X Never Marks the Spot

Caught up with the anime with the sibs (to ep 601) and then out of impatience caught up with the manga (to the just-out ch.712) and this series is still ridiculous and too long and so shounen it hurts (...especially for Sanji in the last chapter, ow) and the latest arcs haven't been quite up to Water 7's standards, but I still love it forever and endlessly.

In addition to my adoration for everyone else I now also am madly in love with Trafalgar Law. (Well, I was before. But moreso after Punk Hazard. His interactions with the Strawhats are amazing "You understand that your definition of 'alliance' and his are different, right?" and he's super-hot by OP's very special standards.)

(What's up with his hat, though - why does it keep matching Chopper's style? Is there some special fashion trendsetter for doctor's hats on the Grand Line???)

But for the love of little fishes WHEN ARE WE GOING TO MEET VEGAPUNK, ALREADY???

I have finished Tiger Hunt! And it only took me...less than 8 years! I will take that as a win.

Tiger Hunt (62214 words) by Xparrot
Chapters: 24/24
Fandom: One Piece
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Characters: Roronoa Zoro, Monkey D. Luffy, Nami (One Piece), Usopp, Sanji (One Piece), Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, Other(s)
Summary: A rainy night, an unexpected threat, a desperate crew. And Zoro has never been so lost.

(also available on ff.net, but the whole site's been acting up lately - took me a couple tries to login before posting, and I think it might've lost or refused to post some reviews for a time >.< not to mention the formatting is all buggered up due to their burning hatred of double dashes and scene breaks, so yeah, I'd recommend reading on AO3 where it's all nice and pretty and you can easily read it on one page or download it to your reader/phone, whatever you like!)

Also, I am awfully belated in linking this, but last year the lovely kalakirya went and podficced half my MUNCLE fic! Her masterlist can be found here; they're also linked from the stories themselves on my AO3 account.

Have been catching up on the One Piece anime with the bro (and gnine now that she's here visting). And yeah, the anime is but a weak reflection of the manga (the pacing is usually off since they're stretching the manga as far as it can go, so it takes forever for anything to happen; and the art is all over the place, ranging from decent to hardly watchable - what I wouldn't give for the whole series to look like Strong World) but it's still OP. We're almost through Marineford, which I especially appreciate animated because it got hard to follow in the manga, though yeah, I wish the animation was up to the EPIC. (The scope of that battle is unbelievable; I can't think of anything like it--definitely not in fight shounen, with its usual orderly one-to-one hero and opponent ratio. Maybe some of the cross-series events in American superhero comics? But even those tend not to go down in one place, with so many fighters of insane strength and powers - and that's not even getting into the emotional side, both the personal stories and the world-changing significance of the war.)

I love the way OP shifts gears - the first time it happens is in Arlong Park, when you start to realize that this fun little kid's adventure series has more to it than shiny action and silly antics; and it keeps upping the ante as it goes, changing and expanding and widening its scope, both breadth and depth, while never losing its original heart (or absurdity!) (That's something manga tends to do better anyway. Supernatural started out this small, personal show about two brothers, and then tried to expand into an epic about saving the world, but it couldn't handle the expansion; it never quite succeeds in making you care about the fate of the planet, beyond what that means to the Winchesters and their little family. While as series like Babylon 5 and Avatar: TLA do a fantastic job with epic, universe-spanning stories, but they present as such from the get-go; they're about one-of-a-kind heroes in one-of-a-kind situations, making history. But fight shounen often start small and personal and scale up into saving the universe - Dragonball started out as the story of a girl looking for wish-granting magic balls for lack of anything better to do. OP develops into something more complicated than most, however, between its increasingly huge cast and lack of a single dominant villain to defeat, and with its weird mix of obvious protagonists and antagonists but increasingly complex morality - you usually know who you're supposed to be cheering for, but they're not always on the same side...)

(...and now I want a good Marineford/Ace & Luffy vid to Shinedown's "Diamond Eyes". There's a few OP AMVs to it on youtube already (it's hard not to see it, with the refrain of "the story is just beginning/I say goodbye to my weakness/so long to the regret/and now I see the world through diamond eyes"), but nothing quite like what I'm picturing. Does anyone have any recs for OP AMVs? Especially in the mood for action - would love something as fantastic as ManyLemon's Sail On with later footage.)

