An entire year of One Piece

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In January 2017 I started episode one of One Piece. It’s January 2018 and I’m on episode 480.

I didn’t set out to make “finish One Piece” a New Year’s goal and it’d be a terrible one anyway—the show has 800+ episodes and counting and nobody needs to watch that much TV in one year! But I had a lot of days this year where I was feeling down and nothing except Luffy’s relentlessly positive attitude could help.

This was my first experience with One Piece ever since I read some scans back in middle school up to Usopp’s introduction, and I have never seen anything like it. Few anime are this enduring and even if they are, they’re not always worth the time.

I didn’t watch One Piece every day, and I didn’t watch every episode (I skipped a bunch that friends told me were non-manga filler). But it’s definitely the longest I’ve ever spent time with a single piece of media so I wanted to share some of my thoughts.

A story that lasts

Before I began watching, the main thing I knew about One Piece was that it is impossibly long. As of this writing, there are over 800 episodes!

Published in Shonen Jump since 1997, the One Piece manga turned 20 last year. Eiichiro Oda was an early bloomer, launching his career at age 17 when he won several awards for his very first manga, Wanted! He worked as a manga assistant until age 22 when he first published One Piece, a hit from the very beginning.

Initially, Oda had the entire story planned out for a five-year run. But because it got so popular, it took on a life of its own. Today One Piece is the best-selling manga in history and among the top 10 best-selling anime in Japan. All this, and it’s only slightly more than halfway complete.

With that forecasted ending in mind, it’s impressive to see how thoughtfully the plot moves. I’m at the Summit War arc that has been signposted for ages, ever since Ace gave Luffy a mysterious blank piece of paper. It’s a climax that formed organically from an initial quest to visit Fishman Island, and I’m still surprised at how much that got out of hand. It’s a long story, but every twist deepens the plot and strengthens the reality of the One Piece world.

A story that inspires

Perhaps it’s because Oda already knows how it’s going to end, but I never feel like One Piece is taking me for a ride that isn’t going to pay off, even when circumstances take the characters further from their goal than ever. Oda is a master of this “darkest before the dawn” storytelling style: just when a terrible outcome for Luffy seems inevitable, he manages to turn it around.

It’s interesting to watch One Piece as a model for suspenseful fiction. What keeps so many viewers so engaged for so long? Many other stories have a motley cast of unique heroes and villains, emotional arcs of friendship and redemption, and an uncommonly positive message. There are also things One Piece does badly, like its insensitivity toward LGBT people and Sanji’s attitude toward women. What makes it irresistible in spite of its many flaws?

If I were to put my finger on what One Piece has and so many other shows do not is a world that is markedly different from our own but nonetheless too real-feeling to question. A spirit of exploration only works in a world where viewers truly believe that tuning in means making rewarding discoveries they have never seen before and won’t find anywhere else. I’m not saying that One Piece makes viewers lose their grips on reality; I’m saying that its characters, settings, and storylines make sense in a logic that fits this story alone, so clearly that readers and viewers don’t question it.

A lot of stories are entertaining; few make their viewers believe in them so deeply.

You can still start now

I thought that my One Piece window had closed forever. It’s already long and it’s still going! It’s impossible to catch up. So when I started watching, I decided I wouldn’t catch up.

Trying to get current on One Piece sounds like a job I don’t want, so when I clicked play on episode one last January, I told myself I’d only watch it when I felt like it. I stuck to that but I didn’t expect just how much I’d feel like it. I admit I didn’t read as many books as usual in 2017 because instead of reading a chapter before bed, I’d watch an episode or two of One Piece.

Right now I’ve gotten back to reading more books, plus it’s the start of a new season and I’m watching a lot of first episodes. I haven’t watched any One Piece so far in January, but I’m not concerned about it. When I’m ready to watch more, it’ll still be there—and a lot of it!

In other words, don’t let the show’s intimidating length stop you. You can still enjoy it in 2018. You can watch a little and pause whenever. You can even call it quits. But if you manage to do that, I’m guessing you have a lot more willpower than me.

Otaku Links: New year, new links

Anime, Otaku Links

Happy new year, readers! Did you miss me? Regular posts resume Monday.

Top image via Hisako Akagi via SakugaBlog.

2017 in Review: 9 questions to help you process and reflect

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Thursday (Dec 21) is my 31st birthday. As a present to myself, this is the final Otaku Journalist post of 2017. This calls for some reflection.

