Why the ‘One Piece’ Anime Remake Is a Good Idea, According to an Amateur Fan

One Piece has managed the impossible. The manga has published over 1100 chapters, the anime is over 1000 episodes long, and Netflix’s live-action adaptation beat a global record previously held by mega-hits Wednesday and Stranger Things. Now, the One Piece franchise—and Netflix by extension—have capitalized on that success by announcing an anime remake.

Yes, you read that right—the anime that is still ongoing is getting a remake. This past weekend, Netflix announced that it would be working with WIT Studio, known for producing shows like SPY x FAMILY and Attack on Titan, to create a new adaptation of One Piece, starting from its iconic introductory East Blue Saga.

So why, you might ask, is this latest One Piece adaptation at all necessary? The world is being inundated with reboots, remakes, endless sequels, and cinematic universes. Why start a new series all over again when Luffy and his friends still haven’t found the titular One Piece in the original? Why remake a saga that has just, for the most part, been adapted in live-action?

These are all valid questions, but I believe that this remake genuinely has some merit.

I am happy to admit that I have only recently become a One Piece fan. I watched the live-action series on a whim, fell in love with it, immediately watched it again, and have since started watching the anime. I’m currently 100 episodes in and have found the show to be fun, joyful, and bonkers in the best way, but also full of heart and genuine depth. I am grateful that the Netflix show introduced me to this wonderful story, and I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one.

I can, however, understand the trepidation one might feel at starting a show that is over 1000 episodes long. I, too, felt it before I began watching the anime. I already had a very long list of shows that I wanted to watch, and 1000 episodes is a daunting prospect. How are you ever supposed to get to the end? While I have no regrets about starting the series, there are a few things that a modern anime remake of the show could do to entice people into discovering more of the One Piece world.

The early seasons of the One Piece anime are somewhat outdated. The pacing is relatively slow (especially compared to the live-action), there is a lot of filler, some of the jokes and tropes are old-fashioned and problematic, and the animation itself is messy, obviously a product of its time. That last bit hasn’t been a major issue for me—I grew up with the Pokémon anime, which started two years before the One Piece anime and is just as long, and still love it to this day. Styles change, techniques develop, and I’m sure that as I make my way through the show, the animation will develop and change, too. But these issues could prevent people from enjoying Eiichiro Oda’s epic world, and that would be a real shame.

WIT Studio’s One Piece remake, however, could be just the thing to entice a whole new set of fans to immerse themselves in Luffy’s pirate life. SPY x FAMILY and Attack on Titan are often praised for their animation and their storytelling. A fresh art style could bring the Straw Hats and their world to life in new and exciting ways—what’s wrong with that? It will provide a new, less daunting entry point for fans to enjoy the series. That’s a win in my book.

(featured image: Toei Animation)