TheOne Pieceanime is currentlyin its Wano Country arcand is quickly approaching the climax of the Onigashima War at the moment. As Kid and Law wrap up their fights, the attention is soon going to shift to Luffy, who is taking on the big bad of the arc, Kaido. So far, all the big fights in the Onigashima War have received special attention from the staff working on them. TheOne Pieceanime has done exceedingly well in delivering top-notch action and direction when it comes to these episodes.
In many ways, they have improved upon the fights that Oda delivered in the manga and the same should be expected from Luffy’s fight against Kaido. Recently, a rumor broke out that suggests that a legendary director who previously worked on some of the very best episodes ofOne Pieceis going to be returning to the anime very soon and this person isnone other than Megumi Ishitani.
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Who Is Megumi Ishitani?
Megumi Ishitani is widely recognized as the best director and storyboarder that theOne Piecestaff currently has. She is phenomenal when it comes to both of these things and she has already proven that on several occasions in the past. Ishitani doesn’t show up often to work onOne Pieceepisodes, however, there is certainly a reason for that. Her episodes are polished to a degree where getting them ready in anything less than half a year or more would be simply impossible. The level of care and intricacies in her storyboards as well as the quality of her direction makes all her episodes shine better than some animated movies that fans have seen over the years.
Having graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts' GEIDAI program, it shouldn’t be a surprise that her work is truly special indeed. Some of the very first projects that she worked on, such as Oh Dear, or her graduation project called Scutes on My Mind, just go to show her spectacular promise when it comes to direction and storyboarding. Isitani’s work is such that even people who are not all that fond of animation are blown away by it. Everything keeps moving at all times and the quality is just out of the world.
After graduating in 2015, Ishitani eventually went on to join Toei Animation, which is where she works currently as well. She debuted on Dragon Ball Super, directing Ending Five and, later on, Ending 7 in 2017. For the finale of the series, Ishitani debuted as the Episode Director and blew everyone away. This was, by far, the best-directed episode of Dragon Ball Super, if not the best.
Since then, she has been a part of theOne Piecestuff and appears every now and then to deliver a mind-blowing experience to the fans, as she has donein the Wano Country arcofOne Pieceon three occasions so far.
Her Previous Work On One Piece
Megumi Ishitani debuted onOne Piecewith episode 957, which showcased the abolition of the shichibukai system. From the get-go, fans could feel the gravitas of the episode and how different it was when compared to what they are usually used to seeing. That is not to say thatOne Piece’sWano arc has been bad – it has actually been well above average for the most part, yet, Ishitani’s direction is so special that everything becomes a cinematic experience. Everything from her choice of colors to the way she frames shots, the choice of music, and even the compositing are absolutely top-notch in an Ishitani episode.
One Piece episode 957 was truly a cinematic experience for the fans, however, it was far from Ishitani’s best work on the series.One Pieceepisode 982 debuted a while later and just blew all the expectations that fans had from this episode out of the water. Although this episode didn’t cover a particularly special part of the arc, it was elevated to a whole new degree altogether. Isitani’s episode once again broke through all limits and she delivered a jaw-dropping episode full of color, incredible compositing, and framing that can only be expected from some of the very best movies in existence, and overall, the direction was simply stunning all over.
What’s truly surprising is that she then went on to deliverOne Pieceepisode 1015, which is widely regarded as the very best episode in the entire series and one of the very best anime episodes ever. This episode is, by far, Ishitani’s very best work to date, and just one look at it is enough to show the fans why it has been held in such a special light.
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The attention to detail in her storyboards is nothing short of stunning and everything keeps moving at all times, which just goes to show how incredibly dynamic her work is. That certainly isn’t all, Ishitani’s episodes are lit up phenomenally well and even fans who don’t care much about animation and direction can clearly see the difference she makes. The choice of music, the pacing and, even things such as seamlessly transitioning from one shot to another are completely out of this world in her episodes andOne Piecefans are forever grateful to have her delivering one theatrical experience after another.
Her work onone pieceso far has been phenomenal, however, it is also very meticulous and time-consuming, which is why an Ishitani episode only comes in about half a year or, sometimes, even a year. The storyboards for her episodes alone take months upon months to complete and, one look at her boards is enough to tell why. The level of detail in her boards is absolutely immense. The wait is certainly worth it, however, because what fans get is truly subliminal work that is worthy of all the praise that she gets and more.
Megumi Ishitani’s Rumored Return
Megumi ishitani will certainly return toOne Piecein due time, and if rumors are to be believed, it is going to be very soon. There are rumors flying around that suggest that Ishitani has been working on the climax of One Piece’s Wano Country arc, which would suggest that she has taken part in working on Luffy’s fight against Kaido. Some leaks suggest that Megumi ishitani has been working onOne Pieceepisode 1072, however, nothing can be said for sure just yet.
Fans have always wanted Ishitani to work onthe legendary Gear 5episode that is to come very soon and, if the leaks are to be believed, they could very well have their wish delivered to them. Gear 5 is going to be an iconic moment in the anime, just as it was in the manga, and, for a moment so grand,One Piece’sstaff certainly needs to bring out their very best. The rumors certainly suggest that Megumi Ishitaniwill be taking the Nika episode on by herself, however, some leaks suggest that she is only going to work as a storyboarder and not a director this time around. Once again, nothing has been confirmed just yet.
While this hasn’t been confirmed, if true, it would mean that fans will perhaps not see what they are used to seeing from an Ishitani episode. However,One Piecehas several other magnificent directors that can bring this episode to life. What’s more, Ishitani’s storyboards are phenomenal and even if she just boards an episode, it is going to look absolutely incredible and has the potential to be the best-ever episode ofOne Piece.
So far, nothing has been confirmed, however, fans are hoping that an official announcement about her return is made soon and they are treated to yet another spectacle delivered by the legendary Megumi ishitani.
