Here is my summary for Color Walk 8 including Oda's message and interview which was on sale today. Oda talked with Katsuya Terada in the interview.
Oda: I was eager to become a mangaka since childhood. One day, I was shocked to read a message from a famous expert mangaka, who wrote, "You can enjoy drawing manga at most as long as you draw it as hobby. People shouldn't become professional mangaka."
As someone who wanted to become mangaka, I felt angry to read that message. "How dare you advised others not to become mangaka despite the fact that you enjoy your living as a professional mangaka!!" Forgive my rudeness to that great mangaka since I was just a kid.
Then, I became mangaka. I'd like to tell the great mangaka who already passed away, "I knew it. Mangaka is a really enjoyable job."
I can't neccesarily confirm my words about it since manga industry changes as the time goes by, but I can at least say that it is thanks to my audience that I'm enjoying my mangaka life now.
This is my 8th illustration book!
Thank you so much for always supporting me.
Eiichiro Oda
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Translation for the interview between Oda and Katsuya Terada.
- Oda thinks he already drew most of what he wanted to draw in color spreads, which worries him recently.
- Oda has been reading Jump since 8/9 years old where "Kinnikuman", "Fist of the North Star" and "Captain Tsubasa" was serialized.
- Oda is hooked on collecting digital brush tools. Finally he has found his favorite one. Recently he drew some illustrations in Jump in digital. Oda is impressed that digital drawing tools have improved so much that he sometimes can't see the difference in illustrations drawn by digital and non-digital.
- Oda enjoys "time lapse drawing" function in iPad Pro. About ONE PIECE manga chapter including color spreads, Oda keeps in mind not to draw them digitally.
- Oda can draw better drawings when he is busy, but one day he drew boobs in Luffy's body when he stayed awake all night. (This episode was mentioned in an interview in 2002 as well.)
- Oda admits that his favorite faces in real world are the same as what he wants to draw in manga.
- Oda is wondering these days how many years he can give his full power to his work. He says one of the reason he approved the live adaptation project in Hollywood was that he thought it would be the "final opportunity" considering his stamina. Oda thought he will not have enough stamina to have complicated meetings with foreign staffs after several (2-9) years.
