I'm quite flattered, but mostly so happy to see that my initial comment about the effects of colonialism lingered with you ( fighting to have access to your ancestral homeland and it's artifacts, the erasure of it all). I am so happy you re-read Skypeia.... What a beautiful arc. As for OP, it really is an epic fantasy story.
5:12 This is such a great, underrated arc for Nami. It took a few rereads to really click for me, but the moment where she volunteers to go with Enel had to be incredibly traumatic for her, and you can almost *see* the Arlong Park flashbacks in her eyes. Once again she is sacrificing herself to the service of a genocidal tyrant in order to protect the people she loves
Glad to see you enjoy Skypiea more! I also think your critism is very valid, but the placemenr 32 of 32 was shocking, so I really apprectiate that you took your time to re-read the arc. Do I smell a re-readthrough of all of One Piece someday 3:10 Robin was so active in this arc! We need more active and moving Robin!
skypeia's my favorite arc in the entire series. i feel like even discovering what the one piece actually is won't be better than the mystery of the introduction of skypiea to me. just the idea of a place that everybody says doesn't exist, and finding a way to get to it is just as improbable was so cool to me. it's the ultimate pirate adventure to me. lol then when they actually get there they find out that it's basically supposed to be heaven, the citizens are angels and god is just a title, like a president or something. i really liked how myths about western religion and god had actual truths to them in this. like somebody went to skypiea and went back down to the blue sea, told everybody what they saw and overtime facts got twisted and changed and it became a religion. that and i liked how they explored zoro's beliefs about being an atheist but still didn't want to force his beliefs on others like chopper, and how luffy didn't care if enel was god, he still questioned him and his actions. that part meant a lot to me because i was in the church since i was little and when i left because i questioned things and had bad experiences i related to those parts a lot. the shandorians backstory was really cool too because they share the same story with native americans like how they both had their land taken away. i'm black but my grandmother was native so seeing the parallels of the shandorians and native americans really stood out to me. that and seeing how the shandorians started to evolve over time and grew wings and started to look like the people of skypiea against their will, the same people that took their land. the irony of it tripped me out.
I agree with what you said about binging. That's why I love One Piece and revisiting chapters or episodes... I always find something new lol. Happy you are now in the re-read territory. My love for One Piece grew even more when I started re reading arcs and I hope it will be the same for a lot of readers
To me the biggest things holding Skypiea back are how I feel like the only current-day Shandorian who gets any real characterization is Wyper. Similar note, I don’t feel the supporting villains were nearly as cool or interesting as the previous henchmen, Baroque Works.
I'm glad you decided to reread the arc; it's among my top 5, possibly top 3 arcs. I really want to write down so much in support of why Wyper was the way he was. However, since English is not my first language, I'm not sure I'll be able to truly express myself and my thoughts. I felt a connection with Wyper because, even though I hardly feel anger, I understood where his anger was coming from. As an Indian, we were oppressed and ruled for more than 200 years by the Britishers. We were treated as slaves, many got killed for no reason, and the way they divided us still has lingering effects in our culture. Hindus and Muslims hating each other to death is one of the things that was amplified tenfold by the Britishers. No one was there to help Shandians get out of their misery, to give them back the home that's rightfully theirs. Gonfall kinda betrayed them in their eyes, so of course, Wyper won't gonna trust anyone to get his people their right, including Strawhats. Wyper does remind a lot of Arlong in a sense. That entire thing reminded me quite a lot of Parshendi from Stormlight. The Noland and Kalgara flashback, for me, stands as one of the saddest moments in One Piece. Their unfulfilled promise, coupled with the tragedy of both dying without knowing the other's fate resonated so deeply with me that I'm crying as I'm writing this. I don't think I can do justice to what I feel for this arc and wanna say but I hope you still understand me somewhat.