So after almost (but not quite) five years, I'm finishing Tiger Hunt. After my recent One Piece reread, it just seemed like the time. After writing for the past month, I have the first draft almost done (am on the epilogue, planning to finish it this weekend) so I figured I could risk posting and seeing if anyone out there actually remembers this fic exists.

(in unrelated news, AGGHHH I don't think I can read Homestuck as it's updated (never mind that that's often daily, and several pages a day, because Andrew Hussie is clearly insane and also possibly a Hero of Time) - TOO FRICKING STRESSFUL AGGGHHH NEED MORE NOOOOW! Did Karkat kill Gamzee himself?? He's covered in purple blood...how?? are we gonna get an animation?? agh more more now now now now!!)

So you know how there are some things that become super popular, and you can't quite figure out why? Not even the someone-probably-sold-their-soul mysteries like Twilight, but something like Harry Potter, which is largely a great, fun series that I'd have happily recommended to people, but I don't quite get how it became a world-wide phenomenon, as opposed to, say, something by Diana Wynne Jones.

One Piece is currently the best-selling manga series of all time in Japan (most of the new volumes are coming out and promptly breaking sale records that were set only a short time before by previous volumes) and you know what? I don't have any questions about that whatsoever.

Which is to say, yeah, Oda Eiichirou still owns my fangirl soul.

The continuity alone makes me swoon. You like continuity? Oda plays the long game. As in, something happens in chapter 1 (Shanks's haki) that doesn't really come up again until chapter 434 - around the time the series was celebrating its tenth anniversary. And it's not explained for more than 50 chapters after that. And the thing is, this isn't an annoying tease as it might sound like, because when you first read it you don't realize it's a plot point - but when the reveal finally happens, you can go back and immediately realize, OH, that's what that was about! Rereading the series is all the more fun when there are so many little details that you pick up on, knowing their significance later, and there's practically nothing that's jarring, that seems out-of-place or contrary to later happenings.

I was calling OP one of my favorite series before it even got to what is now my favorite arc in the series - and yup, having just finished Water 7 (my first time reading it straight through, rather than week-by-week as it came out) it's still my fave. Will have to see what I think when I've totally caught up, but the Water 7/CP9 saga, with its multiple intersecting and overlapping plot & char arcs, is the storytelling equivalent of tossing half a dozen wild badgers into the air and then juggling them without so much as getting your finger nipped. It's almost breathtaking. (When it's not making you screech with hysterical laughter or sob like a baby...)

( a bit more wild squee, spoilerific through the end of Water 7 but not beyond )

There are about a thousand more reasons I could go into about how I love Oda's writing - like how doesn't sell anyone short; putting aside the at-this-point-literal cast of thousands, the series is up to 9 main characters, and barring one exceptional plot arc, they're always a major part of the story; if any of them happens to be your favorite, I don't think you'd feel shorted. He's nearly as good with the relationships within those chars (and outside them) - with so many possibilities, there are some that have barely (so far) been explored, but they're almost certain to be eventually, while at the same time he doesn't forget the relationships that were established at the very beginning of the series. And that's not even mentioning my adoration for his art.

What it comes down to is, yup, still one of my favorite stories of all times - maybe my very favorite, depending on how it turns out in the end? - and totally worthy of its best-selling title. When it comes to shounen manga, at least, you can't get better than this.

So at naye and shayera's insistence the bro and I watched the One Piece Strong World movie, which was totally awesome and fun and proves that Odacchi should've written all the movies, because no one else has a handle on his chars like he does. (I really do have a bizarre....respect? for the Gintama animators, who actually stopped making the show until they had more manga to adopt. My theory is that absolutely no one understands exactly how Gintama manages to be as popular as it is, so they don't dare monkey with Sorachi-sensei's inexplicably magical formula.)(With One Piece, on the other hand, everyone knows why it's as popular as it is, but it's impossible to replicate because about 80% of the formula is that Oda Eichirou is a storytelling god.)

