User blog comment:Real Godisme/The Ultimate Review - Week 8/@comment-3424593-20141122173419/@comment-4829046-20141124105120

"it's consistent, the characters are colorful and funny, the powers are interesting, and there are also many mysteries left unexplained for the future."

Precisely. The good things about OP are indeed all those factors, and I don't condescend it for that. I agree wholeheartedly. Consistency is the winning factor. Even if he has lost character design originality which is a relatively newer problem, the rest has been 'consistent in its inconsistency'(a literary phrase I like to use for such comical series XD).

I used to think my hatred for Oda was just my personal outlook, but a friend of mine from Japan who actually met the guy in person also said he dislikes him, so it is a lot more than just his manga, his real character ain't so good either apparently. And another dude I know who was born and raised in Japan also takes any chance to blaggard the guy despite being an avid shounen manga reader. I believe people shouldn't hold others in such contempt because they are only human, but I have to forego this in particular cases and be an asshole and a hypocrite and Oda's is one of them.

And obviously there are a lot worse manga. That's a given. The difference is that Oda himself is a problem and its "him" I have issue with. He is the one drawing out the manga forever and he is the one that makes statements that hit me badly. I know it is irrational, stupid and petty, I accept that, but that's how I feel, and I'm kinda relieved to know others around me that feel the same. In case you think I am hating on you for being a fan though, I never had that intention. You are free to like it. It has much to like and your own predisposition towards Adventure is a good reason too. Personal taste is also the reason I stick with almost any romance series despite knowing the romance is going nowhere in some. That's just how an individual is.

And about SnK. The criticisms are true enough. But here's the thing, Non-Jap perspective =/= Jap perspective. If it drops sales and OP remains top-dog for another decade, then that's that, but it has to show that in the market itself. There are series that did absolutely nothing or were terrible to the eyes of most non-Japs, but they still got plenty of sales in Japan. It is a very confusing thing, and the clincher is that in Japan, manga are not considered a great thing outside of the particular industry and market. You know how otakus in manga stories are discriminated and considered useless? That's a real thing. They are not as free as most Non-Japs are. So you will find most of the bigger fanbases are made of younger kids. And that's why the "shounen" industry is so good. It targets to those young people and OP is the leader. You are free to debunk this entirely and do your own research of course, but just food for thought.