Video:

Video is crisp and clear, though it's rather grainy during high action scenes.

Audio:

One of the best music scores to be presented in Japanese anime -- it really stands out, even on ordinary stereo TVs.

Subtitle:

Engrish and misspellings galore, plus wrong names, like "Roof" instead of Luffy, "Suron" instead of Zoro, "Liar Bu" instead of Usopp, and "Golden Merli" instead of Going Merry (Luffy's crew's ship). And in the previews, "One Piece" has been translated into "King of Pirates", even though Luffy explicitly said "One Piece" in English. And I think the subtitle writers are taking liberties with the cussing in the subs -- yes, the series has violence, but with the off-color language in these subs, parental discretion is definitely advised. Two things going for these subs, though, is that they're easy to follow, and that they're timing is relatively perfect.

Comment:

These reviews are based only on the first 2 discs of this set -- I'm nowhere near done with watching it (as I write this). As for the packaging -- it's really nice, too, though Chopper (the reindeer that wears a hat with an "X" on it) will not show up until the episode count is in the 80s. Discs can be removed and replaced with ease, and they hold really well, though some copies may experience breakage of the disc holders (which is why the DVDs are sent in separate discs envelopes, which was the case for me (though the holders weren't broken)). "One Piece" is highly recommended, as it features advednture and humor for everyone. The friendly characters are very likeable, while the villains are very hateable. The storyline will have you at the edge of your seats at some point. I already knew what to expect, as I was familiar with the manga that was introduced in the US in November 2002, when Viz started the US "Shonen Jump" (a must read in itself). Once you start watching "One Piece", it's hard to stop.

Video:

The video, over all is not all that bad. The first two discs have eleven episodes on them so you can understand a bit of grainy texture. However, when I switched watching the set from my PS2 to my new DVD player things shaped up quite a bit. Didn?t really notice much pixelation even in the fast motion seems, so that?s a plus right? But there are some scenes where the video does worsen but it is definitely above par.

Audio:

Nothing special, but there aren't any problems. Clear crisp and beautiful by the way I heard it. I don?t know if music falls under this category but I have to say that the soundtrack is very nice, and always seems to fit the mood.

Subtitle:

I don?t see why so many people complain about the subs. they really aren?t that bad. But there are some problems, that I suppose some people could find irritating. First off, words are often singular when they should be plural and vice versa, but everything is always completely understandable. Next and I don?t really think this is a huge issue. Next, there is a common mistake of someone unfamiliar with the English language of misplacing words. For example in the subtitles, as their comrade was suffering, a character says, "I hope I can suffer for him? but you can clearly see that the intent of what was said was something like "I wish I could suffer for him". And finally, names are sometimes switched, but since statements are almost always directed at a certain person, you don?t have to ponder over whom the character was talking about. But as for timing and understandability (if that is a word ^_^) the subs are top notch, and I really couldn?t understand it when I saw someone rant on and on about how horrible the subs are, but at least in this set, the first five discs, this is great for original HK subs. And one more thing that I forgot to mention, all of the openings and endings are also subbed. Hope I didn?t clutter this section up to much with my thoughts but I just wanted to get the point across that these subs are not bad, I only go on and on about this because misleading reviews are what kept me away from this set for so long.

Comment:

Menu: All in English, standard play all (although it is called all play on the menu), subtitles, and scene selection, which is all in English as well along with a little box with each episode to show you what happened in that episode. Extras: on the last disc there is a forth option that brings you to a selection of three different songs, two you have heard in the series and then another one that will be new to you. Overall: 10!!!!!! Simply great, not so much the quality (which is satisfactory) but the show itself. And since this isn?t on R1 to have an R1 rip, this is the best you are going to get. So buy now!!!

Video:

Video a clear and colorful. All opening and endings are there (yeah!) but they did put 10 episodes on most of this disks so you do get some blocky pixels now and then. Overall though very good.

Audio:

Audio was crisp and clear. Surround sound and all.

Subtitle:

Subs are where this set takes a hit. Most episodes have good HK subs (which means poor subs compared to R1). However, although the subs were simplistic they worked. I have seen subs that people claim are good (and sure the English grammar may be decent) but they did not ?flow? well and were difficult to follow. These flow well and are very easy to follow. There are a few episodes where the subs take a dive but there are not many. Overall expect incorrect names, many typos, missing letters on words, and ?childish? ?simplistic? subs.

Comment:

I love this series. I would recommend this set to anyone that like comedy/action/adventure series. I put this right up there with Hunter X Hunter (though I think this set more consistent subs throughout) Great packaging as well!

Comment:

I love this series. Main character did not seem appealing, at first, but he grew on me immediately after the first couple of episodes. The supporting casts are very interesting, as well. This series has a nice balance of playfulness and intensity. I can't wait to see episodes 53 - and up. Video and audio were great. Subtitles were okay in the first several episodes. Then it started to get pretty bad. It started to give me a headache, after a while. The theme's fast pace and interesting storyline made it tolerable. But it made me wonder how much of the storyline I was missing because of the terrible interpretations. Still worth seeing. This is one of my favorite series.

Comment:

This set is one of the best things i have bought. The stories is one of the best I have seen actually this is the best anime i have seen (even better than berserk in my opinion even though I love berserk ) well on to the stuff you came here for. video- 4.5 only 4.5 because of pixelation sound- 5.0 perfect subtitles- 4.0-3.5 some episodes are really good some are a little odd but all in all are very understandable especially considering the subtitles are HK originals. There is one bad thing about this set..... it ends. The episodes on this set are not all there is. This show is still currently on TV in japan. This set is a must buy so go get it NOW!!!

Comment:

This is a great show, and this is a pretty good release of it. The humor is high and the story flows very well (though some will say that the beginning lags a while). Fun characters and a good plot. You can't go wrong with it :) Video: Lots of grain in heavy action scenes, but you get used to it. Quieter scenes look very good. And it's not like the grain is very jarring. Honestly, it blends into the heavy action. 3.5 stars Audio: Wow! My surround sound speakers had a lot of excercise here. Great channeling (though I'm not sure if it's 5.1 or not). 4.5 Stars Subtitles: Pretty damn nice. Can't tell if they are fansub originals with a few odd engrish lines thrown in, or really good HK originals. The names are a bit wrong (Monkey D Loofy... or whatever, is spelled Monk D. Roof... etc), but everything else is very understandable. 4 stars Good set, good value, great anime.

Comment:

This was a great series!!! a great adventure series with lots of comedy and action. A must buy!!! Video: Excellent quality, ripped from the R2 dvds, it is very clear, but when there is alot of action there is alot of pixelation. Audio: Average dvd quality. Subtitles: Excellent, HK originals, but have many flaws the characters names are wrong all the time and there are alot of weird words used in many sentences. Very understandable even with the mistakes.