ONE PIECE FAN LETTER

DESCRIPTION

CAST

NOVEL ActionONE PIECE novel Mugiwara Stories
ANIME ActionONE PIECE
ANIME ActionONE PIECE: Gyojin Tou-hen

REVIEWS

• 

  anemoiaanime

  100/100
  A love letter to Oda's creation

  When I knew a few weeks ago that Megumi Ishitani (for those who don't know, ep.director for ep1015) was going to direct a One Piece special focused on original characters I was really, really excited, expecting it to be an amazing story. Then, today, One Piece Fan Letter dropped and it delivered everything that I could've expected from it.

  

  In Fan Letter, Ishitani takes the solid foundations that Oda's been building over the ages and gives it a twist, letting us watch the events that takes place in the main story from the perspective of the average human from the One Piece world and by doing so, we get to see how some of the Strawhats actions have possitevely affected all those people around the world. This approach feels specially hearthwarming and relatable as we can feel this new characters are, to some degree, a representation of us, One Piece readers/watchers into the story itself, and by doing so, calling this Fan Letter couldn't fit it better.

  

  And, it's not only that we can see ourselves into this special, but also that we can tell how Ishitani's love for One Piece shines in her direction of the episode, she's also a fan and it tells. Every second of the special feels like she's telling us "I'm the same as you, a One Piece fan, and since I'm so too, I'll thank this story that's moved our lifes so much in your regard". She embraces this vivid world with an incredibly fluid direction, intertwining each one of these short stories slowly just so in the end they're all just the story of this little girl who just wanted to tell Nami how big of a fan of hers she was.

  

  This is an incredibly touching special for all of us that's been travelling along Luffy and the crew over the ages, and as one of those I couldn't be more grateful to Ishitani for what she's gifted us in this.

  

  From the more moving stories such of that of a young girl that's moved by Nami's adventuring into a world of monsters while still being just a regular girl without any powers or special strenght to a younger brother that having faced death at war with his older brother learns to cherish him no matter what after witnessing Luffy's efforts to rescue Ace. From a girl that's just annoyed of missing her last chance to see Soul King perform live, some kids that like to mess with her at it's book store and some guys that likes to argue over who's the strongest swordsman in the world at a bar that provides the necessary, and to this point characteristic, One Piece comic relief.

  

  Fan Letter embraces what One Piece really is from every angle, its very essence, forging everything into an outstandingly well directed and animated special and, although One Piece has established itself as what it is today obviously mainly due to Oda's excellent worldbuilding and writting, it's also gained it's legendary status within the anime/manga world thanks to all of us joining Luffy onto his journey, making it our own journey. All of this makes One Piece so special and gives Fan Letter it's soul, because it is not only the little girl letter to Nami, it is also our letter, our love letter, to Oda's marvellous creation.

  
  Continue on AniList
• 

  yoavhak

  97/100
  "If I can survive... will I be able to make an impact on someone's life someday?"

  I tried, I really tried on this rewatch to find literally anything remotely close to bad or even disappointing in this special and there's nothing.

  [spoilers ahead]

  If I had to pick something that did bother me a bit, it's that the girl is supposedly 15 years old yet looks a lot younger (doesn't bother me much) and that at times I felt that the Admiral who found Chopper cute was a bit out of place, even though I think it's a great bit (and he barely changed any scenes). Also I guess the score had some potential to be a little better but again, not something one would notice.

  The backstory of the Marine Soldier with his brother was incredible, I get chills just thinking about it. Then the special going from peak to peaker with that ending that left me in tears... unironically, for the first time in my history of watching anime I legitimetly teared up at a scene.

  I loved how every straw hat was either there in the scene (Robin, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji) or the scene was about them (Franky, Brook, Zoro, Luffy, Nami), It's just so perfect.

  "If I can survive... will I be able to make an impact on someone's life someday? Just like that guy."

  This. Special. Is. So. Well. Written.
  Every line of dialog, every shot, every interaction, every cut, is so well put together and sequenced. This is of course supported by the great director Megumi Ishitani, who famous directed beloved One Piece episode 1015. Her touch is unexplainable but you feel it when you see it. When I watched 1015 and was told it was directed by the same person who directed fan letter, it made so much sense. From the people arguing about who's the greatest swordsman (obvious parody of online discourse) to the little kids not picking up that the "Soul King" girl is distraught from the context clues, the importance of good scene writing cannot be understated.

  I can't not mention the puzzle motif, connecting the smallest most unimportant side characters to the big, praised, and beloved main characters. A thing I noticed on this rewatch is that you can hear the puzzle click when the girl and the marine first lock eyes. They've seen each other before, each one saw the other but not simultaneously. It also sets this moment up as a pivotal change in the story. And all that buildup made the full puzzle connection at the end so satisfying.

  Last but not least, the elephant in the room, the animation is perfect. I'm not the biggest craver (not sure that's a word) for good animation in shows I watch, and as good as the animation is in this special, the reason I'm mentioning it is more because of how incredibly fitting the animation style is to the story and the pacing. Especially the fluid movements, it really helps with showcasing the characteristics of the... characters. Additionally, the emotions shown so perfectly on the characters' faces makes this an incredble example of how to successfully perform a "show, don't tell".

  Overall... what can I say, this special is up there with some of the highest highs the show has ever given me, and I will cherish it forever as one of the greatest pieces of media I have ever watched.

  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE

• MOVIE

  AdventureONE PIECE THE MOVIE: Omatsuri Danshaku to Himitsu no Shima
• SPECIAL

  ActionONE PIECE "3D2Y": Ace no shi wo Koete! Luffy Nakama to no Chikai
• ONA

  ActionMONSTERS: Ippaku Sanjou Hiryuu Jigoku
• MOVIE

  ActionONE PIECE STAMPEDE
• SPECIAL

  ActionONE PIECE: Heart of Gold
• SPECIAL

  ActionONE PIECE: Adventure of Nebulandia
• OVA

  ActionONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN STORY
• MOVIE

  ActionGRIDMAN UNIVERSE
• ANIME

  ActionONE PIECE: Gyojin Tou-hen
• SPECIAL

  ActionROAD OF NARUTO
• SPECIAL

  ActionLOS ANGELES LAKERS x ONE PIECE
• SPECIAL

  ActionONE PIECE: Original Episode/Luffy, Law