In 1997, Eiichiro Oda, now one of the world’s most famous manga artists, began to win over a legion of fans with the release of “One Piece.” The series follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, on their quest for the unknown treasure that has become the most coveted on the planet. With its success in print, the title soon underwent the process to which great works are subjected: adaptation to a new format.
Debuting in 1999 under the production of Toei Animation, the anime continues to receive new episodes to this day (just like the manga), keeping alive the quest for the secret left behind by the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. However, did you know that Oda is no longer entirely satisfied with the anime? WIT Studio president George Wada revealed in an interview with the AI Show channel that there is a sense of “regret” regarding the series that premiered 27 years ago on Japanese TV, citing this as one of the reasons for creating the new version for the big screen: “THE ONE PIECE.”
The reason for Oda’s “regret” regarding the anime
Hold on! Oda’s regret doesn’t refer to the technical quality for the time. In fact, the mangaka has reservations about the number of episodes, since, over the decades, he believes the adaptation could have been executed differently to better serve the grandeur of the story and new generations. This is because the anime often stretches out short scenes from the manga to avoid catching up with the print publication, resulting in episodes with slow pacing or so-called “fillers”—that is, episodes created to fill the gap between one canonical event (based on the manga) and another.
Generally, these episodes do not affect the understanding of the main narrative, and are often skipped by more dedicated fans. As a result, the anime has already surpassed the 1,000-episode mark, becoming one of the longest in history. The problem? According to Wada, Oda believes that, no matter how detailed the project is, because it is so extensive, it may alienate younger audiences. “He felt a bit of regret about that and wanted the new generation to get to know and follow the story,” said the producer.
A new version?
Thus, the idea arose to recreate the animated version in order to condense the story, maintaining the essence of the manga in a more dynamic way. Thus, “THE ONE PIECE” is expected to use modern techniques suited to today’s audience, creating episodes that are not meant to replace the first version but can become a new option for those who feel intimidated by the thousands of episodes in the current series.
Unveiled by Netflix at Jump Festa in Tokyo in 2023, the new anime will be animated by WIT Studio, with Masashi Koizuka—known for his work on “Attack on Titan”—serving as director, supported by Hideaki Abi of “Jujutsu Kaisen,” who is credited as assistant director. “THE ONE PIECE” does not yet have any previews or a confirmed release date. The classic version of the anime, however, can be found on streaming platforms such as Netflix, HBO Max, and Crunchyroll.
Source: x.com
