One Piece, Part 1: East Blue, Alabasta, and Skypiea

This time around, Chris and Suede talk about the (Pirate) King of all anime shows, One Piece! Where do you even start with a series spanning decades with nearly a thousand episodes? Well, might as well start from the beginning! We start with some fascinating insights into Oda Eiichiro's inspirations for the original manga. Then, we dive right into episode 1 and beyond!One Piece is a massive series so this time around we simply take a look at the highlights of its earliest arcs. You can expect more episodes centered around specific arcs and even specific characters later on the down the road but we shall leave it here for now. After all, there are, oh so many more anime to discuss!Time Stamps:(00:00 - 1:21) Introduction(1:22 - 13:44) Hot Topical/What We're WatchingChris and Suede discuss the Dr. Stone Season 2 announcement (January 2021, get HYPE!). We also geek out about the new, upcoming Haruhi Suzimiya light novel. Oda Eiichiro announces the end date of One Piece.Chris has been watching Haruhi Suzumiya and Zarigoto this week. He also has some choice words about the Denpa Kyoshi anime.Suede has been watching Ghost Stories (dub) and goes on a bit of a tangent about the history of that series. He also watched The Wizard of Oz anime series, courtesy of Crunchyroll's Click of Random.(13:45 - 31:04 ) Oda's InspirationsChris and Suede discuss the three major inspirations for One Piece. First, is Vicky the Viking, an adventure anime from the mid-1970's. Next, is the Dragonball manga because, honestly, who hasn't been influenced by that series? Finally, and surprisingly, Oda was hugely influenced by The Wizard of Oz!(31:06 - 49:20) One Piece: East Blue ArcWhere it all started! We discuss the introduction of some of the main cast with a special focus on Usopp because he's special. We also hone in on Zoro's fight with Mihawk in Episode 24. Then, we muse on the importance of the Loguetown sub-arc (episodes 45, 48-53).(49:24 - ) One Piece: Alabasta ArcChris and Suede discuss the shift in tone of this second arc of the series. Chopper makes us cry and we are introduced to a lady with way too many hands. We also take a closer look at the Little Garden sub-arc (episodes 70-77). Finally, we examine Smoker's character in the aftermath of Alabasta's civil war.(1:03:19 - 1:15:20) One Piece: Skypiea ArcBasically, this whole arc is Oda flexing his world-building skills. We are introduced to a whole new land complete with its own economy, technology, religion, and political disputes. We also talk about Luffy's epic fight with God Himself, Eneru!(1:15:22 - 1:23:00) ConclusionsQuestion of the Day: What is YOUR favorite One Piece episode? Favorite Character?Subscribe and/or follow us for future episodes!Please rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about the hosts:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ariamachihttps://myanimelist.net/profile/GraySuede Email us at: [email protected] Follow us on Twitter: @deepanimedive Beautiful cover art by Teoteku!See more on Instagram: @teoteku_ Outro Music is "Lettres"By Nicolas Jeudy of Dark Fantasy Studiohttps://www.youtube.com/c/DarkFantasyStudioNicolasJeudyAnd, no, that isn't a typo there. Lettres is French for, well, letters.