General Discussion

So the anime that grabs me the most from my previous thread is Naruto. I like the fact that now they are in the Great Ninja War, and that Kabuto has resurrected the dead, and all that jazz with Tobi excites me. So out of the HST I might give Naruto a chance. And maybe after I'm caught up I'll check out something else. Maybe One Piece, since after thinking about it I'd like a manga to continue with an adventure (as stupid and circular as I think One Piece is at first glance, but that's why I'm willing to give it a chance and at least try it). But I want opinions. Should I actually check out One Piece? I heard Fairy Tail has the same feel, same art style(I think Fairy Tail's looks better, but it's not like I can't stand One Piece's. It's tolerable), and same adventure that One Piece has.

If I had to choose at least one big-time adventure manga that is continuous, should I choose One Piece or Fairy Tail? Personally, Fairy Tail sounds more interesting, with mages and stuff, but I want opinions on this, because after Naruto(it looks as though Naruto will be ending soon/Bleach is going downhill), I want something else to read that is on-going, so would it be Fairy Tail or One Piece?

(P.S. Don't say Gintama. Gintama looks as dumb as Bleach. Well no.... dumber. Cuz I hear Bleach has direction until Aizen, and then it drops. I don't want that in an anime. I want good continuity. Gintama just doesn't seem to attract me. Too many samurai anime already. Bleach has some originality in it, even though it is like Yu Yu Hakusho, but still original with shinigami in their own way, which is cool with squads and such, but the downhill from Kubo unattracts me to the series. And even if I ever plan on checking out Gintama, it won't be for a while. Right now, it's not on my to-read list.)

To be honest, I haven't watch One Piece, but I heard about it. I can't say much about it except that One Piece and Fairy Tail have similar themes.

For Fairy Tail, it's pretty much about Natsu and his gang's adventures as they take on missions. Their guild is infamous for their destruction which gives others the excuse to insult them; they usually get into trouble with the law and other guilds. You have to get past the cliche stuff about friendship. Fairy Tail gets good when you get into story arcs that reveal the back story of the main characters (past episode 11 for the first one) If you have read or watch Hiro Mashima's work such as Rave Master, you would see a lot of similarities.

Don't take Fairy Tail too seriously. It was not meant to be a serious, shonen anime. It's mostly action adventure with a little drama.

A common misconception that usually occurs is that people tend to mistake Fairy Tail's art style for One Piece. I did that when I first pick up the first volume of Fairy Tail.

My Friend's Work

You check out these guys:

• JBog's Beginner Guide to Fairy Tail
• Wales's review to Fairy Tail

So you're saying when it comes to true, shonen style of manga, One Piece has that, while Fairy Tail doesn't? I mean, if Fairy Tail has action and adventure, seems to me like a shonen manga in and of itself.

You have to get past the cliche stuff about friendship.

Example?

@justanormalguy:

You want me to give you spoilers?

Examples

• Natsu - He'll never abandon his friends and puts himself at risk to save them. (like Luffy or so) Instances: Galuna Arc, Phantom Guild Arc, Tower of Heaven Arc, and more.
• Erza - She is like the big sister in the Fairy Tail guild. (same as Mirajane).

There's more, but I have to do some wiki work.*

During Phantom Arc, everyone in the Fairy Tail guild refuses to surrender and turn in Lucy to Jose Porla. They won't turn their backs on their guild members.

Both Fairy Tail and One Piece are shonen to me because they talk about dreams and friendships which is great for young people. (I don't think Shonen's audience is just for boys anymore.)

@takashichea: How does it deal with the typical anime cliches and stereotypes? (i.e. ecchi, big-breasted women/men getting hit physically by women for comedy purposes, etc.)

I voted for One Piece on general principal.

@justanormalguy said:

@takashichea: How does it deal with the typical anime cliches and stereotypes? (i.e. ecchi, big-breasted women/men getting hit physically by women for comedy purposes, etc.)

It has all of that. Both of them have all of that. The only difference is that Nami, the big breasted One Piece character who smacks the crew for comedic effect, doesn't show up for a few dozen episodes but Lucy, the big breasted Fairy Tail character who smacks the crew for comedic effect, is in the series from the the first episode.

@sickVisionz: Do you get dark humor in return (i.e. the men hitting the women back, like Family Guy does) ? I could tolerate that. I do when I watch Family Guy. It's funny.

Also, didn't you say in my other thread that you preferred Fairy Tail? Why vote One Piece?

@justanormalguy said:

Do you get dark humor in return (i.e. the men hitting the women back, like Family Guy does) ? I could tolerate that. I do when I watch Family Guy. It's funny.

Only during actual fights. If you dislike slapstick humor and sexed up women, you might want to avoid shounen: a genre aimed at teenage boys.

@justanormalguy said:

Also, didn't you say in my other thread that you preferred Fairy Tail? Why vote One Piece?

Good sir I've never said a positive thing about Fairy Tail other than that it stars seiyuu goddess Rie Kugimiya, Master of Tsundere. As for why I'd vote One Piece over Fairy Tail: Fairy Tail is a blatant knock off of One Piece whether you look at character designs, character stories, overall tone, the art style (most apparent in the manga), and even down to character costumes... and they are shameless about it. Maybe I can give them a little credit since they're out in the open about it and not trying to hide it, but as a person who makes music and does other creative endeavors, it turns my stomach to see it.

I didn't like One Piece enough to continue watching it but I'd always vote for the original over something that borders on copyright infringement.

