The artwork of One Piece starts with a very simple style. The designs initially seem very cartoonish with much of the character designs showing more North American influence than that from its Japanese origins. One Piece's Japanese origins do work their way up in the form of the familiar big eyes and the typical expressions of many of the characters. The artwork and settings come across as timeless in their presentation. While the setting points back to a romanticized vision of the great sailing age, the characters--in both their mannerisms and clothing--are set firmly in modern times. While the male character designs are often quite varied and unique, the female designs do get a bit repetitive. Mr. Oda admits that female characters are often the hardest for him to draw.