If there’s one announcement no one ever expected, it’s definitely this one.
Summary:
- The announcement of One Piece remake anime by Wit Studio left many fans asking questions.
- We don’t know much about it yet, but Toei Animation is mentioned in the trailer, indicating they are most likely on the production board.
- Netflix seems to be releasing it, and they announce that it will “start with the East Blue Saga”, potentially indicating more arcs in the future.
- Overall, there are many reasons why people are excited for the project, including curiosity and accessibility for newer fans.
- Some fans, however, are arguing the remake is pointless, along other concerns.
The announcement of a remake of One Piece by Wit Studio has left the anime fandom in uproar. The concept trailer for the remake, titled “The One Piece,” has been shown during Jump Festa this weekend. And, since there’s little to no information available so far, there’s a lot of speculation on the web about the project. Let’s go over what we know right now about this announcement — which is probably the biggest thing that happened to anime in the past few years.
An unexpected announcement
An idea of remaking a currently ongoing project seems insane by itself. While it technically has happened in the past (although in most cases, the original anime was in OVA format), it’s unprecedented to have it happen to a project of such scale. One Piece is a worldwide cultural phenomenon, and its name and instantly-recognized look became iconic in the eyes of millions of fans both in Japan and outside it. As such, the fandom is extremely confused (and divided in opinions).
The main questions are obvious: why is this made, who is this for, what parts of the manga the remake is going to cover, and what to expect in general. Another big question that many are pondering about is — how is it even possible? Wouldn’t Toei be against this? Going over the available information gives the fans at least some answers.
Why was it made?
The goal of the remake — and its target audience — seems pretty obvious. Many newer otaku have been hesitant about getting into One Piece — both because of its immense length and its (presumed) slow pace.
Moreover, the older art style of the original adaptation (which started airing in the 90s!) is also scaring many newer fans, who are not used to watching older anime. It’s safe to conclude the newer project is aimed mostly at modern otaku who aren’t into the series yet — and don’t want to commit to an over a thousand episodes long series.
The information is lacking so far
In general, there’s not much information on the remake to make many conclusions. The project is tied to the manga’s 25th anniversary — but it might be a long time before the anime actually comes out. However, some things stood out from the trailer alone: despite the new anime being made by Wit, it seems that Toei Animation (the studio behind the currently-running series) and Fuji TV (the channel airing it) are on the production board for it.
This answers the question of how it is happening in the first place, in some sense: the studio of the original adaptation is involved, but they aren’t the one producing the animation. Other companies that are tied to the project are Shueisha (the publisher that owns Shounen Jump) and Netflix. Supposedly, the new anime is going to be released on Netflix, which is the biggest platform when it comes to reaching non-anime fans.
What is it going to cover?
As announced on Netflix’s X (formerly Twitter) original account, the new anime is going to “start with the East Blue Saga.” While no adaptation confirmed past that point, the wording strongly suggests that there are plans to get the remake further than that.
Netflix producing it, however, might be a double-edged sword for the new series: while yes, One Piece arcs are better when binged, and Netflix might release them in batches, the batches are unlikely to be longer than 12-15 episodes — more wouldn’t be profitable, and fans would be unhappy waiting for too long. And small batches don’t really help when it comes to following long arcs, while simultaneously hurting the anime’s popularity.
The positives
Despite that, fans seem to be generally happy with this remake. Even if they aren’t necessarily hyped up, the project’s very existence is already piquing the curiosity of many otaku. Moreover, many feel like the original anime is slow-paced — and that the new anime is going to include more chapters per episode on average. A modernization of the graphics is also welcomed by many.
It’s also very possible that the anime’s format is going to be similar to that of My Hero Academia (a lot of seasons with breaks in-between). Many otaku who aren’t fans of One Piece also expressed interest, thinking that the One Piece anime is finally going to be accessible without much commitment. In general, there are enough positives about the announcement that the general opinion is positive as well.
The concerns
Not all fans are happy, however — and many expressed concerns about the new adaptation as well. Even at a faster pace, it would take years for The One Piece to catch up with the original One Piece — and it will be confusing to have three adaptations (the third being live action) of the same series airing at the same time. This might split the fandom, which obviously isn’t good.
Moreover, many just don’t see the point — while the 90s style of East Blue might seem dated, it’s also iconic and, of course, in no way bad. The background art is very good in particular, and the action is solid, especially for its era.
Some fans are concerned that the new anime will have the opposite problem of being too fast-paced — and, of course, you shouldn’t forget that Wit Studio is yet to finish a major adaptation (Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga, for example, were both given to MAPPA).
A lot of these concerns are reasonable. There was also a mention of the new anime employing “cutting-edge animation techniques,” which many thought meant it would be made using AI art — but that assumption is baseless and should not be taken seriously.
We don’t know enough yet
Overall, we just don’t know enough about the project (including when it is actually going to air) to say much about it yet. The concerns are reasonable, but it’s also normal to be looking forward to it. If there’s one thing that both fans who wanted it and fans who think it’s pointless agree on, it’s the casting choice.
We don’t know anything about the cast, outside of one thing — arguably the most important one: Mayumi Tanaka, the voice actress of Luffy, voiced his line in the trailer — which means, at least, that the creative minds behind the new series are aware of what the long-time fans want.