VIZ Media has been open for submissions from anybody wanting to get their manga pieces published. Of course, it’s not as easy as 1, 2, and 3, but this is a good avenue for those aspiring to have their own published manga out there. The competition is tough and ther is a rigorous selection process, but a slim chance is way better than no chances. The great thing is, it’s not just a fad, there’s already a product of this project, and that’s what we’re reviewing for this article.

Discussion Time

World Piece follows the story of Lucas Densen, an easygoing basketball player. Since his mother is an archeologist, he frequents her dig site every time there’s an opportunity. But during one certain visit, he touches an artifact that he should have not touched. The next moment, he finds himself in a dark room with a shrunken Earth the size of a ball. Thrown in a new world, his new mission is to search for a way to turn the Earth back to normal and return to his uneventful, carefree life.

1. Basketball Fighting in Action

The world Lucas’ came to isn’t necessarily a harmless one. Even though it isn’t really at war, an alien-like him has multiple ways of dying on his first day. What’s more is that the first sentient being he meets, Lully, isn’t exactly a nobody. By aiding Lucas and escaping seclusion, Lully also brings unwarranted chasers. What’s more is that Mitton, the second sentient ally Lucas meets, isn’t entirely clear of dangers as well. This is where Lucas’ basketball comes into play. Using the Earth as an indestructible ball, Lucas dribbles and throws it toward dangerous-looking opponents. Fortunately, the Earth is virtually indestructible or who knows what will happen to all the lives within it.

2. Multiple Motivations Towards a Common Goal

Even though Lucas is the centerpiece, the people he meets also have their motivations. It’s something similar to One Piece. The characters have different dreams, but they should be achieved after reaching the same goal. In World Piece, that is turning the Earth back to normal. Interestingly, every person Lucas meets on his journey is mixed up with some sort of big thing. Not only Lully and Mitton, even the robot and the thief he meets have some sort of bigger motives. It’s interesting to see this big spider web of a plot unfold.

1. The Worldbuilding Is a Bit Lacking

If it’s not that obvious, there’re a lot of things happening in this series. The thing is that too many things are happening that the lore doesn’t get explored much. We only know enough to understand what’s happening to the protagonist, but we do not get enough depth to be fully immersed in the story. What’s more is that the characters have big of motivations and backstories, but their stories are only mentioned in passing, so we really can’t empathize with them much.

Final Thoughts

Being a VIZ Media original, World Piece isn’t the typical manga series. For one, it’s good to note that it’s read from left to right rather than the typical right to left. Even though it’s inspired by manga, the series still has obvious western points of storytelling, and it’s not a bad thing. It’s nice to see the industry expanding, but we hope that the next volumes will explore the lore more.

Writer

Author: Christian Markle

I am a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. I love watching anime, reading manga, and writing my own stories. Watch out in the future as you may see one of my works one day. Manga and anime were big parts of my childhood. I grew up watching Yu Yu Hakusho, Slam Dunk, One Piece, and Dragon Ball Z. Those were probably one of the happiest and most carefree days of my life. In fact, most of my values are probably molded by manga. No, that's not an exaggeration.

Previous Articles

Top 5 Anime by Christian Markle