Summary
- One Piece’s success is due to consistent quality over the years.
- Toei Animation deserves credit for producing quality episodes for 20+ years.
- Transitioning to a seasonal schedule can maintain high standards for the anime.
One Piece is widely considered to be the best shonen anime series because of its insane consistency. The series has been on the air for more than two decades, and its popularity has only continued to go up. Despite the massive influx of new anime, One Piece has remained firm and unfazed by its competitors.
The One Piece anime has had its ups and downs, but it has been largely consistent. A lot of credit for the anime’s success goes to Toei Animation. The studio has churned out quality episodes for more than 20 years, but it may be time for the anime to go seasonal.
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One Piece Needs To Become Seasonal
This may be a controversial opinion, but the One Piece anime needs to become seasonal. The biggest beneficiaries of the decision will be the fans, as it will ensure that the quality of the episodes is not compromised. In the past, One Piece fans have had to contend with the episodes being poorly paced, and the animation quality was not always high. Due to this reason, sitting through the episodes felt like a chore.
But if the One Piece anime becomes seasonal, there won’t be such problems. Toei Animation didn’t hold back when it came to animating the Egghead Island arc, and almost every episode received praise from the viewers. However, the studio might not be able to maintain such a level over the course of the year. Normally, this level of quality is limited to seasonal anime that release new episodes after a year or two because it is taxing for the staff members to work at such a high level throughout the year.
By switching to a seasonal schedule, Toei Animation will be able to maintain the standards that it has set. Instead of releasing episodes every week throughout the year, One Piece can release episodes for, let’s say, six months. Then Toei Animation can take their time with the next batch and release them next year.
The Big Hole Created By The Absence Of One Piece
A Lot of Anime Follow The Same Theme As One Piece
The One Piece anime has been part of the schedule of millions of fans. They tune in to watch new episodes weekly, but there will be a big gap if the One Piece anime does go seasonal. There are a few ways that fans can fill the void, with the most obvious one being a rewatch. One Piece has over 1100 episodes, covering multiple arcs.
Fans can either rewatch the anime from the beginning or rewatch a particular arc that they are fond of. If rewatching is not their cup of tea then they can take a look at the selection of the filler arcs. One Piece does not have nearly enough filler arcs as Naruto, but they are still fun. If fans skipped these arcs initially, the breaks would be the perfect time to watch them.
One Piece fans who only watch the anime can pick up the manga and learn what happens in the next episodes. It is also worth mentioning that the One Piece manga is weekly, and Eiichiro Oda delivers an outstanding chapter frequently.
Fans can also start a new manga or an anime altogether that will provide them with the same thrill. There are a ton of new generation shonen anime that have exciting battles and unique characters. Some of them are:
- My Hero Academia
- Jujutsu Kaisen
- Demon Slayer
The aforementioned titles are close to One Piece’s quality, so fans won’t feel letdown while watching them.
If a series being live-action is not an issue then fans can simply watch One Piece Live-Action. The first season of the TV show is already out and interested viewers can watch it on Netflix. The second season of the One Piece Live-Action will be released in 2025, and it will cover the Straw Hats’ journey through the Grand Line.
One Piece is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
