2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At long last., December 5, 2009
This review is from: One Piece, Vol. 23 (Paperback)
Here in this volume of Eiichiro Oda's flagship manga, One Piece, the final battles roar and resolution is brought unto the Kingdom of Alabasta, ending the series' first truly epic story arc. Not to say everything leading up to this was boring, but this was the first to dedicate at least 5 volumes to the arc.
Sacrifices are made, environments are destroyed, and the need for true justice and perseverance descends upon each citizen. Of course, I am attempting to avoid spoilers for those who haven't read or watched ahead online. For those who have, though, let me assure you that, even now, the localized One Piece manga continues to get better and better.
Not a single trace of 4kids can be found in this volume. Not one.
It was over twelve volumes ago that Viz's lax naming conventions based off the 4kids dub of the anime began. That's around four years ago. Astonishing, I know. At yet, at long last, we are moving past that tragic era when 4kids dealt such a heavy blow to the One Piece community. Although the Viz dialog still avoids curse words and some other pieces of harsh language, all other elements of English vocabulary are taken advantage of here bringing the maturity back to One Piece in the way that it should always have been.
But enough extolling, how does this volume stand on its own? Exceptionally. Luffy's final battle with Crocodile is an exercise in epicness, with an entire underground tomb collapsing around them, leading to the literally earth-shattering final blow. The immense city design as the bomb goes off, and Princess Vivi's cries to her people to stop killing each other. Even the scenes after the aftermath are excellent as they provide the perfect relief to such a daunting climax, including the thought provoking message of a personal sense of justice with Captain Smoker and his subordinate, Tashigi. The only flaw that I found was also found in volume 22, and that's when the bomb is counting down, just about everyone knows how many seconds are left, and apparently, people can move and speak several lines of text within the span of a second. It's not the most disappointing thing that has ever happened in the course of this manga, but it ranks rather high on my list. Aside from that, a few choice words in Vivi's plea to the Straw Hats at the very end of the volume, it's essentially flawless.
So, is it worth getting? Isn't it obvious? Times continue to get better to be a One Piece fan. And starting January 5, Viz will be releasing 5 volumes per month until its caught up with the Japanese release.
I tip my hat to thee, Viz Media. Keep up the great work, and I'll see you in January.
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