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An_Old_Big_Tree wrote

Reply to comment by ab5 in Friday Free Talk by vMU9

I started watching it as a teen and would probably find quite a bit of it childish, especially initially.

Its an epic journey (in the original sense of epic) that really starts from zero, so it can take some time to see the potential of the show. But it's by far the most anarchist show I know of, and has many brilliant moments, and can inspire you to be better in your politics. I think it's one of the biggest influences on my politics.

It's a completely anarchic, illegalist, post-left affinity-group model for seeking out of the most possible free life, and in doing so the characters inspire the best in others and leave liberation in their wake, in a dystopian world of increasing technological superoppression by a history-destroying world government.

So far as depictions of women go, there are some downfalls especially with fanservice, but also the main character women in the show are invariably the smartest, most complex, and least shit-taking of all the characters, as well as being the most essential to the success of the protagonist because of their unique skills. Similarly with trans characters, of which there are many, there are some very complex and significant trans and queer characters living out their lives in a transphobic world, even when some of the main characters are transphobic, the real model for the show's ethic is not at all.

In short, I think it's worth a try, but you should give it time. I was enjoying it from pretty early on, and increasingly so moving forward, but it only really started to change my life around episode 270.

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ab5 wrote

Nice! I read many times around here about the anarchist themes of One Piece, and that was the main reason I wanted to check it out.

Thank you for the writing! I'll try to snatch the first 4-6 volumes and read them. I'll let you know my thoughts when that happens.

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An_Old_Big_Tree wrote

read many times around here about the anarchist themes of One Piece

Yeah haha that's mostly me :)

I hope you enjoy it!

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yaaqov wrote

If I were to only either read the manga or watch the show, which would you recommend?

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An_Old_Big_Tree wrote

I couldn't say, really. I'm more anime-oriented. Also I like listening to Japanese. But I haven't read that much of the manga. At the same time, the manga is really canon and it makes a difference.

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