Do you like pirates? Do you think the ‘Caribbean flicks were a bit… disappointing? Then look this way: One Piece by writer/artist Eiichiro Oda will shiver your timbers…
Monkey D. Luffy (above, centre) is determined to be the greatest pirate the world has ever seen. Another person might see having no ship, no crew, and no discernible talent for seamanship as fairly serious obstacles to that ambition, but for indomitable optimist Luffy they’re just details: he’s going to sail the famously fatal Grand Line and capture the fabled treasure the “One Piece” – and nothing and no one will stop him.
Apart from a rowboat, a cool straw hat and his own near-suicidal enthusiasm Luffy’s got one more thing going for him: after eating the fruit of the Gum-Gum tree, his body has some unusual powers…
It would take a flinty-hearted reader indeed to fail to be charmed by One Piece: it’s very silly, sure, but it’s also warm, funny, imaginative and stuffed to the gunwales with wild action and brilliant characters.
Take Roanoa Zolo, glimpsed here (above) demonstrating his astonishing three sword technique - or Nami (below, far right) the wonderfully amoral thief: she’s as likely to rob Luffy as help him. Best of all, take Luffy himself. He got my full support in Volume 1 as soon as I saw him punch a sea-monster – but now, five vols in as I am, I’m starting to think he’s one of the most charismatic protagonists I’ve ever come across.
As if all that wasn’t enough, the volumes I’ve read included awesome bonus features like sketches, interviews, colouring-in pages and models to cut out or copy.
Is One Piece this much fun over the whole of its sixty-two (so far) volumes? I aim to find out. Meantime I’d recommend One Piece to anyone. A big thank you to Omid at The Big Green Bookshop for doing so for me. 
My manga marathon goes on. More soon.
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