This was a great video idea, hope you revisit some more of your least favorites! There's a common saying in this community "no bad arcs" cuz every arc is either amazingly presented or a work of amazing foreshadowing
Ahhh she has seen the light 😂👏🏾. Your criticism are valid points as well. Although Enel isn’t as flushed out I find him very entertaining and I was able to care about the people of town. I think Wiper was done better in the anime tho. Would love to see you visit future arcs to see if they still hold their spot in your ranking after a re-visit ❤
I feel you. First watch-thru in anime had me feeling like the story came out of nowhere. Almost like pirate adventure, pirate adventure, let's go to space. After that for a good, long while, nothing other than blackbeard felt like we would ever see again for a long time. Took a while for me to appreciate it
There's something about the purity of Skypea that the rest of the series lacks besides (Drum/Little Garden) that Zou to Whole Cake tried to emulate but missed. It challenged the imagination and delivered on peak adventure outside of the World government/Navy scope. And the writing was tight yet paced perfectly to absorb the greater mystery hidden.
Letting anime fandoms bully you is not a precedent you want to set with us But I am glad you did change your mind about it, I would've suggested watching anime if I knew you were going back to it. Hearing Luffy sing is such a treat Noland is still one of my fav characters. His comment about people believing in superstitions while lives are being lost over it is an insult to all those who died waiting for the medicine, the progress that came a bit too late for them. It still rings with me Wyper, yeah too angry and blind with it and all, but I do get his reasoning. He carries the weight of responsibility for his tribe and the promise from the past more than anyone. He views outsiders as an enemy and thieves after what happened. The way he lets it out is bad and blinded, but if I saw a little girl from my tribe sneaking and risking her life for tiny bit of dirt from a land thats rightfully her's to begin with? I would be super pissed off too. He is angry for what happened in the past, he is angry for humiliation his people are dealt today, he is angry for future that is being robbed from them
Skypiea is for sure an odd one out when it comes to world building, it does seem to stand alone which is funny for such a long ark in One Piece. Many fans see it as a microcosm of the greater story. An ancient conflict, that the SH have no dog in for all intents and purposes, but yet the SH carry the burden and create a resolution that was centuries in the making. Enel is an unsatisfying villain, that's why a lot of fans keep expecting his motivations to bring him back in the story, his cover story definitely adds to the lore though. Skypiea shows odas faults as a writer perfectly imo. the fakeout deaths could have hit much harder but buddy was scared to follow through. He'll throw an endearing flashback and expect that to carry our empathy for characters (he may be the best at that tactic but whenever he does miss, it's glaringly obvious that something is missing).
Bullying works! Lmao jk. So flad you revisited Skypeia. I think it is so easy to overlook this arc jusy like you, like you said, because of the highs we just came off of and looking for the next. Definitely had moments when i was watching it where I was asking myself "why are we here?" 😅 But the history we get and how we see more of Robin are my favorite parts. I knew she would be joining the crew and was eager to see what she was about.
I have my gripes with Skypeia and it isn't even in my top half of arcs, but it has one of the best climaxes to any arc in the series. Luffy ringing the bell and everything that represented to the different characters involved in the arc was just beautiful. It really feels like so many people's dreams are riding on that one moment.
Hey Amber, how has it been. I hope your day has been good. "Happy Saturday!" Awesome that you're doing a re rwad on Skypedia. And I can say it has it good and bad moments. It's not one of the top favorite arcs. But it's still a good one with a lot of history. I do like the arc because it is one of the ones where we see the Strawhats used very well in the story. Enel, as a villain, was good. But not on Crocodile or Doflamingo level of great antagonist. But anyway I hope you have a lovely day. Stay safe, stay positive, stay blessed, take care, and stay amazing. Queen of the Pirates ☠️
Skypiea is fine. I’m actually really excited for the live action to get there because I think speeding up the pacing of everything and cutting out the fat will really improve it. Also having Enel be an actual threat and killing people versus doing what he did here. The only issue there might be is that people will probably figure out early on that Luffy is the antithesis to Enel. Most of us in the manga and anime don’t think about it until the moment they meet because there is so much going on and it takes a while to get to that point.
