hmdigitalindia

[miniimerry]

My litmus test for deciding if I respect or value a person’s One Piece opinions is looking at the way they discuss Usopp tbh. You can tell a lot about someone based on how they talk about Usopp specifically.

If a person insists that Usopp is useless (whether it’s because he’s not as strong as Zoro or Luffy or Sanji or because he “doesn’t have a real job” on the crew) it tells me that they don’t pay attention to what Usopp does contribute, nor do they pay attention to what the story itself deems useful. Usopp may not be a massive, hulking powerhouse with ultra-powerful haki, but he does have utility in the crew. (And even if he didn’t, he would still belong because they wanted him.)

If a person insists that Usopp is just a crybaby or a coward and that he sucks because of this, it tells me that you don’t pay attention to what he’s doing while he’s running or crying. He might cry or shake or run, but he always comes back. He always stands up and fights in the end. He feels scared and then he does it anyway. It’s easy to forget, but Usopp is just a human in a world of monsters. For him to stand up and fight takes a lot of courage.

If a person insists that Usopp is not strong, it tells me they miss what the story itself tells us about what strength is and what it means to be strong. He has a skill that most do not. He is able to shoot with a degree of accuracy that is borderline inhuman. Whether he can kick through a boulder is irrelevant. Sanji can’t snipe from hundreds of feet away.

If you can’t look at Usopp and see where he fits in the story, I am truly uninterested in anything else you have to say about this story.

[detective-pandaman]

Water 7 Arc: Luffy and Usopp (Manga and Anime Comparison) [Part 2]

Spoiler alert: Don't keep reading if you haven't reached Water 7 Arc (Manga Chapter 333 or Anime Episode 236)

This is the 2nd Part of a previous post. You can read Part 1 here.

Please let me know your opinion about it or if you wish to add anything ^^ (and remember to have mercy on my English xD)

Somehow this second part is even worse than the first :)

(Manga reads from right to left, but the Anime screenshots are organized to read from left to right ^^U)

I will continue right where i left off:

7th Page:

Nami is shocked by Luffy's bluntness, even if he is right (Usopp is not a shipwright, that is a fact), but immediately is surprised by Usopp still fighting back.

Usopp is blindly insisting on the lack of professional morals and capabilities of Galley-La Company. He is not being logical.

He starts disrespecting Luffy, insulting his intelligence and instinct, and even his position as Captain.

Obviously all words of someone very affected by the heat of the moment... and his own insecurities.

In the Anime:

The scene is long and drags out, making it less obvious that everything that Usopp says is because of the heat of the moment.

We see Luffy's face with a judgingly expression, for some reason, but we don't get Zoro observing silently.

Why are they showing expressions that are not shown by the author, but not showing the ones that he specifically decides to show?

Also, Usopp kneeling on the floor for such a long time while everyone else is standing and just looking... it makes it way more awkward. He is not supposed to be just kneeling: he is angrily getting up on his feet.

Usopp does not look like being bullied in the Manga.

8th Page:

You wanted to see an angry Luffy? Here it is. Now he is angry. Not before.

Usopp has disrespected him as a Captain, in a way that should never be done.

Nami tries desperately to make Usopp understand Luffy's perspective and the pain he went through, believing it's still just a misunderstanding... but they are past that point.

Usopp, like everyone else on a ship, has to respect the Captain's decision. Even without understanding their reasons, even without totally agreeing with them... he has to respect them. That's how it works.

The Captain is the one who has to carry the weight of making the tough decisions. The Captain is the rock where everyone can lie on. The one that gives the sense of security and peace. And in the same way he has to carry all the responsibility, he has to be respected.

Of course a crewmember can argue or show doubts about certain decisions... but only if allowed, and up to a certain point. And that point depends on the Captain's personality. When a Captain has stated over and over their decision (without need, because just once should be enough), a crewmember has to accept it. One should never reach this point, where violence and even mutiny is shown... if you want to stay on their ship.

