One Piece 2010 One Piece Images

Infobox animanga/Header

name = One Piece
image =
caption = First volume of ''One Piece'', released in Japan by Shueisha on December 24, 1997
ja_kanji = ONE PIECE（ワンピース）
ja_romaji = Wan Pīsu
genre = Action, Adventure, Comedy-drama

Infobox animanga/Print

type = manga, best
title =
author = Eiichiro Oda
illustrator =
publisher = Shueisha
publisher_en = Viz Media ()
publisher_other =
demographic = ''Shōnen''
magazine = Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine_en = Shonen Jump ()
magazine_other =
published =
first = August 4, 1997
last =
volumes = 59
volume_list = List of One Piece manga volumes

Infobox animanga/Anime

director = Kōnosuke Uda (1999–2006)
Munehisa Sakai (2006–2008)
Hiroaki Miyamoto (2008–present)
producer = Yoshihiro Suzuki
writer = Hirohiko Uesaka
Tatsuya Hamazaki
studio = Toei Animation
licensor = Madman Entertainment ()(2007–present)
network = Animax, Fuji TV
network_en = Toonami ())
YTV ()
first = October 20, 1999
last =
episodes = 459
episode_list = List of One Piece episodes

Infobox animanga/Other

title = Related works
content =
''One Piece'' films
''One Piece'' video games
is a long-running shōnen manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since August 4, 1997. The individual chapters are being published in ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997 and the 59th volume released as of Aug 2010. In 2009, Shueisha announced that they sold 176 million volumes of ''One Piece'' manga so far; volume 56 set a new record for the highest initial print run of any manga in history. ''One Piece'' follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who gained incredible abilities by eating a magical fruit, and his ragtag crew of heroic pirates, named the Straw Hats. Luffy's greatest ambition is to obtain the world's ultimate treasure, One Piece, and thereby become the next Pirate King. ''One Piece'' is licensed for an English-language release in North America by Viz Media. The individual chapters are being serialized in Viz's ''Shonen Jump'' manga anthology and being published in ''tankōbon'' volumes. In the United Kingdom, the series was being released by Gollancz Manga, it is now released by Viz Media along with all of their other manga previously released by Gollancz Manga. Madman Entertainment is releasing the series in Australia and New Zealand. The series was adapted into an original video animation (OVA) produced in 1998 by Production I.G. It was later adapted into a full anime series by Toei Animation that premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on October 20, 1999. Since then, the still ongoing series has aired more than four hundred episodes. The anime series was licensed for a heavily edited English dubbed broadcast in North America by 4Kids Entertainment. It has since been licensed for a full Region 1 DVD release and broadcast by Funimation Entertainment in its original and uncut form. In addition to the anime series and OVA, ''One Piece'' has been adapted into ten feature films by Toei and multiple video games based on the series have been released. A Japanese amusement park based after the series has been slated to open in March of 2010.

Plot

A boy named Monkey D. Luffy, inspired by his childhood hero "Red-Haired" Shanks, sets out on a journey to find One Piece, the legendary treasure of the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger. To accomplish this, he must reach the end of the most deadly and dangerous ocean: The Grand Line. Luffy captains the Straw Hat Pirates first through the sea of East Blue and then through the Grand Line. He follows the path of the deceased King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, from island to island on his way to the great treasure One Piece. On his way, his crew grows to have a swordsman, "Pirate Hunter" Zoro; a navigator, "Cat Burglar" Nami; a sharpshooter, "Sogeking" Usopp; a cook, "Black Leg" Sanji; a doctor, "Cotton Candy Lover" Tony Tony Chopper; an archaeologist, "Demon Child" Nico Robin; a shipwright, "Cyborg" Franky; and a musician, "Dead Bones" Brook. During the course of the story, the crew contends with other pirate crews, the royal Seven Warlords of the Sea (Ouka Shichibukai) and the Marines. The latter are the subordinates of the corrupt World Government, who apparently seek justice by ending the Golden Age of Pirates. Many background story elements involve the delicate balance of power between the World Government and the world's most powerful pirate crews, especially the Four Emperors, the four most powerful pirates in the world.

Setting

The fictional world of ''One Piece'' is covered by two vast oceans, which are divided by a massive mountain range called the Red Line. The currents and weather on the Grand Line's open sea are extremely unpredictable, while as in the vicinity of islands the climate is stable. The world of ''One Piece'' is filled with anachronisms, like the transponder snails, snail-like animals that can be attached to electric equipment and function as rotary phones A Devil Fruit ("Cursed Fruit" in the 4Kids dub) is a type of fruit which when eaten confers a power on the eater.

