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[title]The iconic manga series ‘ONE PIECE’ is turning 20 years old this year. To celebrate that, ISETAN The Japan Store is hosting ‘Hello, ONE PIECE’, an exhibition that showcases illustrations by the comic artist Eiichiro Oda. This ‘ONE PIECE’ exhibition also features a VR zone where visitors can experience a virtual reality world with characters specially illustrated by creator Eiichiro Oda.
For those who don’t know, ‘ONE PIECE’ is one of the most popular manga series in the world. The story revolves around Luffy’s quest to become the Pirate King. Written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, ‘ONE PIECE’ has been serialised in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnenjump (a manga anthology that's published weekly) since 1997. We talk to Weekly Shōnenjump editor-in-chief Hiroyuki Nakano about the exhibition, his favourite manga and more.
How did the idea for this exhibition first come about?
It’s actually quite a coincidence that Shueisha and Dai Nippon Printing had similar intentions to carry out an exhibition. We both kind of had the same idea at the same time. But speaking in terms of the editorial side, the idea came about because we wanted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ‘ONE PIECE’. We wanted to do something grand to commemorate it.
Why do you think 'ONE PIECE' is so popular?
I think most of all, Eiichiro Oda’s talent is the reason ‘ONE PIECE’ is so popular. The thing about him is he never gets too comfortable – he’s always putting his best efforts into his illustrations and stories. Maybe his passion is communicated through the comics, and the kids who read them find it inspirational.
VR Zone at the 'Hello, ONE PIECE' exhibition Photo: ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
What’s your role at Shōnenjump?
I’m the editor-in-chief at Weekly Shōnenjump. I’m not exactly responsible for the cartoons – I’m not a cartoonist – I organise all the publishing and the manga in the magazine. At Weekly Shōnenjump there are over 20 manga titles serialised, so part of my role is discussing and finalising the stories in the manga with other editors and comic artists.
Do you personally read the manga in Weekly Shōnenjump?
Yes of course. Even before I joined Shunesia, ‘ONE PIECE’ had already existed. I started reading ‘ONE PIECE’ when I was still in university. However, when I was in university Weekly Shōnenjump wasn’t the most popular magazine in Japan yet. But once ‘ONE PIECE’ started their series in Weekly Shōnenjump, it made the magazine the number one magazine in the country.
'Hello, ONE PIECE' exhibition Photo: ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
What are your current personal favourites in Weekly Shōnenjump?
I have two favourites. They’re both not big yet but I think they have the potential to be very popular worldwide. One of them is called ‘MY HERO ACADEMIA’; it’s very similar to an American comic in that it revolves around superheroes and superpowers. Another one that I like is ‘Black Clover’; that one is being made into an anime and should premiere in October this year.
How do you decide what manga to include in the magazine?
We always have meetings and discussions about which manga has to stop, which should continue and which ones need their story developed. But our main criteria for judging manga here at Weekly Shōnenjump are the main characters. The character has to be attractive to the reader and capture their hearts.
'Hello, ONE PIECE' exhibition Photo: ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha
There’s a growing trend of people outside Japan attempting to create their own manga. What difference do you see between Japanese and international manga?
These days there isn’t much difference between Japanese manga and international manga. This is because artists from around the world have really leveled up and caught on with Japanese artists in terms of quality. The only major difference now is the history behind it. Japanese artists Osamu Tezuka and Akatsuka Fujio essentially founded and pioneered manga. Weekly manga publishing was already established in Japan 50 years ago.
I think other manga authors in other countries are getting better, and that means the artists in Japan can’t rest on their laurels if they want to be known as the best. We at Weekly Shōnenjump also want access to foreign authors if they have excellent products. They can give their works to the International Manga Awards if they’re good. So, if any Malaysian wants to be a manga author please join the Shōnenjump competition.
Visit the ‘Hello, ONE PIECE’ exhibition at ISETAN The Japan Store. The exhibition runs until Oct 18.