‘One Piece’ Manga Publication Sets New Printing Record

Eiichiro Oda's pirate-themed adventure manga "One Piece" has set a new publishing record in Japan - one so huge that it's reminiscent of when McDonald's stopped counting customers and slapped the slogan "billions served" on its sign.

Examiner reports that "One Piece" Vol. 56 will run 2.85 million copies when it hits stands on December 4. That's up from the last record of 2.63 million the series set with volume 55 (and earlier on volume 27).

The series began publication in Japan's "Shonen Jump" back in '97, launching an anime and animated film franchise of similarly explosive popularity.

I got super into "One Piece" at the beginning of my freshmen year of college, tracking down every episode of the then fan-subbed anime and manga shortly before its incorporation into Viz's English "Shonen Jump." English-reading North American fans are still on volume 22, meaning they've got some catching up to do.

Funimation's initial attempts to import the anime were so abysmal I can't imagine the property will ever achieve the renown it deserves here in the states, but it's pretty cool to see such a weird and wonderful series top the charts in Japan.