So I did a little math, and I came up with this:

10,800 pages.

That’s how many pages are in the entire One Piece manga series at the end of the Speed Up — almost 11,000 pages of Oda-sensei’s masterpiece about grand adventure, loyalty, and a motley crew of Straw Hats Pirates. For almost seven years, we’ve been working hard here at VIZ Media to bring you the best pirate story that isn’t really about pirates. Yup, I looked up when we published our first printing of Oda-sensei’s wildly popular series. And now seven years later, we’re speeding up the release of North American graphic novels to bring it as close to the Japanese schedule as possible. That means we’re releasing 30 volumes in 6 months.

More math…30 volumes…every 6 months…*counts on fingers for a moment* That’s 5 volumes a month! And each one with a really sweet "Wanted Poster" sticker inside. Find the hint on the sticker to get a secret online goodie. 

And now, I’d like to make a confession. When I was first asked to take on the One Piece project, I hadn’t read One Piece. Okay, so I had seen a couple of anime episodes, the first three manga volumes, and whatever else had appeared in SHONEN JUMP magazine (whoo hoo, subscription!). But, I hadn’t actually sat down and really read One Piece in all its detail.

I thought, ”I can do this… 54 volumes to date? Thirty of them in six months…” Crossing my eyes, I did a little more math:

I can read a single manga in about 40 minutes when I take my time. (Yes, I timed myself. At this job, you need to know). So let’s see here: 40 minutes x 54 volumes is….2,160 minutes, which is equal to 36 hours.

Wow. I’ve spent nearly an entire work week reading One Piece. And you know what, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

There are so many wonderful characters—I can’t decide between Sanji or Zolo as my favorite—and awesome story lines. And of course, Oda-sensei’s art is amazing. I kick myself for not picking up the series sooner. It was the best 36 hours I’d spent reading in a while.

But it seems pretty daunting, doesn’t it? There is SOOO much good stuff to read in One Piece. You get the introduction of all the characters in the East Blue Saga, the saving of a princess and her country from an evil conspiracy in the Baroque Works Saga (not to mention Chopper!), the sea in the sky with the Kami in the Skypiea Saga, Luffy’s Afro in the Water Seven Saga (well, other stuff happens, but the Afro is fantastic), the new crewmembers in…well, you get the idea. More plot than this run-on sentence can handle.

If you’re still sitting there making this face: o.O, don’t worry, there’s always one thing you can do:

Start from the beginning.

No math involved, just a whole lot of awesome adventure and great characters. We’ll even help you out: you can read all of volume 1 online for free.

So once you’ve done what the rest of us have done—read the first volume and get yourself hooked—you can then come back here to vizanime.com and actually watch the One Piece anime. See for yourself why so many people are reading 54 manga that total 10,800 pages and why they're devoting 36 hours of their lives to the most epic of titles: One Piece.

— Lex Scheuble (Online Marketing Manager, VIZ Media)

It's championship time in this week's fresh episodes of The Prince of Tennis! The Seigaku team is raring to go, but the focus this week is crazy happenings on and off the court. First, how does a stray cat running out into the middle of an intersection affect a high school tennis match? We're about to find out! Then Ryoma's grizzled dad tries to pretend he's a member of the PTA (as if that's going to convince anyone). And what's with everyone on the Ginka Junior High team coming down with a "stomachache" at the same time? Should we also mention Oishi's teddy bear (aw, cute...) and the fake heart attack? Forget the real games, the mind games have already begun!

Catch these episodes and more in the Prince of Tennis section.

Episode 41: Trouble
The second half of the Metropolitan Matches begins! Fudomine Junior High plays badly due to circumstances beyond their control and forfeits. Ginka Junior High also forfeits and Seigaku advances to the next match to play Yamabuki Junior High!

Episode 42: Oishi is Targeted
Kikumaru and Oishi start their doubles match against Yamabuki Junior High’s Higashikata and Minami. Oishi confronts the same pair that he was unable to beat in last year’s match. And finally Momoshiro’s match with Sengoku starts!

Yin and Yang: The forces of good and evil battle it out inside the very bodies of Kikyo and Naraku...and ultimately the Shikon Jewel itself! In the aftermath, a beloved friend of Inuyasha is tragically lost...forever

Get Inuyasha Vol. 47 now!

We've got a double-blast of Naruto Shippuden for you this week as Naruto begins his fearsome training to learn the Sage Jutsu! You can bet that toads and weird happenings will ensue! Plus, you get a nice little katakana lesson as Naruto and his comrades decode Jiraiya's final message! Who says that you don't learn anything watching anime?

Catch the latest episodes and more in the Naruto Shippuden section.

Episode 154: Decryption
Naruto and his friends successfully decipher the code Jiraiya left behind with the help of some information Naruto has. The crew immediately calls Fukasaku over, but the message is not enough to solve the mystery of Pain.

Episode 155: The First Challenge
At Mount Myoboku, Naruto begins his Sage Jutsu training under Fukasaku. The first challenge is “Don’t move.” Fukasaku explains that an extensive amount of time is necessary in order to take in nature energy.