Production

''One Piece'' started as three one-shot stories entitled ''Romance Dawn'' Oda originally planned ''One Piece'' to last five years, and he had already planned out the ending, but he found himself enjoying the story too much to end it in that amount of time and now has no idea how long it will take to reach that point. When creating a Devil Fruit, Oda thinks of something that would fulfill a human desire; he added that he does not see why he would draw a Devil Fruit unless the fruit's appearance would entice one to eat it. The creator of ''One Piece'' was "sensitive" about how it would be translated.

Media

Manga

The ''One Piece'' manga series is written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It is available in various countries and languages. In Japan, the series is published by Shueisha – chapterwise in the manga anthology ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since the magazine's issue of August 4, 1997 and in ''tankōbon'' format since December 24, 1997. In North America, Viz Media is publishing its English-language adaptation of the series – chapterwise in the manga anthology ''Shonen Jump'' since the magazine's launch in November 2002 and in ''tankōbon'' format since June 2003.

Original video animations

Two original video animations (OVAs) have been produced thus far. The first, ''One Piece: Defeat The Pirate Ganzack!'', was produced by Production I.G for the Jump Super Anime Tour of 1998 and directed by Gorō Taniguchi. It is 29 minutes in length and features character designs by Hisashi Kagawa. Luffy, Nami, and Zoro are attacked by a sea monster, that destroys their boat and separates them. Luffy is found on an island beach, where he saves the little girl Medaka, from two pirates. All the villagers, including the Medaka's father, have been taken away by Ganzak and his crew, as forced laborers. After hearing that Ganzak also stole all the food, Luffy and Zoro rush out to get it back. As they fight the Pirates, one of them kidnaps Medaka. A fight starts between Luffy and Ganzak, ending in Luffy's capture. Meanwhile, Zoro is urged into giving up, by threatening to kill the village people. The people from the village rise up against the Ganzak and while the islanders and pirates fight, Nami goes and unlocks the three. Ganzak defeats the rebellion and reveales his armored battleship. Now it is up to the Straw Hats, to "Defeat The Pirate Ganzak!" and prevent him from destroying the island. The second OVA, ''One Piece: Romance Dawn Story'', was produced by Toei Animation Jump Super Anime Tour of 2008. 34 minutes in length, it is based on the first version of ''Romance Dawn'', the pilot story for ''One Piece'', but includes the Straw Hat Pirates up to Brook and their second ship, the ''Thousand Sunny''. In search for food for his crew, Luffy arrives at a port town, defeating a pirate named Crescent Moon Gally on the way. He meets a girl named Silk in town, who was abandoned by attacking pirates as a baby and raised by the mayor, which has caused her to value the town as her "treasure". The villagers mistake Luffy for Gally and capture him just as the real Gally returns. Gally throws Luffy in the water and plans to destroy the town, but Silk saves him and Luffy goes after Gally. His crew arrives to help him, and with his help, he recovers the treasure for the town, gets some food, and destroys Gally's ship.

TV anime

Produced by Toei Animation, the ''One Piece'' anime series premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on October 20, 1999. Since then, the still ongoing series has aired more than four hundred episodes and it has been exported to various countries around the world. In 2004, 4Kids Entertainment began production on an English language dubbed release of ''One Piece''. They sub-licensed home video distribution with Viz Media. 4Kids' dub was heavily edited for content and length, reducing the first 143 episodes to 104. Sanji's cigarettes, for example, were turned into lollipops, In April 2007, Funimation Entertainment acquired the license from 4Kids. After producing a new English voice dub, the company released its first unedited, bilingual DVD box set, containing 13 episodes, on May 27, 2008. One Piece episodes are also available for streaming at Hulu.com. In Singapore, the anime is sub-licensed (not exclusive license) by Odex, who produced an English VCD dub which lasted 104 episodes. It was produced in two 52-episode seasons, with some of the original actors leaving in between seasons. In the July 2008 issue of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', it was announced that the prototype one-shot that preceded ''One Piece'', ''Romance Dawn'', is being adapted into an anime OVA as part of the Jump Super Anime Tour. Funimation, Toei Animation, Shueisha, and Fuji TV announced that they would simulcast stream the ''One Piece'' pirate anime series within an hour of the weekly Japanese broadcast. This free, English-subtitled simulcast is now available at www.onepieceofficial.com

Films

Since the debut of the series on television, Toei Animation has also produced ten ''One Piece'' feature films, traditionally released during the Japanese school spring break since 2000. . Although the first three films were less than an hour long and played as part of a double-bill with other anime movies. The films feature self-contained, completely original plots with animation of higher quality than what the weekly anime allows for. Additionally, three of these movies have had special featurette shorts, showcasing the characters engaged in various activities unrelated to the series. They were shown dancing in ''Jango's Dance Carnival'' with ''Clockwork Island Adventure''; playing soccer in ''Dream Soccer King!'' with ''Chopper's Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals''; and playing baseball in ''Take Aim! The Pirate Baseball King'' with ''Curse of the Sacred Sword''. The first, third, and ninth films were directed by Atsuji Shimizu. The fourth and seventh films were directed by Kōnosuke Uda. The fifth film was directed by Kazuhisa Takenouchi. The sixth film was directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The eighth film was directed by Takahiro Imamura.

