One Piece Makes History by Picking an American Director for Episode 1066

One of the most exciting aspects of the One Piece anime’s Wano arc approaching its climax is that fans will finally get to see who is directing what moments of the climactic stretch. With fan favorites like Megumi Ishitani likely set to return for some of the series’ biggest moments, it’s truly an exciting discovery for fans of the series.

Likewise, it’s also indicative of what fans can expect from a certain episode and how a specific, exciting moment will be adapted. Obviously, scenes can be subjectively different in appearance based on who is animating them. But generally speaking, in the One Piece anime, the director’s vision gives a fairly rigid outline of appearance and aesthetics.

Equally exciting is seeing what barriers are broken in the directorial anime area and which up-and-coming workers in the industry are given a major chance. Likewise, it has recently been reported that the One Piece anime is seemingly set to make history with its choice of director for episode 1066.

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Henry Thurlow, formerly of D’Art Shtaijo, set to be One Piece anime’s first non-Japanese director

As reported in Newtype magazine and shared by Henry Thurlow on Twitter, Thurlow’s directorial debut for the One Piece anime will be truly momentous and historic. Episode 1066, set to air later in June, and Thurlow’s efforts in directing it will mark the first time a non-Japanese director has ever been put in the position for an episode of the anime series.

Thurlow also asserts that this may be a first for any Toei Animation TV series ever, which is certainly a more difficult claim to prove, but likely a truthful one. Regarding the One Piece anime, Thurlow is indeed the first non-Japanese director for the series, according to the unofficial Wiki page indexing all episodic directors of the anime series.

It’s unknown exactly what episode 1066 will cover as of this article’s writing since there is no preview. However, based on the adaptation pacing of recent episodes, it seems likely that Thurlow’s episode and directorial duties will cover the climax of the fight between Trafalgar D. Water Law and Eustass Kid against Big Mom.

While Thurlow’s directorial debut will undoubtedly go down in history, whether or not it does so for the right or wrong reasons will depend on the final product. Although fans have faith in Thurlow, considering his previous animative work for the series, many hope the first non-Japanese episode director is also not the last.

Newtype magazine is a news-based publication that covers anime, manga, Japanese science fiction, tokusatsu, seiyuu, and video games. However, the publication’s main focus lies in anime. A North American English version of the magazine, Newtype USA, was published between 2002 and 2008.

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Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.