One Piece

title_name=One Piece

English Adaptations

Manga

The One Piece manga is published in English in the North American Shonen Jump by VIZ Media. Viz also has plans to release the One Piece manga artbooks (the Color Walk series) in English, beginning with Color Walk 1 in November 2005.

Related Topics:
English - North American - VIZ Media

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After the English adaptation of the anime began on the Fox Box, Viz renamed the character Roronoa Zoro to Roronoa Zolo, and later editions of the first four volumes of the series were changed to match this. Apparently, the rising profile of the series in North America meant that both VIZ and 4Kids were at risk of a lawsuit from those who own the trademark on the fictional character Zorro (which, the author has admitted, was the inspiration for his own character's name). Many fans displayed a very adverse reaction to this change, which was made without comment after 50 chapters of the previous spelling. However, while "Zolo" is not the official romanized spelling of the character's name in Japan, it is important to note that both spellings would be pronounced the same way by a native speaker of Japanese. This change is also the most obvious deviation from the original Japanese version: the English-language manga's story and artwork (aside from text replacement and redrawing of sound effects) continue to remain unaltered, in a stark contrast from the English version of the anime (see below).

Related Topics:
Fox Box - Roronoa Zolo - Zorro

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Anime

In North America, the anime is currently licensed by 4Kids Entertainment. It is shown on 4Kids TV (on Fox TV) in the US, and on YTV in Canada. One Piece later began airing on the US Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block on April 23, 2005 and became a daily (Monday through Thursday) series in September. The show began on the UK's version of Toonami as of April 2005. In Singapore, the anime is licensed by Odex. DVDs are forthcoming, and will be distributed by Toei Animation in North America.

Related Topics:
North America - 4Kids Entertainment - 4Kids TV - Fox TV - YTV - Canada - Cartoon Network - Toonami - Singapore - Odex

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Editing

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In producing a version of One Piece for the North American market, 4Kids made a number of changes to the property http://opguide.bravehost.com/general_edits.shtml. These alterations include (but are not necessarily limited to):

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• removing the original symphonic score and replacing it with music produced on a synthesizer;
• replacing the opening theme (originally a succession of ubpeat pop songs) with a rap;
• altering much of the dialogue from its original intent, and adding extraneous lines during moments of silence;
• removing or changing anything suggestive of alcohol or tobacco use, including Sanji's cigarette (which is turned into a lollipop) and Captain Smoker's two cigars (which are removed, and his name changed to "Chaser");
• altering all weapons other than knives or swords (including firearms) to become either toys (like the Marines' rifles) or odd contraptions (such as Helmeppo's pistol ? see image at right);
• editing of more "intense" scenes to lessen or eliminate the peril to the characters (including the removal of nearly all blood and much of the explicit violence);
• removing all Japanese (and some English) text, and altering every instance of the Navy's emblem (which reads "MARINE") to say "NAVY";
• changing the skin colors of some characters http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=7302 to downplay supposed racial stereotypes; and
• cutting longer scenes for time, editing episodes together, and skipping entire story arcs, including those which were originally important to the progression of the plot. As of October 2005, approximately 32 episodes' worth of material had been cut from what were originally 86 episodes, meaning that roughly 37% of the series had been eliminated thus far.

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Even after all these edits, One Piece is still one of 4Kids' more violent properties as they have left in some blood and even appendages being ripped off (such as Shanks' arm or Zeff's leg). Not all scenes have been edited with much attention to detail, however, causing such oddities as a Luffy with two scars (the left side of his face being mirrored to remove a knife held near the right side of his head).

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Criticism

Most criticisms against 4kids' adaptation of the anime come from fans of the original Japanese series. Their criticisms mostly stem from 4kids' marketing strategy of the franchise. Despite the fact that the show was enjoyed by a fairly broad audience in Japan and consistently scored high ratings from teens, children, and even adults, 4Kids decided to air the show on Saturday mornings and focus solely on the lucrative 6-11 demographic (which the show was only partially intended for in the first place). This does not apply solely to One Piece: many of 4Kids' other properties are heavily edited as well. Uncut DVDs were originally slated to be released in late 2005, but apparently there are now no plans to release or even produce an uncut version in North America. Madman Entertainment, holder of the distribution sublicense in Australia, has stated emphatically that it will be releasing uncut One Piece DVDs, but it is unclear whether or not this assertion rests on the cooperation of 4Kids to become a reality.

Related Topics:
Many of 4Kids' other properties are heavily edited as well - Madman Entertainment

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The English dub that is made and shown in Singapore tends to be ridiculed by fans for having low production values. But despite these negative factors, the Singapore dub is nevertheless considered to be much closer to the feel of the original Japanese series than its American counterpart.

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