Netflix’s highly anticipated anime remake of One Piece will modernize the pacing and visuals of the classic series, according to the President and CEO of WIT Studio.
During an interview on The Ai Show, George Wada spoke about the change in THE ONE PIECE, explaining how it was largely inspired by original creator Eiichiro Oda’s concern that the 1999 Toei Animation version of the series may not resonate with younger audiences — the reasons being because of its slower pacing and the dated 4:3 aspect ratio.
According to Wada, WIT will use “modern techniques” that younger audiences are accustomed to in more recent anime they’ve likely seen. He also says that there will be “tight” pacing that’ll cut down on the filler to avoid “unnecessary stretching.”
If any company could do One Piece the right way, it’s WIT, which is responsible for popular anime adaptations like Attack on Titan, Spy x Family, and Vinland Saga.
Netflix first revealed that One Piece was getting a new adaptation back in 2023 at Jump Festa in Tokyo. With the original manga as its source material, WIT will start with the East Blue arc and make its way through the series.
Details about THE ONE PIECE are pretty scarce, with no release date being shared yet. However, in 2024, Netflix announced that Attack on Titan director Masashi Koizuka would direct the series. The assistant director Hideaki Abe previously served as an episode director for Jujutsu Kaisen and as a key animator on projects such as Mob Psycho 100.
In other One Piece news, actress Jamie Lee Curtis said that Netflix's live-action adaptation of the manga is the “greatest adaptation of an anime and a manga into a live action.”
She also revealed that she would have been in it as Dr. Kureha, but she had scheduling conflicts that prevented her from doing so.
“I didn’t get to do it because it was in South Africa, and I was shooting something else,” she explained. “If it had been Los Angeles or any place nearer, I would have absolutely been able to be in it. But I’m so thrilled Katey [Sagal] did it, and it is fantastic.”
