Hello, world! We're Yren (spanish) and Stefan (german-uruguayan) 2 AuDHD married guys that make BL comics and fanart 💖 Authors of Friki Romance 👒Currently obsessed with One Piece! 👒 Read our comics and find our NSFW art in www.boys-love.me
I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard
Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.
Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.
Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.
Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.
SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.
SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.
Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.
Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.
Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.
Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.
Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.
Hello! I'm not sure if you're still around, but I thought I'd reach out and ask: I'm presenting at an academic conference in a few weeks on gender deconstruction in Good Omens fanfiction, and I was wondering if it would be okay to use your Genderfluid Crowley art in my presentation? It would be mostly decorative, and I would of course keep your signature and give credit however you like. Thanks!
Hi!
Your conference sounds very interesting!
Thanks for asking to use our art, it is very touching ☺️
You can use it and credit us as Panda&Puma and link this tumblr or instagram (@pandaxpuma) ^^
also we fucked up as a society the moment we started telling teens and aspiring artists to conflate being an artist with building a brand as if the two things are inextricable. the name of the game if you want to share your art is to work a job and sell yourself as aesthetizied content. back in my day we could just POST SHIT. to deviantart! what the fuck!
pro-tip if ur a teen or aspiring artist: stay the fuck away from tiktok. tiktok is not the place for your art. your art is not content to be sold. don’t listen to art youtubers advice if they dilute being an artist to stats and algorithms. trying to make a business or career out of art is actually something that takes a lot of experience and consideration to go into it is Not an inherent facet to getting started/expressing yourself as an artist. conflating art = selling something/working a job is the fastest fucking way to ruin it for yourself i am so serious. find communities that share your artistic interests make friends and share your art there. be indulgent and creative and experimental. you deserve a period in your artistic journey that is purely selfish and fostering of your growth. don’t let capitalism take that from you yet
Exercises for all the homies who want to have a long career drawing.
The true problem with being an artist and drawing all day (as I wanted my whole life) is that human backs are not designed to hold that position, so it is very common for artists and designers to have really stiff shoulder blades, creating a chain of muscle strain towards the arm AND the back… and a lot of pain.
These are some physical exercises for artists and honestly anyone who works at a desk.
Water 7 Arc: Luffy and Usopp (Manga and Anime Comparison) [Part 2]
Spoiler alert: Don't keep reading if you haven't reached Water 7 Arc (Manga Chapter 333 or Anime Episode 236)
This is the 2nd Part of a previous post. You can read Part 1 here.
Please let me know your opinion about it or if you wish to add anything ^^ (and remember to have mercy on my English xD)
Somehow this second part is even worse than the first :)
(Manga reads from right to left, but the Anime screenshots are organized to read from left to right ^^U)
I will continue right where i left off:
7th Page:
Nami is shocked by Luffy's bluntness, even if he is right (Usopp is not a shipwright, that is a fact), but immediately is surprised by Usopp still fighting back.
Usopp is blindly insisting on the lack of professional morals and capabilities of Galley-La Company. He is not being logical.
He starts disrespecting Luffy, insulting his intelligence and instinct, and even his position as Captain.
Obviously all words of someone very affected by the heat of the moment... and his own insecurities.
In the Anime:
The scene is long and drags out, making it less obvious that everything that Usopp says is because of the heat of the moment.
We see Luffy's face with a judgingly expression, for some reason, but we don't get Zoro observing silently.
Why are they showing expressions that are not shown by the author, but not showing the ones that he specifically decides to show?
Also, Usopp kneeling on the floor for such a long time while everyone else is standing and just looking... it makes it way more awkward. He is not supposed to be just kneeling: he is angrily getting up on his feet.
Usopp does not look like being bullied in the Manga.
8th Page:
You wanted to see an angry Luffy? Here it is. Now he is angry. Not before.
Usopp has disrespected him as a Captain, in a way that should never be done.
Nami tries desperately to make Usopp understand Luffy's perspective and the pain he went through, believing it's still just a misunderstanding... but they are past that point.
Usopp, like everyone else on a ship, has to respect the Captain's decision. Even without understanding their reasons, even without totally agreeing with them... he has to respect them. That's how it works.
The Captain is the one who has to carry the weight of making the tough decisions. The Captain is the rock where everyone can lie on. The one that gives the sense of security and peace. And in the same way he has to carry all the responsibility, he has to be respected.
Of course a crewmember can argue or show doubts about certain decisions... but only if allowed, and up to a certain point. And that point depends on the Captain's personality.
