With how impossibly long the series seems to be, the question gets asked more and more.
Summary:
One Piece is over a thousand episodes long, and many otaku ask if it is even worth getting into at this point.
Yes, it is long, but you don’t need to dedicate all of your free time to it.
For many newcomers, the manga might be a better (and faster) alternative to catch up with the series.
With over a thousand episodes — and even more chapters in manga, One Piece might seem like a very hard series to get into nowadays. And this number doesn’t even include all the extra content like specials and movies! If you add up just the episodes of the TV anime, it would still take you over two weeks of watching the anime 24/7 to catch up to where it is right now if you start from episode one.
Yes, of course, you can skip the openings (and endings, until the anime stops having them) — but that doesn’t make the task any more daunting. As such, many fans are wondering: is it even worth getting into the series at this point?
The hype draws many people in
Even if you aren’t into the series, you probably saw the discussions online at some point. There might be even a chance you’ve seen the fights — and in the Wano arc, those are among the best both in the series and in recent action series in general. The fights in Wano actually made many people consider starting the series, but, as mentioned above, the sheer length of it might seem too frightening for the newcomers.
You don’t need to binge the entire series at once
It’s not as bad as it might seem, however. Yes, One Piece arcs are way better when binged, but that’s just a recommendation — if you don’t have time for it, you don’t need to follow it. You also can take breaks between arcs — no one’s forcing you to catch up to the anime as soon as possible. Yes, you might want to participate in the discussions, but is that worth potentially getting burnt out on anime? Chances are, you aren’t getting caught up anytime soon, so it might be worth going at your own pace — One Piece is totally worth it.
The alternatives
Speaking of pace, One Pace is a fan edit of One Piece that heavily cuts down on the repetitive content in the anime. While criticized for essentially changing the way how the anime is supposed to be experienced, it might be a decent alternative to people who want to watch the anime but are very limited by time constraints.
For the rest, it might actually be a good idea to get into the series via the manga. Not only can it be read much, much quicker than the anime, it doesn’t differ much, and you’re not losing out on discussion points. Of course, you can also watch your favorite arcs and fights separately, or slowly watch the anime while you have already caught up with the manga — it’s entirely your choice. One Piece is iconic for a reason, and it’s definitely worth getting into even in 2024.
With how impossibly long the series seems to be, the question gets asked more and more.
Summary:
One Piece is over a thousand episodes long, and many otaku ask if it is even worth getting into at this point.
Yes, it is long, but you don’t need to dedicate all of your free time to it.
For many newcomers, the manga might be a better (and faster) alternative to catch up with the series.
With over a thousand episodes — and even more chapters in manga, One Piece might seem like a very hard series to get into nowadays. And this number doesn’t even include all the extra content like specials and movies! If you add up just the episodes of the TV anime, it would still take you over two weeks of watching the anime 24/7 to catch up to where it is right now if you start from episode one.
Yes, of course, you can skip the openings (and endings, until the anime stops having them) — but that doesn’t make the task any more daunting. As such, many fans are wondering: is it even worth getting into the series at this point?
The hype draws many people in
Even if you aren’t into the series, you probably saw the discussions online at some point. There might be even a chance you’ve seen the fights — and in the Wano arc, those are among the best both in the series and in recent action series in general. The fights in Wano actually made many people consider starting the series, but, as mentioned above, the sheer length of it might seem too frightening for the newcomers.
You don’t need to binge the entire series at once
It’s not as bad as it might seem, however. Yes, One Piece arcs are way better when binged, but that’s just a recommendation — if you don’t have time for it, you don’t need to follow it. You also can take breaks between arcs — no one’s forcing you to catch up to the anime as soon as possible. Yes, you might want to participate in the discussions, but is that worth potentially getting burnt out on anime? Chances are, you aren’t getting caught up anytime soon, so it might be worth going at your own pace — One Piece is totally worth it.
The alternatives
Speaking of pace, One Pace is a fan edit of One Piece that heavily cuts down on the repetitive content in the anime. While criticized for essentially changing the way how the anime is supposed to be experienced, it might be a decent alternative to people who want to watch the anime but are very limited by time constraints.
For the rest, it might actually be a good idea to get into the series via the manga. Not only can it be read much, much quicker than the anime, it doesn’t differ much, and you’re not losing out on discussion points. Of course, you can also watch your favorite arcs and fights separately, or slowly watch the anime while you have already caught up with the manga — it’s entirely your choice. One Piece is iconic for a reason, and it’s definitely worth getting into even in 2024.
