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George Wada, CEO of Production IG (Kaiju No. 8, Ghost in the Shell) and WIT Studio (Attack on Titan, Spy x Family), has revealed why they are remaking the One Piece anime series, citing technological advances that could keep fans of the series from watching the original series.
Wada talked about his goal of taking IG and WIT to the next level in a new interview with Realsound. “One of the iconic projects that both companies have is THE ONE PIECE,” he revealed. “Eiichiro Oda has a strong desire to spread Japanese manga to more people around the world, and for that reason, he also took on the challenge of making a live-action version of ONE PIECE. In order to spread Japanese anime further around the world, it is necessary to reach people who have never been exposed to it before.” Wada cited how the success of Haikyu!! in Japan is introducing the series to new fans, and how “both we and Oda have a desire to spread anime to people who have not known it yet and to the world. THE ONE PIECE was planned as a starting point.”
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One Piece is now one of the biggest IPs in the world. However, Wada highlighted a barrier for young people who want to watch the series—namely, older footage, which has caused mixed reactions online. “For young people who are used to watching modern anime thanks to technological innovation, footage from 25 years ago when the ONE PIECE anime aired may be difficult to watch because it is in a different format,” he said. Wada received the blessing of One Piece’s current animation studio, Toei Animation, which told staff, “Please do your best, and we will continue to do our best with the latest episodes.” Wada added that the One Piece manga, anime, and live-action will overlap to spread One Piece around the world.
Upcoming One Piece Anime Remake May Use AI to “Create Better Work”
The announcement of the One Piece remake has drawn widespread interest from anime fans; Wit Studio is known for its quality, having produced works such as Attack on Titan (Parts 1-3). Wada revealed that Production I.G. is assisting in the production of the One Piece remake, and detailed how it is collaborating with studios such as CloverWorks and Khara to improve its series, with Kaiju No. 8 being the latest example. The company has also collaborated with studios such as Trigger, MAPPA, CoMix Wave Films, and more. However, some One Piece fans have voiced concerns about the potential use of AI in the remake. Wada's subsequent comments may have added to these concerns, stating that the official staff regularly discusses the use of AI. “As technology develops, we will continue to explore ways to use AI and digital drawing tools to create better works, and we hope to raise the level of the entire anime industry,” he continued.
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The largest official One Piece store is coming to Los Angeles for a limited time
The world's largest official One Piece store, One Piece Mugiwara, will be in Los Angeles at Toei Animation's Anime Expo booth this summer.
THE ONE PIECE will stream on Netflix, which is currently streaming the latest episodes of the anime series a week behind Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll describes the ongoing One Piece anime: “Monkey D. Luffy refuses to let anyone or anything stand in the way of his quest to become king of all pirates. With his course mapped out for the dangerous waters of the Grand Line and beyond, here comes a captain who will never give up until he has claimed the greatest treasure on Earth: the legendary One Piece!”
A piece
Created by Eiichiro Oda, the One Piece series follows the adventures of pirate Luffy D. Monkey and his Straw Hat crew. Since the first manga debuted in 1997, One Piece has been adapted into an ongoing anime and has spawned several films. Most recently, it was adapted into a live-action series by Netflix.
Created by Eiichiro Oda
First TV show One Piece (1999)
Latest TV show Netflix's One Piece
First episode air date October 20, 1999
Cast Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Christopher Sabat, Kerry Williams, Kappei Yamaguchi, Sonny Strait, Hiroaki Hirata, Eric Valette, Ikue Ootani
Source: Realsound