When a Captain has stated over and over their decision (without need, because just once should be enough), a crewmember has to accept it. One should never reach this point, where violence and even mutiny is shown... if you want to stay on their ship.
Luffy is a very approachable, friendly and kind Captain, who doesn't want the others to feel like they are below him and lets everyone help with decisions... but that doesn't mean his role changes or shouldn't be respected.
Usopp is misinterpreting his position in the crew, thinking they are at the same level in authority... but not in responsibility.
Luffy is not sitting on the table anymore, and is now standing on the floor again. This is also a sign of him getting angry, because he goes back to the "fighting ground".
We can see Sanji is still trying to calm them down, stressed that this is spiraling out of control. He is even extending his arms and probably physically separating them, not just talking.
In the Anime:
Luffy looks more stressed and "backing down" than angry, and like he is being manhandled around... when in reality Usopp wouldn't be able to move him like that. The movement lines in the Manga implied that he was receiving Usopp's force but not budging to it.
Of course Sanji's try to stop them is... not there. Like all the previous ones. Anime-Sanji has done nothing at all to stop this fight yet, a really out of character behavior.
9th Page:
Usopp has stepped back and is not holding Luffy by the neck anymore. He even lowers his tone for a moment, probably because of Sanji's words or that he physically separated them.
But he is still angry, and says he could never abandon an injured comrade. This being said while he is injured himself, shows his fears of being abandoned by the rest of the crew because of his poor state.
Luffy (who doesn't make the connection with Usopp comparing himself to the Merry) calls it nonsense to compare what one does to a ship and a person.
Usopp insists on Merry having the will to keep on living (again, projecting on her), and then he says to Luffy one of the nastiest thing you can say to someone: that he doesn't really care about someone they love. That he are already thinking about getting rid of Merry and advancing without her.
Luffy, who is all about loving and caring, absolutely loses it. He violently jumps on Usopp and screams angrily at him because he is being egoist and disrespectful with him and everyone else in the crew. Everyone loves Merry, and implying that he is the only one who cares about her is very mean and egoist.
Of course, grief is a complicated thing. Usopp is hurt and is being hurtful to others, his mind desperately trying to protect itself... Not the way to do it, but he is a 17 year old dealing with a lot of horrible feelings.
But that his feelings are understandable doesn't give him the right to do what he is doing. As a reader, one has to understand that what he is doing is wrong.
Nami is surprised at Luffy's reaction, not expecting he would lose his calm in that way.
Everything is fast: Luffy is very angry and starts screaming at Usopp that if he doesn't approve of the way he is managing the situation, Usopp is free to leave his crew... (a thing he obviously doesn't want to say, it's just the heat of the moment)
In the Anime:
Sanji never did anything to separate them before, so Usopp is still grabbing Luffy by the neck... So they made Luffy push him away from him in a very nasty way, nearly throwing Usopp to the floor.
Now that they are already separated, Sanji decides to try to intervene. Thank you, Anime-Sanji, very useful.
He even talks in a tone that implies this is a little fight between friends, and not a serious problem. Meanwhile Manga-Sanji has been stressed and worried since the first second.
The only thing his intervention does here is diluting the real hurtful comments Usopp makes, the ones that makes Luffy lose it...
Luffy weirdly throws Usopp on the ground, even slowly. And even sits on him?
Sanji looks more annoyed and bothered than really stressed or worried.
Nami screams at Luffy angrily. (I will never understand why Nami is always so angry in the Anime, all the time)
And the scene draaags for a while. It's doesn't look like Luffy is blurting things out of rage anymore.
10th Page:
There is what I believe is a very big misconception around this scene: some people believe Sanji is kicking Luffy for Usopp's sake, when I believe Sanji is doing it for Luffy's sake.
In the Manga it's pretty clear to me:
Sanji has been trying to stop them from escalating the situation since the very beginning: trying to calm Luffy's temper, understanding the pain he is going through, and scolding Usopp for being disrespectful.
But now Luffy has completely lost his temper, getting violent and about to say something in the heat of the moment that he will obviously regret and will hurt him forever if Usopp leaves because of it. The one who would be hurt the most by the words Luffy is about to say is not Usopp, it's Luffy. And Sanji knows it.
It's not a thing that can be stopped with words or holding him anymore. He has to act fast to avoid it.
So Sanji desperately kicks Luffy (while calling him an idiot), forgetting to even be careful about Nami's wellbeing, stopping him from finishing the sentence.
The fact that he doesn't even check on Nami before or after kicking Luffy, even after she screams, shows that he is worrying more about someone else right now...
