It’s no secret thatOne Piecehas a lot of episodes, but is watching a recut likeOne Pacethe best way to get through them? With filler being rampant in most long-running anime, it doesn’t sound like the worst idea. What’s the harm in cutting out the fluff to enjoy a story in a format that aims to more closely replicate the author’s original intent?
Toei’sOne Pieceincludes over 90 episodes dedicated to filler. While this is still under ten percent of the total count, that remains a large sum of hours that many could consider wasted, consuming content that wasn’t even written by Eiichiro Oda himself. Others will argue that the true experience of watching this anime adaptation is to embrace it all, canon and otherwise. Somenon-canon moments remain beloved by fans, after all.
That leaves us with the question: arethe highlights of the fillerworth watching hours of footage that isneither canon nor relevantto the story? Perhaps a bit of math will put things into perspective. If ninety-five episodes ofOne Pieceare pure filler, and each of those episodes runs roughly twenty-three minutes, that would equate to 2,185 minutes, or about thirty-six hours.
That’s a day and a half of non-stop watching, and that’s not even taking into account the little bits of filler and time-stretching incorporated into the episodes that do follow the manga. For someone who enjoys their media at a comfortable pace, squeezing in a few episodes here and there, this probably doesn’t seem like such a big deal. However, many new fans of the series feel an urge to catch up as quickly as possible. It’s not hard to see why, with rampant spoilers online as well asthe hype that followsevery new episode or chapter release. That FOMO can be hard to ignore.
11,981 Minutes
When the Fans Take the Wheel
For those willing to trim the fat, there is an accessible solution.A fan project, titledOne Pacehas taken the original Toei adaptation and cut down the episodes to remove not only the anime-only scenes, but all extraneous footage. In an attempt to make the anime more closely resemble the manga in both content and pacing, theOne Paceteam has put in countless hours of editing to bring this project to life. Not only did they recut the original Japanese version,but the English dub, as well.
Additionally, they offer episodes with subtitles in seven different languages, though not all translations cover the entire series. For a project that earns its laborers no reward outside of praise, it’s a pretty impressive offering. With that in mind, consider donating to their cause to keep the project going.
One Paceis a fan project that recuts theOne Pieceanime in an endeavor to bring it more in line with the pacing of the original manga by Eiichiro Oda.
-One Pace Team
Easier to Navigate than East Blue
On theOne Pacewebsite, every arc ofOne Piecehas been separated into its own page, and every recut episode title lists the original numbers it was edited from. This labeling makes it easy for viewers to jump back and forth from the original without getting lost. That, paired with options to either download or stream in-browser, means those with limited hard drive space need not fear, either.
There’s even aOne PaceDiscordchannel, where fans or willing volunteers can gather to discuss the series, the recut, and more. With options for notifications upon new episode releases, it’s a way some fans primarily view the pirate epic. That might sound crazy to some, but anyone who’s watched weekly airing anime for any extended period of time knows how frustrating it can be to eagerly await a new episode, only to be fed five minutes of content stretched to fill twenty-two. Some wouldprefer to wait for a full meal.
Cons:
Will New Episodes Make This Cut Obsolete?
WithOne Piecedue to return on April fifthwith what we’ve been promised will be improved animation and timing, along with the upcoming remake,The One Piece, one might wonder if the recut is on pace to becoming unnecessary. While fans can only hope that Toei andWit Studio can meet or even exceed expectations, there’s no way to know until the episodes are released.
Until then, considerOne Paceas an option. Time is precious. Die-hard fans might insist on an all-or-nothing approach, but is it truly so wrong to want to experience the tale in a way that more accurately depicts the vision of its creator? The manga is certainly the best option for such an experience, but not everyone is a reader. What’s important is to just climb aboard and experience this story in whatever form that feels best.One Pieceis all about the journey, after all.
