#drum kingdom

[ohnoitstbskyen]

Just for the fun of it, I retouched what I think is one of the most beautiful panels in One Piece. The deep black shadows and stark black of the roofs of the castle here, along with the strict geometry of it, look so freaken gorgeous against the sheer, rolling white of the snowy landscape and jagged fuzziness of the trees.

[yoshida-midoriko]

[izzy-prizzy]

you DON'T understand how important and close to my heart it is when one piece shows reactions of straw hats family's when they get bounties or if there is some news about them.

"i hope you'll continue to frequent martime resturnt baratie, home of the 77 million berries bounty black leg sanji"

"were going to party today he's the most successful man from the east blue. cheers to luffy!!"

"i have to become independent as soon as possible so i can treat usopp's wound if he comes back injured"

"our captain is amazing!!"

"she looks happy doesn't she"

"chopper..i don't care what his bounty is as long as i get to see his face. looks like he's doing just fine"

SHUT UP IM NOT CRYING

[ijustgotherebro]

what was your favorite ep of OPLA s2?

2-1 the beginning and the end

2-2 good whale hunting

2-3 whisky business

2-4 big trouble in little garden

2-5 wax on wax off

2-6 nami deerest

2-7 raindeer shames

2-8 deer and loathing in drum kingdom

Voting ended onMar 25

[badly-drawn-doflamingo]

Rewatched Drum Island

I miss that hot old man.

[wesleysniperking]

Quick OPLA season 2 thoughts (Usopp-biased edition 💅)

🚨 spoilers *live action and manga*

I finally watched OPLA Season 2 and took notes like the Usopp lawyer that I am. These are mostly quick observations, a few complaints, and several moments that made my Usopp-biased heart very happy. Some of this is praise, some of it is side-eye, and some of it is me bookmarking things that might matter later (especially if Elbaf becomes the arc I think it will be). 🦕

Canon comparisons / fandom selective memory

1 - Robin killed someone in her introduction. Zoro said he killed Mr. 7. So if people are still crying about the toad oil thing with Usopp in Wano, we can absolutely play the comparison game.

2 - Usopp said very clearly that he respects Luffy as captain. Glad that’s cleared up. 🙄

3 - Usopp has ship knowledge. Is he Franky-level? No. But it’s something he’ll clearly improve once Franky joins. So there’s no reason he should be holding a hammer upside down when the Water 7 stuff happens.

4 - If I’m harsher toward certain characters or actors, it’s because they’re narratively safe and treated as “perfect” in canon. That’s the angle. If you disagree, fair enough. But to me it’s like adding with zero. 🧮

Acting / casting

5 - Jacob’s acting was on point. 😘

6 - Jacob captured the nuance of Usopp that Oda usually buries under gags. I’m keeping that in mind for the future because it’ll work in his favor if we ever reach Water 7. Hopefully not, but still.

7 - Robin’s actress was the weakest link in Season 2. The costume looked Burlington-level, the DF effects looked cheap, and the accent kept slipping in and out. The outfit needed more of an Ariat aesthetic and those boots looked like second-brand Uggs. I wear second hand myself so no shade, but Robin’s outfit felt like Spirit Week. 👢

8 - The Alvida and Buggy actors were fantastic. They absolutely carried Loguetown.

9 - Jacob’s chemistry with the entire cast was great. 💪🏽

Character / lore observations

10 - Since Brook is black in the OPLA, if fandom ever decides manga Brook is black too, then Usopp shouldn’t be excluded from that conversation. Especially since Oda assigned Brook: Austria.

11 - Usopp said he never had much growing up. He also said he doesn’t feel like he has anything to remember in Syrup Village. That could end up being some very loud dramatic irony later. 🤔

12 -Usopp clearly cares the most about Merry and refers to her as a living being more than anyone else. Those foreshadows are right on the money.

13 - I liked that Nami showed some insecurity about her navigation skills. It added depth.

14 - Usopp fixed Crocus’ door. Enough said.

15 - I also like that they’re already establishing Chopper’s dynamic with Usopp. 🦌

Loguetown / early arc notes

16 - Loguetown showed the crew really wasn’t ready for the Grand Line yet, and that Luffy’s reputation was already starting to precede him. Also… was Luffy glaring at Dragon? Because if so, maybe people will stop downplaying his daddy issues while dissecting Usopp’s. 🙂‍↕️

17 - Iñaki brings out the depth in Luffy that canon sometimes hides under comedy even though it’s always been there. The Loguetown apology scene proved that.

