Netflix's One Piece Makeover Is Happening For One Controversial Reason

Too few remakes have lived up to their original counterparts, so it's understandable why many people are against them. This is especially true when it comes to classics that still hold up, such as "One Piece," which is frequently ranked as one of the best anime shows of all time. However, Netflix has decided to give the Straw Hat Pirates' animated adventures a makeover in an effort to appeal to modern audiences who are used to state-of-the-art technology — and some people aren't on board.

"For young people who are used to watching today's animation due to technological innovation, some may find it difficult to watch the images from 25 years ago, when 'One Piece' started its animation broadcast, because of the different [ratio] format," Takeshi Wada, the president of Production IG and Studio Wit, told Real Sound (via machine translation) about the decision. While some people might be against this remake, Toei Animation fully supports it; furthermore, fans of the O.G. series can rest assured knowing that the studio will continue to produce new episodes.

The "One Piece" redo will remove the original 4:3 aspect ratio to accommodate widescreen formats, meaning there won't be any black bars on the screen. Despite the effort to modernize the show, however, the news has polarized fans of the original anime.

The "One Piece" remake is being created with the goal of appealing to the widest audience possible, which is understandable from a commercial perspective. However, some fans, including X (formerly known as Twitter) user @Matamer_, are struggling to accept that the original series' format is off-putting to people. "Have we gone off the path too far where there might be living humans who are disgusted by old 4:3 formatting in shows," they wrote. Elsewhere, some of the series' old-school fans are worried that Netflix's desire to appeal to a wider demographic will ruin what made "One Piece" great in the first place. "When I hear wider audience I get a bit worried," @s0ulstone1012 added.

That said, some fans believe that a "One Piece" remake is a good idea — and not just for the upgraded technology. As one person noted, the original series boasts hundreds of episodes, so playing catch-up is probably a daunting prospect for new viewers. At least the remake will allow newcomers to watch the show from the beginning, and hopefully, it will retain the core qualities that make the original series so endearing to anime fans.

To learn more about this franchise, check out the untold truth of "One Piece."