Despite the franchise still having an exciting month of June thanks to the live-action’s trailer release, the flagship One Piece manga series is unfortunately still on a one-month hiatus. The break stems from author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s need to get surgery on his eyes for astigmatism, which he claims he’s been discussing with Shueisha since last year.
While fans were initially dismayed by the news of the break, attitudes instantly turned around once the exact reason for the long-term hiatus was officially revealed. Likewise, One Piece fans have almost universally expressed support for Oda’s hiatus, sending him well wishes and hoping he returns better than ever.
However, with the news that Oda’s eye surgery is due to astigmatism, fans have begun looking at how One Piece’s art may have degraded recently. As one fan points out on Twitter, there is indeed a stark and noticeable difference in the quality of Oda’s artwork from the beginning of Wano to where the series currently is.
One Piece’s artwork over the last year or more is emblematic of Oda’s struggles with astigmatism
The latest
Twitter user and apparent One Piece manga fan @BantuKingu (Bantu) recently posted to the social media site, pulling examples of Oda’s art during the Egghead Island arc and Wano arc. As Bantu points out, Oda’s art has clearly “deteriorated” from what it once was at the beginning of the Wano arc.
Bantu pulls panels from various recent chapters, all of which are from the currently releasing Egghead Island arc. Sabo’s flashback, Eustass Kid’s arrival at Elbaf, and Monkey D. Luffy and Rob Lucci’s fight on Egghead are all used as examples. Bantu compares these three images to one of the most iconic shots from the beginning of the Wano arc, featuring Zoro seemingly preparing to commit seppuku.
Bantu also points out in replies that, while the art from the Egghead Island arc isn’t necessarily bad, it’s clearly rougher and messier than Oda’s typical art style for the manga is. Evidence of this is apparent in the Egghead panels, with generally rougher lines and sloppier shading being used compared to the Wano arc panel.
As fans and Bantu point out in replies, this is undoubtedly due to Oda’s struggles with astigmatism rather than the degradation of his inherent skills as an artist. While there are many famous blind painters, having one’s eyesight taken away from one’s artistic process is a much different challenge than never having had it to begin with.
Oda and the One Piece manga are set to return to regular serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump on Monday, July 17, 2023, with the release of chapter 1087 at 12 am Japanese Standard Time. However, complications in Oda’s surgery or subsequent recovery period could lead to a delay in the issue’s release.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
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