He also looks very stressed, with all the sweat drops, with what he had to do to stop the situation.
And also his words: he is telling Luffy to control himself or he will say things he will regret. Not that he will hurt someone else, only that he will hurt himself with regret.
But this is not a surprise for a Manga reader. Sanji is always caring about Luffy's wellbeing, be it in the focus of attention or in the background of panels.
Luffy immediately understands what Sanji is doing for him, and apologizes... but Usopp's low self esteem has now what he thinks is a confirmation of his fears, and he proceeds to auto-sabotage.
Now the Anime:
Now we arrive to other one of the worst parts of the "adaptation"
Sanji kicks Luffy...
We get Chopper's reaction, but not Nami's... why?
Because Sanji didn't really kick in her direction!
So in this adaptation we completely lose a thing that Oda specifically showed: Manga-Sanji was desperate enough to stop Luffy from harming himself to forget about Nami!
And then he starts insulting Luffy afterwards. For a while. Berating him and just being mean.
The way Sanji talks to Luffy in the Anime is not only disrespectful, but very violent. He is practically daring him to say what he was going to say.
That is not the Sanji the Manga-readers know and love. Manga-Sanji was nearly pleading for him to cool down.
Anime-Sanji looks at Luffy with even hate. That is not the expression Manga-Sanji was having... at all. How this has been adapted in this horrible way is beyond my comprehension.
Of course, in the Anime it looks like he is on Usopp's side.
And we proceed to show how the others are reacting to this slooow paced interaction. Of course, this is completely invented by what the Anime thought was appropriate (so: very weird reactions)
Luffy slowly getting up and apologizing, putting his hat on.
And the Anime decides to show Usopp smiling, like his plan had finally come into fruition.
Usopp is not smiling in the Manga. There is no reason for him to smile. This wasn't a master plan. Very weird to show him smiling.
11th Page:
Usopp keeps saying hurtful and false things to Luffy, meanwhile Luffy is putting his hat and covering his eyes to not look at him, not wanting to fight anymore.
We see Sanji and Nami back on Luffy's side, with Sanji even positioning himself in the middle of the fight in a protecting manner and calling Usopp out (again).
Usopp is finally recognizing the real problem out loud: he doesn't feel he can keep up with the others and feels useless.
He feels he doesn't deserve being there with them, and that they're too much for him.
We see the others reactions: Luffy confused not knowing what to say, Chopper doesn't understand why Usopp feels that way, Nami is finally getting the full picture, Zoro is not liking what he is hearing...
The last panel's composition is full of meaning: all the others are around Luffy, with him, while facing Usopp. Meanwhile Usopp is standing and facing them but from afar, distancing himself from them.
No one but him is in a defensive position anymore.
In the Anime:
We get Usopp and Luffy looking at each other with hate again. Marvelous.
No one is near Luffy. Sanji and Nami haven't moved closer to Luffy, and the others have moved closer to Usopp...? So, the opposite of the Manga.
Luffy's expression is not correct, in the Anime he looks angry again, not confused.
Zoro is listening with his eyes closed, for some reason... I'm starting to believe Anime-Zoro has been sleeping for a while or something.
Sanji's expression is invented.
And I repeat: no one got close to Luffy, so its effect it the complete opposite of the Manga.
The Anime shows a separation between the whole crew and Luffy, while the Manga emphasizes the opposite.
We also see Luffy's back in the Anime, while in the Manga is Usopp's...
All the physical language the Manga made is thrown down the drain in the adaptation.
The Anime wants you to believe the rest of the crew doesn't approve of the things Luffy has done, and that is just not true.
12th Page:
Usopp talks about how he never really was moved to join Luffy for a great cause like the rest: he was just a friend who tagged along. He himself says he has no other ties and that he can sever them anytime he doesn't agree with Luffy's decisions.
He is looking for excuses to make his departure easier.
(That is one of the main points Zoro is going to take into account in the future: Usopp will have to ask for forgiveness and show real loyalty to the crew, because if he keeps on going like this, he is a ticking bomb of mutiny)
Luffy is back to his usual serious expression when he is listening to someone.
Usopp leaves the room and everyone follows.
Then, once everyone is outside, he announces he is leaving the crew, surprising everyone.
In the Anime:
Usopp's expression has nothing to do with the one in the Manga. He is still angry in the Anime.
Luffy and Zoro's expressions are also exaggerated.
You may notice Usopp is saying he is leaving the crew while still in the room...
Well, buckle up, because we are getting close to a hot mess of the Anime.
