Something that Oda does REALLY well that most people don't notice is how he "animates" his Manga. Its a VERY rare skill in manga so here's an explanation of it and a comparison. A thread -->
Oda is one of the few mangaka that have mastered the medium. VERY few readers pay attention to this, but it actually subconsciously affects everyone. Manga is usually just a series of shots, but Oda takes the time to "animate" each shot. Look at this spread for example:
Notice when Jozu shouts, it isn't JUST action lines and txt bubble, there's also "dialogue" lines as a wave. While the chunk is in midair, you have some react with "!!!" others with "!!?", some are commenting, the chunk CRACKING in midair, etc. There's also the "DOOM" sfx
It's easy to visualise because there's motion given to every shot. Even backgrounds are moving constantly. Notice while Akainu talks, his magma "sizzles". And when the ice gets even closer, you SEE its approaching sfx SMALLER than Akainus sfx. Even sounds are portrayed visually
It sounds basic, but most manga aren't like this. Most don't put this much "animation" in them. I'm not here to say that others are worse. You can argue less motion makes it cleaner. But just look at these. NOTE this is STYLISTIC choice, not art comparison
Again, this isn't to put other series down, they have their own merits. If you look at berserk, its spreads are usually just "paintings". Just a still shot with little to no context. No motion, no sfx, no dialogue. As an outsider you can't tell what the context is
Which tbf DOES have its own merits. It MAKES you want to stare more. It's artistic, you can put it as a wallpaper BUT as part of a manga reading experience, Oda's style would be a smoother read. His spreads are "connected" to what happens before and after the spread
Ofcourse Oda isnt the only one that does this. Horikoshi from MHA is also really good at utilising each panel and has probably taken inspiration from western comics which are full of WHAMS and BAMS and ZOOMS. MHA is quite a smooth read because of it imo
From an outsiders perspective, this isn't really a big deal but I personally really appreciate these things and noticed that it made a difference for me while reading Manga. I found myself more engaged with those that had more "motion" and less engaged + more forgetful with
The opposite side of the spectrum. We joke about OP chapters being a weekly "meal" but this is a part of the reason why it's so fulfilling. There's so much effort put into it that I end up reading panel by panel attentively. Thought about this yesterday so thought I'd share 🙌
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