Luffy is a very approachable, friendly and kind Captain, who doesn't want the others to feel like they are below him and lets everyone help with decisions... but that doesn't mean his role changes or shouldn't be respected.

Usopp is misinterpreting his position in the crew, thinking they are at the same level in authority... but not in responsibility.

Luffy is not sitting on the table anymore, and is now standing on the floor again. This is also a sign of him getting angry, because he goes back to the "fighting ground".

We can see Sanji is still trying to calm them down, stressed that this is spiraling out of control. He is even extending his arms and probably physically separating them, not just talking.

In the Anime:

Luffy looks more stressed and "backing down" than angry, and like he is being manhandled around... when in reality Usopp wouldn't be able to move him like that. The movement lines in the Manga implied that he was receiving Usopp's force but not budging to it.

Of course Sanji's try to stop them is... not there. Like all the previous ones. Anime-Sanji has done nothing at all to stop this fight yet, a really out of character behavior.

9th Page:

Usopp has stepped back and is not holding Luffy by the neck anymore. He even lowers his tone for a moment, probably because of Sanji's words or that he physically separated them.

But he is still angry, and says he could never abandon an injured comrade. This being said while he is injured himself, shows his fears of being abandoned by the rest of the crew because of his poor state.

Luffy (who doesn't make the connection with Usopp comparing himself to the Merry) calls it nonsense to compare what one does to a ship and a person.

Usopp insists on Merry having the will to keep on living (again, projecting on her), and then he says to Luffy one of the nastiest thing you can say to someone: that he doesn't really care about someone they love. That he are already thinking about getting rid of Merry and advancing without her.

Luffy, who is all about loving and caring, absolutely loses it. He violently jumps on Usopp and screams angrily at him because he is being egoist and disrespectful with him and everyone else in the crew. Everyone loves Merry, and implying that he is the only one who cares about her is very mean and egoist.

Of course, grief is a complicated thing. Usopp is hurt and is being hurtful to others, his mind desperately trying to protect itself... Not the way to do it, but he is a 17 year old dealing with a lot of horrible feelings.

But that his feelings are understandable doesn't give him the right to do what he is doing. As a reader, one has to understand that what he is doing is wrong.

Nami is surprised at Luffy's reaction, not expecting he would lose his calm in that way.

Everything is fast: Luffy is very angry and starts screaming at Usopp that if he doesn't approve of the way he is managing the situation, Usopp is free to leave his crew... (a thing he obviously doesn't want to say, it's just the heat of the moment)

In the Anime:

Sanji never did anything to separate them before, so Usopp is still grabbing Luffy by the neck... So they made Luffy push him away from him in a very nasty way, nearly throwing Usopp to the floor.

Now that they are already separated, Sanji decides to try to intervene. Thank you, Anime-Sanji, very useful.

He even talks in a tone that implies this is a little fight between friends, and not a serious problem. Meanwhile Manga-Sanji has been stressed and worried since the first second.

The only thing his intervention does here is diluting the real hurtful comments Usopp makes, the ones that makes Luffy lose it...

Luffy weirdly throws Usopp on the ground, even slowly. And even sits on him?

Sanji looks more annoyed and bothered than really stressed or worried.

Nami screams at Luffy angrily. (I will never understand why Nami is always so angry in the Anime, all the time)

And the scene draaags for a while. It's doesn't look like Luffy is blurting things out of rage anymore.

10th Page:

There is what I believe is a very big misconception around this scene: some people believe Sanji is kicking Luffy for Usopp's sake, when I believe Sanji is doing it for Luffy's sake.

In the Manga it's pretty clear to me:

Sanji has been trying to stop them from escalating the situation since the very beginning: trying to calm Luffy's temper, understanding the pain he is going through, and scolding Usopp for being disrespectful.

But now Luffy has completely lost his temper, getting violent and about to say something in the heat of the moment that he will obviously regret and will hurt him forever if Usopp leaves because of it. The one who would be hurt the most by the words Luffy is about to say is not Usopp, it's Luffy. And Sanji knows it.