13th Page:
As we saw in the previous page, they are all outside looking at him. They followed Usopp immediately.
Nami, Sanji and Chopper scream at Usopp to come back, while Zoro and Luffy look in silent.
They scream in different ways: Sanji has the same expression he had when he had to kick Luffy to stop him. Nami is still believing this problem can be fixed. Choppper is crying, still confused with the whole problem.
Usopp is now saying things about himself Luffy doesn't agree with, but he has chosen to not speak anymore, probably to not make the situation worse.
Usopp then asks for a duel.
In the Anime:
We start right with filler!
We get a weird slow motion, with Nami Chopper and Sanji's horrified expressions looking at Usopp close the door.
Let's remember Sanji's expression is supposed to be the same as after he kicked Luffy in the head. Interesting how now it is a distressed expression, and not a hateful one.
Also... guys, open the door and go after him already. It's just a door.
But no, now Nami turns around looks at Luffy with anger and starts confronting him.
Also Zoro looks at Luffy with a very severe expression.
Where does this come from? When has the Manga shown that these two would look at Luffy like that in this situation?
The Anime is making them look against Luffy, contradicting the source material.
The Anime makes Nami keep on going with the critiques, doubting Luffy as a Captain, dumping on him all the responsibility of Usopp's decision and making it look like she believes everything is Luffy's fault.
Manga-Nami would never do that. Even if afterwards she goes and talks to Luffy about solving things with Usopp, she would never treat Luffy like this, using his Captain position this cruelly... in the Manga, that is.
Everyone is just there, looking at Luffy, until he angrily looks back at her.
Up until now, everything is just filler of the Anime. From the very beginning of the adaptation of Page 13. The amount of awful and out of character filler the Anime does with this scene is astronomical.
Now we start going back to something closer to the real content of the Page 13:
They finally go outside and call him to come back.
Again, Sanji's expression is much nicer than the one shown to Luffy, and he is also at the front. In the Manga, he is in the back.
Luffy's expression is all wrong, again. He also comes out one of the lasts, when in the Manga that is not really the case.
Sanji and Chopper have also all gone from very intense expressions to neutral.
Finally, 14th Page:
The chapter reaches its painful ending, with Usopp doubling down on the duel idea.
In the Anime:
This is very close to being a 1:1 adaptation, if we take out Nami's reaction and everyone's positions and....... xDu
After this, the Anime Episode continues adapting scenes from the next Manga Chapter, but i don't have the energy or space to keep the analysis on this post xD
I hope you understand why i think the changes on this scene are so important in how different a Manga-reader and an Anime-watcher feel it. How different the characters are in one and the other.
And all the changes we just saw were completely unnecessary to do, and not approved by Oda... so... very very bad in my opinion.
And if they do all these changes with a scene so important like this one, what does that mean for the rest of the adaptation?
Well... you can imagine. Sometimes it feels like the only thing the Anime has in common with the Manga is the name ^^U
If you want a comparison of other scenes, you can make suggestions ^^
Part 2 of the analysis of the differences between the Manga and the Anime on this scene!
I suffered, and not only for the scene itself (which is a masterpiece in the Manga that punches you right in the feelings)........ this was hard to compare =v=U
If you have a request of comparison on a specific scene, tell me! ^^
(I am sorry in advance, because you unlocked a ramble I've had in me since I saw Zoro and realised that Oda looked at the Cool Manga Dude Archetype and said "no" and made our Mossball capable of wide, wide smiles (which are apparently lost post-timeskip but that I ignore, I am not looking, I am still pre-timeskip, I am soaking every smile and grin) 300+ chapters in and I still am riding the high of love at first sight, when it comes to OP. one day I might find flaws but for now it is perfection incarnate 😂😂😂)
aw, it's sad hearing how the anime kills characterizations. especially with core characters. Nami disgusted by Sanji!? c'mon, why would you do that, anime-writers 😭
to taint any relationship in OP, where the relationships are what makes it such a good read 😭
it's true that when Sanji gets more spicy, what makes his reaction tolerable is how the girls just shrug it off. they care not! they feel safe around him! Nami pranced around him in bikini, and our boy was more interested at first in flowers 😭
thank you so much for movie recommendations! ❤❤❤
I absolutely adore the story and the characters! and the writing! I've cried like a baby while reading OP more times than I've had while consuming any other media. it just hits you in the heart with sniper accuracy ❤😭 and then makes you cackle like a witch. rinse and repeat. i love it.
