The Threads of One Piece Part 1: The East Blue Saga

SPOILER WARNING:

Thirteen years ago on August 4, 1997, Japan was introduced to the first chapter of One Piece, a fantastical new series written by a young man named Eiichiro Oda set in a golden age of piracy.  Starting from humble beginnings following an idealistic bug-eyed boy with a crummy straw hat and a taste for adventure, the series slowly snowballed into something far greater than anyone could have ever imagined.  Just take a look at any manga shelf at Barnes and Noble or Borders, and it becomes very apparent that One Piece is a series of great size and scope, covering the Strawhat Pirates’ journey thus far measuring nearly the first half of the entire world and ten thousand meters into the sky. 

It’s a simple and predictable journey, one may argue.  Boy has a dream of greatness, and when he reaches the end of the world, he will have achieved said dream.  But in a journey that takes so long and spans so many volumes, it would be so easy to veer off track and become a mere shadow of its former goals.  Yet at sixty volumes as of December 2010, the series is still as strong as ever (and arguably stronger than it’s ever been).  Not an easy accomplishment, to be sure.  But how has it stayed so strong?  There are many different reasons as to why it is that One Piece after so many years, continues to be a rewarding experience week after week, but I believe it to be, in large part, due to Eiichiro Oda’s constant threading throughout the entire series.  Threading that helps keep the story's diverse arcs linked together like an intricately woven fabric.

But what exactly do I mean by threading?  Sorry creative writing majors, but I don’t necessarily mean thematic threading (though he does a great deal of that as well).  I’m talking about the kind of threading that binds the series together into one giant cohesive world, and more importantly, a giant cohesive story: plot and character threading.  Because of these two types of threading, even the most off-kilter and ridiculous story arcs manage to find their purpose in the overall story.  If you have yet to read up through the Water 7 arc in the manga, then now might be a good point to stop reading, ‘cause I’ll spoil the hell out of you if you don’t (and if you just don’t care, then by all means keep reading.  I’ve always found that the journey of One Piece is far more important than the shocking plot twists), as it is impossible to discuss the threading in the story without linking it to events occurring even now in the story.  For now I will only discuss the first hundred some-odd chapters in what has become known as the East Blue Saga of One Piece.

Red-Hair Shanks passing his straw hat onto LuffyThe story starts off simple enough, with our young and boisterous protagonist Monkey D. Luffy leaving his hometown of Fuusha Village.  It had been many years since the Red-Haired Shanks and his band of pirates had docked there, and ever since Shanks had left behind his token straw hat, Luffy had vowed to become a strong pirate himself; and not just a strong pirate, but the King of Pirates, a title only held by the infamous pirate Gold Roger twenty some-odd years ago.  In this day and age, the pirate who finds Gold Roger’s hidden treasure, the One Piece, will rule the seas.  And so begins Luffy’s great journey, leading him from island to island in search of a strong reliable crew with whom he could share his dream. 

Therein lies our first bit of threading: the One Piece.  It is, after all the namesake of the series, so chances are it’s important.  Through every arc, sidequest, trial and tribulation, Luffy and company always have their eyes on the eventual prize.  It’s the one thing that will signify an end in sight to the reader, which is something that no series can claim to have.  In many cases in a long-running shonen series, the story ends when the author just decides to end it, and the end goal is rarely something that the protagonist set out to accomplish at the very beginning of the series.

Coby at the beginning of the series......and Coby later on in the seriesThe second bit of threading in One Piece comes in chapter 2 of the series in the form of an annoying pink-haired little boy named Coby.  Coby is a cowardly kid who dreams of one day becoming a brave marine.  After gaining a bit of courage and inspiration from Luffy, he sets out to achieve his goal and enlists in the marines.  So how does this tie in?  You remember all those cheesy shows you used to watch as a kid where two friends about to go their own separate ways always say the terrible cheesy line “we’ll meet again someday?”  It’s a nice sentiment, but usually you realize that the actual series will be long done before we, the reader/audience, gets a chance to see the two characters meet again?  Well surprise surprise, over 400 chapters later, who else do we meet but Coby himself, no longer the feeble coward we once knew and well on the path to achieving his ultimate dream.  He’s a minor character thread, but he’s still one that helps link the very late chapters in the series with the very first ones, giving the story a very united feel to it.  What’s more is that it turns out that the man who is training Coby is none other than Luffy’s grandfather Vice-Admiral Garp.  So not only is the story itself linked together with this one character, but even the world itself starts to link together like a giant jigsaw puzzle, creating an incredibly rewarding feeling for loyal readers.