18 - When Zoro suggested tossing Vivi and Mr. 9 overboard, Nami said she didn’t think their captain would want them killing anyone. Zoro basically said “our captain isn’t here.” I’m not attacking Zoro, but that still doesn’t scream first mate to me. If Oda hasn’t confirmed it, I’m not saying it. 💅

19 - “Out of our element is when the crew does its best work.” – Mackenyu’s Zoro. ❤️

Usopp moments I noticed

20 - Some fans doubted Usopp’s sharpshooter status based on promo material. Meanwhile he handled that slingshot like it was second nature. 🔫

21 - Season 2, episode 2, 10:49 mark. Usopp is sitting away from the crew. Interesting…

22 - Usopp had a conversation with a giant while telling the future ❤️ Looks like we’re getting Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas. Brogy was the giant he spoke with. 🥳

23 - “Captain Usopp, Lord of Destruction.” – Brogy

24 - “We fight for honor and conviction.” – Usopp

25 - I was so happy I literally took photos of the lines in Episode 5 that felt like foreshadowing. 😊

26 - Usopp made it a point to tell Luffy not to denounce his own dream 💅 (Wano comeback ready.) Funny how the guy people say “doesn’t believe in himself” is constantly the one reminding others not to abandon their dreams.

27- I also liked how different arcs emphasized different friendships:

Loguetown: Usopp & Nami

Whiskey Peak: Usopp & Sanji

Little Garden: Usopp & Luffy

Drum Island: Usopp & Zoro

28 - Usopp basically confirmed we’ll be getting Mr. 4 and Ms. Merry Christmas.

29 - I liked how encouraging and vocally self aware they made Usopp during Drum Island.

General thoughts / cautious optimism

30 - Since OPLA is clearly working with post-timeskip knowledge, I’m confident things will be handled with more care across the board, including Usopp. Hopefully it clears up some canon misunderstandings fans run with like a lobotomized peanut gallery. Still cautious though.

31 - Nami knows bojutsu, though I’m not sure how much they’ll emphasize it. Me and the climatact will always have a very very VERY complicated relationship. I just hope this doesn’t feed the tier-list nonsense that already annoys me.

32 - I do appreciate that OPLA is addressing some of the lopsided things early canon never explained. That confidence is reassuring. And since Oda is involved, it makes it easier for me to trust the direction.

33 - Yes, I’m still nervous about Water 7 and probably always will be. But I trust Jacob to deliver, and I hope the show handles it more carefully than canon did.

Overall verdict: Usopp will likely fight less as the series goes on (that’s not okay), but based on the fight choreography this season, the show will probably add moments showing the whole crew participating more clearly. Maybe more sea battles too. Who knows. Either way, I genuinely want Jacob Gibson to succeed. The chemistry of the main five abso-freaking-lutely carries the show.

Final note

Yes, I know I’m incredibly Usopp-biased. It’s literally in my blog name 💅 and I’ll happily continue to be. These were just my thoughts watching the live action. I know other opinions exist and I’m not here to attack anyone over them. If these takes make you want to scream into the void, we can absolutely talk about it calmly.

Anyway, those were my live-watch thoughts. I’m still cautious about a few things, but overall I liked what I saw. And yes, I will absolutely continue defending Usopp like it’s a full-time job.

[exactly-another-one-piece-blog]

God, Drum Kingdom though… the way it challenges our heroes in ways no other arc does. Because Wapol is a pretty weak villain, both physically and ideologically, and there’s never any doubt Luffy can beat him, but the true antagonists of the story are the environment and illness, which no person can escape… Luffy being forced for the first time to restrain himself and consider how his recklessness can hurt the people he cares about… The brutal and unforgiving condemnation of the privatization of healthcare… Luffy fucking climbing that sheer-ass, miles-high cliff bare handed, carrying Sanji with his fucking TEETH… AND FALLING… the way that when the world around you is cruel and harsh the only way of surviving is through compassion for the people around you…

[ouchpiece]

I love the implied battle you see here. We got Zoro versus a bunch of bounty hunters not too long ago, but here he used the stolen swords that he is casually tossing aside to do all sorts of bullshit. There's a guy with two swords sticking so far out of him that you wonder how such shallow wounds even keep them in place. Some soldier over there got slammed really high up into a house. Another house has a chunk torn out and a sword stuck deep in, King Arthur style, while a passed out or dead fighter leans against the wall next to it. One dude is just on a tree. It's fun to imagine what happened, but the anime does very little with it and the Live Action does too much, turning this fight into a weird tokusatsu battle that Zoro, Usopp and the villagers are unable to win before Luffy pulls a Phantom Menace and unWapolates them. More on that later.