Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto.
Bleach, by Tite Kubo.
And last but not least, One Piece, by Eichiro Oda.
The Big Three, as they're called -- juggernauts in not just Japanese media, but pop culture on the whole. All three of them have made their mark on history in the world of modern entertainment. While Ichigo and Luffy may be marginally more obscure, I'd be willing to bet that there's not many children in the western world that don't know who Naruto is.
In my venture at the beginning of this year to consume as much manga as possible, I came upon an idea; what if I gave the big three a try? Despite my large collection and long history with this medium, I honestly had not read or watched hardly any of Naruto, Bleach, or One Piece. I'm not exactly sure why. I was introduced to anime and manga by way of Soul Eater, and then got around to Fullmetal Alchemist, Death Note, Angel Beats, and various other anime that were popular in 2010 - 2012. However, the big three were not on that list. I didn't actively avoid them, but I think their length might have been a bit intimidating. They, along with Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, just never ended up on my radar.
And I have to admit, they still aren't. I don't intend to read past volume one. This is a writing experiment to see just what I can pull out of a single volume of each series, and I recognize that I won't have necessary context to adequately analyze each of these story's wider narratives. In as such, I'll be looking at what makes up each of their first installments; the art, the panel flow, the action, the characters, the setup, the power systems, and their general beginnings. What I like, and what I don't. I won't be covering each event of the volume unless it's relevant to what I might have to say, so don't expect a full description of whatever happens in the story.
So, let's get started!
