One Piece Diaries #24: Skypiea Arc #4

One Piece is one of the most beloved anime in history, but at over 1,000 episodes, it’s tough for those who haven’t been watching from the start to jump on board. One Piece Diaries tracks one writer’s experience with this daunting rite of passage. With hype for the highs and critique for the lows, this column will help you decide whether to take your own One Piece journey – or let you relive the one you’re already on. It will update biweekly every other Thursday.

Episodes Watched: 186 – 195 – Skypiea Arc

Well, I’m finally finished with the Skypiea arc. It’s been a long journey! I’m going to talk about both the final ten episodes, and my thoughts on the arc as a whole.

The last ten episodes took us backward in time to the story of Noland and Calgara. This was hands down the most powerful part of the arc. I’ll admit, I’m always wary about stories where explorers and indigenous people become friends. In the real world, those stories are propaganda covering up colonization and abuse. But I also know that indigenous people aren’t all defenseless victims and that people who come to new lands to learn about them aren’t always there to exploit them. Friendships like this can and do happen in the real world.

One Piece doesn’t have to follow the rules of the real world, but it does have to depict its indigenous people as people, not stereotypes siphoned from the real world. For the most part, they feel like people. Calgara and the rest of the Shandians had every reason to distrust Noland, but once they got to know him, they changed their approach.

When Noland cut down the Shandian’s ancestral trees in order to make medicine, they were furious and hurt, but once they understood why he did it, they were able to accept it. What’s more, Noland validated their anger and did not expect to be forgiven, because even if he did it to help, he understood the importance of those trees in Shandian culture. The respect the two showed for each other – and the respect the narrative showed for the Shandians in particular – was heartening.

Another thing I liked was the Skypieans and the Shandians attempting to escape from Enel. Other than Luffy, everyone was focused on escaping with their lives. No one thought they could defeat Enel. At first, they refused to believe that they needed to, but once that became clear, they treated him like a natural disaster. Which, considering how poorly developed he was, makes sense.

While Luffy did ultimately defeat him, he had to try multiple times across multiple venues. That made the whole thing feel a lot less staged and a lot more natural. I really like that battles in One Piece aren’t always these defining moments – they’re a journey ensconced in the plot.

The Straw Hats ultimate escape from Skypiea was interesting. I enjoyed learning a little bit about Poseidon and seeing the hints about Gol D. Roger’s presence. The part where the Straw Hats stole a bunch of gold and thought they were being chased off of Skypeia when in reality they were being given gold struck me as hacky and annoying rather than funny – I’m not a fan of easily resolved misunderstandings. But their descent back to the East Blue – and the logistical problems involved with getting down there – felt much less contrived. Overall, it was a nice segue into the next arc.

Speaking of segues, let’s talk about the arc as a whole. As I’ve mentioned before, this has not been my favorite arc. This is mostly because of the pacing. The story focused excessively on fights that didn’t matter and took forever to develop its characters and its plot. Though it depicted a fascinating fantasy world and created a real sense of adventure, those good parts were really held down by how slow it was. With so many other wonderful anime to watch, it was hard for me to force myself through the middle.

Enel also never became interesting to me – he simply wasn’t developed as a character. That wasn’t the point of the arc, but it still strikes me as a bit of a loss. I know he came from Birka after destroying his hometown, but why did he do that? Who did he leave behind? What was motivating his incessant need for power? None of that was addressed.

Overall, I’m glad to have seen it, but I’m also glad it’s behind me.

Up next is the G-8 arc. I’ve heard that it’s one of the best filler arcs in the whole series, so I’m looking forward to watching it and forming my own opinions. See you then!