Great points about how the live action version may make the arc stronger! I could see it being a bit easier to get through since they have to get to the point a lot quicker. I also feel like the visuals will be stunning, which is something that I will be looking forward to!
Now that you're cau🙏🏿, may i share some theories from skypia. 1. Did you take a good look at the drawings on the bell? Looks like a monkey with a hat. 2. Have you heard of the failed joyboys. Ppl and history that basically walked the same path but died going after there goals w a smile. Noland went out like roger, oden, ect. With ppl in power twisting the narrative. 3. Remember what robi said about the clouds. The stuff that makes them solid is the same stuff that made the birds big. Where did that stuff comes from? She says😉. That may explain why ppl in that country are so tall, and why there neigboring country are taller🤯
Varse= Earth Fairy Varse=moon If i remember correctly he was so fascinated by the varse. He wanted to build a kingdom and rule(which he got from going to the moon) and well probably see him again eventually in the story. Its been a while since I reread skypeia though.
I would say ussop's arc, the one with captain kuro should be lowest on the list. People appreciate Skypiea even more after realizing it's significance to the lore of One Piece.
9:55: THANK YOU !! I'm glad I'm not alone. I can't stand this guy. I don't like the manga-archetype of the guy who is always angry at everyone and everything whether it's justified or not. (Thinking of you too Bakugo)
I'm quite flattered, but mostly so happy to see that my initial comment about the effects of colonialism lingered with you ( fighting to have access to your ancestral homeland and it's artifacts, the erasure of it all). I am so happy you re-read Skypeia.... What a beautiful arc.
As for OP, it really is an epic fantasy story.
Kamva, kunjani mfwethu??
Your comment was wonderful and really made me contemplate the significance of this storyline. Thank you for sharing your awesome thoughts with us!
5:12 This is such a great, underrated arc for Nami. It took a few rereads to really click for me, but the moment where she volunteers to go with Enel had to be incredibly traumatic for her, and you can almost *see* the Arlong Park flashbacks in her eyes. Once again she is sacrificing herself to the service of a genocidal tyrant in order to protect the people she loves
Yes!! Nami's constant sacrifice is beautiful!
Glad to see you enjoy Skypiea more! I also think your critism is very valid, but the placemenr 32 of 32 was shocking, so I really apprectiate that you took your time to re-read the arc. Do I smell a re-readthrough of all of One Piece someday
3:10 Robin was so active in this arc! We need more active and moving Robin!
skypeia's my favorite arc in the entire series. i feel like even discovering what the one piece actually is won't be better than the mystery of the introduction of skypiea to me. just the idea of a place that everybody says doesn't exist, and finding a way to get to it is just as improbable was so cool to me. it's the ultimate pirate adventure to me. lol
then when they actually get there they find out that it's basically supposed to be heaven, the citizens are angels and god is just a title, like a president or something. i really liked how myths about western religion and god had actual truths to them in this. like somebody went to skypiea and went back down to the blue sea, told everybody what they saw and overtime facts got twisted and changed and it became a religion. that and i liked how they explored zoro's beliefs about being an atheist but still didn't want to force his beliefs on others like chopper, and how luffy didn't care if enel was god, he still questioned him and his actions. that part meant a lot to me because i was in the church since i was little and when i left because i questioned things and had bad experiences i related to those parts a lot.
the shandorians backstory was really cool too because they share the same story with native americans like how they both had their land taken away. i'm black but my grandmother was native so seeing the parallels of the shandorians and native americans really stood out to me. that and seeing how the shandorians started to evolve over time and grew wings and started to look like the people of skypiea against their will, the same people that took their land. the irony of it tripped me out.
I agree with what you said about binging. That's why I love One Piece and revisiting chapters or episodes... I always find something new lol. Happy you are now in the re-read territory. My love for One Piece grew even more when I started re reading arcs and I hope it will be the same for a lot of readers
To me the biggest things holding Skypiea back are how I feel like the only current-day Shandorian who gets any real characterization is Wyper. Similar note, I don’t feel the supporting villains were nearly as cool or interesting as the previous henchmen, Baroque Works.