So that inspired me to finally catch up with OP (I'm two years behind the manga at this point - though not entirely unspoiled, which is part of why I'm so behind) but I decided if I was going to do that I might as well just go ahead and reread the whole manga, all 600+ chapters. Thanks to plane flights and airport waits and my Kindle (I <3 my Kindle) I'm now up to the Drum Island arc, and yep, I stand by previous assertions, this is maybe the best damn manga ever written. ( brief squee, no spoilers )

In other manga news, read 20th Century Boys a couple weeks ago - quite enjoyed that one, too; I do like a good apocalypse tale, and I very much appreciate Urasawa Naoki's clean, strong art. The plot's not quite as tight as Monster but it's just as hard to put down - Urasawa's storytelling style seems to be to crank the suspense up to 11 in the first chapter and then keep it there for the next 20-whatever volumes. Curious about the live-action movie trilogy now - don't expect it makes much sense, with the amount they had to condense, but would like to see the imagery and casting. Wonder if it's been subtitled...

Speaking of movies, gnine and I, being together in San Francisco this weekend for a wedding, caught Fast Five, ( no real spoilers )

In San Fran we also visited spacealien_vamp who provided us with wonderful personalized manga recs, and also shared with us a bit of Scarecrow & Mrs. King (babyfaced John Sheridan Bruce Boxleightner, aww!) and the latest ep of Who.

( Lots of spoilers here for New Who 6x02; warning for low squee count )

One Piece 432 (I badly need to update my icon. Am so broken all over again. On both counts.):

Regarding last week's important question: the answer is yes. Oh Yes. Both of them, even. Bwah. Oh, Odacchi.

ルフィさん、ゾロさん、お久しぶりです。僕がわかりますか？
too, too cute!

Regarding certain other revelations in this chapter - hoooo boy. ( huge, if poorly translated, spoilers )

ETA: HQ chapter is easier to read. And. Yeah. Wow. The screamingly funny parts are almost as funny as the incredibly cool revelations are cool. Especially the final punchline. Idiocy runs deep in their family (but what the heck is the deal with Ace? He's a Portgas not a Monkey...is he Luffy's blood brother or not, then?)



Meanwhile, Eyeshield 21, 207:

Too tired to try to figure out blurry furigana. But whee, color pic! And aww, the trios, both sets. (Hiruma & Musashi & Kurita are much love. They're such total opposites in all three directions.) (and I am so getting that artbook. Am weak. Besides it's coming out right in time for my birthday~ must be a sign!)

The maid outfits. No words.

Also, is it bad that since the Shinryuuji game I've had this little thing for Monta? I mean, he's an idiot. But his number one catcher thing is sorta kinda unavoidably cool. And he and Hiruma have these occasional moments of trust that get me, on a purely platonic teammate level - here, when Hiruma asks him if he can match Sakuraba's height, and Monta answers honestly, no, even at his max jump...and then he catches Unsui's pass, and...yeah. Cool. Shoot me now. (Meanwhile, Sakuraba is, erm, hot. This length hair suits him best. And, "I'm not Oujou's Ace. Shin is. For now.") And they're setting up the receiver rivalry and oooooh I want this match.

...I'm looking forward to a football game. Damn Eyeshield. >_>

Oh bloody hell. Oda's made me cry again. ...not actual bawling, really I need the anime's voices and music to gut me like that, but...close enough. "It's me, I've gotten bigger, but don't you remember me?...you're really my mother, aren't you?"

( some spoilers )

I hesitate to say Robin is my favorite female character of all time, but, damn...she might well be.

...Also, since everyone needs at least one impossible crossover crack from hell OTP - Robin x Kaiba, baby. Blue-eyed ice & fire - superintelligent, super-reserved orphans who went darkside to survive their brutal pasts, redeemed by their carefully hidden depths of love and loyalty.
...No, I have no idea how it would work but man, would it be hot!

Argh, I wish the AP forums weren't down, I want the translation. >_> am too lazy to look up any words. But what I did get--!!

( Spoilers of the Squee kind, naturally )

In conclusion: my soul. It is still Oda-sensei's. Dammit!

Now, off to post the first chapter of that new YGO story. Eheh.

[Would post this on ff.net, but figured I'd wait until Monday, since they're apparently doing some massive overhaul and I want to see how that goes down first.]

Yes, I still prefer gen OP fic, dammit. But I've had the germ of this for a while now; last night it finally reared its head and bit me, and since I've been a bit blocked in my writing of late, I let it run its course in hopes of jumpstarting my system.

One Piece; Zoro/Nami, but possibly not romance, possibly not what you think. Less a story than simple stream of thought, really.
Rated borderline R[M] for non-explicit sex.

Read "Because" on AO3