This is... slightly confusing, but seems to be the start of an interesting adventure. While I'm not comfortable yet recommending it, I will give book 2 a try before I make a firm opinion on the series.

A new-to-me manga series about a teen who gets sucked into a different world with the shrunken world literally in his hands. The book has a very interesting premise, and I think my students will love it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for a free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Vol 1 of World Piece was an interesting read. I definitely see the manga inspiration, but World Piece was fully its own. I'm curious about what will come next in the Viz Originals imprint. In the next volume, I'd hope to see a little more character development since much of this volume was used to set up the main conflict.

World Traversing Adventure in World Piece Vol. 1

Mangakas: Josh Tierney (Story), Agroshka (Art)
Publisher: VIZ Media
Genres: Action-Adventure Fantasy Science Fiction
Published: June 8, 2021

VIZ Media has been open for submissions from anybody wanting to get their manga pieces published. Of course, it’s not as easy as 1, 2, and 3, but this is a good avenue for those aspiring to have their own published manga out there. There’s probably some tight competition and rigorous selection process, but a slim chance is way better than no chances. The great thing is, it’s not just a fad. There’s already a product of this project, and that’s what we’re reviewing for this article.

Contains Spoilers

Discussion Time

World Piece follows the story of Lucas Densen, an easygoing basketball player. Since his mother is an archeologist, he frequents her dig site every time there’s an opportunity. But during one certain visit, he touches an artifact that he should have not touched. The next moment, he finds himself in a dark room with a shrunken Earth the size of a ball. Thrown in a new world, his new mission is to search for a way to turn the Earth back to normal and return to his uneventful, carefree life.

Why You Should Read World Piece Vol. 1

Basketball Fighting in Action

The world Lucas’ came to isn’t necessarily a harmless one. Even though it isn’t really at war, an alien-like him has multiple ways of dying on his first day. What’s more is that the first sentient being he meets, Lully, isn’t exactly a nobody. By aiding Lucas and escaping seclusion, Lully also brings unwarranted chasers. What’s more is that Mitton, the second sentient ally Lucas meets, isn’t entirely clear of dangers as well. This is where Lucas’ basketball comes into play. Using the Earth as an indestructible ball, Lucas dribbles and throws it toward dangerous-looking opponents. Fortunately, the Earth is virtually indestructible or who knows what will happen to all the lives within it.

Multiple Motivations Towards a Common Goal

Even though Lucas is the centerpiece, the people he meets also have their motivations. It’s something similar to One Piece. The characters have different dreams, but they should be achieved after reaching the same goal. In World Piece, that is turning the Earth back to normal. Interestingly, every person Lucas meets on his journey is mixed up with some sort of big thing. Not only Lully and Mitton, even the robot and the thief he meets have some sort of bigger motives. It’s interesting to see this big spider web of a plot unfold.

Why You Should Skip World Piece Vol. 1

The Worldbuilding Is a Bit Lacking

If it’s not that obvious, there’re a lot of things happening in this series. The thing is that too many things are happening that the lore doesn’t get explored much. We only know enough to understand what’s happening to the protagonist, but we do not get enough depth to be fully immersed in the story. What’s more is that the characters have big of motivations and backstories, but their stories are only mentioned in passing, so we really can’t empathize with them much.

Final Thoughts

Being a VIZ Media original, World Piece isn’t the typical manga series. For one, it’s good to note that it’s read from left to right rather than the typical right to left. Even though it’s inspired by manga, the series still has obvious western points of storytelling, and it’s not a bad thing. It’s nice to see the industry expanding, but we hope that the next volumes will explore the lore more.

By: Christian Markle

This concept alone is crazy enough to warrant a purchase, the writing is a little generic and I'd like to see more character development in the next volumes.

World Piece has an appealing hero, an intriguing and original origin story, and while some plot elements are "stock" it's interesting enough to appeal to older middle school & younger teens. The art is appealing, cleanly drawn, and has something of a manga feel while having a distinct style.

So honestly, this book was a bit confusing to read. I liked it and want to see where it goes but it didn't hold as much as my attention as I thought it would. The artwork was lovely.

An interesting concept keeps me hooked on reading more, though the execution of its storytelling determines its longevity and that is how I feel about this title. I have an idea of who the titular trio are - Lucas the sporty fish-out-of-water shounen protagonist; Lully the ever-curious princess; Mitton the reluctant yet strategic soldier - though I have a hard time connecting with these characters. They come across as people talking about the story and it’s rules as opposed to characters I want to follow in it. The transitions between scenes and panels are not fluid nor dynamic enough to keep my attention; often feeling klunky when action takes place.

This work left me curious about where this adventure will lead me - obviously closer to how Lucas can get back home, yet more of how much longer can I be engaged with the characters and, ultimately, the concept? I want to see more character development than the cookie cutter and lackluster portrayal from this volume. While the mystery of the indestructible basketball that is Earth is cool, I may not be in for the ride for long.

