One Piece!

Can someone explain to me the appeal of One Piece? I don't mean that as a challenge, like I'm saying it sucks or anything. I just honestly know almost nothing about it or what people think is awesome about it except that it's shounen-ish, popular, and really really long--and it's that length that's kept me from trying to invest much time in trying to watch it.

@Shanks right. but law's crew has still not entered the scene yet, and i'm also hoping a nice entry from smoker and aokiji as for past stories i'm also all excited for garp and doflamingo's past since there was some hint in the chapter doflamingo cornered law.

@Amezuki One of the appeals for me (and this translates to other shonens as well) is it's length. I feel compelled to find out how the series will wrap itself up. Now grated it IS a shonen and we all know where it's going but the details still entice me. The other aspect that draws me in is how...stoic it seems at times. Underdog victories + exaggerated physical capabilities set to music scores design to trigger emotional responses can create a sense of awe. It makes you want to root for a fictional character.

I think One Piece is the life story we all wish we could live; it's the story of a young lad who tackles a world filled with equal parts adventure and danger and makes his way toward realizing his dream. It's not a smooth ride; he's dumped on to his ass many times and has to deal with harsh realities like racism and classism, but he has friends that will stick with him no matter what, and his adventures make him stronger and more capable to take on the next challenge. Anyone who follows One Piece, I dare you to say you wouldn't jump at the chance to be on the Strawhat crew.

I just had to comment here lol. Amezuki's question was interesting. One Piece has a lot of great things going for it. There is so much good forshadowing, the series has good pacing (rarely a problem), and is generally good at storytelling. For something that has been going on since 1997, you'd expect some monstrous flaws but they simply don't exist. Of course, I don't say that the series is flawless. It suffers from longs BSOD for just about every character, the artwork is really a mixed bag because for most people, they either love it or hate it, there's really no middle ground, especially for character design (women being very unrealistically proportioned) and panel crowding. But what is impressive is that Oda, the mangaka, hasn't had a significant screw up like how Bleach had the Aizen vs. Ichigo fight or Fairy Tail had the Eclipse Gate Destruction. I could go on but the point is that One Piece has nothing on par with those monstrosities. Not to say it doesn't have it's very bad moments. Luffy beating Crocodile was a complete asspull, as was his victory over Enel. There're a few more but they're of a lesser caliber. When you read the series, you will definitely be captured by the wide, colorful world Eiichiro Oda has created, which is hard to do. The characters are (for the most part) likable, the imagination is impressive and the thought put into it is appreciable. Overall, I think One Piece is a really good manga and among the shining stars of the shounen genre. It is a long and cumbersome manga read (I do suggest skipping the anime due to too much filler) but it is a worthwhile ride. Oh, and please don't think I'm against Fairy Tail, Naruto or Bleach. They all have things that make them appreciable in their own way and can outclass One Piece in certain aspects. Sorry for the speech lol, but I hope this answers Amezuki's question (and anyone else's, possibly) about the series.

Well, I know someone who's planning on starting to show me the anime tomorrow, so I'll ask her to skip the filler episodes. XD I actually never really got into those other three series either. Naruto mainly because I really dislike like some of the characters, the others for the same reason as OP: because I know almost nothing about them other than that they're long and a huge investment of time.