone and quite cruel to li'l Luffy.
And I also didn't expect Luffy to be so extremely tough and determined and apparently selfless already. He felt too much like the Luffy we know, under the circumstances. Paradoxically, this made Flashback Luffy less plausible and harder to relate to, to me.
But then later in chapter 584, we get a very moving explanation, when the crying Luffy explains why he couldn't reveal Ace's and Sabo's treasure even under torture. He didn't have anybody - he couldn't go back to Fuusha village (not sure why not, but okay); and there was only Garp, when it came to family. Pain was better than being alone. *sniffle* This just explains so much about Luffy.
Still. I didn't like the torture scene at all. Just felt like way too much, as did Luffy's withstanding it so heroically, even if his motivation at least made sense now. I know that heroes in popular fiction are never allowed to give in to torture, but that didn't mean Oda had to put the torture there in the first place. It seemed to imply that Ace and Sabo were so hard-hearted that only Luffy's withstanding all that pain for them could make them befriend him.
Anyway! On to the latest chapter, which I really liked! There's a new angsty turn of events at the very end, but before that, there was actual happiness! The part I liked the best was Makino turning up. The Mayor, too, but mostly Makino. A really nice person with no tough-guy posturing - it's been way too long to see that. She was only in a couple of panels, but the context was greatly cheering. Fuusha Village is still a part of Luffy's life after all, and at least two of its inhabitants can be trusted with knowing where Ace and Luffy are.
In a different way, it also felt good to see the layout of Goa Kingdom,
Also. I like Sabo! I like that there were three brothers, and not two - to be honest, the constant emphasis on Ace and Luffy's relationship during the past year and more (moving though it has been, and led to insights about them both) had made me just a little reluctant to see even more focus on it. But Sabo's presence makes it more multifaceted, not so locked and exclusive anymore. And I appreciate that. (That's how I feel right now, anyway - future plot twists may well make me eat my words!) Furthermore, the revelations about his own background serves to further ram in one of the great themes of this series - genetic family can be good but also bad; the chosen family is better. Biological parents (Dragon, Yasopp, Nico Olivia, Franky's parents) can leave you behind, while surrogate parents/mentors are more likely to sacrifice themselves for your sake. (Leaving you with crippling guilt, perhaps, but still!) And sometimes parents cause their children even more harm than that, pushing them into their set norms out of pure selfishness.
But I still really miss the crew.
EDIT: *facepalm* ...way to mix up the chapter numbers with those a hundred chapters back, self. Corrected to 583-585. *>_<*
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From the way I see it Luffy is somewhat desperately clinging to what he learned from Shanks something awful. Garp probably moved him for fear his location would become discovered and his connections exploited before he's 'safe' in the marines. (way to go with that one Garp) so Luffy is banned from returning to Windmill village and thus the only friends and family he's ever known. :C
I wouldn't hang onto the whole Usopp thing. I just don't like the idea of 'my tragedy is more awful than yours' oneupmanship anyway. It's more about the wounds on the heart than whatever actually happens in their past.
But Sabo's parents. OMG TT^TT The bit where lil'Sabo tells his mother that the other boy attacked hi with a weapon and the expression of hurt on his face. I'm loving this arc and it's weirdlty cathartic but I'm so afraid as to what happens now. :C
Also, the crew. yeah.
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Which is why it will be super awesome when they finally do come back!
(BTW, check the chapter numbers in your subject!)
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Nah, I don't think that's the case at all. I wish I had something more than a strong feeling with which to say this but that's all I have.
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So far it makes sense for me (although I can't much explain why) that we get this flashback now after Ace is dead. But I really wish Oda would stop with themes like torture and the likes for the time being. The idea of a child being so abused is pushing all my 'bad' buttons.
For some reason I can't warm up to Sabo at all. I dislike him.
Not sure why there should be a comparison between the crews' childhoods. In the end doesn't it come down to how the character themselves judge and review their early childhoods and its hardships? I find it rather interesting that no matter the hardships they all experienced love and affection at one point or another and they also had a 'most important person' who gave either counsel or support.
I personally feel somewhat 'betrayed' by how the happy childhood art I have been seeing around LJ or dA about Luffy and Ace. (like the icon on the top of the comments.) That breaks my heart more than I could ever put into words. Everyone has assumed that they had a 'Happy Days' alike childhood and now this. To be honest, Ican't bear looking at that kind of art anymore because now thanks to Oda's big flashback arc I know 'better'. *feels bitter*
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The flashback arc is working to both increase and decrease that feeling. It makes Ace's words and actions that much more poignant on the one hand (and your family theme comments really ring true to me), but on the other hand it just makes his death that much more UGLY as well. We've known almost from the beginning (see Axe Hand Morgan for the marines and Alvida for the pirates) that the One Piece world isn't pretty or nice but that fact has been beaten into us for two years now. I need some LIGHT gosh darn it.
As for Luffy...I see your points but at the same time I think this really adds to his levels of complexity, which we've seen flashes of before and that are now being made clear. Garp...not a winning family figure on the one hand but we don't know any of his motivations so I'm withholding judgement.
Regarding Usopp, I don't think it cheapens it at all. Usopp and Chopper to me have parallel youths. It's about isolation. No, Usopp wasn't shunned but there's a feeling of some self-removal on his part that could lead to similar internalized feelings. Luffy, at least, has never been alone or made to feel alone, for the most part.
To conclude this horribly disjointed reply, I MISS THE STRAWHAT CREW SO VERY VERY MUCH and just want them back as soon as possible.
I need a Zoro/Usopp/Nami/Chopper/Robin/Franky/Brook/even SANJI fix so bad that I can't articulate it!
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Luffy and Gang
We don't know who was taking care of Luffy before Dadan. I doubt Garp took off from his duties to rear him at all. Hell, we don't even know how Garp was put in the position of deciding things for Luffy ... we only know Ace's.
Usopp had a lousy childhood. Alone. Lying. Not respected. Being forced to laugh and smile and fabricate his own reality rather than face facts. Is that any better? Luffy said he'd rather go though pain than be alone. Profound for a seven year old...? no. Children see things much more clearly than adults.
I think what Oda was driving home was Luffy has always been Luffy. He changes people. He makes his own future. He really is a wind that rattles the sails (hence his name.)
The World they live in is corrupt. For some reason Garp has stayed with the marines all these years... and I think it is because it is safer (even for him)to act like he's part of the system.
Luffy's strangeness... stays the same as when he was a kid. It is almost like he was born with this unbelievable belief in things. That he can overcome and etc... but he doesn't want to be alone. He can't do it alone. He said as much to Arlong.
The horror of this all is that it is not just pirates that the world govt is at war with. As we've seen so far... they will do anything at all that they feel they can get away with. They will even kill children. Abandon villages. Take bribes and blackmail bandits into being babysitters.
I think this is what Oda is trying to get across before we actually begin the 2nd half of the grandline. That and there is something special around Sabo. I expect to see him again soon. I expect to have more going on with Dragon's friends and Nico Robin will be the key to explaining that.
This world is where Luffy longs to live freely (Rule? I am not going to rule anything. The pirate king is the freest man...etc) A pirate, by definition, has no country. His boat is his country. the captains rules are the law... and if you haven't noticed... luffy doesn't make many laws.
In this oppressive world... if luffy can manage to become truly free. To be so beyond reach that the world govt can't touch him? he'll be the pirate king. Unlike Roger though, I think Luffy is going to free the entire world when he claims his throne.
from
Ginko