【Unlocking Word Meanings】
今日の単語・フレーズ
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.
1. ability / əˈbɪl ɪ ti / (n.) – the capacity or skill to do something
Example: Raymond has the ability to make people smile.
2. quest / kwɛst / (n.) – a mission done to search for something
Example: The pirates went on a quest to find the treasure.
3. publish / ˈpʌb lɪʃ / (v.) – to produce a written material (e.g. books and journals)
Example: Gina plans to publish her own children’s book.
4. predecessor / ˈprɛd əˌsɛs ər / (n.) – a person who came before someone else
Example: Her predecessor inspired her to start writing.
5. ongoing / ˈɒnˌgoʊ ɪŋ / (adj.) – still existing or not yet done
Example: The ongoing anime is very popular.
【Article】
ニュース記事
Read the text below.
The Japanese manga called One Piece and its author have recently been included in the Guinness [GIN-is] Book of World Records.
One Piece, published by the Weekly Shonen Jump, is about a pirate named Monkey D. Luffy. When he was still a boy, he accidentally ate a Devil Fruit called the Gum-Gum Fruit. This fruit gave him the ability to stretch his body like rubber. With his pirate crew called the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy went on a quest to finding the world’s greatest treasure—the “One Piece.”
Both author Eiichiro Oda and the manga received a Guinness World Record title for the comic book with the most issues published by a single author. The manga has been printed 320,866,000 times from August 1997 to December 2014 in more than 30 countries. To celebrate this achievement, a ceremony was held in Tokyo on June 15.
Because Oda could not attend the said ceremony, Weekly Shonen Jump editor Yoshihisa Heishi accepted the award. During his speech, Heishi said that Oda wants to express his gratitude toward his predecessors, colleagues, and readers.
In an interview by the Weekly Shonen Jump, Oda shared that he wrote this manga because of his love for pirates. Oda added that when he was a child, he loved watching an anime series called Vicky the Little Viking, which is about the adventures of the son of a Viking chief.
To date, the One Piece manga series is still ongoing. One Piece also has an anime adaptation and several movie versions.
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【Viewpoint Discussion】
ディスカッションテーマ
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.
Discussion A
· Upon reading the article, what are your thoughts about One Piece?
· If you were to receive a Guinness World Record title, what would you want it to be and why?
Discussion B
· What do you think makes a successful manga or comic book?
· Given the resources, what manga or comic book would you want to create? Why?
