1. How did you get interested in One Piece?
Oh gosh it's been over a decade so I don't remember super well, but I think I just wanted to try it out because it was one of Shonen Jump's Big Three at the time with Naruto and Bleach, and I was just really discovering my love for shonen manga!
2. Do you prefer the manga or anime, or do you like both?
I think following both gives the best experience!
The anime has the early filler arcs going against it, but we just skipped most of those altogether thankfully. The anime can also drag things out a bit much sometimes
(which is especially painful for moments in the manga that were meant to be over quickly asdkgjlkfg), but I feel like especially in recent arcs, when they really want to do a scene justice, they do an
incredible job of it. The manga does a better job at some things and in certain parts, but there's also plenty of places where I find myself preferring how the anime handled something. It's also nice how if you're further ahead on either the anime or the manga, catching up with the other can be a nice refresher on the very many plot points going on all the time.
3. Who is your favorite and least favorite Straw Hat & why?
omg this is so hard I love all the Straw Hats
I think my favorite probably switches between Sanji, Robin, and Chopper a lot! I'd rank Usopp pretty high up there too if I can get away with listing four. I think Sanji and Usopp are just really funny and loveable, Robin is so incredibly cool
oh my god, and Chopper is adorable.
it pains me to pick a least favorite but... I'll say Franky, because everything about Señor Pink was a mistake, and guilt by association. I would be lying if I said I liked Franky more after Dressrosa
4. Who is your favorite and least favorite Marine, Warlord and Emperor?
My favorite Marine and one of my absolute favorite characters in One Piece is Koby!!
He's gentle-natured, kind, and heroic, and I've believed for a long, long time now that he'll bring about a future of reform for the Marines.
I've also always thought he'd have a major role in the story and was eagerly awaiting his time to shine, but now it's actually happening and I'm terrified lmao help
My least favorite Marine would be Akainu for... several reasons, most of which having to do with Marineford. Ryokugyu's also pretty horrible though and might actually prove to be worse.
Favorite warlord would probably be Jinbei or Bartholomew Kuma! Jinbei's really cool and
I'm happy he joined the Straw Hats, but I'm also really interested in Kuma's story.
I think my least favorite Warlord is Doflamingo, with Hancock coming in second-least. I think the running joke of Hancock's crush on Luffy is hilarious, but otherwise, I mean, the whole thing around her character is that she's
awful—a literal kitten, puppy, and baby seal kicker—but everyone overlooks it because she's so beautiful lmao. And several of the Warlords have been pretty villainous but hoo
boy I especially Do Not Like the Implications
regarding Doflamingo and Viola
Favorite Emperor is Shanks! One of the coolest and most likeable characters in the whole series imo. Would 100% hang out with.
Blackbeard would be my least favorite Emperor. Narratively-speaking, a great villain and foil to Luffy, but in-universe thoroughly despicable urghh
5. Who are your favorite & least favorite characters? (feel free to explain why if you want)
I love Hiyori so much!!
She's so brave and kind and cool and absolutely deserves the world after everything she's been through.
As for least favorite characters...
Señor Pink was a mistake.
Also anyone's who's messed with Koby or Hiyori is on my List
6. What arc(s) was your favorite & least favorite?
Water 7/Enies Lobby was
super good, but more recently I also really loved the Zou/Whole Cake Island arcs!!
Least favorite arc, Long Ring Long Land/Davy Back Fight arc, easily. It felt like bad filler, and even if Davy Back Fights wind up having some further plot relevance... a few sentences of exposition would've done better.
7. Favorite devil fruit power?
ohh tough one... I don't think I'd want a Devil Fruit personally but Marco got a really cool one!
also the Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Giraffe is hilarious and absolutely warrants a mention
8. Any character that you wish would have more time in the series to shine?
idc if she is already one of the Straw Hats,
Robin!!! She's a really powerful fighter but I feel like she rarely gets any credit for it narratively, and it will never
not kill me how few proper 1v1 fights she's actually gotten throughout the series, especially compared to some of the other Straw Hats
9. What do you love the most about the series?
It's long but it's so so worth it; at this point it really feels like an epic. So many of the characters are so unique and endearing, and it's incredible slowly watching everything that's been set up all of this time start to come together. Oda is
brilliant when it comes to foreshadowing.
10. Anything you dislike about One Piece?
The occasional sexism/when Oda's queer rep misses it misses
hard, and uhhh I legitimately can't tell when characters have been killed off anymore
I don't normally mind stories pulling a "they didn't die actually! somehow!" even when it's a bit contrived, but Oda's done it so much and so
inconsistently that I won't really react when a character dies, because I don't believe it?? And then they get confirmed dead later and I'm just left like "WAIT THEY DIED???"
well of
course he's less fleshed-out, he is a skeleton after all
YOHOHOHOHO
i'm sorry, it was right there. I had to.