"One piece" just reached its 1,000th chapter, a new milestone for one of the most successful series in Japanese animation achieved thanks to "to talent" from the author of the original manga and to "team collaboration", according to the president of the Toei study told Efe.
The series, based on a comic by the same name by Eiichiro Oda, began airing in Japan in 1999 and has since become a worldwide phenomenon as it has been exported to 80 countries, as well as being Toei’s longest-running production, according to own Japanese production company.
The secret to its longevity is "the talent of the original author" and "the support of all the companies involved and team collaboration", says the president of Toei, Ryuji Kochi, in an interview with EFE.
The unmistakable aesthetic conceived by Oda, the richness of its multiple characters and the breadth of the fantastic world where it takes place are some of the keys behind the continued success of the manga and anime starring the pirate Monkey D. Luffy.
"Originality is important, but there are many other things that make it reach the heart as well."says Kochi when asked about what makes him stand out. "One piece" among other works of the subgenre "shonen" and above other of the most remembered anime series.
And it is that the adaptation of Oda’s manga surpasses previous Toei productions in screen time that left their mark on different generations, such as "Mazinger Z", "Transformers", "Dragon ball" or "sailor Moon".
"Most importantly, the story of ‘One Piece’ has continued for 22 years … that’s what makes the difference"Kochi emphasizes.
Oda was recognized by the Guinness Record for being the creator "the largest number of published copies of the same comic series and by a single author", with a work that debuted in 1997 in the Japanese weekly Shukan Shonen Janpu and continues to be published today.
From "One piece" some 490 million copies have been distributed in about 60 countries, which also ranks it as the best-selling manga in history.
The series has also become millennial at a time of global anime explosion triggered by the proliferation of digital platforms that are strongly committed to the genre, such as Netflix or Crunchyroll.
"Thanks to digital platforms, right now there are a lot of Japanese animation productions, and this generates more knowledge about all the titles", says the aforementioned director.
The head of the Japanese study is also optimistic about the future of the sector: "I think the anime audience will continue to grow in the coming years, and Toei should be a key player in this trend.", it states.
Toei commemorated the broadcast of the 1,000th episode of "One piece" on the 21st with events held throughout this month in different parts of Europe, including screenings in cinemas of the 13 animated feature films based on the series.
Oda’s work will also have an adaptation to a live action series, in which Netflix is ​​working with him "mangaka" Japanese as executive producer and that will star Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy in the role of Monkey D. Luffy, as announced by the digital platform at the beginning of the month.
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