(Photo source: Owner)
During
the year 2060 in the region of Davao City, I went on an investigation with my
crew: a well-renowned team of interpretative sociologists. We were in search
for an artifact that we hoped we could gain a new body of knowledge from, and
we overheard that what we were looking for could be found in an Antique shop somewhere
downtown. Thus we spent a good amount of time in search of the artifact, until a
particular one caught our attention – the infamous “One Piece” Chain Necklace.
My
crew and I conducted a descriptive type of research for our investigation. We
identified that the appearance of the necklace was a logo from the Japanese
Anime/Manga “One Piece”. Anime/Manga is a genre that is part of Japan’s
culture, and is very popular among all ages. One Piece is series that is well-known and something that fans
always look forward to. The series was a big hit for about 6 decades ago, and
is always remembered by fans all over the world.
We
asked the shop-owner for further details about the necklace, but all he could
give was that it belonged to a male student from a prestigious school who is currently,
aged 66, a retired celebrity somewhere out there in the world who was able to pursue his
lifelong dream. He gave his necklace to the shop owner with the hope that the
one who could discover his treasure would always keep it and be inspired to
follow his/her dreams just like how he did.
(Photo Source: pinterest.com/pin/549439223263445528/, 2015)
As
we discussed about the history behind this necklace, we decided to a further
investigation upon One Piece. The
logo of the necklace represents the flag called “Jolly Roger” – a traditional
flag of European and Caribbean pirates, envisioned today as a skull over
crossed thigh bones on a black field. The flag belonged to a crew of Pirates
called the “Straw Hat Pirates”, who are the main focus and protagonists of the
series. The crew’s Jolly Roger is a cartoon-like depiction of a
traditional skull and cross-bone with the skull wearing Monkey D. Luffy’s trademark
straw hat. Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of the
story, who is renowned for his trademark straw hat (from which he gets his
nickname “Straw Hat Luffy”), which was lent to him when he was young by the
legendary pirate captain, “Red-haired” Shanks,
who in turn, received it from Gol D.
Roger. Luffy’s lifelong dream is to become the Pirate King by finding the
legendary treasure called left behind by the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger,
and so Luffy seeks to become the new Pirate King 22 years later. He believes
that being Pirate King means having the most freedom in the world and thus the
story revolves around Luffy and his adventures together with his crew. (onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Monkey_D._Luffy, 2006)
The
Straw Hat Pirates consist of 9 members whose bounty altogether is very high,
and they have always been an unstoppable crew. As Luffy became captain of the
crew, the Straw Hats are notable for being one of the most powerful pirate
crews in the One Piece world. Even
though there was a time wherein they were all separated from one another, they
still trained in relatively isolated locations and became stronger with the
intent and for the sake of helping each other.
“
|
The Straw Hat crew has left nothing
but sheer miracles in its wake.
|
”
|
—
Trafalgar
Law, remarking on the crew’s aptitude to overcome any challenge.
Two of the Straw
Hats greatest attributes are their charisma and unpredictability. With their
extremely friendly personalities, they manage to make all the right friends in
the right places, which eventually accomplishes their goals. These friends and
allies have proven to be useful depending on the location or objective, and
thus the Straw Hats seem to have no regrets fighting for their own sakes given
the circumstances, and vice versa. They also tend to act upon their emotions,
throwing normal logic out of order. Overall, their most unique strength is the
fact that the Straw Hat crew, on many occasion, are extremely lucky, being able
to achieve many things that would be considered impossible feats. (onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Straw_Hat_Pirates, 2006)
(Photo source: pinterest.com/pin/241083386279592442, 2015)
Based upon the
analysis from the results that my crew and I gathered, we can claim that the
necklace serves as a social object. If the society could learn more about One Piece and the lessons that the anime
brings, then it could serve as a huge inspiration. Some of the lessons that society
can learn from watching or reading this series are:
1. No one should be discriminated against –
Equality is something that should be absolute, and if there is still inequality
of race in the world, then it should be looked down upon.
2. Freedom to live your life – Everyone should
be free to live life and not try to harm other right to the same thing.
3. Love those you view as family – Those who
are looking of family might look more deeply at the ties they have around them
and learn to cherish them as their family.
4. Hold on to your friends – Your bonds of
friendship help mold who you become, so it’s best in life to cherish them.
5. Never give up – When you set your mind
to something, you shouldn’t be afraid to follow through with it.
6. Follow your Dreams – To not throw away
your dreams because someone else says so and push forward towards that dream. (Wilson, 2012)
If
only society would be able to follow these lessons, then truly there would be a
change in culture for the good. People would become equal, and learn to embrace
and respect each other despite their differences. All of Luffy’s crewmates
constantly acknowledge that they can’t do everything on their own. The greatest
thing that One Piece encourages everyone
is to follow your dreams and be free as possible. Just like the Straw Hat
Pirates, we could follow their footsteps and bring about the same things that
they eventually will bring to their world. That hopefully in time, we could
also bring peace and freedom to our world.
(Photo source: aminoapps.com, 2015)
Bibliography
(2006). Retrieved from
onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Straw_Hat_Pirates:
http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Straw_Hat_Pirates
(2006). Retrieved from
onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Monkey_D._Luffy:
http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Monkey_D._Luffy
Wilson, D. (2012). Retrieved from
http://onepiecelessons.blogspot.com/
0 comments:
Post a Comment