'One Piece's Editor Is Crazy Dedicated To The Series
If you are going to work on One Piece, then you have to be all-in on the series. Eiichiro Oda has [...]
If you are going to work on One Piece, then you have to be all-in on the series. Eiichiro Oda has not loosened up his workflow since he began the manga two decades ago, and he holds his editors to very high standards. So, it isn't surprising to hear Takuma Naito basically eats, sleeps, and breathes One Piece.
Not long ago, the editor made an appearance on Japanese TV to talk about his behind-the-scenes work on One Piece (via ANN). NTV hosted a special about Oda's lifestyle, and it was there Naito said he lives his life on-call for the manga.
According to the editor, he must have his phone on him at all times no matter what. Naito could receive a call from Oda at any time whether that be late at night or even during his off hours. The editor, who began his tenure on One Piece last January, said he accepts being on the clock constantly because he understands the weight of Oda's responsibilities.
"I'm a salaryman, but [Oda] is the world's best manga creator," Naito said. The man also stressed how uninterested he is in wasting Oda's time when it comes to work, and fans can understand where Naito is coming from. After all, he is not the first editor to talk about how dedicated you must be to One Piece if you want the job.
Back in 2016, Naoki Kawashima told fans he will never forget the words Oda told him when he became an editor for One Piece. The artist told Kawashima to "die for One Piece", and the man took the words to heart even if he was a bit taken aback. The former editor said he was surprised by Oda's work ethic at first, but he came to see the kind of drive the creator had firsthand during his tenure.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece first began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997. It has been collected into 87 volumes, with a few chapters yet to be included. It has been a critical and commercial success worldwide with many of the volumes breaking printing records in Japan. The manga has even set a Guinness World Record for the most copies published for the same comic book by a single author, and is the best selling manga series worldwide with 430 million copies sold worldwide.
One Piece is currently in the middle of the "Whole Cake Island" arc and is now streaming on Crunchyroll and FunimationNOW.
Do you think you could be as dedicated to One Piece as its editor? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
