Netflix and WIT Studio have released a deep dive into The One Piece, the anime remake of the long-running and beloved series from Eiichiro Oda.
Netflix uploaded a 20 minute video detailing the show in its early production stages and interviewing the key staff behind it. Concept art for the remake series —which will arrive in the seasonal anime style and not as a weekly release, essentially meaning lots of filler from the original anime will be cut — was also released and can be seen below.
The series was announced in a surprise December 2023 reveal, and even director Masashi Koizuka said he was shocked when he first heard about it. "I was still half in doubt," he admitted. "It started from, 'Were they really going to do it?' I was able to talk to Oda-sensei, and that was when I knew this is a happening for real."
Oda had told Koizuka and the team at WIT Studio he wanted them to create a version that didn't just didn't "copy and paste" his own work but allowed their own expression. The staff still studied Oda's style religiously, but looked to create the feeling of his manga rather than a direct scene for scene recreation.
It will still tell the same story, of course, but The One Piece may feature different angles or emphases in its scenes. WIT Studio even created a video game style 3D world map of each location to scope it out for interesting spots and angles.
As for the team itself, Koizuka revealed WIT Studio mostly assigned a young staff to The One Piece. This is because, having now run for 27 years, these team members all have an intrinsic connection to the manga and show as they consumed it growing up, and therefore know the importance of each element.
"The members we have today is [built] under the concept of having young staff," Koizuka said. "They grew up watching One Piece at a young age. Now, working on this project, still having joy and excitement as a reader, they have a strong sense of what they felt when they were younger because they were the target audience back then.
"I feel the strength of project and team is how people who felt excitement, who know the passion for a particular comic frame, and who've enjoyed reading, are all assembled as a team. So they tell us about it. 'It's this. This is the important part.'"
While the longevity and popularity of The One Piece was never particularly in question, thanks to many fans asking for this style of remake for years, Koizuka made clear he was ready to commit for the long haul.
"I'm facing this as a long series," he said. "If people like what we've created, we know we would be creating this in the long run. And if it does, it means the work is loved by many. I want to continue for a long period and create this forever."
No release date for the show has been shared yet, but as Netflix is seemingly drumming up the marketing campaign, it will perhaps come sooner rather than later.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/the-one-piece-anime-remake-gets-deep-dive-from-netflix-and-wit-studio