Summary
- Oda, creator of One Piece, has stated that romance doesn't have a place in his manga because it is targeted at boys and he believes fans should read shoujo manga for romance.
- Readers have asked Oda to include romantic relationships among the Straw Hat crew, but he sees it as "not his job" and believes his target audience wouldn't be interested.
- While Oda's stance on romance in shounen manga may not be universally accepted, there is a possibility that his opinion could have changed, as he has been open to drawing background relationships.
Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece, has some strong opinions regarding romance in shounen manga. With over a thousand chapters in the manga, readers have followed One Piece's Straw Hats through all kinds of adventures. Fans have long speculated about possible romantic relationships developing between the crew and even other pirates. But Oda has shot all these hopes in the foot.
Twitter @sandman_AP posts English translations of One Piece news. In a recent Tweet, they posted a quote from an interview with Oda regarding romance among the pirates. Oda replied that he writes manga aimed at boys, and as such, he doesn't feel that romance has a place in his story. According to @sandman_AP, Oda specifically says, " I don't draw romance because OP is a manga for boys. Female fans ask me to draw romance, but if they want to read it, they should read shoujo manga, and it's not my job. I don't care how many women love Luffy, but I don't think it's good if they love each other."
One Piece Isn't Interested in Romance
In the translated quote from the interview, Oda mentions that readers have asked him to introduce romantic relationship dynamics to the story, particularly between the Straw Hats. However, he says that it is "not his job" to draw romance, and suggests that if fans want to see such content, they should read shoujo manga instead. One Piece is considered a shounen manga, which are typically targeted at boys. Oda doesn't think his target audience would want to read romantic subplots and mentions that the readers that ask him to draw these relationships are usually women. Not all of his fans seem to agree with this sentiment.
Shonen Manga Has a Complex Relationship With Romance
Comments on sandman's tweet were quick to point out that Oda doesn't seem to follow his own philosophy. Many referenced romances that occurred between side characters. Others pointed out that Oda specifically referenced Luffy in the interview and assumed he meant romantic entanglements specifically regarding him or the main crew. Regardless of which specific characters were being referenced, the idea that a one of the driving forces behind the plot of InuYasha.
While this anti-romance viewpoint could be seen as harsh, it is good to keep in mind that the interview sandman is referencing took place back in 2009. It is possible that Oda's opinion has changed since then or could do so in the future. He has been open to drawing background relationships before. As the adventures of Luffy and his loyal crew continue to unfold, a romantic subplot for at least one of them may be introduced to move the story along at some point, even if it does not become a permanent fixture in One Piece's overarching main plot.
Source: @sandman_AP