I'm glad you decided to reread the arc; it's among my top 5, possibly top 3 arcs. I really want to write down so much in support of why Wyper was the way he was. However, since English is not my first language, I'm not sure I'll be able to truly express myself and my thoughts. I felt a connection with Wyper because, even though I hardly feel anger, I understood where his anger was coming from. As an Indian, we were oppressed and ruled for more than 200 years by the Britishers. We were treated as slaves, many got killed for no reason, and the way they divided us still has lingering effects in our culture. Hindus and Muslims hating each other to death is one of the things that was amplified tenfold by the Britishers. No one was there to help Shandians get out of their misery, to give them back the home that's rightfully theirs. Gonfall kinda betrayed them in their eyes, so of course, Wyper won't gonna trust anyone to get his people their right, including Strawhats. Wyper does remind a lot of Arlong in a sense. That entire thing reminded me quite a lot of Parshendi from Stormlight.
The Noland and Kalgara flashback, for me, stands as one of the saddest moments in One Piece. Their unfulfilled promise, coupled with the tragedy of both dying without knowing the other's fate resonated so deeply with me that I'm crying as I'm writing this.
I don't think I can do justice to what I feel for this arc and wanna say but I hope you still understand me somewhat.
This was a great video idea, hope you revisit some more of your least favorites! There's a common saying in this community "no bad arcs" cuz every arc is either amazingly presented or a work of amazing foreshadowing
Ahhh she has seen the light 😂👏🏾. Your criticism are valid points as well. Although Enel isn’t as flushed out I find him very entertaining and I was able to care about the people of town. I think Wiper was done better in the anime tho. Would love to see you visit future arcs to see if they still hold their spot in your ranking after a re-visit ❤
I’ve read one piece over 5 times in last 14 years. Every-time my taste and opinions change and I respect Oda more and more
I feel you. First watch-thru in anime had me feeling like the story came out of nowhere. Almost like pirate adventure, pirate adventure, let's go to space. After that for a good, long while, nothing other than blackbeard felt like we would ever see again for a long time. Took a while for me to appreciate it
There's something about the purity of Skypea that the rest of the series lacks besides (Drum/Little Garden) that Zou to Whole Cake tried to emulate but missed. It challenged the imagination and delivered on peak adventure outside of the World government/Navy scope. And the writing was tight yet paced perfectly to absorb the greater mystery hidden.
Also, the joy boy foreshadowing in this arc was a chefs kiss in retrospect
Letting anime fandoms bully you is not a precedent you want to set with us
But I am glad you did change your mind about it, I would've suggested watching anime if I knew you were going back to it. Hearing Luffy sing is such a treat
Noland is still one of my fav characters. His comment about people believing in superstitions while lives are being lost over it is an insult to all those who died waiting for the medicine, the progress that came a bit too late for them. It still rings with me
Wyper, yeah too angry and blind with it and all, but I do get his reasoning. He carries the weight of responsibility for his tribe and the promise from the past more than anyone. He views outsiders as an enemy and thieves after what happened. The way he lets it out is bad and blinded, but if I saw a little girl from my tribe sneaking and risking her life for tiny bit of dirt from a land thats rightfully her's to begin with? I would be super pissed off too. He is angry for what happened in the past, he is angry for humiliation his people are dealt today, he is angry for future that is being robbed from them
Skypiea is for sure an odd one out when it comes to world building, it does seem to stand alone which is funny for such a long ark in One Piece. Many fans see it as a microcosm of the greater story. An ancient conflict, that the SH have no dog in for all intents and purposes, but yet the SH carry the burden and create a resolution that was centuries in the making. Enel is an unsatisfying villain, that's why a lot of fans keep expecting his motivations to bring him back in the story, his cover story definitely adds to the lore though. Skypiea shows odas faults as a writer perfectly imo. the fakeout deaths could have hit much harder but buddy was scared to follow through. He'll throw an endearing flashback and expect that to carry our empathy for characters (he may be the best at that tactic but whenever he does miss, it's glaringly obvious that something is missing).
