User blog comment:Alpha Male Apollo/One of Many Questions/@comment-3987368-20150813103206/@comment-3987368-20150813111827

I would recommend anyone who wants a good shounen One Piece before Fairy Tail (as well as before Bleach or Naruto). Both have a happy-go-lucky attitude but unlike Fairy Tail, One Piece rarely ever disappoints with its battles, character development or outcomes. Some exceptions exist, such as Luffy's 3rd battle with Crocodile.

Fairy Tail arcs frequently ends on cheap Deus ex Machinas by comparison. Fairy Tail had an invasion of Dragons and in any other manga, that would mean a series of epic battles, death and destruction that leaves long-term effects on the setting. What happened in Fairy Tail? They all went away thanks to a poorly-explained, illogical plot convenience.

Also, unlike Fairy Tail, One Piece does not have a shallow and/or inconsistent grasp of character. Virtually every single character in One Piece has depth while Fairy Tail's characters are almost indescribable beyond a few noteworthy traits. There are some exceptions, but those are exceptions, not the norm. For every well-developed Jellal Fairy Tail has, we have most under-developed Stings or Minervas. In One Piece, every character is fleshed out and has understandable motivations while Fairy Tail, when it cannot decide what their motivation should be, makes their motivation "I want to destroy everything" which is the laziest motivation imaginable.

Also compare and contrast Fairy Tail's forced nudity and fanservice to One Piece. While the latter has more than Bleach or Naruto, it is still far less than Fairy Tail. The latter had a scene where characters discussed very important matters while they were all stark naked in a spa. This has never happened in One Piece.

And no, the immersion is far easier in One Piece as well. For close to 800 chapters, it manages to competently raise suspense and tell a very personal story properly. We don't have cases of random changes in personality or motivation like Erza vs. Minerva.

Quite frankly, the only thing Fairy Tail does better is paneling its art and being a bit faster with its pacing. Unfortunately, speed is not always a good thing. There's sometimes a reason for popular things being popular and One Piece has earned its popularity. It isn't flawless by any means but it is better. Fairy Tail is unlikely to be remembered for anything good by the wider animanga community a few years after it ended.