ONE PIECE GOLDOne Piece’s stylistic evolution
A recent post by a Japanese internet forum user showed the evolution of series’ creator Eiichiro Oda’s artwork by comparing older pictures of the Straw Hat Pirates with more recent ones side-by-side. While most of the changes are fairly subtle, the slight differences were still enough to spark an online debate about which of the two drawing styles is better.Which is your personal preference?
In this writer’s humble opinion, Oda’s character designs have hardly changed at all (with the exception of Chopper), especially when compared with the drastic stylistic changes of other famous manga artists over time (in particular, I’m thinking of Akira Toriyama’s legendary Dragon Ball, Kosuke Fujishima’s Oh My Goddess!, or even my personal favorite, Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha).
It’s only natural that an established artist’s style will evolve over time in response to personal preference or outside influences. Masashi Kishimoto, author of the recently concluded Naruto manga, has even stated that he adapted his drawing style to more closely resemble that of the anime series once it began airing. Of course, the fans themselves can have differing opinions about whether those changes are for the better or worse.
