TOKYO — Secrets will be revealed as the
mega-hit
Japanese manga series “One Piece” enters its final chapter, its author
said on Monday, telling fans to get ready for a wild ride.
اضافة اعلان
Eiichiro Oda posted an enigmatic online message
promising a climactic crescendo to the 25-year saga, which has sold 490 million
copies worldwide.
He also assured those who hadn’t been following
along for the better part of three decades that they could jump in at the final
chapter and still keep up.
The manga, which follows the adventures of the
swashbuckling pirate Monkey D. Luffy, has captivated millions of fans worldwide
as its characters hunt for One Piece, the treasure coveted by all pirates.
“I will start presenting all the secrets of this
world that I have kept hidden,” Oda said in a hand-written message posted to
Twitter.
“It will be fun. Please fasten your seat belt.”
“One Piece” first appeared in manga form in Japan in
1997, with an animated TV series following two years later.
Since then, the franchise has become a global
cultural phenomenon, and Oda holds the
Guinness World Record for “most copies
published for the same comic book series by a single author”.
Last year, the 1,000th episode of the TV series was
released, with special screenings in the US and France — the world’s biggest
manga and anime market after Japan.
A live-action adaptation by Netflix is also in the
works, with fans speculating it could catapult the franchise to global
household name status, on par with “Star Wars” or “Harry Potter”.
In the online message, Oda said he was getting ready
to resume the weekly publication of his work after taking a month-long break to
prepare for the final chapter.
“Well, I am coming close to ending my prep work...
It has taken me 25 years,” he wrote. “But it’s OK to start reading from here.
Because... ONE PIECE starts from here (LOL!!).”
Read more Entertainment
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
