Worstgen
KiriNigiri
Predictably, he's very reminiscent of Luffy, but with his own flavor. I like him a lot. His journey towards conquering the seas is very different from how Luffy's will be. Roger had to fight the unknowns of the sea, for there were no confirmed methods for reaching the final island as there are now.
KiriNigiri
Roger's journey was a puzzle, while Luffy's is a grind.
KiriNigiri
Oden kinda takes a backseat to Roger. He is almost exclusively narrating the events unfolding, following Roger's lead. Intentional or otherwise, you just can't outshine the Pirate King.
KiriNigiri
The circumnavigation provides opportunity for cameos of familiar faces. Oda ties back many different plot threads from various arcs, and is cognizant of the stages of their development. Such as Tom's sea train not being yet complete, or Neptune yet to meet Otohime. It's incredibly impressive plotting that Oda doesn't get enough credit for. Yes, he's praised for his world building-
KiriNigiri
-but world building isn't just about expanding your world. You need it to organically flow. It needs to be alive. Meaning plot elements that were established long ago need to remain consistent for later use. It's easier said than done. You'd be surprised at how many writers don't adhere to this. It's easy to get sidetracked by new ideas and forget old ones in the process.
KiriNigiri
Ok, back to the flashback. I'm actually looking forward to the Bink's Sake segment. The song has a wonderful melody that's hum-able, yet I''ll never manage to get the right rhythm to make it work like the anime would.
KiriNigiri
Oda's very careful about not spoiling anything about the One Piece. Leaving it all to our imaginations on what Roger and co saw which made them laugh. I've seen Roger's laughing panel quite often, but it never loses its magic. One of the best panels Oda has drawn, and it perfectly illustrates what One Piece is about. The laughter, the journey, the wonder. These are all sentiments I feel whenever I look at it.
KiriNigiri
I am excited to know how Oda plans on trumping it when he has the Strawhats find the One Piece?