I can see this title working for a younger audience (8 - 13 year olds) as it has simple characters with a mildly interesting set up. Though as an adult in his mid-twenties, it is a hard pass.

Luke is an aspiring high school basketball player whose mother is an archaeologist, and she has just secured him a visitor pass to come to her latest dig site. Despite her warning not to touch anything, Luke is drawn to an artifact that looks similar to the others his mom’s team has uncovered, but the artifact pulls Luke into a dark place, where the Earth is the size of a basketball! He runs into a girl named Lully, who calls this place the Black Gateway. Luke grabs the Earth and Lully leads him out of the darkness into her bedroom. They decide to travel to the closest town to see if there’s anyone who can help Luke get the Earth back to normal size. Along the way, they meet Mitton, a deserter from the military force on this planet, and they must fight to keep the Earth out of the hands of mercenaries and evil robots who all want it for the evil Damas.

This is one of the first stories in a new line of North American manga (also known as Original English Language manga, or OEL manga for short) that Viz is publishing, so it reads from left to right like North American texts. The story is slightly compelling, especially if you really need to know what happened to the basketball-sized Earth. That answer isn’t in volume one, of course. Also, Luke is able to use the Earth as a sort of weapon, and he shoots it at people like he’s playing basketball. This doesn’t end up hurting the planet at all, which is also not explained in volume one. This is a decent start to a new series that would be good for collections where sports manga, particularly Kuroko's Basketball, is popular.

VIZ rates this for older teen because of language and violence. There is some blood in a few fight scenes, but otherwise, it isn’t overly violent. There aren’t a ton of cuss words either, so the rating seems to be slightly inflated. I wonder if it will become more violent in volumes to come.

Sara’s Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley. This graphic novel will be on sale August 1, 2021.

World Piece is the latest work by Eisner-nominated writer Josh TIerney (Spera, Hunters, Warm Blood). This Japanese manga-inspired work follows Lucas Densen, a high-school basketball player, who after finding a mysterious artifact is whisked away to the planet of Affin. Not only has he been transported to an alien world, but he finds in his possession the planet Earth now shrunk down to the size of a basketball. After meeting the pampered-but-sheltered Lully and the pacifist soldier Mitton, the group searches for a way to return the planet Earth to its normal size.

There are a lot of good things going for this series. For one, Agroshka’s art really does wonders for the atmosphere of the story. Affin is presented as a futuristic world right out of a sci-fi movie, with robots and aliens roaming the streets. Each of these elements is captured quite beautifully on the page, and I can’t think of any instances where the art felt lacking or stiff. When there was action, it flowed through the panels, and when characters were still they still felt alive through Agroshka’s portrayal of them.

The premise is also intriguing and feels inspired by the isekai genre frequently seen in anime and manga. Having a character transplanted into an unfamiliar world and having them use skills and talents from their old world in order to navigate often makes for interesting scenarios.

Thirdly, I love seeing a dark-skinned protagonist in a series. Too often, especially in manga and anime, POCs are only represented as supporting or background characters. It’s always encouraging to see a character that POCs (like myself) can see themselves as or can put themselves into the shoes of. Seeing characters that look like you is always important, especially in media aimed at younger audiences.

I have several issues with the first volume of World Piece as well. While the premise is intriguing, this volume does very little to hook me outside of that. Earth’s shrinking is strange and mysterious, but the fact that so little is explained and planet shrinking seems to be a fairly common occurrence (there are planet thieves) detracts from my overall interest. While I enjoy a good mystery, when there are only questions piling up with very few answers it’s hard for me to remain entertained.

Another issue is the characters. Lully and Mitton are very stereotypical archetypes: Lully is the positive and determined character who always wants to help her friends and Mitton is the serious soldier who is sick of fighting. Sure, these archetypes are popular for a reason, but when that’s all there is to a character they come off fairly one-note. Lucas is the only character I really feel invested in.

However, here is where my third major issue comes in: Lucas is confusingly competent. Initially, he is portrayed as an optimistic teen who loves basketball. But after transporting to a new world and finding the Earth in its new basketball-sized form he quickly takes action to find a way to fix it. I like having a proactive main character, but Lucas is a bit too quick-thinking.

In this first volume, he develops his own fighting style that incorporates basketball moves and uses the Earth as a weapon. Considering how little he knows about his situation, it struck me as incredibly strange how quickly he was willing to use the Earth as a weapon and then proceeds to continue to fight with it in just about every altercation he finds himself in.

Overall, the first volume of World Piece introduces a lot of interesting concepts, but future installments will have to add more compelling elements to the characters and the plot to make this a series worth following.

With script from Josh Tierney and artwork from Agroshka, World Piece is a sure winner. The characters are interesting and well drawn and the premise of a shrunken Earth needing saving is timely. I am eagerly awaiting book 2.

This is a different sort of action/sci fi book, where 16-year-old Lucas finds himself the actual guardian of a shrunken earth. Some of his decisions seem to be catastrophic for our world, but he does his best.

