One Piece, Volume 2: Buggy the Clown

Buggy isn't my favorite villain. What I do like in this volume are the modest hints at Nami's background and true self despite the persona she uses to survive. I love sneaky and clever she is, and she doesn't lose her calm until lives are at stake--then she reveals her inner conflict. But Luffy being Luffy, despite not being intellectually sharp, has an intuition about her. He's not afraid to invest in not just her ability to read a map but trust her despite how she tries to come off to others. Of course, Zoro's relation to Luffy is always something of glorious loyalty yet a comical "I'll kill you," kind of thing, and that takes off in this volume.

Since finishing Dragon Ball, I decided to pick One Piece back up, and it's a lot of fun. In this second volume we meet some new characters, expand our crew, and fight some bad guys. It's classic shonen stuff, but it's done well and it's fun.

The similarities to Dragon Ball Z and other shonen anime are undeniable, but One Piece definitely has its own flavor that makes it unique. The pirate theme is cool, the powers are interesting, and while the story so far isn't especially deep or new, it is engaging enough.

I'm not sure how far I'll continue reading, or how quickly, since there's over 100 volumes of this, but I'm enjoying my time with it. This feels like a manga I'll pick up and read a volume or two every now and again. Reading it show more straight through I can feel myself getting burnt out. show less

WOW!!!! After reading vol. 1, I was sure excited to start vol. 2...but!---I didn't know it was gonna be so good!!! Now, I'm left wondering what in the heck I'm supposed to do.....cliffhanger.....I hate them and love them at the same time. They're awesome because they indicate whether or not you really like a book, but they suck because if you do..you're stuck waiting and not figuring out what happens next.

I'm really enjoying OnePiece and I hope I can actually find and read through each book in the series and find out if Luffy really does become the Pirate King. =)

This second volume is as funny as the first but it is not as pleasing. Its central message that everyone has a personal treasure is overstated and this motif is becoming repetitive. Similarly, the invincibility of our heroes robs the plot of dramatic tension. These shortcomings are outweighed by the generosity of spirit that flavours every page. And in this volume the dog alone would make the book worthwhile.

It's fun but it's also a little... broken up. Stories break down from one panel to the next. What's up with that?

I was very moved to read ShouShou story. He waited for his master in front of his master's shop every day, BUt, one day Buggy The Clown came and tried destroying the shop. ShouShou resisted the terrible clown. I really love this episode, because it reminds me of bond between friends.

Loving the insanity of One-Piece and the continual build of the story.