(reactions still dictated by the story up to the very start of Impel Down) I'm still trying to fully put my finger on what exactly makes me love OP that much but I think that what gets is how much trust there is between the characters. how easy they love each other. (Zoro and Luffy? dear god, they are so good. 100% trust.) and how silly they can get. It's rare that I love absolutely everybody, yet here I am: I'm collecting my silly little boys and girls like pokemon. I will catch em all. gimme more.
I cannot get enough how emotive the characters are. when they smile it lits up the sky. when they cry I cry with them. when they goof off I watch them fondly but when shit hits the fan, I read with baited breath how my silly little goobers get serious. there is a whole rainbow of emotions and I adore it.
(Sorry for taking so long to answer! this month went by extremely fast ;v;UUu if i take too long to reply you can talk to me privately too, i don't mind!)
Don't apologize for passionately loving things! It's the best way of living! ❤
Oda writes characters so well, that even in their comical exaggeration, still feel like real people to me. Everything is for a reason, even the dumbness (that i absolutely love xD it's just amazing to me that even that has its reasons and wraps so well with everything)
And yes, sadly the Anime really kills characterization...
Nami and Sanji's relationship is completely changed. They are not really friends in the Anime. Nami is not kind, ever, and Sanji is just interested in her as a sexy object. They are not friendly with each other... when in the Manga is obvious that they are friendly and chill most of the time.
Sanji adores her, yes, but in the Manga he is not just there to be her slave and please her. He has dreams and a beautiful relationship with Luffy too, something that the Anime decides to completely erase from existence...
The Anime transforms all the characters into one note (the one that they decide is funny for children or to sell merch): Nami is the girl who only screams and hits the others, Sanji is just the pervert idiot who fights all the time, Luffy is just an ugly goofball with nothing between his ears, Zoro is serious guy who is the comical relief and screams all the time, Chopper is a baby, Robin is a mysterious woman (who gets jealous of Chopper paying attention to other women)... etc etc etc
They are so reduced to this roles, that when something they can not edit out of the original story (because it's an pivot point in the story) happens, it even looks out of character!
Of course a lot of this is also amped up by the amount of continuous filler the Anime has, where they just butcher the characters even more...
It's a lot of work and as you see I am a slow writer xDu but I really want to get deeper into writing about how the differences matter a lot.
I hope you've continued with your reading and have even more to share! OvO please feel free to talk to me again
Again: very sorry for taking so long to answer ;v;U my audhd threw me off everything very hard this past month
And finally I don't really agree with what people say about Zoro losing his smile post time-skip... at least in the Manga! The Anime can look like he doesn't smile so much anymore, i guess...
I feel like Zoro's default expression is calmer after the time-skip ^^ you can see how he is not frowning all the time like before, and he still has his cool smiles!
Beware a bit of Spoiler ahead!
Have some non-very-spoilerish images of him smiling post-time skip, just in the first arc post time-skip:
Warning: Don't read unless you are up to date with the Manga Chapter 1070 and OPLA! (or don't care about spoilers!)
(still not available in the Anime)
(One Piece Live Action, Episode 2)
Very long post ahead:
(First of all, appreciation for Iñaki's awesome acting, knowing exactly how to look intense, eerie and God-like through the whole Live Action.
And look how the hat makes a perfect Halo or Sun around his head...)
This will probably be a little over the place, but bare with my silly brain.
At first this scene can just look like he reinforcing his own dream and regaining confidence after all the doubt Buggy has tried to inflict on him, and it probably also is that!
But with the intense expression, the music and the wording... I think it's also a message to readers that are up to date.
Nowadays we know that the Gum-Gum is just a name used to hide the real name of Luffy's fruit: the Mythical Zoan Human-Human Model: Nika (Sun God)
(Chapter 1044, Wano Country Arc)
The World Government has since its origins (after the Void Century, 800 years ago) tried to control this Fruit, and Vegapunk states that there's no mention to this "Gum-Gum" Fruit anywhere previous to that, so this new name is just a way of the Government to hide the importance of the Fruit and make it as unappealing as possible.
(Chapter 1069, Egghead Arc)
Who would want to be rubber, anyway? Anyone who hears about it thinks it's a silly power and wouldn't want to eat it.
(Chapter 585, Post-War Arc)
But here's the thing: it doesn't matter that the new Devil Fruit Guides or Encyclopedias have no information about a Fruit.
If we go way back to Enies Lobby, we get to see this explanation by Lucci (another Zoan fruit user): you learn the name of the Fruit when you gain its power.
(Chapter 385, Enies Lobby Arc)
Lucci specifically states that the Fruit itself will reveal its powers and name to you once you've eaten it and gained its power.
