
Question:
Apparently One Piece is returning to Toonami in May. As much as I love One Piece and am excited about the news, I’m worried about how it’ll be received. While most hardcore anime fans know it was never really reflective of the series, the 4Kids dub (argued by many to literally be the worst English dub of all time) left a horrible taste in the mouths of countless casual anime fans who don’t know anything about the original or the Funimation dub. When I tried talking to my brother about it, he called it “that retarded show about pirates” then started quoting the old rap song. Not only that, but between online piracy, the legal distribution of viewing One Piece episodes online, and many sub-only fans being fanatically anti-dub, I’m a little concerned if audiences will still eat up the show. The climate for anime on TV just doesn’t seem as receptive as it was back when DBZ hit Toonami around ’99. I think audiences would love the show if they gave it a chance, and I’d like to see that happen, but I’m really just not sure what’ll happen.
What are your thoughts, John, and what advice would you give Funimation and Toonami?
(more…)