One Piece, Vol. 1 - King of the Pirates
The comedy-adventureOne Piece(1999) offers the same elements as many other successfulshonen(boy's series)--an ambitious (if odd) hero, adventure, and plenty of  slapstick comedy--but it presents them with unusual panache. Monkey D. Luffy is determined to make himself King of the Pirates by finding One Piece, the legendary treasure that pirate Gold Roger hid in the Grand Line. Because he once ate a "cursed fruit," Luffy has limbs that stretch beyond anything Plastic Man ever imagined to deliver amazing kicks and punches. In the zany first episodes, Luffy defeats a villainous naval officer to win his first crew member, bounty hunter and master swordsman Zolo. When artist Eiichiro Oda began theOne Piecemanga, he set out to create the story he wanted to read as a boy. It proved to be a story millions of other people wanted to read and see: the manga fills 40 volumes and the broadcast series (1999) ran for more than 250 episodes. Although Oda citesDragon Ballcreator Akira Toriyama as his main influence, the animation inOne Piecehas a much cartoon-ier feel than the stiff actions inDragon Ball. With his ear-to-ear grin, rubbery limbs, and outsized feet, Luffy is hardly a dashing hero, but audiences on both sides of the Pacific adore him. (Rated TV Y, suitable for ages 8 and older: cartoon violence)--Charles Solomon