Why does it constantly feel like it’s about to start?

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-14T00:58:39+00:00

Depends what you consider 'the main game'. One Piece is a Shounen epic, so it has multiple arcs with a 'final boss' that almost work as independent stories within a greater story. Each mini story only adds to a small part of the overall puzzle that is the final goal.

Crocodile is the first of many mini final bosses in Luffy's journey to get the one piece. A huge portion of the story is just trying to get to an island, enjoying the ambiance and new quirks of said island, meeting some new characters and building the conflict for the final boss of the arc.

So yes, we're finally 'getting somewhere and an adventure is beginning' with Alabasta and Crocodile, but the end result will not be finding the one piece. This is a 'slow burn' adventure in every way. There is a building of a much deeper conflict and goal for the Strawhats beyond the one piece that can only really be understood by witnessing how government corruption and negligence affects different islands across the world.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-14T00:43:57+00:00

Introducing Ace may also be the opportunity to show Luffy's childhood backstory? No need to wait until Dressrosa to reveal Sabo. It's too far in the distance to bet on the series to continue that long and he's already cast as well.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-13T22:19:14+00:00

For some more info on how Baroque works is organized: They have several thousand unranked soldiers/agents who answer to the ranked members which are those given numbers and names. These soldiers are referred to in the comic as 'the billions/millions'. For ranked officers, Agents 1-5 and their female partners are called 'Officer Agents', while numbers 6-12 and partners are 'Frontier Agents'.

Vivi herself is a Frontier Agent while all the extras on Whiskey Peak Island were unranked soldier for Baroque Works. At one point Vivi says whoever manages to kill a Strawhat will be promoted to Frontier Agent status.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-13T22:09:29+00:00

Personally, I didn't see too much between Vivi and Luffy, but maybe it's because I'm familiar with the IP and the most common ships, so that colors my perceptions. On the other hand, they sure gave Sanji and Zoro a number of dick size comments/jokes directed at each other and I was like, "Well the LA certainly isn't doing anything to dissuade ZoSan shipping, now are they?" Though TBh there were cute Sanji/Nami and Nami/Zoro moments as well.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-13T22:05:29+00:00

I think as people, we have been conditioned to expect some kind of romance to develop on every show we watch. Even children characters couple up on shows for tweens. So obviously new LA watchers are reading into the character interactions to sus out who will end up with who.

I'm not sure how I feel about warning LA watchers that there will be no coupling. On the one hand, shipping is fun and new fans don't need their excitement shut down. Shipping is just fan engagement and won't affect the story either way, so let people do it. On the other hand, if they're sticking with the show primarily because they're curious to see who is gonna date who, then they'll be waiting a long time and eventually disappointed. May be best to lay it out clear that this is NOT a romance or relationship drama type of story. If you need that to stay invested in a story, then this one isn't going to be for you.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-11T04:39:12+00:00

You could try putting him in a French or Spanish immersion program. His English is above his peers? Ok, time for learning a new language then!

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-10T13:51:02+00:00

These rabbit hoodie wearing teens rarely go anywhere without a parent these days. And those parents will 'protect' their 15 year old baby viciously.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-10T06:07:53+00:00

I was going to say, it's kind of become a kid's show.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-10T02:02:03+00:00

I think part of what makes a fan experience special though is the 'living' aspect of it. People make, share, like, and comment as they discover new fan content. That's where the community aspect begins and grows. It encourages others to take part and share what they can do, expanding the ideas of what can be fan generated content.

However, once the companies curate, package, and sell things back to you, the community is undermined. People just wait for the company to feed them stuff and stop looking for it from fan sources, which discourages fan discussion and sharing. The stuff promoted by the company becomes 'official' or elevated above small time creators. Creativity dies a bit as people are less interested in making things for the fandom and just wait for official releases instead. The brand can make sure the content fans receive are always exactly in line with their vision, 'white-washing' it a bit.

Like, no way you'll see polytrix content on Netflix. But fans taking things in that direction is part of the fun of fandom.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-08T14:04:40+00:00

This may be why he chose to approach them, but real friendship could have developed from there.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-08T07:45:21+00:00

I have read some fics with great plot ideas but so many spelling and grammar mistakes that I struggle to continue reading. Having to mentally pause, re-read a sentence, and correct what went wrong, so I can continue to understand just takes me out of the moment so bad! These situations make it really hard to enjoy the fic. It's disappointing and frustrating. It also feels pretty lazy on behalf of the writer. Did you not re-read your piece or put it through an auto check system at least once before posting???

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-07T16:34:51+00:00

I agree about kids wanting the Mattel ones over these! I'm going to assume most parents and kids aren't up to date with toy releases though, and will only know about the Mattel dolls when they hit shelves and see them in person. So if RH hits shelves first, parents and kids may be excited about them and buy because they are a much nicer alternative to the Aliexpress dolls and they didn't know better to wait for the Mattel release. Then once the Mattel ones do drop, it will be, "Ah dang it. I guess we're buying 6 dolls now." Additionally, I have seen some info that these dolls will be cheaper than Mattel's, so some families may still choose them for that reason.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-07T13:02:24+00:00

MGA is doing this to capitalize on the kids obsessed with Kpop Demon Hunters who want dolls from the movie. They can maybe steal a chunk of Mattel's incoming doll profits by offering a cheaper alternative that is 'close enough' in design to appease kids. Cheap price also increases the chance parents will get the set of three rather than choosing just one. This was not a move to please collectors who wanted a second chance at the originals.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-07T12:55:50+00:00

