General & Others Oda is a good or bad writer?
- Thread starter Shadow Asgard
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There’s no question that the quality of One Piece was significantly higher before the time skip, but I’d say post-skip is still better than most other mangas in existence.
Think the real problem isn’t that Oda’s become a bad writer (although he’s made some VERY odd narrative/pacing choices since the SHP entered the New World), but more that he realizes the magnitude of what he’s begun and how difficult it will be to stick the landing. We all know he’s trying to wrap the series up, which is fine, but there are SO many dangling threads that he must tie together before he can walk away.
Moreover, he shouldn’t have introduced so many God damn secondary characters if he didn’t know what to do with the majority of them. I’m sorry, but if I never have to see Wapol/Aisa/Zambia/anyone from Dressrosa in cover stories ever again, it’ll be too fucking soon. What’s worse is when he gives a background player more importance than necessary, especially since it draws focus from the protagonists...
...Which leads me to final criticism (for now), one that most people here agree with - separating the Straw Hats was a big mistake, continuing to keep them apart is ruining the series, and considering we’re entering the home stretch, it’s likely we’ll never get more than a couple panels here or there to see them interacting, which is what drew a lot of people to this tale in the first place. It has been more than six years (!!!) in our world since we saw every member of the crew in a single panel, and not coincidentally, that’s how long I’ve been hearing about people losing interest in One Piece. When you’ve got a successful story on your hands and your main characters are the reason why, you kinda have to keep dancing with the girl you brought to the prom, you know?
Edit: This may not be totally clear, but I’m saying he’s overall a good writer with a great story who’s made some questionable choices the last few years.
Think the real problem isn’t that Oda’s become a bad writer (although he’s made some VERY odd narrative/pacing choices since the SHP entered the New World), but more that he realizes the magnitude of what he’s begun and how difficult it will be to stick the landing. We all know he’s trying to wrap the series up, which is fine, but there are SO many dangling threads that he must tie together before he can walk away.
Moreover, he shouldn’t have introduced so many God damn secondary characters if he didn’t know what to do with the majority of them. I’m sorry, but if I never have to see Wapol/Aisa/Zambia/anyone from Dressrosa in cover stories ever again, it’ll be too fucking soon. What’s worse is when he gives a background player more importance than necessary, especially since it draws focus from the protagonists...
...Which leads me to final criticism (for now), one that most people here agree with - separating the Straw Hats was a big mistake, continuing to keep them apart is ruining the series, and considering we’re entering the home stretch, it’s likely we’ll never get more than a couple panels here or there to see them interacting, which is what drew a lot of people to this tale in the first place. It has been more than six years (!!!) in our world since we saw every member of the crew in a single panel, and not coincidentally, that’s how long I’ve been hearing about people losing interest in One Piece. When you’ve got a successful story on your hands and your main characters are the reason why, you kinda have to keep dancing with the girl you brought to the prom, you know?
Edit: This may not be totally clear, but I’m saying he’s overall a good writer with a great story who’s made some questionable choices the last few years.
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First and foremost he's a human with ups and downs.
Majority of the time i find his writing to be very, very good, but there were times where it was absolutely ridiculous to a point in which i question the role of his editors.....
Overall Oda is a good writer, definitely not the best or my favourite mangaka, but to be relevant after 20 years kinda confirms that he has to be somewhat of a good writer otherwise the series would've gotten axed immediately.
When i start to read Shounen manga that isn't Hxh, then i tend to lower my expectations anyways
Majority of the time i find his writing to be very, very good, but there were times where it was absolutely ridiculous to a point in which i question the role of his editors.....
Overall Oda is a good writer, definitely not the best or my favourite mangaka, but to be relevant after 20 years kinda confirms that he has to be somewhat of a good writer otherwise the series would've gotten axed immediately.
When i start to read Shounen manga that isn't Hxh, then i tend to lower my expectations anyways
Good.
Lol we are hundered years younger to criticise Oda as bad writer when we haven't written any single piece of art lol. Oda's Onepiece continues to be one of the best selling Mangas even after 20 years, so he indeed counts as Good writer. And that itself shouldn't be up for discussion.
But, if he is one of the Best writers? than i personally don't think so. I think his writing has many flaws, and i dont look fwd to Onepiece chapters as much as i used to in the past. So i think many are better than him presently.
Lol we are hundered years younger to criticise Oda as bad writer when we haven't written any single piece of art lol. Oda's Onepiece continues to be one of the best selling Mangas even after 20 years, so he indeed counts as Good writer. And that itself shouldn't be up for discussion.