Usopp at the beginning of the series......and Usopp's father, YasoppNow let’s jump back to the beginning of the story, shall we?  Continuing on from Coby, Luffy meets Zoro (his first mate and swordsman), Nami (his navigator), and Usopp (his eventual sniper).  Now let’s stop again at Usopp, for another thread has appeared.  It turns out that Usopp is the only son of the pirate Yasopp, who happens to be the marksman in Red-Hair Shanks’ crew, which if you recall is the very same crew that docked at Luffy’s home village when he was a kid.  It’s a minor character thread, but it still is something that links back to the beginning of the story, making this world feel more and more like it has some grand plan in mind.  After all, Luffy plans on seeing Shanks again one day, and when that happens will Usopp be able to proudly stand at his side and greet his father as a man?  So not only is Usopp connected to Luffy’s past through Yasopp, he’s also connected to Luffy’s present as a member of the crew, and to his future on the day that the two meet the Red-Haired Pirates.  Once again, everything links up nicely, and builds anticipation to a possible future. 

Zoro about to take on Dracule Mihawk, a Warlord of the SeaLet us now move on to the Baratie arc where Luffy meets the cook in his crew: Sanji.  Despite the villain of the arc’s brute strength, where the importance truly lies is in the chance encounter with the character Dracule Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman.  Zoro, being a true swordsman, jumps at the chance to fight this man, though quickly is picked apart by Mihawk with little effort.    This fight is a signifier of how weak the Strawhats are at this point and time, and how much bigger the world is on the Grand Line (which, by the way, is the strip of ocean surrounding the world that the Strawhats hope to navigate).  This moment reignites Zoro’s goal to be the best swordsman in the world, and he promises to train hard and challenge Mihawk again when they meet.  This also marks the first time that the Strawhats meet someone who’s high-up on the government food chain.  Though not a Marine, Mihawk is what is known as a Warlord of the Sea, a title given by the World Government to pirates with special privileges.  This title means that the government will let the pirate do what they want if said pirate fights when the government calls for assistance.  This is something that becomes important much later on in the series when the World Government calls on the Seven Warlords for assistance in a very important battle against a very important pirate (who will be discussed in Part Two of this essay).

Jimbei, a Warlord of the Sea, as introduced in chapter 528, nearly 500 chapters after he is first mentioned.The next thread comes directly following the Baratie arc where allies Johnny and Yosaku explain who the Seven Warlords are and bring up one by the name of Jimbei, who was once a member of the same pirate crew as Arlong, who, by the way, is main villain in the next arc.  After throwing Jimbei’s name to the audience, any rational human being would think it was only a short matter of time before the character was formally introduced to the audience.  Not in this series.  Only after another 459 chapters does the audience finally get their first real glimpse of the fish-man.  So even amidst the darkness and horror that is Impel Down (when Jimbei is formally introduced), we find some link to the One Piece of old that reminds us that this is all a part of some grand scheme that the author must have had, right?  Of course there’s no way that the author had everything planned from the beginning, but it does, over time, make the reader trust the author of the story, knowing that as crazy as things get, the man has a plan that will make everything better.

Captain MorganNow let us move on past the Arlong arc into Logue Town (we’re currently around chapter 99 now), where Luffy and the Strawhats are introduced to Captain Smoker.  Smoker is important in several ways to the overall story, but I’ll only point out two.  The first is his link to the second villain of the series: Captain Morgan (introduced in chapter 4).  Before Luffy came around, Captain Morgan ruled his town with an iron fist, even going so far as to kill innocent civilians just to prove how great he was.  He was a symbol of primal fear in town and is pretty much what us (the reader) would expect every Marine officer to be like.  After all, we can’t have our protagonist fighting a good guy, right?  When introduced to Captain Smoker, the author plays off our expectations, and wheCaptain Smokern a little girl drops ice cream on his pants, we expect him to hurt her on the spot.  But immediately, he throws away our expectations by having Captain Smoker offer to buy her another ice cream to replace the one she dropped.  Smoker is both a reminder of Morgan and a foil to his character.  This threads the story back to the very beginning.  Then there’s his relationship with Luffy.  When Luffy escapes Logue Town, chasing him down seems to become Smoker’s life goal.  Throughout the next major story arc and even later on, Smoker and the Strawhats have their bouts of helping and hurting each other, a relationship not unlike the one that Luffy’s grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp, had with Gold Roger twenty years prior.  It is unclear if Eiichiro Oda plans to follow through with this parallel, but at present it seems like a strong possibility.  This simultaneously links to the world twenty years ago, and a possible future that will probably take place on the second half of the Grand Line at some point in the story.

