One Piece Producer Reveals Which Anime Film Gave Him the Most Grief

One Piece: Red is the next big animated adventure for the Straw Hats on the big screen, seeing the return of Red-Haired Shanks along with the introduction of his daughter Uta. Recently, we here at Comicbook.com had the chance to chat with the producer of the film, Shinji Shimizu, as he talked about the fifteenth film of the franchise while also discussing which anime project that he worked on was the most challenging of his career. 

Aside from working on Red specifically, Shinji has worked on a number of other major projects for Toei Animation, including the likes of One Piece: Gold, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, and One Piece: Dead End Adventure to name a few. In our discussion, Shimizu revealed that he believed Stampede was the most challenging project of his career, thanks in part to a “tight schedule”:

“I’d say One Piece: Stampede was challenging. The schedule was very tight but thank goodness, the movie did quite well for itself.”

When Shinji was asked what his favorite One Piece movie was, he responded that Red is his current favorite, though a past entry from the Shonen franchise is also one that brings him joy: 

“That’s an easy question. It’s Red, of course. After that, I would say I really enjoy Dead End Adventure.”  

The official description for One Piece: Red from Crunchyroll, which is assisting Toei Animation in the global release of the film, reads as such:

“Uta — the most beloved singer in the world. Her voice, which she sings with while concealing her true identity, has been described as “otherworldly. She will appear in public for the first time at a live concert. As the venue fills with all kinds of Uta fans — excited pirates, the Navy watching closely, and the Straw Hats led by Luffy who simply came to enjoy her sonorous performance — the voice that the whole world has been waiting for is about to resound. The story begins with the shocking fact that she is “Shanks’ daughter.” Uta stands on the stage, with the ordinary wish of “Making the world happy with my music. There’s Gordon, a mysterious character who knows Uta’s past, and glimpses of Shanks’ shadow. On Elegia, the island of music, Luffy and Uta reunite for the first time since they last met 12 years ago in Foosha Village.”