‘One Piece’ Leads the Charge of Anime at NYCC
Last weekend anime fans were treated to some of the biggest premieres of the season at New York Comic Con 2022.
New York Comic Con has come and past this weekend. And the Northeast’s entertainment giant had all of the cosplay, announcements, and exclusive sneak peeks that you could hope for. Including a few notable anime premieres from some of the most anticipated titles of the year.
One Piece Red
One Piece made its presence known not only in the convention halls but in all of New York City. An exclusive premiere of the hugely successful film included assigned seats, trading card packs, free t-shirts, and even complimentary snacks and an open bar. Because when the Straw Hat Pirates invite you to party, they do so with style. Overall the fan reaction to the screening is reported to be very positive, followed by a fifteen-minute Q&A with director Goro Taniguchi and producers Shinji Shimizu and Hiroaki Shibata.
But that wasn’t all that One Piece brought to the Big Apple as Luffy’s crew took over Times Square. What did this look like to your average not-anime-watching NYC tourist who may have been out for a Broadway show and a nice dinner? Who knows. But to me, this looks pretty darn cool. The rest of us will have to wait for One Piece Red for it to make its North American theater debut on November 4th.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
via Viz Media
It’s been something like ten years since Bleach fans got new anime episodes – if you don’t count Burn the Witch – but fans were no less enthusiastic to catch the first glimpse at the show’s return. Hosted by King Vader and Stella Chuu, the panel featured a selection of Bleach cosplayers, prizes, and a video message from the voice of Ichigo himself, Masakaza Morita. The art style is noted as being different than the previous version of Bleach. But fans were ready to jump back in with Thousand-Year Blood War and seem excited for more. Those of us who couldn’t make it to NYCC can watching Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War on Hulu and Disney+.
Chainsaw Man
Perhaps this season’s most anticipated new anime, Chainsaw Man also had an episode one NYCC premiere. The dub cast including Ryan Colt Levy (Denji), Suzie Yeung (Makima), Reagan Murdock (Aki), and Sarah Wiedenheft (Power) were joined by ADR director, Mike McFarland and held a quick Q&A about the project and their involvement. Show director Ryu Nakayama was there in spirit with a prepared video thanks to the fans before they were off to the demon-chainsaw races. Episode one was met with general fan approval and a general sense of looking forward to more. But the rest of us will be able to see for ourselves today streaming on Crunchyroll.
Did you attend NYCC this year and if so did you catch any of these premieres? Which of these shows/movie are you most excited to watch? What did you think of that One Piece Times Square takeover? Let us know in the comments!
Ja Ne, Adventurers!
