Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, our weekly check in on Viz’s various Shonen Jump series. Viz has recently changed their release format, but our format will mostly remain the same. We will still review the newest chapters of one title a week, now with even more options at our disposal. The big change for our readers is that, even without a Shonen Jump subscription, you can read these most recent chapters for free at Viz.com or using their app.
This week, Vince checks in with “One Piece.” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
One Piece – Chapter 1050: Honor
Written & Illustrated by Eiichiro Oda
Review by Vince J Ostrowski
After 1,050 chapters, it is probably a smidge too late and perhaps more than a bit ironic to complain about something going on too long when it comes to “One Piece.” If you’ve followed this journey up to now, or even dipped in and out a bit over the years as I have, you’ve likely felt at one time or another that certain elements of the series have overstayed their welcome. It’s only natural that a series that has been running as long as “One Piece” has might feel long in the tooth at times. The reason I bring this up is that the cast’s extended stay in the land of Wano has been going on for 4 years running, and it is somewhat likely that you’re feeling that way about about this arc right now.
Chapter 1050 begins with Luffy delivering what appears to be a winning (anticlimactic, and possibly yet another misdirectional) blow to the villains Kaido & Big Mom, sending them careening into the volcanic earth below. It can’t be that easy, right? Well, we won’t find that out today, but the celebration won’t last long as the power vacuum looks like it might be quickly filled by another potential antagonist. Such is life in a shonen manga. Either way, there’s no clear sign that the Wano arc is any closer to an end, but also even with the apparent defeat of a big villain, there’s no shift in momentum or time to reset the table.
Part of the problem is that there are simply so many characters. “One Piece” is a marvel of longform storytelling, but it can be overwhelming when members of such a large cast can duck in and out and change identities and names at the drop of a hat. Even for a seasoned reader like me it can be overwhelming. But whenever I feel that way, I have to say that something Eiichiro Oda does exceptionally well is find a moment to slip in a heartwarming scene or interaction. In this chapter, for instance, a lantern lighting festival runs parallel to Luffy finishing his fight. In the context of the chapter, they don’t have much to do with one another, but Oda takes a moment to tell a warm aside about how a child perceives a father’s sacrifice. Oda is so good at knowing when to inject moments like these, to break up the interminable fight sequences and to give the world some needed flavor. At least I can say that when I find the story of “One Piece” dragging, there are havens like this to admire.
While the spectacle in the Kaido vs. Luffy fight was surprisingly lacking considering it took place in and around a volcanic crevasse, I cannot help but marvel at how far Oda’s line work has come since the early days of “One Piece.” I recently revisited the first 10 chapters of the series and while the signature style has been there from chapter 1, the sheer attention to and interest in detail that wasn’t as prevalent in earlier years is noticeable. These pages are packed with images of warring factions, all drawn as detailed figures in a tangle of swords and cannon fire. Oda packs a lot into mostly small to moderate sized panels, but the scope and scale of the setting is always apparent. When a new character is introduced or returns in a new form, Oda renders them with immense detail and care. These are meant to be momentous moments and the art sells them as such, even if the story itself isn’t currently that inspiring.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – “One Piece” is spinning its wheels a bit, with new reveals and potential twists showing diminishing returns the longer the current arc goes on. That said, Oda’s art is unmissable and genuine moments of character and sweetness still keep the series afloat after all these years.
