Hey, you! As a fan of One Piece, you may have heard of Henry Thurlow's recent statement about the upcoming anime of 2023. Thurlow, a member of the animation team behind One Piece's anime adaptation at Toei Animation studios, boldly claimed that the anime of the year would be none other than One Piece, not Kimetsu no Yaiba nor BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War.
It's a daring assertion, especially since we're only in the early stages of the Spring 2023 season (April-June), and in its more than two decades of broadcast, the popular series has never won an "Anime of the Year" award, at least not from the most popular services. However, Thurlow assured that One Piece's longest saga would be ending with the best-animated episodes in franchise history and that 2023 would be the year of One Piece.
- The longest running One Piece saga will be ending with, I promise you, the best animated episodes in franchise history. Neither Bleach nor Kimetsu no Yaiba (which are also great series, I'm a fan of them, I'm not a hater) have yet reached their plot climaxes. Therefore, 2023 is One Piece's year. No doubt" wrote.
Of course, his statement drew comments about it:
- «The biggest thing I'm worried about is the pace. I really hope that expectations are not ruined by the slow as a snail pace. I hope the anime gets to the biggest point by fall».
- «Those are big words, but I choose to believe».
- «Kimetsu no Yaiba perhaps, but Bleach made a terrific comeback with great animation and a story that's anything but boring. I'm still waiting for the second part to arrive this summer.».
- «What a laugh, my god, for the last ten years they've been saying the same thing».
- «Wow, those words left me cold».
- «Haha, that's a very smug statement».
- «Honestly, One Piece has epic battles and cinematography, but the use of colors is generally not the most on point. I hope you're right anyway».
- «It's great that you love your work and I'm sure it will be amazing, but I doubt very much that One Piece can compete with the return of Bleach, Kimetsu no Yaiba and finally Jujutsu Kaisen.».
- «Please don't give me hope. I know One Piece is a great anime and it's doing great so far, but these kinds of statements just artificially inflate the series.».
- «Dude keep doing your job and ignore the One Piece fans on Twitter they are the most toxic thing ever».
- «Imagine being a One Piece fan and waiting over twenty years for your anime to be “best of the year”»
- «I have no doubt that it will be a spectacular development, but it is always better to keep your mouth shut».
- «Seeing as they have animated the last episodes of One Piece, I cannot doubt these words. However, I hope you're not talking about more».
Many fans have had mixed reactions to Thurlow's comments. Some hope that the anime's pacing won't be affected, while others consider Thurlow's remarks to be arrogant. Although One Piece has epic battles and cinematography, some fans don't believe it can compete with the return of Bleach, Kimetsu no Yaiba, and Jujutsu Kaisen.
In conclusion, while Thurlow's statements are bold, One Piece fans are hopeful that the animation of the upcoming episodes will be excellent and meet the viewers' expectations. Only time will tell if One Piece's anime will indeed be the best of 2023 and if Thurlow's prediction comes true.
Source: @henry_thurlow on Twitter