I love doing “year in review” stuff so for today’s post, I answered 9 questions about my 2017, and I encourage you to answer these same questions for yourself. Whether you post them on your blog or answer them privately in your journal, I think you’ll find them helpful.

What made up your body of work this year? Which parts are you most proud of?

This year I wrote for Forbes, Anime News Network, my blogs (Otaku Journalist, Gunpla 101, Candle Fandom), and a few ghostwriting clients regularly. Some highlights:

What were your top 5 moments of the year?

  1. Holding my friend Jess’s newborn in my arms the day after he was born.
  2. The audience applauding after Amelia and I gave our Anime Feminist panel at CRX.
  3. Watching John witness my favorite childhood video game, Xenogears, for the first time.
  4. Sinking into an authentic Japanese onsen in my home state.
  5. Reaching 50,000 words on my NaNoWriMo novel.

What are you really glad is over?

Waking up crying every single day. I still dream about Jess almost every night, and I still cry about her a lot, but these dreams aren’t always sad now. Some of them even make me smile.

On a lighter note, I’m really glad I don’t have to study for the N4 anymore.

How are you different today than you were 365 days ago?

I used to take a lot of things for granted: my family, my friends, my time. I assumed I could always do things “next year.” I could bail on people and just see them later. Now I’m trying really hard not to put things off. I’ve been writing a lot of letters by hand. Just generally trying to show the people in my life that I have time for them and I care about them.

Also, 365 days ago I didn’t think the political situation could possibly get worse. Ha.

Is there anything you achieved that you forgot to celebrate?

I reached 100 Anime Origin Stories and didn’t think about it very much. Instead, I’ve just felt bad about how behind I am on responding to people.

I hit a milestone in affiliate earnings, but it’s been hard to enjoy it when Net Neutrality might end.

I got a new client in August who is wonderful. That means I started the year with just one steady ghostwriting client, but I’ve ended it with three.

What have you changed your perspective on this year?

I realized I can’t do it alone, and I should ask for help when I need it. That was part of the instigation behind my open call for Gunpla 101 contributors—I was having trouble writing it all alone, but I was worried about relying on other writers. It turned out better than I could have expected, and now you’ll see dozens of brilliant new voices on Gunpla 101 in 2018.

I’ve also decided to rethink my narratives about myself. For example, I’ve always believed “I work hard,” and used my success as evidence as that. So when I come face to face with evidence of something I could’ve worked harder on, like an article with a bunch of typos, it shook my narrative. I realized it’s better to look at it as a value rather than a trait: I can be somebody who tries to work hard, and doesn’t always succeed, but understands its importance.

Who are the people that really came through for you this year?

I have had a publically difficult year, and I was amazed by the outpouring of support I got from the anime community. Zac and Jake of Anime News Network sent me a snail mail condolence card. Isaac of Mage in a Barrel sent me two books about dealing with grief, one which arrived three months to the day after my loss when I thought nobody really cared anymore.

Of course, my friends and John were what got me through. Unending group email chains, constantly open Gchat windows, and making lots of time for game nights and Pokemon hunting excursions and potluck dinners as a group.

What were some pieces of media that defined your year?

One Piece—I started it in January and watched about 400 episodes this year. It’s a stunningly consistent show, and great for the insomnia I had a lot this year.

The Good Place—I don’t watch much American TV, but all my friends were watching this and it gave us something to talk to each other about when other topics were too sad. If I wanted to check in on somebody I’d ask, “Have you caught up with Good Place yet?”

What will you be leaving behind in 2017?

Setting needless barriers to happiness. “After I accomplish X, I can be happy,” sort of thinking. This year X has been buying a house (too expensive), cutting my mile time to 8 minutes (not there yet), and reaching certain income goals. Life is not a holding pattern. I’m already living it and it’s surprisingly short, so I might as well grab that fleeting happiness whenever I can.

Lead photo via Pexels

Otaku Links: What’s up with that?

Otaku Links

Lead screenshot via One Punch Man via the Atlas Obscura link.

What I learned from writing a novel in a month

Writing

On October 30, I wrote How I’m silencing my inner critic to tell you about the ways I was preparing for National Novel Writing Month. Back then, I was a very different person. I was a person who had never written a novel before.

A little over one month and 50,100 words later, that’s changed, and I’ve changed, too. I’ve done a lot of difficult things this year. Some, like running a 10k and taking the Japanese Language Proficiency N4 exam, were planned. Others, like saying goodbye to one of my oldest friends, were not. But finishing NaNoWriMo was the one that required the most daily, dull dedication.

