Vandenre1ch
Active member
I will be judging the Dressrosa arc as a neutral critic based on chapters 700 to 766 of the manga. The anime isn't being recognized as apart of this critique.
Theme: The main theme of Dressrosa is deception. On the surface, the traces of deception is crystal clear with the island of Dressrosa itself. The citizens there view Doflamingo as a rightous savior even though we the audience, know his true intentions. We the audience automatically know that the citizens are being deceived by Doflamingo as its all on the surface. To realize the true deception, like how the truth of Dressosa was hidden below the surface, we have to dig deeper below surface to noticed the deception in a much meatier form. The meatier froms are not what deceives the characters in the arc, but what deceives us the audience.
The introduction of Bartolomeo is our first real taste of true deception in this arc. He was givin' hype by crushing a marine Vice Admiral, his attire consists of a gothic punk get up, he has jagged teeth and has the nickname of "Cannibal." The fact that he was famous for torturing innocent civilians and him antagonizing the audience of the coliseum, everyone thought that he was through and through, an evil person with no redeeming qualities and that he was going to be one of Luffy's biggest threats in this arc. I think every reader found it very shocking for Bartolomeo to be the biggest Luffy fanboy there is. His crazy faboyism and overreacting was the completely opposite of what he was previously portrayed to be and it was quite refreshing actually. Bartolomeo is the perfect example of "don't judge a book by its cover."
Doflamingo is by far the best representation of deception. From the beginning, he was portrayed as a monster. He had the highest bounty in the series until the TS, a mysterious ability that aloud him to even control the likes of Jozu, can push his weight around the government, was unfazed by all the big dogs in Marineford, the most influential man in the underworld and is a king of a beautiful country of roses. Doflamingo had it all. Little by little, Oda gave hints that showed Doflamingo isn't as great as we thought he was. From showing fear to the thought of a yonkou wanted to kill him, to sweating at the power of a marine Admiral, to being cut by an injured Law while Doflamingo himself was still fresh, to the fact that Doflamingo legitimately cares about his subordinates. Doflamingo is still strong, yes, but he is just a mere stepping stone on the road to taking down a yonkou and is only so powerful due to influence. It is quite appropriate and ironic that Doflamingo can control people like puppets because he is the biggest puppet of them all. Oda used Doflamingo as a medium to deceive us, the reader, making us puppets as well.
Lesser examples of real deception are Doflamingo's subordinates and the coliseum fighters. I personally like this one as I believe the Donquixote family were given too much credit while the coliseum fighters weren't given enough. Doflamingo personally believed in Diamante's ability to deal with Straw Hat Luffy and Jesus Burgess, but it was painfully obvious that he wasn't in their league as he was one-shotted by Kyros. Pica is no different. Pica is a towering, masculine figure so it was very unexpected for him to have a high pitched voice. Doflamingo believed that Pica alone could deal with every single enemy in Dressrosa, but is having a hard time against one person: Roronoa Zoro. Since Doflamingo wasn't as grea as reader thought he was, the same though should bee applied his subordinates, who were defeated by the coliseum fighters.
Will of a King, Brotherly Bonds: Luffy vs. Don Chinjao is by far, my most favorite moment in this entire arc. Luffy, who is still green, naïve and new to the NW, is up against Don Chinjao: a towering, old and powerful relic of the past who, just like Luffy, has the Conqueror's Haki. The purpose of this entire fight was to prove that willpower is what it takes to survive in the NW and their clash of Conqueror Haki symbolized this beautifully. Don Chinjao was just a test for Luffy to see if he was ready to clash with his fellow conquerors, specifically Doflamingo.
Brotherly Bonds play a big role in this arc. Like every other main OP villain, Doflamingo is portrayed as Luffy's opposite, but at the same time, a mirror reflection. Both men have the CoC, both care about their subordinates and both loved their brother. Their differences are glaringly obvious. Luffy from the very beginning had nothing but gained "brothers" who shared hell and high water with him. A brotherly bond thicker than blood. So thick, that Luffy almost died many times trying to save his sworn brother Ace, and fell into depression when he failed. Doflamingo killed his own blood brother. An act probably even more unforgivable than forsaking a nakama and Luffy will definitely be seething with rage.