Luffy gained his power long time ago, when he was a child, and his goal started changing as soon as manifested his powers.
He went from: "Take me with you on your next Voyage!!"
(Chapter 1, Romance Dawn Arc)
To: "I've decided to become a Pirate on my own!" after eating the Fruit.
(Chapter 1, Romance Dawn Arc)
At first he was just content with being a Pirate in a crew, but suddenly he has a definitive goal: being the King of the Pirates (to achieve something else).
(Chapter 1, Romance Dawn Arc)
(Chapter 585, Post-War Arc)
(Chapter 1060, Egghead Arc)
In the first chapter it is also shown how his personality changes:
Luffy was a very sad and angry 7 year old, who wanted to desperately escape from his horrible life (loneliness and abusive Grandpa). He only smiled when people were nice to him, or when he was listening to pirate stories.
It is not until after he eats the Devil Fruit that he starts to smile and laugh on his own, looking at the bright side of things even if he gets teased.
(Chapter 1, Romance Dawn Arc)
It seems clear that the fruit changed something in him that was way more than just his body, but in the manga one doesn't think much of it until you read the Five Elder's description of his fruit (ch 1044) and remember Lucci's explanation (ch 385).
If the Fruit communicated its real name and abilities to him, he should know exactly who and what he is.
One could argue that he specifically states he is not a Zoan in Punk Hazard while talking to Momo:
(Chapter 685, Punk Hazard Arc)
But maybe he doesn't consider his fruit as a Zoan, as he doesn't really turn into an animal. (Zoan comes from the Ancient Greek and means "animal" or "beast"). Luffy's Fruit enters the same category as Sengoku's: a Human-Human Fruit.
(Chapter 585 SBS, Post-War Arc)
(Chapter 1044, Wano Country Arc)
Gear 5 is Luffy's awakened form, one that he couldn't use before because his body and mind were not ready to catch up to his powers. But that doesn't mean he didn't know about it's existence.
In this form, Luffy manipulates his surroundings giving everything he touches the properties of rubber, just like the awakening of Don Flamingo. But is it just that?
(Chapter 1070, Egghead Arc)
I believe we have been seeing him manipulate reality since the very beginning of the series, inadvertently thinking it was just typical main character things.
Yes, everything usually goes how he says in the end, just typical in a MC... But is it? Or is it an intelligent way of covering his real powers behind the typical shonen clichés?
There's so many instances where Luffy and his powers feed directly from people's hopes and prayers (just to name a few: Skypea, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark, FishMan Island, Dressrosa, Wano...), and all he asks is for people to have faith in him.
When people have faith in him, reality changes in his favour.
(Even with Ace's Execution, the one instance where Luffy failed... he actually achieved what he said he would: to free Ace from the Marines. Ace was killed not because Luffy couldn't save him, but because he stopped running away.)
Going back to OPLA: this is Oda's opportunity to explain things in a different way and medium, to hint to things that are very far away (like how they showed that Garp is Luffy's grandpa so soon in the series, because it made it more interesting sooner).
Then we have the scene were Luffy wishes for Zoro to be by his side, and to wake up.
I can't stop thinking about how... intense this scene is. How they wrap it with eerie music, so you know something special is happening.
We are in front of a Miracle.
(One Piece Live Action, Episode 6: The Chef and the Chore boy)
Luffy closes his eyes, concentrates and makes a wish. Or not even a wish, he just states that he needs Zoro (to fulfill his dreams).
Luffy manipulates reality a bit, even in this early stage of his power (Gear 1) and, seeing how he phrases everything he wants, he seems to know it. (for example, the way he always says "I will" instead of "I want to")
In OPLA it seems clear that Zoro was not going to wake up from Mihawk's attack, no matter how strong and resistant he is. Even if Mihawk said it wasn't his time to die... He would probably not make it without external help.
Luffy doesn't really know what to say, for a while. He is shocked and shaken in his beliefs, as he thought believing in Zoro would already make him the greatest... but instead his friend got badly hurt. With that and everything that's been said around him, he is losing faith in himself.
But eventually he understands that he needs to express how much he needs Zoro out loud. Why would that be, if he wasn't conscious that his needs and desires get usually fulfilled, even more if they serve his goal?
He concentrates and says "I need you, Zoro", and nothing changes. Why? Well, Zoro is there. His body is there and he is alive, even if just barely. It's not like he has really gone anywhere.
Then Luffy, seeing that it didn't work, reformulates his way of saying what he needs: "I need you to wake up".