But, if he is one of the Best writers? than i personally don't think so. I think his writing has many flaws, and i dont look fwd to Onepiece chapters as much as i used to in the past. So i think many are better than him presently.
That gets lost in the mix with these discussions - some of the weird shit that happens in One Piece is likely the result of his editor(s) getting in his head. Back when his series wasn’t as big a phenomenon as it is now, he could probably take more creative liberties of his own accord...now, he must have a phalanx of hangers-on guiding him in certain directions he may not have gone during the earlier days.
I agree with you in general, but I think it’s fair to criticize art you’re consuming even if you haven’t made any yourself...I’m a writer and have been doing that most of my life, but I don’t think that makes me more qualified to talk about the parts of One Piece that I don’t like than you or anyone else here. He’s crafting it, but it still has to resonate with you, me, and millions of other people if it’s going to work as intended.
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I agree with you in general, but I think it’s fair to criticize art you’re consuming even if you haven’t made any yourself...I’m a writer and have been doing that most of my life, but I don’t think that makes me more qualified to talk about the parts of One Piece that I don’t like than you or anyone else here. He’s crafting it, but it still has to resonate with you, me, and millions of other people if it’s going to work as intended.
To be fair we can criticize someone even if we can't do anything ourselves. I can have opinions about dishes even if I have no skills in cooking, if I find a book bad even if I didn't write anything.
Most critics don't have the 1/100% of the talent of the one their criticize. Yet they are free to do so and their opinions can be grounded.
Most critics don't have the 1/100% of the talent of the one their criticize. Yet they are free to do so and their opinions can be grounded.
W
Yes, Oda is a great writer. He's created fascinating characters, settings, and plots using rhythm, FORESHADOWING!!!1, allusions, imagery, wordplay, gags, etc etc. He is an excellent writer. He's been working on the idea that eventually became OP since he was in junior high, and it's obvious how much he loves this universe and the characters he's made.
He's made some on-the-fly decisions that haven't quite worked out, dropped things that seemed important, dragged on things that seemed unimportant, and pissed off his readers plenty of times. I agree with @Jew D. Boy that some of those decisions might not have been the way he wanted the story to go, but we'll probably never know. From what we see of him in SBS and interviews, he's a bit childish and even flippant sometimes.
You should also consider the unique challenge he has in writing such a long-running serial. It's near impossible to retcon something, and each chapter has a deadline, whether or not the story is ready. Serials are way different than completed works.
But there are better writers out there, and there are more polished works out there. What Oda is is a great storyteller. He's the kind of person who can come up with stories that fully immerse the audience while they're all gathered around a campfire, you know? The proof of his storytelling greatness is how many people get frustrated with OP but keep coming back because they want to know what happens and because they care so much about his characters.
A great writer with no story to tell is a shit writer. But a great storyteller can get away with bumpy writing if the story is good enough.
He's made some on-the-fly decisions that haven't quite worked out, dropped things that seemed important, dragged on things that seemed unimportant, and pissed off his readers plenty of times. I agree with @Jew D. Boy that some of those decisions might not have been the way he wanted the story to go, but we'll probably never know. From what we see of him in SBS and interviews, he's a bit childish and even flippant sometimes.
You should also consider the unique challenge he has in writing such a long-running serial. It's near impossible to retcon something, and each chapter has a deadline, whether or not the story is ready. Serials are way different than completed works.
But there are better writers out there, and there are more polished works out there. What Oda is is a great storyteller. He's the kind of person who can come up with stories that fully immerse the audience while they're all gathered around a campfire, you know? The proof of his storytelling greatness is how many people get frustrated with OP but keep coming back because they want to know what happens and because they care so much about his characters.
A great writer with no story to tell is a shit writer. But a great storyteller can get away with bumpy writing if the story is good enough.
REALLY great distinction to make here - Oda is a terrific storyteller even if the execution leaves a bit to be desired at certain junctures. I’ve found myself in awe before at the scope of the story he’s telling, it’s so rich and emotional and hasn’t lost any serious steam despite going more than 20 years now that it’s truly astonishing the whole thing has come from a single mind...even if I don’t love every part of it, he’s doing something transformative.
Oda is obviously a great storyteller but his issue is that he relies on the same preskip formulas on a much bigger scale postskip. Everything postskip is just bloated with a focus on the little things, with the bigger things constantly being off paneled and teased. Reading on a weekly basis feel so dragged and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
When talking about manga, Oda's certainly a good writer. If he wasn't then he wouldn't have been able to create such a sensation with OP and for it to become as big as it has.
Is he the greatest of all time? Not a chance. Is he the best in Jump now? Nope. Is he in the top 5 in Jump now? I'd argue not, as One Piece is not where it once was.
