Published as a soap opera, the Japanese manga series One piece celebrated, on December 8, the publication of its hundredth volume. Published in 1997, this immensely popular series tells the story of a teenage pirate in a straw hat wrapped in red, Monkey D. Luffy, who is in search of a mysterious treasure, the One piece.
Conceived, scripted and drawn by mangaka Eiichirō Oda, One piece has also been available in a cartoon since 1999; over 1000 episodes have been produced.
Oda, born in 1975 (if you do the math, that means he started working on his manga at the age of 22), is one of the best-known authors of the genre in Japan and around the world. , nearly 500 million readers spread all over the planet having purchased one of his albums.
One piece could even dethrone Harry potter, which still holds the first place in terms of the number of copies sold.
Valérie Harvey, a sociologist specializing in Japan, helps us to better understand this literary phenomenon. “What is interesting with One piece, is that it is part of what is the most sold in Japan: the shōnen. It’s a category of manga that is aimed, because there are well-gendered categories, at teenage guys. For girls, there are shojo, but generally they prefer to read the shōnen, especially readers from outside Japan, because shojo, these are stories that end up being very repetitive. But the reverse is not true, boys don’t read a lot of shojo. “
This series, is it really exceptional or are there many like that in Japan? “Of the manga that have this durability, there aren’t that many. In fact, it is mainly the fact that there are not many series that are translated into French or even into English, which means that we do not know many others. There are still a few series that have gone on for a long time, especially when it comes to children’s manga. In fact, there are even some that are older. Shin-chan pencil, for example, has existed in different forms since 1990. “
How? ‘Or’ What One piece received in Japan? Did we adapt a series that corresponded to our standards when it is considered to be ordinary there? ” No ! In Japan, it is considered a very important series. In fact, if it’s made here, it’s because it was a big success there. We tend to translate the cream, but that does not mean that we do not publish turnips anyway. Manga is originally serialized in magazines printed on newsprint, before being turned into an album. Readers vote to keep the shows they love, and the rest get scrapped. So, if it lasts, it’s appreciated! “
In any case, one thing is certain: if you’ve been looking for some reading material to while away time at home for the next few weeks, there is plenty to keep you busy for a few hours!
In Japan, [One Piece] is considered a very important series. In fact, if it’s made here, it’s because it was a big success there. We tend to translate the cream, but that does not mean that we do not publish turnips anyway..
Grendizer, go!
Grendizer, it is a 74-episode cartoon broadcast generally on Saturday mornings, which marked an entire generation that grew up in the early 1980s.
Extremely popular outside of Japan, the series had received a rather lukewarm reception there with, as a result, that it was never seen again, a rarity which contributed greatly to the nostalgic look that many have on it. .
This is one of the reasons that led five French comic book authors to promote the project of asking the original creator of Grendizer, Gô Nagai, the permission to revisit the giant robot, the time of an album.
The result is not bad at all, while we find an Actarus looking like a Jim Morrison at the end of his life, a little depressed, who must resume service 10 years after his departure from Earth, after have defeated the forces of Vega. The nostalgia is well balanced, we find all the original characters, and we even manage to insert the theme of migration. Not bad.
Live with yourself
Multidisciplinary artist and author Walter Scott presents us with a third album featuring Wendy, a young visual artist constantly in search of herself as, this time around, she is admitted to the Master of Arts program at the University. of Hell, located somewhere in the back of Ontario. It’s really well written and Scott manages to put his finger, with humor, on all the anxieties that a young artist can experience …
Beasts not beasts
With Monkeys, the French author Aurel offers us a surprising reflection on our relationship, which is as philosophical as it is anthropological, on the relationship between humans, who are constantly trying to get rid of their animal part, and the monkey, from whom we do not really descend, contrary to popular belief. Fun and smart. A nice little surprise.