The One Piece fandom is reeling right now, and we have a new anime special to thank. It was not long ago that Toei Animation confirmed One Piece: Fan Letter was in the works, after all. The ambitious special promised to embody the best parts of One Piece in a bid to honor the anime’s 25th anniversary. And now that the episode is live, well – we can say confidently that One Piece just dropped its best episode of all time.
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Marineford? No. The awakening of Gear Five? Close but not quite. One Piece: Fan Letter is in a class of its own, and netizens are calling the anime special a masterclass in animation.
WHAT IS ONE PIECE: FAN LETTER?
This weekend, One Piece: Fan Letter stood tall with its debut, and the special came to life under director Megumi Ishitani and Nanami Michibata. The two directors came together with artist Nagisa Nishida to create something unforgettable. From the episode’s pacing to its sakuga and screenplay, every piece of One Piece: Fan Letter was honed to perfection. The special is now streaming everywhere from Netflix to Crunchyroll, so fans better not miss out on the treat.
After all, One Piece: Fan Letter is a love note to the franchise. The special adapts the contents of One Piece Novel: Straw Hat Stories, but it elevates the book with some key changes. From its narrative structure to its emotional stakes, this new One Piece special takes the anime’s story to new heights as it shows us how the world around the Straw Hat crew sees them.
For decades, we have followed the Straw Hat pirates, and the crew has been led by Monkey D. Luffy. The pirate has proven himself a hero in every sense, and that truth is felt by everybody on the Grand Line. In One Piece: Fan Letter, we follow every day people as they stumble across the Straw Hat crew. From young admirers to Marine skeptics, the special touches upon them all, and One Piece: Fan Letter proves Luffy’s adventure brings a powerful ripple. His actions impact the whole Grand Line, and more often than not, that motion is for the best.
THE FUTURE OF ONE PIECE IS BRIGHT
As you can see below, One Piece: Fan Letter is a clear winner with fans, and many are calling it the anime’s best release to date. The special features innovative animation, and its stylized design is a breath of fresh air. Filled with heartwarming asides, One Piece: Fan Letter is nothing less than hopeful, so you can see why it fits the Straw Hat crew perfectly.
With this new special out of the way, One Piece fans are looking to the future. The mainline anime is on hiatus until next spring, but One Piece will not leave us hanging. A remaster of the Fishman Island arc is on the horizon, and it will premiere next weekend. As for the manga, creator Eiichiro Oda is still working on the hit series. It will hit a short hiatus at the end of October, but One Piece will return to print well before November closes. So if you want to catch up on One Piece, now is the best time to get familiar.
If you are eager to brush up on the Grand Line, it is easier than ever to find One Piece. The hit anime is now streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll; Some of the anime’s older content can even been found through Tubi and Freevee. As for the manga, One Piece can be read through Viz Media’s Shonen Jump app as well as the Manga Plus website which Shueisha operates.
One Piece Fans React in Their Own Words