Bullying works! Lmao jk. So flad you revisited Skypeia. I think it is so easy to overlook this arc jusy like you, like you said, because of the highs we just came off of and looking for the next. Definitely had moments when i was watching it where I was asking myself "why are we here?" 😅 But the history we get and how we see more of Robin are my favorite parts. I knew she would be joining the crew and was eager to see what she was about.
I have my gripes with Skypeia and it isn't even in my top half of arcs, but it has one of the best climaxes to any arc in the series. Luffy ringing the bell and everything that represented to the different characters involved in the arc was just beautiful. It really feels like so many people's dreams are riding on that one moment.
It does! I think the significance of everyone's dreams really hit me this time around!
Hey Amber, how has it been. I hope your day has been good. "Happy Saturday!" Awesome that you're doing a re rwad on Skypedia. And I can say it has it good and bad moments. It's not one of the top favorite arcs. But it's still a good one with a lot of history.
I do like the arc because it is one of the ones where we see the Strawhats used very well in the story. Enel, as a villain, was good. But not on Crocodile or Doflamingo level of great antagonist. But anyway I hope you have a lovely day. Stay safe, stay positive, stay blessed, take care, and stay amazing. Queen of the Pirates ☠️
Skypiea is fine. I’m actually really excited for the live action to get there because I think speeding up the pacing of everything and cutting out the fat will really improve it. Also having Enel be an actual threat and killing people versus doing what he did here. The only issue there might be is that people will probably figure out early on that Luffy is the antithesis to Enel. Most of us in the manga and anime don’t think about it until the moment they meet because there is so much going on and it takes a while to get to that point.
Great points about how the live action version may make the arc stronger! I could see it being a bit easier to get through since they have to get to the point a lot quicker. I also feel like the visuals will be stunning, which is something that I will be looking forward to!
LESSS GOOO
When/iF Enel comes back and the moon becomes more prominent in the story I suspect Skypiea will be bumped up a few places.
Look, I won't ask how you had Skypiea below Foxy and his bandicoots but I will say I'm glad you finally saw the light
😂😂😂
Now that you're cau🙏🏿, may i share some theories from skypia.
1. Did you take a good look at the drawings on the bell? Looks like a monkey with a hat.
2. Have you heard of the failed joyboys. Ppl and history that basically walked the same path but died going after there goals w a smile. Noland went out like roger, oden, ect. With ppl in power twisting the narrative.
3. Remember what robi said about the clouds. The stuff that makes them solid is the same stuff that made the birds big. Where did that stuff comes from? She says😉. That may explain why ppl in that country are so tall, and why there neigboring country are taller🤯
Thank you for sharing these awesome theories! Now I am on a mission to look into them! haha
Varse= Earth
Fairy Varse=moon
If i remember correctly he was so fascinated by the varse. He wanted to build a kingdom and rule(which he got from going to the moon) and well probably see him again eventually in the story.
Its been a while since I reread skypeia though.
Remember kids: Bullying works.
😂😂😂
I would say ussop's arc, the one with captain kuro should be lowest on the list. People appreciate Skypiea even more after realizing it's significance to the lore of One Piece.
9:55: THANK YOU !!
I'm glad I'm not alone. I can't stand this guy. I don't like the manga-archetype of the guy who is always angry at everyone and everything whether it's justified or not. (Thinking of you too Bakugo)
While I’m glad you got more appreciation out of your reread for Skypeia I’m sorry we bullied you into rereading it.
Haha, how kind of you! It's ok! I truly enjoyed the re-read!
So Fishman Island is the next reread right? 😉😂
Quite possibly! 😉
❤
Lol wyper was so annoying his anger was placed everywhere 😂