Bellamy is used as the silver lining between Luffy and Doflamingo when it comes to bonds. Bellamy was just a thug with no hardship. His wanting to serve under Doflamingo was seemingly just blind admiration, but it became clear that Bellamy thought he shared a bond with Doflamingo. Its no coincednece that Bellamy looks a lot like Doflamingo. Like a younger brother to be exact, like how Luffy is the youngest of his "brothers." Its crystal clear that Bellamy thinks of Doflamingo as an older brother that he wants to be just like. Its no surprise that Bellamy was saved by Bartolomeo. A man who was also just a thug with no hardships who greatly admired someone and called Bellamy a "brother in arms." While Luffy is making a brotherly bond with Law and Bellamy and reunited with his brother Sabo, Doflamingo will continue to lose it all.
Problems: The main problem with Dressrosa is the pacing. With so many characters with little-to-no substance, it becomes quite tiresome to read on a week to week basis especially in the anime where everything is dragged on even more. I personally like these new characters, but they are definately not characters for everyone. The chapters with these characters, like Hajrudin, Sai and Ideo, as the main focus will be viewed as boring to some. Dressrosa is an arc that is best marathoned.
Some of the main characters in this arc are either difficult to relate to or is put into a situation where dislike for the said character is almost guaranteed. The tontattas are a good example of being unrelatable while Rebecca is a victim of circumstance. The tontattas are overly gullible and goofy. So much so, that it is very hard to take them seriously. Rebeeca had the goal of obtaining the Mera Mera no mi and when there were so many other candidates that the reader would prefer over her, she received a lot of blind hate.
Dressrosa is actually just a set up arc. A common thing in set up arcs are teases. The purpose of a set up arc is to give appetizers for the main course which could be a double edged sword. With so many interesting fights being cut short, it could really test the patience of some readers. The arc currently isn't the same as it was before. It had a very strong start and huge sense of danger and adventure, but its just not there anymore. It was hard to imagine how Luffy was going to make it out of Dressrosa in 0ne piece with Burgess, Big Mom, and admiral, Doflamingo, Cavendish and other legendary names as enemies. The admiral and the coliseum fighters are now Lufy's allies and its now hard to imagine how Luffy is going to fail.
I give the Dressrosa arc a 7 out of 10. What do you think guys? What were your favorite parts?
Theme: The main theme of Dressrosa is deception. On the surface, the traces of deception is crystal clear with the island of Dressrosa itself. The citizens there view Doflamingo as a rightous savior even though we the audience, know his true intentions. We the audience automatically know that the citizens are being deceived by Doflamingo as its all on the surface. To realize the true deception, like how the truth of Dressosa was hidden below the surface, we have to dig deeper below surface to noticed the deception in a much meatier form. The meatier froms are not what deceives the characters in the arc, but what deceives us the audience.
The introduction of Bartolomeo is our first real taste of true deception in this arc. He was givin' hype by crushing a marine Vice Admiral, his attire consists of a gothic punk get up, he has jagged teeth and has the nickname of "Cannibal." The fact that he was famous for torturing innocent civilians and him antagonizing the audience of the coliseum, everyone thought that he was through and through, an evil person with no redeeming qualities and that he was going to be one of Luffy's biggest threats in this arc. I think every reader found it very shocking for Bartolomeo to be the biggest Luffy fanboy there is. His crazy faboyism and overreacting was the completely opposite of what he was previously portrayed to be and it was quite refreshing actually. Bartolomeo is the perfect example of "don't judge a book by its cover."
Doflamingo is by far the best representation of deception. From the beginning, he was portrayed as a monster. He had the highest bounty in the series until the TS, a mysterious ability that aloud him to even control the likes of Jozu, can push his weight around the government, was unfazed by all the big dogs in Marineford, the most influential man in the underworld and is a king of a beautiful country of roses. Doflamingo had it all. Little by little, Oda gave hints that showed Doflamingo isn't as great as we thought he was. From showing fear to the thought of a yonkou wanted to kill him, to sweating at the power of a marine Admiral, to being cut by an injured Law while Doflamingo himself was still fresh, to the fact that Doflamingo legitimately cares about his subordinates. Doflamingo is still strong, yes, but he is just a mere stepping stone on the road to taking down a yonkou and is only so powerful due to influence. It is quite appropriate and ironic that Doflamingo can control people like puppets because he is the biggest puppet of them all. Oda used Doflamingo as a medium to deceive us, the reader, making us puppets as well.
