I finally hit episode 500 of One Piece this morning

I used to think long anime was just filler padding. But after 495 episodes of build-up I got to the Marineford arc and the whole thing clicked. Did anyone else hit a milestone that totally flipped your opinion on a show?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_murphy29d ago

Marineford was the arc that got me too honestly. I was struggling through Skypeia and thought maybe long anime just wasn't for me but then the whole war happened and I binged like 50 episodes in two days. It showed me how all that early worldbuilding pays off when the stakes get real. Now I tell everyone to stick with it because the payoff is worth the slow parts.

jennysullivan28d ago

The thing that really hit me about Marineford is how it made all the random Marine characters feel important too. Like early on you meet Smoker and Garp and you think they're just roadblocks, but then you see the whole system they're part of and it clicks. Skypeia is tough because it feels like a side quest, but that's actually the arc that sets up the whole ancient weapons thing which matters a ton later. Your mileage may vary but I tell people to push through even if they skip filler, because arcs like Water 7 and Enies Lobby build directly into Marineford. The slow parts are basically the author making you care about the regular people and places before he blows everything up.