And then the Miracle happens: Zoro starts really recovering and immediately wakes up.
He then makes the vow of never leaving Luffy's side until they reach his objective, fulfilling his needs.
This is not Zoro being awake and just teasing him, or him just waking up to the voice of his Captain. No.
This is a Miracle. This is Luffy consciously using his God-like powers and his destiny to get Zoro back from the dead.
And that's why Zoro can never die. Even in Wano we get a look at that:
(Chapter 1038, Wano Arc)
He was supposed to die, but Death couldn't finish the job. Something is protecting Zoro from Death, and it's probably how Luffy has tied Zoro to his own destiny.
And I am going to finish this post here, because I need way more space for my theories of Luffy, the others and One Piece in general xD
Thank you for reading this huge and all over the place post ^^
Water 7 Arc: Luffy and Usopp (Manga and Anime Comparison) [Part 1]
Spoiler alert: Don't keep reading if you haven't reached Water 7 Arc (Manga Chapter 333 or Anime Episode 236)
I've decided to start with this scene in particular because it shows a lot of changes that are absolutely core in the characters personalities in my opinion.
Please let me know your opinion about it or if you wish to add anything ^^ (and remember to have mercy on my English xD)
There is a lot to unpack, so I will be going page by page and directly comparing it with the Anime. 14 pages of manga compared to Anime.
(Manga reads from right to left, but the Anime screenshots are organized to read from left to right ^^U)
Before starting the comparison, a little reminder of what we are dealing with:
Luffy was informed by Galley-La shipwrights that the Going Merry could not sail anymore, and that he has to change ships. He strongly and emotionally refused to believe it and also refused to leave Merry behind, as it would be like leaving a companion... until Iceberg cuts the conversation short by doubting his capabilities as a Captain, and Luffy takes that comment to heart. (Manga Chapter 328)
On the other side, Usopp has been beaten twice by Franky's men, one while being robbed and another one while trying to recover the money he was robbed. He feels extremely guilty and like he can not face the others.
Luffy and the others found Usopp badly hurt, and broke Franky's Lair to the ground in the rage caused by seeing the poor Usopp hurt.
Luffy ends up deciding that leaving the Merry is the most responsible thing to do to protect the others. Then they all go back home.
Of course everyone is very emotional at this moment when Usopp finally wakes up, but they are trying to lift the spirits:
Now let's start the comparisons.
Luffy wants Usopp to not feel responsible for the decision he has to make (because he is not, obviously), and tries to treat the subject with positivity and cheer Usopp up. But it's still Luffy, and he is not the best with words, even if he never has ill intention, and he is also still emotional about it. But he is trying his best to maintain the smile.
Usopp is having probably one of the worst days of his life, and he is waking up to one big fear of him being a reality.
For the first 2 or 3 panels we get this (which already doesn't feel the same):
Then suddenly, we get the reactions of the others with absolute silence. The problem is... the Anime just chooses which reactions they have, because the Manga sure didn't show them!
Everyone looks tense or displeased.
Specially, Nami looks dissappointed with Luffy's way of treating the subject, and Chopper seems about to start crying.
In my opinion, these reactions of the rest of the crew are completely out of character for this moment.
Let's understand that they already talked about the subject and agreed with Luffy, not only because he is the Captain, but also because it's the logical thing to do.
But we are just getting started with this page.
For some reason, they decided to show Usopp making jokes about the subject, and the others just... let him talk and talk. (the reason is filler, I know)
In the Manga, Usopp tries to understand the situation as fast as possible, because it's no joke to him. He understands that something is happening or Luffy wouldn't even think about something like that. He immediately blames himself for the problem, shaking and panicking.
Also, Luffy's expression in the Anime? Why do they make him look angry at Usopp? Why would he look at his panicking dear friend with such a severe and angry look?
Finally we can go to the 2nd page:
Things start to heat up.
As you can see, all the conversation in the Manga is fast, without them stopping to look "judgingly" at one another. What the rest is doing is trying to calm them down.
Luffy hurries and tries to explain the money has nothing to do with their problem, but is getting frustrated that Usopp is pulling his tongue to say the whole truth or he won't stop blaming himself for it.
Luffy doesn't want to say out loud that Merry can't be repaired (because for him saying something out loud is making it a reality). But he also doesn't want Usopp to feel responsible when he is not, so he has to choose... and he chooses to free Usopp from guilt.
Let's remember Luffy is a very mature guy in many ways, but is also very emotional and empathetic. He feels the pain of the others and his own, and is probably overwhelmed, so he explodes.