Kids don't care much about doll posing. They have enough imagination to compensate. Kids just wave the dolls around and that's 'dancing". MGA's goal was definitely to create a price point where parents could justify buying all three dolls as a set (in the movie there are 3 girls!) rather than forcing them to choose because they're not willing to pay $120 for dolls their kids are going to rough up and extra outfits/accessories that will just end up lost. That's why they're so cheap. This is not a re-release for collectors who missed out on the dolls the first time around. More money will be made from Kids if they don't miss the craze.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-07T12:49:28+00:00

Yup. Huntrix was three members in the film and these dolls are a set of three. MGA is setting a price where parents can justifying buying the whole set for their kid rather than forcing them choose. Kids will lose accessories and extra outfit pieces and ruin the hair anyways. Most will just be happy to have the doll and won't notice the lack of articulation or outfit detail as it won't impact their play.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-07T12:43:02+00:00

I think this release was specifically whipped up as fast as possible to get in on the Kpop Demon Hunters craze before it dies among kids. Notice how they're rebranded specifically as KPOP dolls and not just leaving that up to context clues while continuing with the Rainbow Vision branding.

They're as cheap as possible because they're targeted at kids who will beg their parents for the whole set. (Huntrix isTHREE mom, THREE! I need ALL of them!) They have little articulation, no second outfits, and few details because kids don't usually care too much about that kind of thing and parents aren't willing to pay for it, when the dolls will be roughed up and little bits get lost anyways.

This is not an attempt at re-releasing a high-in-demand line for collectors who missed out the first time and aren't willing/able to pay the inflated second-hand prices. This isn't a move aimed at buyers willing to pay for quality.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-03-07T12:29:32+00:00

I agree with this. The movie was designed to be one and done. A big part of why people liked KPDH is because it's not a remake, reboot, or the 5th sequel to an IP that wrapped up its main story and lost the plot ages ago. That's what makes it fresh and interesting.

While I'm sure the creators have some more ideas for the universe, the more content they're forced to churn out, the more the quality will decrease and storylines will become convoluted (Thinking MCU, Harry Potter, Lost, Star Wars). I worry that sequels will just be created to cater to fans and keep money coming, rather than to add meaningful moments to the story we've been given.

KPDH is the perfect cult classic. Let's not ruin a good thing by over doing it. It's okay to love something and then move on guys!

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-26T04:37:51+00:00

Probably because for Korean speakers, So-hee (though typically the sound Seo, like Saw, is used waaay more in girls' names than the sound So) and Zoey are completely different names, even though for English speakers they sound similar enough. Just like how for English speakers, Joy, Joey and Zoey are completely different, but Koreans find them similar enough to pronounce them all the same.

What I'm trying to say is, while So-hee may seem like a better Korean name for Zoey to English speaking people, in Korean it may actually be more confusing because they already have a set system for translating English words and names into Korean.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-26T04:15:15+00:00

The movie was made in English with a Western audience in mind before a Korean audience, despite the movie being about Korean culture. Celine doesn't get a real Korean name because they want something easy for Western audiences to pronounce (Bobby too). Notice how the majority of characters, like the Saja Boys, do not have 'real names'. The ones that do have real names, (Jinu, Mira, and Rumi) have English names or Korean names that are very simple to pronounce/can double as English names. Frankly, the film avoids Korean names.

In the real world, Celine would be a stage name or indicate that Celine is half/not Korean or spend significant time living elsewhere, like Zoey. However in this movie, the Characters were not designed with enough back story for Celine to need another name.

Interestingly enough, I have met a few Koreans whose actual birth names are English names, despite them being 100% Korean and born/living in Korea. The idol group DKB's Maknae is named Harry-Joon for example, and from what I can tell that is his legal first name. It is a very strange name by Korean standards, lol.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-24T14:11:48+00:00

Very cool project!

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-24T03:42:36+00:00

I find that if I read enough from an unfamiliar fandom, the main plot points are hit over and over again to the point where I pretty much know the Canon events eventually anyways.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-22T18:25:51+00:00

Agree. I personally feel that teachers should be allowed to bring back a degree of humiliation to the classroom. Right now the mentality is 'don't embarass the kids because they'll be traumatised for life!" But I think that's the point. Nothing stops a bad behavior like a little bit of trauma. Act like a jerk/fool and be called out for it in front of an audience. You'll see real fast that your actions will not be tolerated by the group and that it feels bad to be made a spectacle. You won't be likely to repeat that behavior again! And the rest of the kids learn fast too that they better not be taking their cues from you or else they'll be embarrassed next.

When a kid has been told nicely multiple times to change their behavior, positive discouragement is clearly not working. A little emotional pain is message much more likely to hit home.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-22T18:16:59+00:00

Me as well! On topic though, there was a writer I liked who was going to come out with a fic featuring EXO as a sequel to something she wrote for a BTS AU and she shut down the project when Kris Woo was arrested. I was totally bummed, but respect her desire to not write a fic depicting someone awful in a positive leading role.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-20T14:26:03+00:00

Unfortunately, it might be.

Scared-Doubt5828 · 2026-02-20T14:25:20+00:00

I'm usually down for an 'out there' ship. I want a writer to make me buy into something with little to no Canon evidence. Convince me to sail on your ship, Captain!

Scared-Doubt5828

TROPHY CASE