It's not a thing that can be stopped with words or holding him anymore. He has to act fast to avoid it.

So Sanji desperately kicks Luffy (while calling him an idiot), forgetting to even be careful about Nami's wellbeing, stopping him from finishing the sentence.

The fact that he doesn't even check on Nami before or after kicking Luffy, even after she screams, shows that he is worrying more about someone else right now...

He also looks very stressed, with all the sweat drops, with what he had to do to stop the situation.

And also his words: he is telling Luffy to control himself or he will say things he will regret. Not that he will hurt someone else, only that he will hurt himself with regret.

But this is not a surprise for a Manga reader. Sanji is always caring about Luffy's wellbeing, be it in the focus of attention or in the background of panels.

Luffy immediately understands what Sanji is doing for him, and apologizes... but Usopp's low self esteem has now what he thinks is a confirmation of his fears, and he proceeds to auto-sabotage.

Now the Anime:

Now we arrive to other one of the worst parts of the "adaptation"

Sanji kicks Luffy...

We get Chopper's reaction, but not Nami's... why?

Because Sanji didn't really kick in her direction! So in this adaptation we completely lose a thing that Oda specifically showed: Manga-Sanji was desperate enough to stop Luffy from harming himself to forget about Nami!

And then he starts insulting Luffy afterwards. For a while. Berating him and just being mean.

The way Sanji talks to Luffy in the Anime is not only disrespectful, but very violent. He is practically daring him to say what he was going to say.

That is not the Sanji the Manga-readers know and love. Manga-Sanji was nearly pleading for him to cool down.

Anime-Sanji looks at Luffy with even hate. That is not the expression Manga-Sanji was having... at all. How this has been adapted in this horrible way is beyond my comprehension.

Of course, in the Anime it looks like he is on Usopp's side.

And we proceed to show how the others are reacting to this slooow paced interaction. Of course, this is completely invented by what the Anime thought was appropriate (so: very weird reactions)

Luffy slowly getting up and apologizing, putting his hat on.

And the Anime decides to show Usopp smiling, like his plan had finally come into fruition.

Usopp is not smiling in the Manga. There is no reason for him to smile. This wasn't a master plan. Very weird to show him smiling.

11th Page:

Usopp keeps saying hurtful and false things to Luffy, meanwhile Luffy is putting his hat and covering his eyes to not look at him, not wanting to fight anymore.

We see Sanji and Nami back on Luffy's side, with Sanji even positioning himself in the middle of the fight in a protecting manner and calling Usopp out (again).

Usopp is finally recognizing the real problem out loud: he doesn't feel he can keep up with the others and feels useless.

He feels he doesn't deserve being there with them, and that they're too much for him.

We see the others reactions: Luffy confused not knowing what to say, Chopper doesn't understand why Usopp feels that way, Nami is finally getting the full picture, Zoro is not liking what he is hearing...

The last panel's composition is full of meaning: all the others are around Luffy, with him, while facing Usopp. Meanwhile Usopp is standing and facing them but from afar, distancing himself from them.

No one but him is in a defensive position anymore.

In the Anime:

We get Usopp and Luffy looking at each other with hate again. Marvelous.

No one is near Luffy. Sanji and Nami haven't moved closer to Luffy, and the others have moved closer to Usopp...? So, the opposite of the Manga.

Luffy's expression is not correct, in the Anime he looks angry again, not confused.

Zoro is listening with his eyes closed, for some reason... I'm starting to believe Anime-Zoro has been sleeping for a while or something.

Sanji's expression is invented.

And I repeat: no one got close to Luffy, so its effect it the complete opposite of the Manga.

The Anime shows a separation between the whole crew and Luffy, while the Manga emphasizes the opposite.

We also see Luffy's back in the Anime, while in the Manga is Usopp's...

All the physical language the Manga made is thrown down the drain in the adaptation.

