One Piece: East Blue Saga (1999)
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One Piece: East Blue Saga Review
One Piece is a fantasy adventure anime series that first premiered in 1999. It’s a great anime that stood the test of time as a genre classic.
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“Let’s show these fools how useless it is to resist!“
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East Blue Saga consists of 61 episodes and a high amount of arcs at six. I will go through each and every arc later, but first let’s analyze the characters themselves. This show features an instantly likable, fun group of characters, all so well developed, and all sharing a terrific group dynamic. I found them stellar as a team, which is very important for such a long show.
Monkey D. Luffy is your archetypal anime protagonist. He instantly reminded me of the likes of Goku as well as Naruto in his constant hunger and a ditzy personality. But still, he is smarter than those two, and overall a strong character despite his familiarity as he is consistently endearing and funny.
Roronoa Zoro is the straight man of the team and he’s an excellent fighter, getting the most great action of the team. I found most of his fights terrific, and his dynamic with others is great. Nami is absolutely terrific. As the only girl on the team, she could have been objectified, but not for now at least as she is fully developed, very likable and having the best backstory of the bunch, but more on that later.
Sanji and Usopp are the comic reliefs, both very silly, but both working. The former has some great culinary adventures and an amusing infatuation with Nami while the latter is consistently quite funny and authentically designed with his long, pointy nose.
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The very first arc in the East Blue Saga is Romance Dawn Arc. The whole journey begins here, and in particular we get to meet Zoro. The arc is solid, it works as a solid set-up for the entire series, but at the end of the day it’s too childish, goofy and uneventful and slow. It’s the weakest probably of this entire bunch.
Orange Town Arc is important for introducing us to Nami, but again this is another very goofy affair, though Buggy the Clown makes for such an amusing villain of sorts. All of the jokes surrounding his red nose are hilarious.
Syrup Village Arc is the first truly excellent one. This is where Usopp gets much needed development and his entire story with the princess is so heartwarming. The villain Kuro got a great backstory, he is incredibly powerful and dangerous, and I found everything surrounding him truly excellent. It’s possibly the best crafted storyline of this entire saga, though not the most famous or best one.
Baratie Arc has another very good villain in Don Krieg, and the fight with him proved to be very entertaining. I also loved the cooking subplot with Sanji, and although this one is quite short, it’s sweet and it flies by quickly.
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Arlong Park Arc is the most famous arc of the saga because it features such an iconic villain. These aquatic creatures are first introduced here, and they are excellent as they proved to be formidable opponents and physically intimidating and competent as well. Although Arlong himself was beat in a silly manner ultimately, he is still a terrific villain who stole the scenes from everyone else with his over-the-top line delivery and a memorable design.
I loved all of the fights here, but in particular Nami’s backstory is the heart and the crux of the arc. This is a rare anime flashback that fully works and is important rather than stalling. We get to truly know her as a character, and it’s great how the show operates on the same level with the female as well as the male characters, something Naruto never achieved. I found her relationship with Arlong very well conveyed, and to me she is the best written character thus far.
But Loguetown Arc is easily my favorite one of the season. This is where we get to hear the story of Gold Roger, the emphasis on swords is also excellent, and that entire town plot is fantastic and a lot of fun. But when very endearing Apis is introduced, that’s where the show becomes immensely moving and having a huge heart. The dragon storyline is fantastic, the action is excellent, and the villains goofy and fun. The adventurous pirate elements worked best in this storyline, and I loved the fantastical bits too.
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Yes, One Piece succeeds as a tremendous pirate adventure above all else, but it’s also a wonderful fantasy and a fun comedy with a lot of great, goofy humor. It succeeds at all of these genres in my opinion, and the animation to me is excellent. Its goofy, weird and sometimes ugly designs make it an authentic, different show, and the watercolor palette is gorgeous. The soundtrack is fantastic with both opening themes being absolutely amazing, especially the first one how catchy and iconic it is. Overall, this first saga is so good, and a great start for this very entertaining anime.
Worst Arc: Orange Town Arc.
Best Arc: Loguetown Arc.
Worst Episodes: The Better Swordsman and Stranded.
Best Episodes: Arms Against Arms, Roguetown and Eric Attacks!
