Some elementary school students in Japan are incredibly lucky, as they get to experience One Piece as part of their school curriculum. They learn with the program to discover and artistically express their own dreams.
What does such a lesson look like? The focus of the lesson is for the children to recognize what their own dreams are and to hold onto them.
First, the teacher gives an overview of the story of the pirate adventure. The focus is on the characters’ dreams and that they pursue them until the end. As a symbol of their dreams, the pirates’ flags of the individual characters are presented.
You can find the appropriate newspaper article on the X account of pewpiece:
After that, the students are divided into groups and must think about their own dreams. The dreams can be rooted in various areas of life, such as:
- Personal interests
- Career aspirations
- Future goals
These dreams are written down and discussed with the other students. In the process, the strengths of each student become apparent. In the end, the children get to paint their own Jolly Roger, which is meant to symbolize their dream.
The ships in One Piece also partially symbolize the dreams of the individual pirates. The five coolest ships can be found in the following video from MeinMMO:
One Piece visits elementary schools in Japan
Why is One Piece incorporated into the school curriculum? The manga publisher Shueisha, responsible for the publication of the One Piece manga, organized the program. It is a nationwide initiative aiming to combine vocational training with cultural appreciation.
Since its introduction last year, 47 schools have already been visited. On June 28, 2024, it was the turn of Shirahata Elementary School in the city of Kosa. There, the special lesson inspired by One Piece was held.
Will there be a similar initiative in Germany? Currently, there are no plans for Shueisha to bring this initiative to Germany. It is likely that this program will only take place in Japan, as the manga publisher is rooted there.
One Piece is now celebrating great success not only in Japan but worldwide. The franchise is so popular that manga artist Eiichiro Oda is now working on a live-action adaptation. We also now know who will take on new roles in season 2: The live-action series for One Piece features 3 more new actors – one of whom we know from Game of Thrones
