So in short: Where does this nonsense even come from?
On Twitter, reddit & Co. it seems like you are a heretic, if you even dare suggest that OP is not the epitome of manga history.
One Piece is a very fun read and certainly has its strengths (mainly worldbuilding), but it is nowhere near a "masterpiece" or "peak fiction" in terms of storywriting. Not even compared to other shonen.
I could come up with countless story inconsistencies and very iffy plot-points (especially those in Wano that are still fresh), but lets just take a look at the general buildup of the story today.
We have 1053 chapters now, consisting of many arcs. From a "masterpiece" you would expect most arcs to have a differing structure, creative twists and generally a lot of variety in storytelling itself.
If you look at One Piece however, outside of that Amazon Lily - Marineford stretch, each arc is basically a copy-paste version of the other arcs. Only thing that differs is that Oda slaps a different overlaying theme on it (loyalty, racism, leadership etc.). Otherwise it goes like this every single time:
1) Reaching a new island
2) Splitting up and having a short adventure
3) Meeting the locals (most of the time a young female emerges as lead side-character for the arc)
4) Learn about the problems on that island and the enemies
5) Have a first encounter with the enemies that doesn't go well
6) Flashback of this arcs lead side-character (emphasizing the tragedy on that island)
7) SHs regroup
8) Final round against the antagonists
9) Island-wide threat is introduced (nuke in Alabasta, Advent of Thunder in Skypiea, Buster Call in EL, Birdcage in DR, Fire/Bombs in Onigashima etc.)
10) SHs win and banish the island-wide threat
11) Banquet and leaving for the next island
12) Rinse and repeat
Now like I said: One Piece is still a fun read (I wouldn't be here otherwise), but that insanely repetitive structure for over 1053 chapters (!) is more than enough to disqualify One Piece from the "masterpiece" label when it comes to storywriting.
It's really just your basic, generic shonen.
That's why I really can't comprehend how fans seemingly really believe it is such a genius work. Yes, it is good for a shonen (well, especially pre-skip) and enjoyable, but man oh man, have those "peak fiction" yellers even read one story outside of One Piece or ever learned the basics about literature to come to such wild conclusions?
On Twitter, reddit & Co. it seems like you are a heretic, if you even dare suggest that OP is not the epitome of manga history.
One Piece is a very fun read and certainly has its strengths (mainly worldbuilding), but it is nowhere near a "masterpiece" or "peak fiction" in terms of storywriting. Not even compared to other shonen.
I could come up with countless story inconsistencies and very iffy plot-points (especially those in Wano that are still fresh), but lets just take a look at the general buildup of the story today.
We have 1053 chapters now, consisting of many arcs. From a "masterpiece" you would expect most arcs to have a differing structure, creative twists and generally a lot of variety in storytelling itself.
If you look at One Piece however, outside of that Amazon Lily - Marineford stretch, each arc is basically a copy-paste version of the other arcs. Only thing that differs is that Oda slaps a different overlaying theme on it (loyalty, racism, leadership etc.). Otherwise it goes like this every single time:
1) Reaching a new island
2) Splitting up and having a short adventure
3) Meeting the locals (most of the time a young female emerges as lead side-character for the arc)
4) Learn about the problems on that island and the enemies
5) Have a first encounter with the enemies that doesn't go well
6) Flashback of this arcs lead side-character (emphasizing the tragedy on that island)
7) SHs regroup
8) Final round against the antagonists
9) Island-wide threat is introduced (nuke in Alabasta, Advent of Thunder in Skypiea, Buster Call in EL, Birdcage in DR, Fire/Bombs in Onigashima etc.)
10) SHs win and banish the island-wide threat
11) Banquet and leaving for the next island
12) Rinse and repeat
Now like I said: One Piece is still a fun read (I wouldn't be here otherwise), but that insanely repetitive structure for over 1053 chapters (!) is more than enough to disqualify One Piece from the "masterpiece" label when it comes to storywriting.
It's really just your basic, generic shonen.
That's why I really can't comprehend how fans seemingly really believe it is such a genius work. Yes, it is good for a shonen (well, especially pre-skip) and enjoyable, but man oh man, have those "peak fiction" yellers even read one story outside of One Piece or ever learned the basics about literature to come to such wild conclusions?