Title: One Piece

Genre: Fantasy/Comedy

Creator: Eiichiro Oda

Company: Viz

DVD Info: 200+ (Japan)episodes, 5 theatrical movies; 3+ volumes

Summary: Monkey D. Luffy is a pirate who wishes to acquire the legendary One Piece treasure that belonged to the pirate Gold Roger. Thanks to the magical Gum-Gum Fruit, he can manipulate his limbs to ridiculous lengths, but there's a catch--the fruit's cursed and he's been rejected by the sea, meaning he can't swim anymore! HIs crew consists of: Roronoda Zoro (a skilled swordsman who has a patented three-sword technique--two in each hand and one in the mouth!), Nami (navigator and theif), Usopp (a mechanic and marksman with a penchant for tall tales), and Sanji (love-struck chef who's also a martial arts expert).

The Good: 4Kids has only made the minimal changes necessary for Saturday morning broadcast. It's pretty funny and has a good dose of action. If you or your child liked Pirates of the Carribean or the classic novel and movie Treasure Island, you'll like this series.

The Bad: 4Kids' took out most of the good stuff. Just stick to the manga.

Offensive Material: Light violence. Luffy is only a pirate for the adventure, not the loot.

Overall: One Piece is the most popular series in Japan. It looks like it might catch on here too.

My Review: 2.5 Category: A

Note: One Piece is also serialized in Shonen Jump. Viz also publishes separate volumes of the manga. Other titles currently serialized in Shonen Jumpinclude Shaman King, Yu Yu Hakusho Ghost Files, Dragonball Z, and Naruto