@sickVisionz: Seems weird that anime with those elements would be directed at teenage boys. Why would boys wanna see them getting hit by chicks for humor? Makes no sense. I understand boobs, but chicks hitting guys? Seems weird. I guess that now since I'm a grown man I analyze things more clearly now.

And I'm sorry. It was Newten that said something about Fairy Tail. My bad. Lol.

And really, I mean, it might be influenced by it, but a complete knockoff? Can you give me some examples? Like with characters stories, for example?

@justanormalguy said:

Seems weird that anime with those elements would be directed at teenage boys. Why would boys wanna see them getting hit by chicks for humor? Makes no sense. I understand boobs, but chicks hitting guys? Seems weird. I guess that now since I'm a grown man I analyze things more clearly now.

I don't think I could possibly explain what makes it funny to you. You're very sensitive about the issue. To me it's comedy. Getting kicked in the nuts isn't pleasant or funny but seeing it happen in a comedy makes me lol. There's nothing funny about a person in real life drinking piss or semen, but when Stifler does it in American Pie I lol hard. If someone got attacked with a hammer in the middle of the street it would be tragic but when I see the 3 Stooges do it to each other I chuckle. A hunter accidentally shooting himself in the face isn't funny, but when Elmer Fudd does it I laugh. I can't explain why it's funny in these situations other than that they do it to comedic effect. There's no way anyone who takes this stuff seriously would understand why it's comedic just like how I don't understand how someone could take these comedies so seriously.

@justanormalguy said:

And really, I mean, it might be influenced by it, but a complete knockoff? Can you give me some examples? Like with characters stories, for example?

Natsu and Luffy are partnered with a guy who lost a friend when they were children and they blame themselves for the event, which still triggers them to this day or at least where I stopped watching them.

Their crews are filled with eccentric characters but the straight man (or straight woman) to their craziness are massive chested women in miniskirts who suffered a tragic childhood that the main character helps them get justice for.

Both of them are teamed up with silly talking animals.

The art style of the both mangas are damn near identical and even in the anime the clothes characters wear and the general aesthetic is the same.

This is superficial but in light of everything else it goes to show how deep the copying goes, Luffy wears shorts and an open vest while Natsu wears short pants and an open vest.

Tonally, both of them are super goofy but they find a way to make every character in the series have a super depressing back story.

There's a lot more stuff. If One Piece wasn't airing then maybe I could say it's all an homage, but they still make new episodes of One Piece so it feels like it's just a rip-off. Fairy Tail doesn't bring anything new to the table or even try to put it's own little spin on things. It copies OP on every level, from core ideas and character motivations down to superficial things like clothing design.

@DocHaus: No I didn't. I was saying that, like Bleach, it doesn't attract me as much as Naruto does.

@Destinyheroknight: What disappointed you about it? And why should I check out Hunter x Hunter?

@sickVisionz: In a nutshell, when I see it is customary for the same style of humor to be portrayed over and over and over, I start to question the people that make it. Why is this acceptable, when in society it is not? You laugh at a representation of what actually happens in real life. How do you counter that? Make a balance. Have an equal share of humor from both parties, and that way it seems like you don't stand for what's normal to see in regular society, and you play with that and show that even a man hitting a woman can be funny. Because clearly many people think a woman hitting a man is funny, so why not equal that out? It's only a fair way of thinking. That's why I get so picky with what I watch. And you know what, here and there might be okay, but when it's presented all the time, that's when I question and say "What the hell is wrong with these people?" You hear a racist joke from time to time on television shows, because people know that's a sensitive subject. Percentage wise, the majority of television will not show a racist joke, because of that fact that it is offensive. 90% won't, while the other 10% will give a racist joke probably every 20 episodes or so, or even more. Maybe every 30. Something along those lines. Because showing it over and over and over, in every single episode, you start to think "my gosh.... people find this funny? what is wrong with them?" Getting a "lol" every somewhat episodes is okay, but continuously showing it is not. We don't want it to become a norm on television, so that's why it's not done often. But physical abuse in anime is. It's part of the norm, and I question why. FLCL, Love Hina, Girls Bravo, just to name a few. And harem anime aren't the only one's plagued by this. It even happens in shounen anime, like Dragon Ball Z with Chi-Chi and her controlling, violent ways. Situations where the news has reported on, and people fighting and dying for the right of equality, you see it repeatedly on many American and Japanese shows. Johnny Bravo, Ed Edd n Eddy, etc. It's all the time. Hence why I really am extremely picky with what I watch. And I really don't watch television that much to begin with. Comparing the two of us, you just accept it and laugh. I question why. Why is this funny, when issues like these are constantly seen in today's society? Why is it funny? That's what I question.

- And, with shows like South Park and Family Guy, why the norm is accepted, is because it's always blended and mixed. Peter hits Lois, Lois hits Peter, Cartman makes fun of Kyle and in return he makes fun of Cartman, and it's 'round and 'round. Like I explained earlier. It's a balance.

@Destinyheroknight: Because that balance pokes fun at what the norm is. I think I said that.

@Destinyheroknight: That's not it. The norm is definitely not funny, and if you assume that I think poking fun at that is funny, you're right. Why would I not find it funny to show how ridiculous it is? Physical violence is not funny. But when you add a man hitting a woman, and the norm in society doesn't allow that, how else better to express how dumb the people are with their double standards than poking fun at it with comedy? That's where dark humor comes in. Poking fun at the norm, and showing how ridiculous double standards are.