One Piece Diaries #55: Amazon Lily Arc #3

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: 415 – 421 – Amazon Lily Arc

Two weeks ago, I talked about the overall story and the revelations about the Gorgon Sisters. This time, I’m going to focus on the Straw Hats’ experiences after being blasted away by Kuma.

Robin

Robin’s story was probably the most interesting one out of them all. She wound up on a labor colony called Tequila Wolf where the inhabitants are forced to build a bridge that they’ve been working on for hundreds of years. A few of the residents shelter her for a short period, then get in trouble for doing so. She winds up being forced to join the workforce. The whole vibe was incredibly dreary and depressing, which was likely the intention, so kudos to them for setting the mood. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I really want to know.

It’s also interesting that she ended up in East Blue. I’m not sure, but isn’t that on the other side of the Grand Line? Does that mean she’ll have to cross it?

Franky

This one was pretty funny. It involves Franky landing on a winter island, being rescued and offered warm clothing, and refusing to wear any because wearing a bathing suit constantly is more important than not dying of hypothermia. Eventually, he ends up having to replace the cola that fuels him, but he uses tea instead, which turns him into a “proper” version of himself. I really enjoy this particular gimmick – there’s a lot of potential for versatility, which can’t be said for all the running gags in the series.

Nami 

Nami is rescued by a strange old man who seems to want to help her despite her violent behavior when they first meet. He tries to win her over by showing her his wind knot, which is not a form of elemental omega-verse sex, but a means of creating wind storms. I’m pretty sure this is the prelude to her upgrading her Clima-Tact, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that goes!

Brook

Brook is “summoned” by a demon-worshipping cult. They offer to sacrifice a virgin to him in exchange for alleviating their poverty. Instead of responding in any sort of reasonable way, he asks this poor girl if he can see her panties. Not only is this pretty much the worst time to make that joke, but it’s also super repetitive and dull. I already know he wants to see panties?? I don’t care??

Usopp

Usopp winds up on the Boin Archipegalo, where he encounters a bunch of man-eating plants. We don’t really get to see much of what happens to him there, only that he’s understandably freaked out. I hope we get a little bit more detail on this one, because I’d like to see how he deals with the carnivorous plants. Also, I want to see if I can annoy my little sister with comparisons to Little Shop of Horrors, her favorite musical.

Sanji

Out of all of the side stories, this one is my least favorite. Sanji lands on Momoiro Island. Since everything is pink and stereotypically feminine, he assumes that he’s going to have some whirlwind romance with a generically hot girl. He soon discovers that he’s in for something a bit different.

The people on Momoiro Island are okama – this is a Japanese term that refers to gay men, drag queens, and trans women. I feel weird writing out the word since while it is self-referential, it’s also used as a slur. The people of Momoiro are all drawn in an incredibly garish manner, and as soon as Sanji realizes that he’s not dealing with cis women, he flips his shit and runs away from them screaming. They chase him down and try to make him wear a dress for some reason.

I guess this was supposed to be funny, but it came off as tasteless, homophobic, and transphobic. How am I supposed to like Sanji when he’s displaying such obvious bigotry? Also, it’s unrealistic – no actual queer person is trying to force someone who is obviously disgusted by them to join them. Not to mention, having all of them look super masculine is a choice. 

Zoro

Zoro’s story was pretty fun. I wasn’t really expecting Perona to show up again, and I actually enjoyed her a lot. I love her gothic lolita aesthetic and I love that she can’t help being nice from time to time even when she’s trying hard to be a jerk. Her willingness to tend to Zoro’s wounds even though they’d previously been enemies was sweet.

Chopper

Chopper finds himself on Torino Island, which is ruled by giant birds. After narrowly avoiding getting pecked to death by the birds, he ends up being nearly eaten by the island’s human residents. The human residents are presented as unintelligent and “primitive” – basically, the stereotype of many indigenous groups. Apparently, they show more signs of intelligence and a coherent culture later on, but so far I’m not exactly thrilled with their presentation. I do like the idea that the birds rule society, though.

Next time, I’ll be talking about the Impel Down arc. It’s 27 episodes, so expect several reviews.

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