Music

A number of musical CDs have been created. Various theme songs and character songs were released on a total of 49 singles. Many of them were also released in collected form on the six compilation albums or the 16 soundtrack CDs, along with background music from the TV anime, the series' feature films, and video games.

Video games

''One Piece'' has been adapted into a whole series of video games published by subsidiaries of Namco Bandai Holdings. The games have been released on a variety of video game and handheld consoles. The series features various genres, mostly role-playing games—the predominant type in the series' early years—and fighting games, such as the titles of the ''Grand Battle!'' sub-series. The series debuted in Japan on July 19, 2000 with ''One Piece: Mezase Kaizoku Ou!''.

Light novels

A series of light novels was published based on the first OVA, certain episodes of the TV anime, and all but the first feature film. They featured art work by Oda and are written by Tatsuya Hamasaki. The first of these novels, ''One Piece: Defeat The Pirate Ganzak!'', based on the OVA, was released on June 3, 1999.

Art and guidebooks

Four art books and three guidebooks for the ''One Piece'' series have been released. The first art book, ''One Piece: Color Walk 1'', released June 2001,

Other media

Other ''One Piece'' media include a trading card game by Bandai named ''One Piece CCG'' and a drama CD centering around the character of Nefertari Vivi released by Avex Trax on December 26, 2002.

Reception

Manga

''One Piece'' is the highest-selling manga in the history of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in Japan It is the fastest manga series to reach sales of 100 million. ''One Piece'' was the best-selling manga series during 2008 in Japan with 5,956,540 volumes sold. Volumes 50, 51 and 49 placed first, second, and fourth, respectively, on Oricon's list of best selling manga volumes, with sales of 1,678,208, 1,646,978, and 1,544,000 copies sold respectively. According to ANN, which gathers its rankings for Oricon, ''One Piece'' maintained it's top spot in 2009 with 14,721,241 copies sold, more than second [Naruto] and third place [Bleach] combined. Anime News Network comments that the art style of the ''One Piece'' manga requires "time to get used to" with its "very simple" artwork and its designs, which appear "very cartoonish" at first. They also note that the influence of Akira Toriyama (''Dragon Ball'') shines through in Oda's style of writing with its "huge epic battles punctuated by a lot of humor" and that, in ''One Piece'', he creates a "rich tale" without focusing too much on plot. EX lauds Oda's art for its "crispy" monochrome pictures, "great use of subtle shade changes" on color pages, "sometimes exquisite" use of angles, and for its consistency. The North American releases of the English translation of volumes 39-43 debuted at #5-9 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller Manga list. =

Awards

= The manga was a finalist for the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize three times in a row from 2000 to 2002, The German translation of its 44th volume won the Sondermann audience award for international mangacategory, a yearly comic award given for 7 categories by the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Frankfurter Rundschau, Spiegel Online and Comicforum since 2004, on the Frankfurt Book Fair Comics Centre in 2005. In a 2008 poll by Oricon, Japanese teenagers elected it the most interesting manga.

Anime

The first opening of the TV anime, "We Are!", won the Animation Kobe Theme Song Award of the year 2000. In Indonesia, Global TV was reprimanded by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) for airing the TV anime. Nina Armando, member of the KPI and lecturer at the University of Indonesia, said the show should not be aired at times when children are likely to watch. In a review of the second DVD release of 4Kids Entertainment's dub, DVD talk called the company's adaptation a "shabby treatment" resulting in an "arguably less enjoyable rendition". They said that the 4Kids original opening was "a crappy rap song" and that the removal of whole scenes leaves a "feeling that something is missing". They went on to say that "Fans of the 'real' ''One Piece'' will want to skip picking [...] up [4Kids Entertainment's ''One Piece'' DVDs] until an uncut release is announced", but they also stated that "kids may get into this version because it's what they have seen on TV."

References

External links

;Japanese
Official manga website of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''
Official anime website of Toei Animation
Official anime website of Fuji Television ;English
Official manga website of Viz Media
Official manga website of ''Shonen Jump''
Official website of Madman Entertainment
Official anime website of Funimation Entertainment