One Piece fever has gripped the world particularly arduous over the previous few years, and now that love is spreading throughout the pond to the UK.
Not too long ago, the BBC picked up the rights to air 1,085 episodes of the hit anime primarily based on Eiichiro Oda’s equally large manga. Episodes will hit the nework’s free iPlayer streaming service beginning September 1 (aka, at present) and launch the way in which by the top of 2024. The large caveat is that solely the English dub might be out there (sorry to any sub purists). Whereas BBC notes that is the one place UK audiences can legally watch the present, it doesn’t sound like there are plans to convey it over to correct tv just like the US does through Grownup Swim, and it’s additionally a query mark in regards to the anime’s many, many movies launched through the years.
At time of writing, there’s round 1,120 episodes of One Piece, so principally all the anime will hit BBC iPlayer. Extra particularly, UK viewers will get entry to the beginning “East Blue” arc and during “Land of Wano,” which wrapped in late 2023. Per Fiona Campbell, BBC Three’s Controller of Youth Audiences, securing the airing rights for the anime “[is] a very thrilling transfer. […] One Piece has change into a cultural phenomenon and we’re so excited to see how the fanbase will take pleasure in this enormous canon of episodes out there in English solely on iPlayer.”
With over 1,000 episodes unfold throughout 4 months, UK viewers will loads of time to digest and be comparatively caught up on One Piece earlier than the yr goes out. After all, if that feels like an excessive amount of of a hill to cross, there’s at all times Netflix’s live-action adaptation, whose second season is at present in manufacturing, and in addition The One Piece, Netflix’s different adaptation meant as a extra streamlined telling of the anime.
[via IGN]
Need extra io9 information? Try when to count on the most recent Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on film and TV, and every part you want to learn about the way forward for Doctor Who.
Trending Merchandise
