Eiichiro Oda Advises Manga Artists to Focus on Clear Illustrations and Engaging Explanations

Eiichiro Oda, the creator behind the One Piece series, has given some words of advice to the next generation of manga artists. Serving as a judge for the 105th Tezuka Manga Awards, Oda said that artists should focus on making their illustrations clear and offer explanations to engage readers.

Reflecting on the abundance of promising young talents emerging in the industry, Oda expressed his admiration.

“It’s great that there are many promising young manga artists from now on,” Oda said (via The Will of Marco). “My overall impression is that they have a clear idea of what they want to write, which is a very positive aspect.”

However, Oda also encouraged aspiring artists to focus on creating easily understandable illustrations and to incorporate necessary explanations to engage readers effectively. He urged them to pursue their artistic endeavours wholeheartedly while staying true to their own artistic aspirations.

“However, I also believe that it would be beneficial if they could focus on creating easily understandable illustrations and include necessary explanations to engage readers. I want them to do their best without losing sight of what they truly want to draw.”

Oda has been in the manga industry since 1992, working on One Piece since 1997. The manga is getting a live action series on Netflix which is set to come out this year, and Oda has said that the series “won’t launch until I’m satisfied.”