Oda certainly has tons of amazing ideas, really great thematic writing and an incredible living world. This was something that really excelled pre timeskip, but OP has simply got too big and Oda can't cope with it. Rushing, skipping, splitting up the main cast, etc. Can't execute all that is in his head effectively.
OP has had some truly terrible moments recently, but when looking at the work as a whole, it's still good, just greatly dropped in quality. Oda's a good writer, but certainly not the mastermind genius he's bigged up to be.
Is he the greatest of all time? Not a chance. Is he the best in Jump now? Nope. Is he in the top 5 in Jump now? I'd argue not, as One Piece is not where it once was.
Oda certainly has tons of amazing ideas, really great thematic writing and an incredible living world. This was something that really excelled pre timeskip, but OP has simply got too big and Oda can't cope with it. Rushing, skipping, splitting up the main cast, etc. Can't execute all that is in his head effectively.
OP has had some truly terrible moments recently, but when looking at the work as a whole, it's still good, just greatly dropped in quality. Oda's a good writer, but certainly not the mastermind genius he's bigged up to be.
Is he Good or bad is not a debate anymore.
The real debate is whether he is greatest or the best or not if you throw away biased lenses and see things objectively.
When someone gets top grades every year we don't question whether he is good at studies or not because undoubtedly he is intelligent.
When a sportsperson performs every year like roger winning so many grandslams we don't question whether he is good player or not rather he is greatest or not.
Oda isn't perfect writer. The flaws are more apparent since ts. However, one piece is still maintaining its hold on being top manga every year and this is for more than 20 years and this is after considering the awful dub and bad anime quality before wano.
20 years + is two decades and is more than how old many of you are. Crirics these days don't understand how difficult it is to maintain this standard for such long time.
People are still buying one piece new volumes like crazy. This speaks of its popularity. To make one piece running for such long time and still going strong clearly speaks of how great oda is.
Yes new mangas are coming up and some of them are really good. But they aren't the benchmark to which we should compare one piece with. Coming close to one piece or surpassing it in one year doesn't portray those mangas better than one piece which is running for 20 years. It's like saying a new comer win two grandslams in a row and we are comparing him with likes of Nadal and Roger. That's absurd.
But as I said oda isn't perfect. Wci Second part was not well written for me especially when I was reading it weekly. But when I read it since the start I found it more meaningful. Most of the disappointment with one piece is self called for by building your own expectations and when oda doesn't deliver on it,we go on rampage criticizing him. And, this happens every god damn week because we expect things from every chapter.
However how many mangaka are capable to generate this much discussion on his work like we do on one piece in so many forums?
How many mangaka are able to make people purchase their work every fukn year to such extent? How many mangaka are able to keep us hook even after 20 years? How many mangaka you know who has revolutionized the whole manga industry and influenced new generation of mangaka? Very very few....and oda undoubtedly is among them whether you like it or not.
The real debate is whether he is greatest or the best or not if you throw away biased lenses and see things objectively.
When someone gets top grades every year we don't question whether he is good at studies or not because undoubtedly he is intelligent.
When a sportsperson performs every year like roger winning so many grandslams we don't question whether he is good player or not rather he is greatest or not.
Oda isn't perfect writer. The flaws are more apparent since ts. However, one piece is still maintaining its hold on being top manga every year and this is for more than 20 years and this is after considering the awful dub and bad anime quality before wano.
20 years + is two decades and is more than how old many of you are. Crirics these days don't understand how difficult it is to maintain this standard for such long time.
People are still buying one piece new volumes like crazy. This speaks of its popularity. To make one piece running for such long time and still going strong clearly speaks of how great oda is.
Yes new mangas are coming up and some of them are really good. But they aren't the benchmark to which we should compare one piece with. Coming close to one piece or surpassing it in one year doesn't portray those mangas better than one piece which is running for 20 years. It's like saying a new comer win two grandslams in a row and we are comparing him with likes of Nadal and Roger. That's absurd.
But as I said oda isn't perfect. Wci Second part was not well written for me especially when I was reading it weekly. But when I read it since the start I found it more meaningful. Most of the disappointment with one piece is self called for by building your own expectations and when oda doesn't deliver on it,we go on rampage criticizing him. And, this happens every god damn week because we expect things from every chapter.
However how many mangaka are capable to generate this much discussion on his work like we do on one piece in so many forums?
How many mangaka are able to make people purchase their work every fukn year to such extent? How many mangaka are able to keep us hook even after 20 years? How many mangaka you know who has revolutionized the whole manga industry and influenced new generation of mangaka? Very very few....and oda undoubtedly is among them whether you like it or not.
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