Eiichiro Oda is considered among the wealthiest mangakas, and One Piece is one of the most popular anime ever. It often makes people jealous of his success. But it is not only the fans who are jealous of him. The mangaka was also envious of another renowned mangaka. The latter’s art style made him question how good somebody can be. Even though he was jealous, he did the unthinkable.
One Piece creator was immensely jealous of Naoshi Arakawa’s Your Lie In April. It follows the musical genre and became a massive hit upon its release. The anime adaptation also got global recognition. While One Piece has sold millions of copies of its manga, Oda sensei might be the sole reason for half the manga sales of Your Lie In April.
Eiichiro Oda Loved How Jealous He Was Of Naoshi Arakawa
There are several instances when the One Piece creator was inspired by another great mangaka, but getting jealous is brand new. Initially, Oda sensei bought the first volume of Your Lie In April. After that, there was no stopping him. He started to suffer from jealousy. Even though his masterpiece boasts magical numbers, Arakawa’s work impressed him. It was unbelievable how expressive his characters were.
Portraying music with 2D characters was not something that even Oda sensei thought of. During an interview with Fuji TV, he spoke about his reaction after reading Arakawa’s chef-dœuvre. Oda said,
Before a deadline [I got it] as a change of pace, but I ended up reading the whole thing and forgot about my manuscripts. I got the whole studio buying it on the way home.
One volume led to another, and he ended up finishing all 11 volumes.
He exclaimed that the musical genre is pretty demanding to portray, and Arakawa’s work was quite exquisite. The aura is so unique yet gripping that it forces its readers to know what is happening in the next panel. Even the editors of You Lie In April were shocked to hear such compliments.
One Piece is Oda’s baby. Making him forget about the manuscripts is not an easy task. But with the latest revelation, the upcoming mangaka might have unlocked a secret way to increase their sales. They need to make Eiichiro Oda jealous, and he will take care of the rest.
Your Lie In April Is A Masterpiece
Eiichiro Oda is not the only one who is left jealous of Naoshi Arakawa. Everyone who came across his musical manga felt jealousy. While Oda felt it out of love and how good the depiction and emotions were, fans felt jealous of why Kousei and Kaori did not have a happy ending. Kousei and Kaori’s journey had everyone in tears. The profound conversations through musicals triumphed over normal-paced speaking.
Your Lie In April anime was released on October 9, 2014, and ended on March 19, 2015. The manga was also adapted into multiple stage plays and even live adaptations. The soundtrack became overly popular and topped Japan’s Classical Music Billboard Chart in 2015. It is not every day that people get to see Oda getting impressed and jealous by another mangaka. But there is always a start for everything.
One Piece and Your Lie In April can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
