For the first time in history, an American animator has had the honor of directing an episode of One Piece.
As detailed on Anime Senpai, Toei Animation has selected Henry Thurlow, an American animator residing in Japan, as the Episode Director for Episode 1066 of One Piece, which will premiere on June 25. First reported in the Japanese anime magazine, Newtype, Thurlow later confirmed the news on her Twitter page. This is a historic step for Toei, as it is the first time the studio has commissioned a non-Japanese animator to direct an episode of one of its television series.
Henry Thurlow’s Impressive Animated History
Henry Thurlow has an extensive resume, contributing as Lead Animator to iconic series like Attack on Titan, Pokémon, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Tokyo Ghoul. He joins Toei’s animation team in 2021. Thurlow’s first assignment for the One Piece anime was Episode 903, when he had to handle the animation for Luffy’s battle against Urashima, one of the villains. main character of the series ‘Part Wano Country. Thurlow not only continues to be the Lead Animator for future episodes, but also for One Piece Film: Red, the franchise’s newest film.
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga launched in Weekly Shonen Jump in July 1997. Toei’s anime adaptation premiered in October 1999 and is currently in the middle of its 20th Season, adapting the events of the long Wano Country. volume of manga. According to Anime Senpai, Episode 1066 is said to include the climax of the battle between Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid against Big Mom. Luffy is also rapidly approaching the end of his epic battle against Kaido.
One Piece is about to go on hiatus
While Toei Animation continues to work on the series, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda will soon be taking a four-week hiatus from the series to prepare for eye surgery to correct his astigmatism. According to Oda, the condition left him with severe vision loss and affected his ability to create manga. Via the artist’s Twitter, Oda expressed his wish for the surgery to be successful, joking that he hoped it would “help me get the laser out of my eye!” One Piece’s hiatus will begin on June 11 with the publication of Chapter 1086 and end with the release of Chapter 1087 on July 18.
The One Piece manga is available in English from VIZ. The anime is available to stream on Netflix, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.
Source: Twitter, via Anime Senpai