The Anime wants you to believe the rest of the crew doesn't approve of the things Luffy has done, and that is just not true.

12th Page:

Usopp talks about how he never really was moved to join Luffy for a great cause like the rest: he was just a friend who tagged along. He himself says he has no other ties and that he can sever them anytime he doesn't agree with Luffy's decisions.

He is looking for excuses to make his departure easier.

(That is one of the main points Zoro is going to take into account in the future: Usopp will have to ask for forgiveness and show real loyalty to the crew, because if he keeps on going like this, he is a ticking bomb of mutiny)

Luffy is back to his usual serious expression when he is listening to someone.

Usopp leaves the room and everyone follows.

Then, once everyone is outside, he announces he is leaving the crew, surprising everyone.

In the Anime:

Usopp's expression has nothing to do with the one in the Manga. He is still angry in the Anime.

Luffy and Zoro's expressions are also exaggerated.

You may notice Usopp is saying he is leaving the crew while still in the room...

Well, buckle up, because we are getting close to a hot mess of the Anime.

13th Page:

As we saw in the previous page, they are all outside looking at him. They followed Usopp immediately.

Nami, Sanji and Chopper scream at Usopp to come back, while Zoro and Luffy look in silent.

They scream in different ways: Sanji has the same expression he had when he had to kick Luffy to stop him. Nami is still believing this problem can be fixed. Choppper is crying, still confused with the whole problem.

Usopp is now saying things about himself Luffy doesn't agree with, but he has chosen to not speak anymore, probably to not make the situation worse.

Usopp then asks for a duel.

In the Anime:

We start right with filler!

We get a weird slow motion, with Nami Chopper and Sanji's horrified expressions looking at Usopp close the door.

Let's remember Sanji's expression is supposed to be the same as after he kicked Luffy in the head. Interesting how now it is a distressed expression, and not a hateful one.

Also... guys, open the door and go after him already. It's just a door.

But no, now Nami turns around looks at Luffy with anger and starts confronting him.

Also Zoro looks at Luffy with a very severe expression.

Where does this come from? When has the Manga shown that these two would look at Luffy like that in this situation?

The Anime is making them look against Luffy, contradicting the source material.

The Anime makes Nami keep on going with the critiques, doubting Luffy as a Captain, dumping on him all the responsibility of Usopp's decision and making it look like she believes everything is Luffy's fault.

Manga-Nami would never do that. Even if afterwards she goes and talks to Luffy about solving things with Usopp, she would never treat Luffy like this, using his Captain position this cruelly... in the Manga, that is.

Everyone is just there, looking at Luffy, until he angrily looks back at her.

Up until now, everything is just filler of the Anime. From the very beginning of the adaptation of Page 13. The amount of awful and out of character filler the Anime does with this scene is astronomical.

Now we start going back to something closer to the real content of the Page 13:

They finally go outside and call him to come back.

Again, Sanji's expression is much nicer than the one shown to Luffy, and he is also at the front. In the Manga, he is in the back.

Luffy's expression is all wrong, again. He also comes out one of the lasts, when in the Manga that is not really the case.

Sanji and Chopper have also all gone from very intense expressions to neutral.

Finally, 14th Page:

The chapter reaches its painful ending, with Usopp doubling down on the duel idea.

In the Anime:

This is very close to being a 1:1 adaptation, if we take out Nami's reaction and everyone's positions and....... xDu

After this, the Anime Episode continues adapting scenes from the next Manga Chapter, but i don't have the energy or space to keep the analysis on this post xD

I hope you understand why i think the changes on this scene are so important in how different a Manga-reader and an Anime-watcher feel it. How different the characters are in one and the other.

And all the changes we just saw were completely unnecessary to do, and not approved by Oda... so... very very bad in my opinion.

And if they do all these changes with a scene so important like this one, what does that mean for the rest of the adaptation?

Well... you can imagine. Sometimes it feels like the only thing the Anime has in common with the Manga is the name ^^U

If you want a comparison of other scenes, you can make suggestions ^^