Similar smiles of Gold Roger and Monkey D. LuffyFinally, Logue Town brings back villains Alvida and Buggy (who were Luffy’s first and third opponents in the story, respectively).  Apart from the fact that these were the earliest villains of the series (and therefore link this arc to the very beginning of the story), they affect the story in many other ways.  In their attempt to kill Luffy, several threads emerge.  The first is that of Luffy smiling at that moment the thought he was dead.  Twenty years ago, Gold Roger, smiled that same smile on his moment of execution.  Up until this point I, as a reader, had still not believed Luffy to be anything that could measure up to the legend of Gold Roger.  This was the first instance where I realized that maybe the two were not so different after all.  These parallels to Roger continue throughout the story, and this links Luffy not only plot-wise, but world-wise as well.  The next thread comes in the form of a man named Dragon, who saves Luffy at the last second.  His true identity or place in the story is originally a mystery, and it will only be after another 300+ chapters that we realize that the man is, in fact, Luffy’s father.

Even within the first hundred chapters, we are given threads that will continue on for the foreseeable future, linking characters to characters, characters to events, and events to the overall world.  But this is only the tip of the iceberg.  In the Baroque Works saga, there is thread after thread laid ever-so-carefully that correlate directly to events happening in late 500s.  While this may be it for my Manga Moveable Feast, this will not be it for my analysis of the threads in One Piece.  Stay tuned over the next month for subsequent entries.

Anime Expo 2010 Slideshow

Anime Expo has come and gone.  I had some good times, some bad times, and some even better times, and I took pictures of some of these times. 

I attended the One Piece gathering, so a great number of these pictures are from that, but you wouldn't believe how great the cosplayers were.  It kinda blew my mind.  Anyway, take a look at the video. 

It speaks for itself.

Miyazaki as a Feminist

Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki is responsible for many pieces of quality animated cinema, including the critically acclaimed films Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, the latter of which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Film in 2001.  He has long since been a symbol of quality storytelling and animation.  However, quality is not the only aspects of his films to stand out. If one were to look up “list of feminists” on Wikipedia, under the section “feminist allies” one would find the name of this same Japanese Animator. (“List of Feminists”).  Such beliefs, which grew from his childhood, can be seen in many of his films in dozens of different aspects.

When Miyazaki was a child, his mother suffered from spinal tuberculosis.  It has been said, “the biggest impact was …the long illness of his mother…[who was] a woman of very strong character and intellectual interests” (McCarthy 26).  The character of Ma Dola in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, both bigheaded and bighearted, is said to be based heavily on Miyazaki’s mother.  This is evidence of one person who may have influenced him greatly on his perspective of women. 

If one were to take all of the films that Miyazaki has written and directed, one would find an interesting trend.  Of the ten feature films Miyazaki has done, six of them feature a female protagonist, and two of the remaining four have a supporting female that can very nearly be called the protagonist of the story.  And of the last two, one of them was based on characters of a television show he himself did not create, and therefore he was bound by the original characteristics of the series to a degree.

Unlike in countless western animated films, the princesses in his films are not typecast as just a love interest or damsel in distress.  In Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaa is “physically tough, able to handle a sword…very athletic…[and, on top of it all,] she is a very gifted aviator” (McCarthy 79).  She is someone who her people rely on, and is ultimately the only person who is able to help when they are in danger of being run down by a pack of angry, giant bugs.  Despite all this, she still retains her girlish charm.  It is rare to see such strength in a young princess in an animated film. 

The other “princess” film of his is Princess Mononoke.  The princess in the title--although she is not technically a princess-- is characterized by a woman named San, who was raised by wolves in the forest.  Wild and full of hatred, San is essentially something of an obstacle for the protagonist in much of the film.  However, like Nausicaa, San is the only one who can truly help the protagonist in his struggle with the forest spirits. 