Also, we can see how Sanji and Chopper are physically trying to stop them from escalating the situation.
Sanji holds Luffy's shoulder, not only stopping him, but also grounding him so he can calm down. Chopper tries to make Usopp sit back and rest.
You can see how they don't think any of them is wrong right now, they just want them to stop fighting and talk calmly.
Now let's look at what the Anime does with this page:
We get angry faces of Zoro and Sanji for some reason, when they are clearly not angry, just worried...
Luffy and Usopp's expressions are also way more angry and violent than what they should be.
The scene keeps escalating and none of the others is really getting in the middle...
For some reason, Usopp is disrespecting not only Luffy and his position as Captain verbally and physically, but also Choppers medical advice... completely out of character.
And then we start a really stressful and completely fabricated scene:
Usopp screaming over and over demandingly until he makes Luffy angry enough he explodes... from anger.
Luffy didn't explode from anger in the Manga. He just wanted to end the problem. He is not angry at Usopp at all, he is stressed.
And also, Usopp wouldn't do any of this to Luffy.
And we never saw Sanji and Chopper getting in the middle. Why?
3rd page:
The problem seems to have stopped. Usopp is shocked by the revelation, but seems to have calmed down.
Luffy had to recognize out loud what he didn't want to say, but he assumes the problem is going to be over. They all do.
We can still see how Sanji was trying to calm Luffy down by contact, but stops when he sees he calmed down. He is very involved in all the interaction, even if he has been silent until now.
Sanji, Nami and Chopper look shaken by how out of hand things had gone for a second (because in the Manga it is fast).
Then Usopp insists.
Zoro doesn't seem pleased that Usopp talks back again.
Going back to the Anime's adaptation:
Again, Luffy looks angry and not desperate to solve the problem they are having. He looks down on Usopp, still in a defensive position.
Actually, none of the expressions are correct. They have all gone from surprised or shaken to just frown.
Was it that difficult to respect their expressions? They fill everything else with random content, but now that they had specific panels with their expressions, they decided to not put them.
Any semblance of closeness between Sanji and Luffy is completely erased.
4th page:
Usopp starts to be clearly illogical, and he knows it. But it's not out of malice, it's just his insecurities making him talk like this.
Luffy can't understand why he won't let it go now that he has the whole information, and tries to explain the situation again, in case he didn't get it. Again: he is not mad with Usopp, he is stressed.
But Usopp is too affected by everything he experienced in that horrible day to try to be rational, and it's normal and human to do so.
In the Anime:
Again, the facial expressions are completely exaggerated in the worst way possible, or straight up wrong.
At this point I'm begging the Anime to stop making them look at each other with hate.
5th page:
They all know he is saying nonsense, and start to notice there's a lot more behind everything he is saying.
Let's remember Merry is a gift to Luffy from Kaya. Also he saw the Klabautermann of the ship and believes Merry has a soul... But not only that.
Usopp feels inadequate in the group. He feels like he's not enough for them, and is probably thinking that the ship, with which he shares so much, is receiving the treatment he "deserves" to receive.
The rest of the crew just don't seem to know how to aboard the problem.
In the Anime:
Again with the expressions and positions completely wrong.
Luffy and Zoro just look angry.
Sanji has lost his concerned look for a serious one and also gives his back to the whole situation. We can't see Nami's face. Chopper is not attending Usopp as urgently...
6th Page:
Luffy has sat down and is not discussing this as a friends quarrel anymore, he is starting to act like a Captain. He is not angry, he is firm.
He points out that what Usopp is saying is illogical, in a strong tone.
Nami (probably) is surprised by the change of tone of Luffy.
Usopp still doesn't want to listen, starting to really disrespect his Captain by giving him his back and ignoring what he says.
Sanji calls Usopp out, with his hands on his hips, clearly showing support for his Captain and disapproval of Usopp's attitude.
This is one of the first times Luffy has to put his foot down as a Captain. He usually doesn't need to. And Usopp is practically disobeying orders.
In the Anime:
Luffy's expression is completely wrong again. They keep showing him angry, not firm.
Also he is not sitting, which adds to them completely missing the change in Luffy's attitude.
The composition is also showing a weird tension, in which Usopp looks almost like a victim of a bully.
Sanji calls Usopp even softly for what we are used to hear from him, like he is trying to support him more than scold him.
And again... Luffy's expression is a complete miss.
Not only does he look like an angry child more than an adult that is discussing something serious, they also changed his nervous sweat for angry veins.
And this are all the images I can put in a post, so this will continue in Part 2 ^^
