Love For One Piece

Anime, Manga, One Piece. Where do I start? I love all three. I grew up watching "cartoons" on Cartoon Network, more specifically Toonami. Everyday I would come home from school and watch Dragon Ball Z at 4:00pm as a kid. At the time I was oblivious to the term Anime, or even Manga, it was just cartoons. It wasn't until I moved overseas to Japan where I became familiar with Anime and Manga. My first love was the Anime called Naruto. I had a connection with the main character, Naruto, who basically was an outcast, in which I felt same way in middle school. Coincidentally our ages where the same, 13 years old. Feelings of loneliness and hatred for the world are all the feelings the main character felt. Its crazy how your life can be so similar to a "comic book", without all the super powers.

 So as time passed and I entered high school I began to find myself, realizing who I am, still an outcast, I continued to read Manga at the age of 16. I remember seeing a certain Manga showing a character smiling big and wearing a straw hat. Monkey D. Luffy was that character, but for some strange reason i started reading the Manga, and couldn't get into it. I never really gave it a chance until a year later, and fell in love with the One Piece, and coincidentally again I was the same age as the main character, Monkey D. Luffy. If you don't already know about One Piece, It's basically about pirates going on a grand adventure across the world searching for the great treasure left behind by the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. Simple right? No! ... But its not that complex either. With a lot of different personalities, emotions, comedy, good, evil, and loyalty within One piece, I have to say it is the greatest Anime/Manga in the world. I cant help but love all the characters in it, from the good guys to the bad guys. The plot is simply amazing, you would seriously wish real life was the same as the One Piece world. The thing i love most about One piece is the bond and the loyalty between the crew, or Nakama. Who wouldn't want to have good friends they could trust, depend on, and 100% know they have your back? In these times it's really hard to find relationships like that. Early in the Manga you'll notice how Luffy cares deeply for his nakama, it's kind of how Goku from Dragon Ball Z would get when you mess with his friends.
The comedy in One Piece cracks me up every time. It's like you're there with them as friends, having a good time and a good laugh. If you have a good sense of humor like me I'm sure you'll be laughing a lot. From name calling, to no common sense antics, it's a great to balance to the more serious side of the Manga.
When the pressure is on and the Straw Hat Pirates ( Mugiwara Kaizoku) have to fight, the tone can change a whole lot. Just like real life, many of us have problems and obstacles we must overcome. From reading and watching One Piece I've learned to never give up, and it constantly reminds me of just that. If you're into Japanese Manga or Anime and never read One Piece, i would highly recommend you start now, there are currently 490 episodes and 618 chapters. One word to describe One Piece, would simply be EPIC