How to use this Page

I don’t know that it’s true now, but Toyfare used to be a place where movie studios revealed the tie-in toys for major forthcoming films. Back in the 1980s I was editing a Sci-Fi movie magazine and we had someone go there and take pictures of the Dune toys, showing things the studio hadn’t revealed yet. We published the pictures and scooped everyone. Starlog was pissed because they never thought of doing that, and the studio never bothered us about it.

Yup! Naruto did the time jump about 4 years ago and Dragonball was doing them 10+ years before that.

I see continuity not as a drawback to writing stories but as an element that forces a writer to work a bit on a story and benefits the reader.

If someone wants to create a crossword puzzle, he can use software to create one in a matter of seconds. Some puzzle magazines consist entirely of computer-generated puzzles. If he wants to create a good puzzle, with a high number of seven- and eight-letter words, a theme, and words with hard consonants, he works on the puzzle, often for hours. The resulting puzzle can be sold to the New York Times and other prestigious outlets; nobody is paid for the computer-generated ones.

I’d compare a writer who violates continuity for no reason other than that it interferes with the plot he wants to use to someone selling a computer-generated crossword puzzle.

SRS

“Attention, continuity-obsessed readers of 70 year-old franchises — THIS is how you handle growth and change.”

Because seeing something that has 598 Chapters is supposed to entice me? I don’t see the difference. Sure seems like One Piece has just as much continuity to some degree.

“Attention, continuity-obsessed readers of 70 year-old franchises — THIS is how you handle growth and change.”

How in the heck does a time jump and a handful of costume changes/modifications add up to some brilliant example of how to manage growth and change — or be touted as groundbreaking in any way whatsoever?

If you are seriously arguing that this constitutes some sort of brilliant new storytelling paradigm, somebody better page Keith Giffen and the Bierbaums. They did *the same exact thing*, but more than 20 years ago — and to one of those hoary ‘old franchises’ that all the kewl kidz here love to trash!

Or maybe a mangaka as talented and successful as Oda isn’t in need of trumped up accolades and we could opt to criticize mainstream comics on legitimate grounds instead?

I think the point is more like, One Piece has managed ongoing continuity for some 13 years without splitting timelines, creating alternate universes, killing off/resurrecting characters so often it becomes an industry in-joke, and generally maintaining relevance with its audience by following the rules of its own world without shoehorning ridiculous some ridiculous character-altering nonsense to create some sort of shallow “appeal” to push sales.

It helps that it all comes from one team, and they’re going to be the ONLY team to ever work on one piece. When the team stops making the comic, One Piece ends, and *gasp*, somebody has to think of something new to fill its place.