The strength of women is not restricted to San in this film either.  In the world of the characters, all the “workers in the bellows of the iron works are women” (Birth of Studio Ghibli).  A similar thing can be said of the film Porco Rosso, where Porco’s plane is designed by a seventeen year-old female engineer, and built entirely by women.  In those two examples, Miyazaki is not just emphasizing the strength of such women, but the skill and intricate care required while building an aircraft. 

Next is the film Laputa: Castle in the Sky, whose main character, Sheeta, is descended from “the ancient royal house of Laputa and heir to the city’s incredibly powers” (McCarthy 101).  Actually, there is an old argument regarding feminism in general in this film.  The pendant that Sheeta carries with her is an heirloom of the family, and is also the key to unlocking the lost kingdom of Laputa.  The fact that only the female heir can unlock its true power can somewhat imply that at one point, Laputa, when it was still a live city, was a matriarch society.  However, as Helen McCarthy, a Miyazaki analyst, points out, this would imply that Sheeta’s female ancestors would have been at the head of a no-doubt evil and corrupt group of elites whose main goal is to keep the working class beneath them.  An interesting thought, in that it the females in the story portray both the strength and corruptibility of human nature in general, not just women. 

All the same, Sheeta is someone who is able to overcome such ancestry, rise above it and help destroy the kingdom that had once thrived.  An impressive feat, indeed.  But let’s not stop there, for Sheeta isn’t the only strong woman in this film.

As mentioned earlier, there is the character Ma Dola.  She is introduced as a villain, but soon becomes a strong ally for Sheeta.  She is the captain of a treasure hunting crew consisting of all her sons, who look up to her with unconditional love, and even her husband, whose sole responsibility is to keep the ship running.  Ma Dola is strict and stern, yet like many moms, her motherly instinct keeps her from becoming completely unforgiving.  Once again, Miyazaki’s mother, according to his brother, was the basis for this character. 

There is then the film Kiki’s Delivery Service, which follows an adolescent witch in her coming of age as she moves to a new city by herself.  The film itself has been repeatedly called a “message from the young women of Japan” (Birth of Studio Ghibli).  In the film, Kiki starts off as a naïve young girl and ends up an experienced young witch with the whole future ahead of her, insecurities aside.  The film not only promotes the independence of human beings, but the independence that exists in young women.  Along with that, it shows the difficulty in just being a young girl growing up.  From friend problems and boy problems, to problems regarding one’s future. 

The story essentially becomes a balancing act on “the importance of belonging, gregariousness and mature perceptions of one’s place in society on one hand and yearning for independence and a room of one’s own on the other” (Cavallaro 84).  However, Kiki is a strong and formidable protagonist, and truly becomes a character girls can relate to.  And that’s the most important aspect of Kiki’s character.  Her ability to relate to the young female audience.  And what a success she was.  Soon after its release, it became apparent that “the film was an enormous hit with female audiences” (Birth of Studio Ghibli).  However, Kiki is not the only female role model in the film.  The character Ursula, an artist who lives in the woods, becomes vital to Kiki’s growth as an independent woman and in helping her regain her confidence.  Here is a female artist living alone in the woods, and is completely content.  Her character is meant to be an inspiration for both Kiki and the female audiences in that their possibilities in life are not simply limited to what other people say can be done.

The final film to be looked at will be Miyazaki’s latest release; 2004’s Howl’s Moving Castle, based on the novel of the same name.  One of its themes lies in the different forms of beauty that can be found in an individual.  The protagonist of the film, Sophie, who describes herself as “ugly” at the beginning is finally able to see herself for the beautiful person she really is.  Early on in the film, Sophie finds herself transformed into an old woman.  Ironically, however, with this transformation comes an extra boost of confidence and drive.  She no longer has to hide her personality behind the shy exterior she has put up around herself. 

From this, Miyazaki was able to create a character who becomes a driving force in Howl’s castle.  A once laid-back, messy den becomes clean and busy.  The once-cold interior becomes a place of warmth and comfort.  The woman’s charm makes its way into the lives of the residents Howl, Markl and Calcifer.  It is through all this that Sophie gains the confidence that had remain hidden within her for so long.  It is this hidden personality that Howl eventually falls in love with, and through the love, he is eventually saved.   It is a strong message towards young women and girls that to be ones self, and to be truly confident in it is the most beautiful thing imaginable. 

