Queuing up for Oda's manga series 'One Piece'

Be prepared for a long queue at “Hello, ONE PIECE” at the Shanghai Himalayas Museum, as the charisma of the high seas adventure manga “One Piece” draws many local fans.

The exhibition contains about 200 illustrations and paintings of Eiichiro Oda, including the first public display of a picture Oda created to commemorate its 300 millionth copy.

Born in 1975 in Kumamoto City in Japan, Oda has become the No. 1 manga artist in Japan. Manga is a form of Japanese graphic novel.

A stalwart of “Weekly Shonen Jump” magazine for 22 years, “One Piece” has now sold more than 450 million copies around the world, a record for the most copies of the same comic book series by a single author.

Arranged in chronological order, the illustrations on display unfold the crucial plot events one after another of the past 22 years.

Central to the exhibit is a full-scale reconstruction of Oda’s original studio. All the tools and materials are actually used by Oda, and are positioned exactly as they were when he was working with them. It is almost as if he were still behind his desk.

The show contains original storyboards of six classic editions of “One Piece,” and fans of the manga can see original “Jump” manuscripts, previously only available for editing. Visitors are also allowed to take photos and make video of the exhibits in the museum.

“One Piece” is noted for its many bizarre and extreme character designs, which became more and more common and exaggerated as the series progressed. Oda’s style has also changed quite a bit over its decade long run. In the beginning he used many thick lines. Over time, the lines became thinner and crosshatching and line shading is now used extensively.

Date: Through September 1; Sunday to Thursday, 10am-6pm; Friday and Saturday, 10am-9:30pm

Tickets: 100 yuan

Venue: Shanghai Himalayas Museum

Address: 869 Yinghua Rd, Pudong New Area