While its events won’t be as massive as the 1,000th episode, One Piece 1066 will be a historic one, as it is the first episode in the entire series to have a non-Japanese director.
On Twitter, anime industry veteran Henry Thurlow revealed that he is the director of One Piece’s 1,066th episode, which will be released later this month.
While Thurlow has worked at Toei Animation for quite some time now, this is the first time that he is being handed the director’s chair for an episode.
Foreign Staff Members in the Anime Industry
While the word "anime" is used in Japan to refer to all kinds of animated works, internationally, it is mostly used to refer to Japanese animation.
But even though they’re made in Japan, anime aren’t exclusively made by Japanese creators.
Most anime shows today are made with the help of support studios outside Japan.
Usually, Japanese studios outsource animation work to studios in Korea, China, and Southeast Asia.
Aside from outsourcing, there have also been many non-Japanese to have worked on notable anime productions.
One of the most notable ones is Sunghoo Park, the director of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1 and Jujutsu Kaisen 0 at MAPPA.
As his name implies, Park is from South Korea, though he has become one of the most well-known anime directors.
Another interesting case is D'ART Shtajio, the first-ever black-founded and American-owned anime studio that’s based in Tokyo.
The studio has worked on various projects, including an episode of Star Wars: Visions Volume 2.
ALSO READ: The Biggest Known Bounties in One Piece
Henry Thurlow Becomes First Non-Japanese One Piece Episode Director
Now, another non-Japanese anime staff member has made his mark in the industry as Henry Thurlow is the director of the upcoming One Piece Episode 1066.
Thurlow shared the news on Twitter, and there, he said that he confirmed with the production staff at Toei Animation that he is indeed the first non-Japanese director in the series’ over 2-decade history.
He also mentioned that he is possibly the first non-Japanese episode director in any Toei Animation TV series ever.
This is a major milestone not only for Thurlow but also for foreign nationals that are working in the anime industry. And in response, many fans shared their congratulatory messages in the replies.
One Piece Episode 1066 will premiere in Japan on June 25, 2023, and this will be followed by a streaming release on Crunchyroll in the US and other countries.
Discover the latest anime news and info by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime.
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