Last year, it was revealed that WIT Studio will be bringing a new shine to the beloved One Piece anime series, and things are certainly shaping up. The animation powerhouse has unveiled the staff involved in the project, alongside a behind-a-scenes look into the production and concept art in a livestream held during One Piece Day 2024 on 10 and 11 November.
The Netflix show, titled The One Piece, is set to follow the same story as the source material, starting with the East Blue Saga. Masashi Koizuka, the director of Attack on Titan, is helming the remake, which currently has no release date. As announced on X/Twitter, the full list of staff members is as follows:
- Director: Masashi Koizuka (Attack on Titan)
- Assistant Director: Hideaki Abe (Jujutsu Kaisen)
- Character Design / Chief Animation Director: Kyoji Asano (Attack on Titan, SPY x FAMILY), Takatoshi Honda (In/Spectre, The First Slam Dunk)
- Series Composition: Taku Kishimoto (Ranking of Kings, Haikyu!!)
- Prop Design: Eri Taguchi
- Action Animator: Shuhei Fukuda, Ken Imaizumi
- Art Director: Tomonori Kuroda
- Creature Design / Concept Art: Yasuhiro Kajino
In a separate interview, fans also got a first glimpse of concept art for Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Zoro, Sanji, and other characters, as well as image boards for major scenes in the original anime. The stylistic flair seems to be a good look for the ambitious project, marrying a soft, charming colour palette with a surprisingly coherent adherence to creator Eiichiro Oda’s initial art style.
“Rather than reproducing the manga of One Piece, the anime staff should digest it and remake it in their own style. I want you all to express rather than copy and paste the work,” advised Oda to the anime remake team.
The existing One Piece anime is currently 20 seasons deep, reaching the end of the Wano Saga. As for the live-action adaptation, Season 2 will set sail with fan-favourites like Crocus, Dorry, and Brogy, as well as agents from Baroque Works. A release date has yet to be announced, but fans can expect more information from Netflix’s Geeked Week 2024, taking place from 16 to 19 September.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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