One piece has gathered a lot of hype in the last few years, and i have heard many sceptical views of its rising popularity. But regardless of your view, the sheer number of manga being sold suggest that there is something which differentiates this series from others. Personally, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series, regardless of my general dislike of shounen manga.

Story: at the start of the series, the storyline is quite basic and a little cliche. There is the main character who gathers friends and sets off on an adventure, fighting a series of bad guys along the way. While the story is still exciting and enjoyable, it is understandable why many drop this series after reading the first 100 chapters or so, as it is almost underwhelming in the scheme of things. Oda also writes very long winded stories which may seem to drag on a little. However, if you power through, the plot which Oda has woven gains complexity and depth and somehow manages to move away from the typical shounen manga cliches. Each arc still has the typical structure of the main characters overcoming a group of enemies, but is far from typical in the originality of the world Oda has created and the underlying plot which strings each story together. One piece is not just about epic adventures, becoming stronger and battling pirates, but is centered around the key themes of friendship and dreams, ideas which are displayed liberally throughout the series.

overall, the story is one big epic adventure, an emotional roller coaster riddled with delightful humor, friendship, quirky characters, action and a surprising amount of depth.

Art: Oda's style is not something I would normally like at all, and it can be described as an acquired taste. Personally, I am usually guilty of picking manga by the style of art rather than story. Despite this, I have come to genuinely enjoy the art of One piece. If you like the style, great. If it is not you cup of tea, as you read, the story and characters will make up for the drawings. I think it would be a shame to miss out on this series because of the 'unusual' art style. Once I had started reading I found that I began to view the art as delightfully quirky and perfectly fitting for the story.

Character: My favorite part on one piece would have to be the characters. The nine main characters are intensely diverse and quirky, yet somehow manage to fit together and compliment each other. Each has a very strong personality and unique past, designed in detail down to their habits and ticks. Their crew is odd to say the least, but the three dimensional characters and the dynamics between them make one piece stand out as a quality piece of work.
In addition to the main characters, each and every enemy or subcharacter is almost equally quirky and unique. Every character of this series is odd and three dimensional, adding to the humor, quality and general feel of one piece. Character design is one of Oda's strong points.

Enjoyment: One piece is a series which can be enjoyed by anyone. Oda has created a world of pirates which is very unique and highly entertaining. The characters are spectacular, the story exciting and action packed and the message one of chasing dreams and true friendship. The entire series is wonderfully hilarious, riddled with just enough humor unique to one piece. It is a series that will make you smile, laugh, tense and cry, while taking you on an epic adventure.

Overall, one piece is a very good series once you get into it. It is well balanced for most of the part, though some parts are a little long. It is my favorite manga, even though i don't like shounen manga. (chapter 450/500 onwards is so good!)

The most unfortunate thing about this series is that so much is lost when it is translated. Oda portrays characters largely through dialogue, almost all of which is lost in translation. The language and its nuance is so vital to characters and story and it is almost depressing how little makes it into the translated versions. Most unfortunate is the loss of the humor. While still funny in english, Oda's humor does not translate well at all. The uniquely Japanese humor, the style of boke and tsukkomi, nuances and tempo can not really be translated or sometimes appreciated in english. Having tried to read it in english, I gave up very quickly. It is a shame if you can not read Japanese or do not know the culture very well because a ridiculous amount is lost in translation. One piece really is 10000000X better in Japanese