Jason Moses
May 28, 2013 
Indomitable drawing machine Eiichiro Oda, the man behind the One Piece manga, is going on temporary drawing hiatus until June 3. That was announced by Shonen Jump publisher Shueisha last Tuesday, citing a complication from Oda’s recent bout of tonsillitis as the reason for his absence.
The last time Oda suffered illness and put the manga on hiatus was back in 2006, which is kind of incredible when you think about it. It’s not just that he’s been working on this comic for 15 years now. It’s not just the ceaseless work ethic. He’s basically had two mandatory breaks due to failures in health over the course of a decade and a half, which is either astonishing or terrifying, depending on how you look at it.
Of course, I have to wonder how much work he’s putting in on the sidelines. Are his assistants putting in work to make sure things are smoothed over for his return? These are things that inevitably pop into my head about when thinking about the manga industry.
One Piece is expected to return to the pages of Shonen Jump starting June 10. Oda commented that “I know how long two weeks must seem, especially for my younger readers, but please wait just a little longer!” What a class act.
Source: J-Cast
Source: Deadline London
This story originally ran in the 5/28/13 issue of the Otaku USA e-News
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