Weekly Shonen Jump magazine has announced that creator Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece Episode 0 manga story will be animated as a limited edition OVA. Episode 0, set 20 years before the events depicted in the primary One Piece story, will debut in December’s Weekly Shonen Jump 2009 issue 53. The first 1.5 million moviegoers attending theatrical screenings of this December’s One Piece Film: Strong World will also receive a free bound copy of the manga story. The animated version of the Episode 0 manga will be released on 3,000 limited-edition DVDs given away in collaboration with House Foods. The House Foods company has previously been involved in anime promotions, including sponsoring the production of original anime TV commercials directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