Lesser examples of real deception are Doflamingo's subordinates and the coliseum fighters. I personally like this one as I believe the Donquixote family were given too much credit while the coliseum fighters weren't given enough. Doflamingo personally believed in Diamante's ability to deal with Straw Hat Luffy and Jesus Burgess, but it was painfully obvious that he wasn't in their league as he was one-shotted by Kyros. Pica is no different. Pica is a towering, masculine figure so it was very unexpected for him to have a high pitched voice. Doflamingo believed that Pica alone could deal with every single enemy in Dressrosa, but is having a hard time against one person: Roronoa Zoro. Since Doflamingo wasn't as grea as reader thought he was, the same though should bee applied his subordinates, who were defeated by the coliseum fighters.
Will of a King, Brotherly Bonds: Luffy vs. Don Chinjao is by far, my most favorite moment in this entire arc. Luffy, who is still green, naïve and new to the NW, is up against Don Chinjao: a towering, old and powerful relic of the past who, just like Luffy, has the Conqueror's Haki. The purpose of this entire fight was to prove that willpower is what it takes to survive in the NW and their clash of Conqueror Haki symbolized this beautifully. Don Chinjao was just a test for Luffy to see if he was ready to clash with his fellow conquerors, specifically Doflamingo.
Brotherly Bonds play a big role in this arc. Like every other main OP villain, Doflamingo is portrayed as Luffy's opposite, but at the same time, a mirror reflection. Both men have the CoC, both care about their subordinates and both loved their brother. Their differences are glaringly obvious. Luffy from the very beginning had nothing but gained "brothers" who shared hell and high water with him. A brotherly bond thicker than blood. So thick, that Luffy almost died many times trying to save his sworn brother Ace, and fell into depression when he failed. Doflamingo killed his own blood brother. An act probably even more unforgivable than forsaking a nakama and Luffy will definitely be seething with rage.
Bellamy is used as the silver lining between Luffy and Doflamingo when it comes to bonds. Bellamy was just a thug with no hardship. His wanting to serve under Doflamingo was seemingly just blind admiration, but it became clear that Bellamy thought he shared a bond with Doflamingo. Its no coincednece that Bellamy looks a lot like Doflamingo. Like a younger brother to be exact, like how Luffy is the youngest of his "brothers." Its crystal clear that Bellamy thinks of Doflamingo as an older brother that he wants to be just like. Its no surprise that Bellamy was saved by Bartolomeo. A man who was also just a thug with no hardships who greatly admired someone and called Bellamy a "brother in arms." While Luffy is making a brotherly bond with Law and Bellamy and reunited with his brother Sabo, Doflamingo will continue to lose it all.
Problems: The main problem with Dressrosa is the pacing. With so many characters with little-to-no substance, it becomes quite tiresome to read on a week to week basis especially in the anime where everything is dragged on even more. I personally like these new characters, but they are definately not characters for everyone. The chapters with these characters, like Hajrudin, Sai and Ideo, as the main focus will be viewed as boring to some. Dressrosa is an arc that is best marathoned.
Some of the main characters in this arc are either difficult to relate to or is put into a situation where dislike for the said character is almost guaranteed. The tontattas are a good example of being unrelatable while Rebecca is a victim of circumstance. The tontattas are overly gullible and goofy. So much so, that it is very hard to take them seriously. Rebeeca had the goal of obtaining the Mera Mera no mi and when there were so many other candidates that the reader would prefer over her, she received a lot of blind hate.
Dressrosa is actually just a set up arc. A common thing in set up arcs are teases. The purpose of a set up arc is to give appetizers for the main course which could be a double edged sword. With so many interesting fights being cut short, it could really test the patience of some readers. The arc currently isn't the same as it was before. It had a very strong start and huge sense of danger and adventure, but its just not there anymore. It was hard to imagine how Luffy was going to make it out of Dressrosa in 0ne piece with Burgess, Big Mom, and admiral, Doflamingo, Cavendish and other legendary names as enemies. The admiral and the coliseum fighters are now Lufy's allies and its now hard to imagine how Luffy is going to fail.
I give the Dressrosa arc a 7 out of 10. What do you think guys? What were your favorite parts?
