The Like/Hate Thread

[Belle Hibiki]

The beginning of One Piece is undoubtedly its weakest point. So much of what makes the series great doesn't begin in earnest until the rest of the initial main cast is assembled (Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji), the final one kicking the series off into its first non-main-cast introductory arc with episode 31 and Arlong Park. Like Dragonball, the first episodes of the series are more slapstick comedy, establishing the characters and the world that they live in, but the series quickly settles into the comedy/drama/shonen action that it's known for.