One Piece’s legendary animator openly criticizes the anime and hopes for change
Veteran artist Vincent Chansard questions the sound quality in Toei Animation’s work and calls for improvements that live up to its legacy.
In a recent interview with the YouTube channel KOL: Requiem, renowned animator Vincent Chansard—responsible for some of the most memorable scenes in One Piece and Dragon Ball—openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the quality of the soundtracks that Toei Animation has been using in its adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga.
Chansard, considered a key figure in modern Japanese animation, pointed out that Toei’s sound effects team has been working below the standards expected for a production of the magnitude of One Piece for some time. In his words, the studio’s sound direction is going through “a rather desperate situation.”
During the conversation, the host even recalled how Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, became skeptical of Toei’s musical decisions, suggesting that the company was “ruining its own show.”
The music
Although much of the interview revolved around Dragon Ball, Chansard did not hesitate to extend his criticism to One Piece, acknowledging that he feels “dissatisfied” with the soundtracks accompanying the most recent scenes in the anime. For him, many of these pieces are too basic or outdated, unable to convey the emotional or epic intensity that the situations demand.
One of the examples most talked about by fans—and one that Chansard did not overlook—is the fight between Luffy and Kizaru in his Gear 5 form. While the animation was widely celebrated, the musical choice disappointed a large part of the audience, who considered it “out of place” and “uninspired.”
“Sometimes the soundtrack doesn’t enhance the action, but rather hinders it,” said the animator. “Good music can make a scene legendary, but bad music can ruin even the best animation work.”
Little hope for improvement
When asked if he sees any possibility for improvement in the future, Chansard expressed moderate hope, although he admitted that the fast pace of production and the imminent end of the series make it difficult to imagine any real change.
“We would like to see better sound production, but realistically, it may be too late to correct the course,” he said.
Despite his disappointment, the animator acknowledged that the announcement of the One Piece remake by WIT Studio represents an opportunity to rediscover the story with a more polished and modern production, both visually and aurally.
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Meanwhile, Vincent Chansard’s statements reignite a debate that fans have been having for years: Is Toei Animation neglecting the quality of one of the most influential anime series of all time?
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