Before we begin, I would like to thank Viz Media for the opportunity for giving me a chance to review this brand new series. The story we’re going to be looking at is the first volume of World Piece, written by the Eisner Nominated writer, Josh Tierney and Illustrated by Agroshka.

In this Sci-Fi Adventure, we meet a 16-year-old boy named Lucas Densen, an advantageous, easygoing Basketball Player who earned his reputation through hard work and determination. Life was smooth sailing until one day, an alien artifact shrinks everything and the world into a palm-sized sphere, he finds himself on a new quest, to save the world and get it back to normal!

It is an interesting concept that they have brought us, the protagonist is taken on an Archaeological Dig and the next moment being transported to another world thanks to an Alien Artifact. Lucas finds himself on an planet called Affin, then realizing that some of the residents have been stealing and eating other planets which will make Lucas’s job even harder! The pacing of the story is a tad slow at first but helps keep the reader intrigued, it has that Shonen feel to it, and it works well for what Josh is trying to tell.

While this is catered to a Young Adult Audience I think that it is a good fit for readers who enjoy a good Fantasy, Sci-Fi Story. World Piece is part of the Viz Originals Line, a new imprint dedicated to publishing original graphic novels developed by manga-inspired creators. It’s different from what you’re normally reading but that’s not a bad thing I swear! The artwork in this story is great, the character designs stand out, and the detail on the weapons and robots, etc. It’s not the first time this duo has worked together, she did a collaboration with Josh on the High School Mystery Webcomic series Warm Blood, this is her first time working in a Graphic Novel Series and this was a solid good start, I’m looking forward to what Lucas and his friends do next.

Well, that was certainly different. It's not different in a bad way it is just different, both from what I normally expect from the publisher and what I normally read. The reasoning behind this is actually fascinating, in short Viz is working to create some new English first manga by western authors which I am all for if it means more great stories faster and in past, the other manga like this that I have read have been great. Now for this title in particular I would say it was pretty great overall. It was a fun sci-fi adventure that felt really original. The only thing stopping it from striking my mind as wholly original would be the fact that the back of my mind kept insisting that it was a lot like Voltron. I don't know what about this reminded me of that but it did if that gives you any idea as to what this could be about. Now while I found this to be a really solid book it is unfortunately just not one I personally enjoyed as much as I would have liked. It is yet another case of, not for me but definitely for someone else.

This was lacking a bit. Felt like some plot points were there because they were expected or tropes (parents don't understand! on a quest for a scientist after doing no research!). And to be honest, I just couldn't get over the fact that the main character was using Erath, his precious home planet that he was trying to protect above all else, as a basketball and a weapon! The art was clean and interesting, but not the series for me.

I never thought I'd ever see the day Viz would publish OEL Manga. Yet here it is, everymen teens fumbling their way through everything. I'm a little jealous of how lucky main character Lucas is, he's got a good life and a good personality. That said, he's socially awkward and fumbles his way into the conflict by instigating everything. Then we have two sheltered space teens needing to break. What brings them all together is something so absurd out, analogies shouldn't be so obvious.

A lot of arguments would be things would've been better if everybody just did nothing. But that's what life is, things happening for no apparent reason and being able to adjust to everything. Right now this series has potential but needs more breathing room.

North American styled manga that is a lot of fun!! The main character is a basketball player that gets transported to an alien world along with a miniaturized version of the planet Earth. Together with new friends, the protagonist travels through this new sci-fi world with robots and bounty hunters in order to find a way to turn the Earth back to normal.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Viz Media for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review!

This story is wild! Lucas goes from being a normal basketball star to travelling among the stars in about .2 seconds, all because he touched something he wasn't supposed to. Guess he should have listened to his mother! Lucas's journey so far trying to find a way to restore Earth is packed with action and a lot of characters fighting to take his world from him, all with different motivations. I really enjoyed reading this and will definitely be recommending it to anyone interested in sci-fi adventure stories.


Side note/Spoiler: For as much as Lucas wants to protect Earth, he sure throws it around quite a bit.

What a fun new series! I think this will appeal to a wide audience. Action packed but with enough emotional impact to please those looking for friendship/love genres.

The characters are interesting, the plot moves at a nice pace and the artwork is visually sharp. There is even a twist towards the end of this volume which gives it bonus points for me.

I will definitely be adding it to our young adult school library collection.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I did not read the description of this one and really went into with no expectations. I am officially intrigued.

The story starts quite simply with Lucas living his life, playing basketball, and going with his archaeologist mom to her dig site. Then it quickly devolves into sci-fi when the Earth shrinks to the size of a basketball. I do wish there had been a bit more substance in certain parts, but I wasn't disappointed in this one at all. I think this will definitely have some fans.

For Libraries: Classified as general adult, but this first volume doesn't have anything that will keep me from adding it to my teen shelves. (Mild swearing and violence)