One Piece Episode 501 One Piece 501

It was a time when pirates ruled the seas. Several bands of pirates were battling over the great hidden treasure, One Piece, which was left by the now legendary pirate captain, Gold Roger. There was a young boy who admired the pirates, his name was Monkey D. Luffy. One day, he mistakenly eats the devil's fruit and turns himself into a rubber human being.

Cast
Akemi Okamura as Nami
Hiroaki Hirata as Sanji
Ikue Ohtani as Tony Tony Chopper
Kappei Yamaguchi as Usopp
Kazue Ikura as Tony Tony Chopper (eps 254-263)
Kazuki Yao as Franky
Kazuya Nakai as Roronoa Zoro




Basically, if you saw the first series, you'll find a lot to like about Banner of the Stars. The character development and dialogue is top-notch, exceeding the standards set by the science fiction genre. The show has plenty of hardcore fans, and it's easy to see why. Unfortunately, if hard science fiction isn't really your thing, the bulk of this series will bore you to tears. The show needs to find a balance between technobabble shouted at monitor screens and heartfelt conversations between the main characters; as it is, each episode typically has too much of one and not enough of the other. The animation isn't really good enough to provide an extra incentive to watch the show, so the worth of the series is reliant completely on the plotline and characters. The series exceeds nearly all other examples in its genre for the latter but is an unfortunate reminder of how dry the former can be. At its heart, Banner of the Stars is a character-driven story; the ability of strong character development to overshadow its other shortcomings is a judgement best left to viewers, among whom opinions will likely diverge.