One Piece Volume 32 cover image is courtesy of powells.com.

Rated “T” for Teen

As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates.  Even after the enchanted “Devil Fruit” gave him the ability to stretch like rubber, but took away his ability to swim, Luffy did not give up his dream of being a pirate.  He set out to sea and gradually enlisted his very own pirate crew.  Known as the Straw Hats, they sail the oceans in the Merry Go, searching for the legendary treasure known as “One Piece.”

One Piece, Vol. 32 (entitled Love Song) sees the end of the Straw Hats’ epic feud with Kami Eneru come to an end.  Will Luffy stop Eneru and ring the Golden Bell to save Skypiea?  Well, since this volume includes the beginning of another storyline, “Long Island Adventure,” the answer is yes, but read and find out how they win.

THE LOWDOWN:  Now that the Skypiea adventure is finally over, I miss it.  Skypiea, a kind of Edgar Rice Burroughs land, sort of grew on me, but this is just a reflection of One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda’s fantastic imagination.  Just as I start to miss Skypiea, Oda transports me to another crazy place.  One Piece is fun.  Told through intricately drawn art and catchy graphics, One Piece always seems to offer something interesting and new.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Those looking for excellent shonen will want One Piece.

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