In November, I wrote at least 800 words every day for my novel. Here are some of the lightbulb moments that came to me over the course of that work.

Writing a book is physically demanding

On November 23, I woke up with an ache in my left wrist—tendonitis. I wore a brace for the rest of the month. It turned out that meeting the daily writing goal, on top of all the other writing projects I was work on, ended up being my body’s limit. I’ve had tendonitis before, back in college, but I’m pretty sure it was from playing way too much Guitar Hero.

I’ve only written one nonfiction book this long—Build Your Anime Blog, which was 50% interviews, took me two months. I was commissioned to write my cosplay book in 7 weeks, but it was mostly photos and only about 10,000 words. Every other year I’ve tried to finish NaNoWriMo, I reached my mental limit long before my physical one.

I’ve never had writing-related injuries before because I don’t type correctly. I just typed this sentence ASDFJKL; style like I learned in school, but I type more quickly using one thumb and four fingers. Weird, I know. But my typing speed is around 64 WPM and I’ve never had carpal tunnel so I consider it a non-issue (unless somebody is watching me and then I get really self-conscious of my weird typing). If I ever do NaNoWriMo again, I’ll consider dictation, typing on a smartphone, and other strategies before my wrist gives out.

Some of the best ideas happen when you’re stuck

One of the questions NaNo asks you when you start is, “Are you a planner or a [seat of your] pantser?” I would absolutely consider myself a planner. I knew I wanted to write a novel about a Type 3 parallel universe (that’s the one that’s the most fun, I think) so I checked out some books on quantum mechanics and the Many Worlds theory at the library and took notes. By the end of October, I had drafted out a bunch of plot points and scenes I wanted to use for sure.

And then, November 14 happened. I reached the halfway point of 25,000 words, but I didn’t have any plot left. I had no idea what I was going to do and I wasn’t about to quit then. So I stumbled through the dark, trying to follow the threads I’d already started unraveling to their logical extensions. By then I had a pretty good idea of who my characters were. Instead of driving the narration inflexibly, I started asking myself how they would react to the situations I’d already put them in, and let those suppositions lead to new scenes and developments.

I accidentally wrote my characters into a love triangle, solved plotholes with bizarre Google searches, and when I was really stuck, referenced back to my library books, especially Hyperspace by Michio Kaku, which I highly recommend. If nothing else comes out of this novel, at least I learned a lot about the known universe.

Fiction doesn’t have to be for anyone else

I was afraid to tell anyone about my novel. I was worried that any kind of reaction, even positive, would paralyze me. In the entire time I was working on it, I brought up exactly two plot points with my friends, and that was only after I had reached 40,000 words.

But I can tell you about it now that it’s December. My working title is “Until We Meet Again,” and it’s a science fiction lesbian romance. It’s also about being a first-generation American, adult friendships, start-up culture, tropical fish, quantum computers, and people cooking pasta more often than is realistic. Especially after I ran out of plot, I began mining my entire lifetime of experiences and I got a pretty eclectic mix.

I realize this does not sound like a recipe for a bestseller, or even like something you’d want to read. And I realize now that’s OK. This shitty first draft doesn’t have to be published or even be read by anyone but me. For years I struggled because what I was worried what I was writing wouldn’t be good for publication and now I realize with NaNo, the end product is not the point. The point was the process of showing myself I could stick with a story this long.

Writing a book can help you heal

Jess was a writer. She met her wife online because they read each other’s fanfiction! She kept beautifully handwritten bullet journals. I’m grateful she left so much of her writing behind, but it’s still deeply upsetting to me that her life’s work is complete far too early.

When my friends asked me about my novel, I told them it was “Jess fanfiction” because it’s about the discovery of a parallel universe in which some key events—including one character’s death—never happened. While writing this novel and exploring the presumed flexibility of our physical universe, I was reminded that grief isn’t a linear process, either. I thought that fully immersing myself in this story for a month would have been an escape from my real life, but it was really a lens through which to reflect on missing her from a different perspective.

There were a lot of emotions I was holding onto because I didn’t want to forget. But now that I’ve put them in a book, I’ve been able to mostly let them go. People say grief is “hard to put it into words,” but putting it into words freed me, I think. Now that I’ve written about how much I miss Jess and made it part of this novel, I know I’ll never forget my friend.

Photo of colorized dark matter via NASA/ESA/J.