Miyazaki’s feminist ways are not restricted to his films.  Many of Miyazaki’s personal beliefs have spilled over into other aspects of his life, namely how he runs Studio Ghibli.  A good and simple example lies in the bathrooms.  At Studio Ghibli, “the women’s room is much nicer than the men’s.”  When asked why Miyazaki designed the building as such, long time friend and producer Toshio Suzuki stated that Miyazaki has “this conviction that to be successful, companies have to make it possible for their female employees to succeed, too” (Birth of Studio Ghibli).  Suzuki even states that this feminist attitude is apparent in many of Miyazaki’s films.

            From the dozens of women working on a plane, to the simple journey of a young girl through an unfamiliar world, Miyazaki can be seen as a great supporter of women advancement in today’s world.  Throughout his films, he does well to avoid clichés of objectified women who are in need of rescue in one way or another.  His stories provide positive messages that the young girls of today can take in order to be strong and influential women of tomorrow.             



Sources

Birth of Studio Ghibli. Perf. Shinsuki Nonaka. DVD. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2005. 

Cavallaro, Dani. The Anime Art of Hayao Miyazaki. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc.,, 2006. 

Howl's Moving Castle. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. DVD. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 2004. 

Kiki's Delivery Service. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. DVD. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 1989. 

Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. DVD. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 1986. 

"List of Feminists." Wikipedia. Wikimedia. 6 May 2008 <www.wikipedia.org>. 

McCarthy, Helen. Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation. Berkely, California: Stone Bridge P, 1999. 

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. DVD. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 1984. 

Porco Rosso. Dir. Hayao Miyazaki. DVD. Walt Disney Home Entertainment, 1992. 

Re-posting of My "Get Paid to Work in Anime" Article

Back last spring when I interned for Static Multimedia, I wrote an article on the Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy, where you can learn skills that can help you get into the anime industry.  This includes subtitling and script adapting (Which is a class taught by voice actor Crispin Freeman). 

I figured it merited a re-posting, for even though it is an older article, the academy is still alive and well, and it's still worth checking out:

"Get Paid to Work in Anime"

If you’re a hardcore anime fan, you might know that there’s some kind of job opportunity out there in the anime dubbing industry.  But, like me, you may not know how one actually goes about getting into said industry, let alone if you’re cut out for the work.  And I’m not just talking about voice acting, but things like translating and scriptwriting as well.  

Lucky for me on one fateful day, I stumbled upon a tweet (a microblog message sent out to followers through Twitter, in case you didn’t know what a tweet was) from Crispin Freeman, a well-known and prolific voice actor and ADR director, best known for his work as Alucard in Hellsing or, more recently, as Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.  This tweet advertised a six-week class in script adaptation, where students would learn how to take translations and turn them into scripts for the purposes of English dubbing.  Not only that, but the class was in Los Angeles, a mere forty minute drive from where I live.  Ecstatic that such a class even existed, I signed up right away.  I didn’t know when another opportunity like this would come my way.  And so I was introduced to the Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy in Los Angeles (JVTA-LA).  



But little did I know that the JVTA is actually a school that originated in Japan.  “We’ve had this school in Japan for 13 or 14 years,” said Ayano Fujita, Manager at JVTA-LA.  “And we just started here [in L.A.] last year.”  So what made them decide to open up a branch in Los Angeles?

“There are a lot of anime fans here [in L.A.],” states Maloosse Frootan, Coordinator at the JVTA-LA.  “Actually not just anime fans but people who are interested in working in the film industry, but with the focus being on the localization aspect of it.  And I guess the most familiar aspect of localization would be animation because Japanese anime is just taking over right now.  We’re trying to let people know that there are jobs in anime that they can do.  So you can actually combine your love of anime with a job you can actually get paid for.”

With this in mind, the JVTA-LA came up with a list of classes that they believed would be beneficial to those interested in breaking in.  Apart from script adapting, they also offer classes in English to Japanese Translation and Japanese to English Translation (proficiency in both languages required for these two classes), all with the purpose of creating subtitles for foreign or domestic material (ranging from both animation to live action).  “L.A. is basically the capital of entertainment,” said Fujita.  “There’re a lot of bilingual people here, and we want to be able to have a network of professional translators both in L.A. and in Japan…so that we can provide better translation and subtitles.”  And with a talent pool as big as L.A.’s sometimes all it takes is a little exposure or push in the right direction to get someone moving towards a desired career.  But while script adaptation and translation are a huge part of the JVTA-LA, it isn’t all the school has to offer.

