Hiroyuki Nakano And Yuji Iwasaki From Weekly Shonen Jump Talk About ‘One Piece’ As It Reaches Its 100th Volume

Games Hiroyuki Nakano And Yuji Iwasaki From Weekly Shonen Jump Talk About ‘One Piece’ As It Reaches Its 100th Volume Ollie Barder Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover gaming in Japan as well as the pop-culture here. New! Follow this author to improve your content experience.

Got it! Aug 2, 2022, 12:37am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The ‘One Piece’ manga has reached its 100th volume. ONE PIECE © 1997 by Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA Inc. What with the One Piece manga celebrating its 100th volume, I caught up with Weekly Shonen Jump’s editor-in-chief Hiroyuki Nakano and One Piece’s editor Yuji Iwasaki to find out why this manga continues to endure.

Starting with Nakano, I wondered what drew him to working in manga in the first place. “I’m from Fukui Prefecture , which, as far as Japan is concerned, is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. As a kid, I was a voracious reader, and not just of manga.

I could spend hours sitting still in the library, reading away. My parents always said I was a pretty low-maintenance kid. “As far back as I can remember, I recall having copies of Doraemon .

Later on, I remember the first manga I bought with my allowance were Captain Tsubasa and Ultimate Muscle . “I loved books, I applied for jobs in the publishing industry, and luckily, Shueisha accepted me. After my training period, I was assigned to Shonen Jump editorial.

Out of all of Shueisha’s publications, Weekly Shonen Jump was what I loved most, and also what I had read most of up until that point, so I was elated, but also felt the conviction to do everything I could to make the magazine even better. “The most important duty an editor has is to foster their mangaka’s growth and help them create a hit, but that is not an easy job. It’s really heartbreaking to put everything you have into creating something you think is great, only for it not to catch on and for the serialization to come to an end.

MORE FOR YOU ‘Demon Slayer’ Season 2 Finally Has An Actual 2021 Release Date Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Not A Sure Thing, Says Director ‘Genshin Impact’ Still Refuses To Increase Anniversary Rewards, Despite Fan Outcry “Of course, it’s wonderful when a series you edited clicks with readers and gains popularity, both within Japan and on a global scale. I’ve had the privilege to attend events outside of Japan several times, and it fills me with a sense of pride to see how popular Jump titles are, including the many fans who cosplay characters. ” Moving onto One Piece , I was curious what Nakano considered to the secret of its success.

The ‘One Piece’ manga started back in 1997 in Japan. ONE PIECE © 1997 by Eiichiro Oda/SHUEISHA Inc. “Simply put, I think it lies with Eiichiro Oda’s desire to make something truly entertaining, which is attributable to his passion and strength as a creator.

To add to that, I think its success can also be attributed to the fact that Oda has broadened the series’ readership over time by targeting younger children first and foremost. There is also a lot that One Piece pioneered in the world of manga, including the incredible composition of the art and story, full of foreshadowing that connects the plot from beginning to end. In a nutshell, I consider the essence of One Piece to be a series that is an exciting read for anyone, at any time.

“ One Piece is moving into its final saga. I’m confident that readers will enjoy it, and I think it will be a historic time for manga, so I’m excited to see it off, together with its fans across the globe. ” To delve more deeply into One Piece’s editorial process, I wanted to hear from Iwasaki and how he came into the role.

“I took over as editor of the manga in April 2020. I recall feeling a strange mixture of excitement that I had the chance to work on One Piece , a series that I’d loved since I was a kid, along with a sense of responsibility for the series going forward. “I think the biggest part of One Piece’s success is Oda’s childlike curiosity.

It’s as if he constantly has his antenna up searching for inspiration. I think it’s truly an incredible achievement that he is able to weave so many playful aspects into such an epic plotline. “To always look at things from the reader’s perspective is difficult.

One Piece is the type of series where the deeper you get into it, the more entertaining it becomes. However, One Piece has both casual and hardcore fans, so accessibility is something that is always top of mind for me. ” “Overall, it’s been an incredible experience to be able to observe the world’s greatest mangaka hard at work, up close and personal.

I hope to utilize all of the things I’ve learned working with Oda to help the next generation of mangaka achieve everything they’re capable of. “It fills me with joy to know how many people are enjoying One Piece across the world. Thank you so much for all of the support, and I hope you enjoy the continuing adventures of Luffy and crew!” The 100th volume of One Piece is available from online retailers such as Amazon for $9.

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