Hi.
Lately, my fear about the hate in this fanbase felt at ease... Thinking that it would not impact One Piece.. but I might have been mistaken.
Hate is spreading still and it does impact Oda. This phenomenon, if it keeps rising, will worsen. As such..
I implore anyone who currently hates the story and is spreading that hate outward, to be very aware of the consequences:
1. For Oda's own life as depicted in the first tweet
2. For reasons that should be evident:
One Piece risk to suffer from it. In ways you have no idea
--
A week to week experience of such an epic can only create massive expectations. Said expectations will create - if not managed correctly - illegitimate expectations, things that are not based on the story, but conservative (in the narrative sense) vision of the storytelling, parasocial behaviors with characters, missplaced understanding of plotlines and developments and overall.. a bad experience.
I implore you to be curious and look outward, to the reaction side of the new watchers.
Observe how the structure of the story impacts their perception, observe how the transition between PreTS and PostTS is of no consequences for them. Observe how each form of arguments that you may have will either not exist or be glossed over in favor of the big picture. Reaction channel have an interest in making content yes, but they also have the necessity to learn to appreciate what can be challenging for some. As such, you will observe a strong form of media literacy from their realm... often followed by amazing insight and theorizing, things that seemed impossible to predict at our reading stages, are made far more accessible by the new perspective of a bingewatch.
Observe how they will often understand the deapth of the narration more than most of long time weakly readers... Observe how the arcs that you consider as trash are considerered by these new reactors and readers.
And please, consider that your appreciation of One Piece, and many other stories, might be indered by your own perspective, your own negative reading experience and your own biases.
---
If the hate continues to grows and it gets too much... there is a real risk for Oda to start changing his ways. You might consider that a good thing. But trust me, it's not.
If you are a writer, you should know that you don't have the full picture or the necessary understanding of the intrications of the development and behaviors. You should understand that your perspective could be produced not by the content, but something bigger than you : a social phenomenon.
Fandom can indirectly destroy stories.
I experienced that with many franchise, Star wars being the main one, but you do not realize that a man's trash is another man's treasure. One Piece might not suit your expectations, but its coherence is, for us, fundamental.
Do not make the mistake of believing that your words can't have a negative impact because you think you know better... Hatred can destroy.. and right now... it's going too far for so many wrong reasons.. threatening to corrupt the meaning of the story itself.. as Oda might be tempted to ease that anger.
Oda is an author. A sexist, a flawed one sure, a cringe one sometimes also... but a coherent one. His story is one big vision, at its power relies on that coherency. Corrupting that vision for your own parasocial interests could destroy the very fabric of what makes One Piece such a great odyssey and the power this story has on society.
The world needs One Piece at full strenght right now.
So I implore you to consider what I'm saying and the solution I propose to get you to appreciate the story again within its subtilities. I'll consider writing another thread about that if this one gets traction. Criticism can be made without a wave of negativity. Look around, you are not alone in this dogpiling phenomenon... And finally, remember:
Hating a story is also a social process.
Lately, my fear about the hate in this fanbase felt at ease... Thinking that it would not impact One Piece.. but I might have been mistaken.
Hate is spreading still and it does impact Oda. This phenomenon, if it keeps rising, will worsen. As such..
I implore anyone who currently hates the story and is spreading that hate outward, to be very aware of the consequences:
1. For Oda's own life as depicted in the first tweet
2. For reasons that should be evident:
One Piece risk to suffer from it. In ways you have no idea
--
A week to week experience of such an epic can only create massive expectations. Said expectations will create - if not managed correctly - illegitimate expectations, things that are not based on the story, but conservative (in the narrative sense) vision of the storytelling, parasocial behaviors with characters, missplaced understanding of plotlines and developments and overall.. a bad experience.
I implore you to be curious and look outward, to the reaction side of the new watchers.
Observe how the structure of the story impacts their perception, observe how the transition between PreTS and PostTS is of no consequences for them. Observe how each form of arguments that you may have will either not exist or be glossed over in favor of the big picture. Reaction channel have an interest in making content yes, but they also have the necessity to learn to appreciate what can be challenging for some. As such, you will observe a strong form of media literacy from their realm... often followed by amazing insight and theorizing, things that seemed impossible to predict at our reading stages, are made far more accessible by the new perspective of a bingewatch.
Observe how they will often understand the deapth of the narration more than most of long time weakly readers... Observe how the arcs that you consider as trash are considerered by these new reactors and readers.
And please, consider that your appreciation of One Piece, and many other stories, might be indered by your own perspective, your own negative reading experience and your own biases.
---
If the hate continues to grows and it gets too much... there is a real risk for Oda to start changing his ways. You might consider that a good thing. But trust me, it's not.
If you are a writer, you should know that you don't have the full picture or the necessary understanding of the intrications of the development and behaviors. You should understand that your perspective could be produced not by the content, but something bigger than you : a social phenomenon.
Fandom can indirectly destroy stories.
I experienced that with many franchise, Star wars being the main one, but you do not realize that a man's trash is another man's treasure. One Piece might not suit your expectations, but its coherence is, for us, fundamental.
Do not make the mistake of believing that your words can't have a negative impact because you think you know better... Hatred can destroy.. and right now... it's going too far for so many wrong reasons.. threatening to corrupt the meaning of the story itself.. as Oda might be tempted to ease that anger.
Oda is an author. A sexist, a flawed one sure, a cringe one sometimes also... but a coherent one. His story is one big vision, at its power relies on that coherency. Corrupting that vision for your own parasocial interests could destroy the very fabric of what makes One Piece such a great odyssey and the power this story has on society.
The world needs One Piece at full strenght right now.
So I implore you to consider what I'm saying and the solution I propose to get you to appreciate the story again within its subtilities. I'll consider writing another thread about that if this one gets traction. Criticism can be made without a wave of negativity. Look around, you are not alone in this dogpiling phenomenon... And finally, remember:
Hating a story is also a social process.
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