“They basically contacted me out of the blue and asked if I would be interested in teaching a Script Adaptation Class,” said Crispin Freeman.  “I said I would be honored!  I asked if it was all right if I also taught a Voice Acting Class and my Anime Mythology Seminar.  They thought they were great ideas so we started working together.”  But what are these two classes?  The Voice Acting Workshop is just as it sounds.  It’s a great opportunity to get insights from Freeman and his more than a decade’s worth of experience.  Not only that, actors get a chance to take a crack at dubbing to picture, where they get to learn firsthand the difficulties that come with the career.  The Anime Mythology Seminar is a bit unique in the JVTA-LA lineup.  While other classes are more directly linked to developing skills that will help you in the industry, this is more just an analytical look at anime in general.  Normally performed at anime conventions, Freeman’s Anime Mythology Seminar is an hour presentation where he explains how religious traditions in America in Japan lead them to create very different forms of storytelling in their animation. 



All that leads to a total of five different types of classes: English to Japanese Translation (Beginning and Intermediate), Japanese to English Translation (Beginning and Intermediate), Script Adaptation, Voice Acting Workshops (Beginning and Intermediate), and Anime Mythology Seminars.  It’s a rather promising lineup for a school that’s just starting out.  But that isn’t all they have in mind for the future: “We’ve discussed offering a Japanese language class,” said Frootan.  “But we want to do it less like a college class and more like a fun type of language class.  Where it’s taught through anime and culture.”  This idea is greatly in keeping with the whole mindset of offering something that students just can’t anywhere else: hands-on experience.  And after completing the six-week Script Adaptation Class, I can personally attest that everything is hands-on.

Every day before coming to class, we were to have an episode of an anime adapted and ready to go.  We would then get up in front of the class and actually dub over certain sections of the episode from our scripts.  In doing this we not only get to see if the dialogue matches lip flap, but if it flows well.  And trust me, you can adapt a whole bunch of scripts, but you’ll never learn as much as when you physically see if it works on-screen.  It is that hands-on experience that makes this school such a unique beast.  Most of us simply aren’t exposed to that world.  

So if you’re in the L.A. area and are even considering a career in the anime industry, you owe it to yourself to take one of these classes.  If nothing else, it is a fantastic indicator of the work required by the industry, so that you may better understand if you actually have the desire to pursue the career.  And that in itself is a chance that not everyone gets.

“I believe there’s only a small niche of people who get to do these jobs that nobody else knows about,” said Frootan.  “We’re trying to tell [people] that there is a job.  There is a market for these skills that you have that you can cultivate and be able to work in an industry that you like.”

Why OEL Manga Suffers in the U.S.

Deb Aoki of manga.about.com posted an article (chronicling an Anime Expo panel) about reasons why the U.S. doesn't by Original English Language manga.

In a few words, I believe that manga fans generally like manga because it's different from American comics. Comic fans generally tend to steer clear of manga as well. So when you have something that's a mix of manga and American comics, it gets thrown by the wayside by both consumers. But that's just one small aspect of a series of problems.

Rather than delve into these problems myself and claim it as my own thoughts, I'll go ahead and link you to Aoki's article, which delves into why things are they way they are.

I will, however, comment on what I feel is the most important aspect brought up in the panel. That's about having companies that invest in their artists. TokyoPop gets some hate in the panel in how it treats its OEL artists, and some seem to be of the opinion that companies should take the more Japanese approach, including apprenticeships and what not.

One company that seems to be taking small steps is Yen Press, who is serializing the OEL title Nightschool. Now, I don't want to claim I know for sure how they are handling things--because I don't--but serializing OEL's and bundling them with more traditional manga and manwha. This not only gives the artist ample time to develop their skills, but also gives the readers a chance to warm up to the material. I started out not really like Nightschool, only reading because it was there. Now I find myself just as eager to read it as the many other titles available in Yen Plus.

Although not every publishing company is so fortunate as to have a manga anthology magazine. Even VIZ Media has had the recent displeasure of ending one fo theirs this year. And with the way things are right now, not many companies are in it to take chances.

Anyways, as promised, here is the article.

This was an off-the-cuff post, so if you would like me to delve into this idea more thoroughly, please let me know.