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One Piece Re-Read Notes Volume 5
Nov. 3rd, 2017 02:53 amVolume 5 – For Whom the Bell Tolls
After last volume, which is probably in the bottom 3 for me of East Blue, now we jump to one that is in my top 3 in East Blue. Usopp finally gets to play a stronger role in his own story, the very weird tone of the battle versus the Black Cat Pirates settles on the more serious side of things rather than a bizarre mix of humor and very serious. We get to meet the dynamic idiot duo of Johnny and Yosaku, and we are introduced in a fun and fitting way to our fifth nakama.
The title comes from the John Donne poem (and then later the awesome Metallica song) and is pretty fitting. In the poem, it explicitly refers to the coming of death for each and every one of us. Additionally, the point of the poem (as opposed to the line) is in the value of each person to the community of humanity. So the title could be interpreted in several ways. One could see it as a reference to the threat to Kaya (and to the our four heroes) or even to the eventual defeat of Kuro/Klahadore and his men. But I think it works better in the wider view, the value of the people around us. In volume 5, this includes the recruitment of Usopp, the foreshadowing of Sanji’s recruitment, Zoro reuniting with his old partners Johnny and Yosaku, and Kaya providing Luffy and company with the Going Merry Go.
As an overarching theme for a volume consisting of an arc’s ending, a small interlude, and an arc’s beginning, it’s a pretty cohesive thing to accomplish with the volume’s name! I had to check and it looks like the Viz names are translations of the Japanese volume names, which I hadn’t realized before! I wonder who is responsible for naming each volume – does it fall to Oda’s editor or the Jump staff or does he name them himself or have some level of input? Anyway, this one’s quite good for the chapters in involves and Usopp gets to shine quite a bit as his introduction story wraps up.
( Read more... )
After last volume, which is probably in the bottom 3 for me of East Blue, now we jump to one that is in my top 3 in East Blue. Usopp finally gets to play a stronger role in his own story, the very weird tone of the battle versus the Black Cat Pirates settles on the more serious side of things rather than a bizarre mix of humor and very serious. We get to meet the dynamic idiot duo of Johnny and Yosaku, and we are introduced in a fun and fitting way to our fifth nakama.
The title comes from the John Donne poem (and then later the awesome Metallica song) and is pretty fitting. In the poem, it explicitly refers to the coming of death for each and every one of us. Additionally, the point of the poem (as opposed to the line) is in the value of each person to the community of humanity. So the title could be interpreted in several ways. One could see it as a reference to the threat to Kaya (and to the our four heroes) or even to the eventual defeat of Kuro/Klahadore and his men. But I think it works better in the wider view, the value of the people around us. In volume 5, this includes the recruitment of Usopp, the foreshadowing of Sanji’s recruitment, Zoro reuniting with his old partners Johnny and Yosaku, and Kaya providing Luffy and company with the Going Merry Go.
As an overarching theme for a volume consisting of an arc’s ending, a small interlude, and an arc’s beginning, it’s a pretty cohesive thing to accomplish with the volume’s name! I had to check and it looks like the Viz names are translations of the Japanese volume names, which I hadn’t realized before! I wonder who is responsible for naming each volume – does it fall to Oda’s editor or the Jump staff or does he name them himself or have some level of input? Anyway, this one’s quite good for the chapters in involves and Usopp gets to shine quite a bit as his introduction story wraps up.
( Read more... )
