Since the dawn of the anime world, the one perception that has remained constant about the industry and has haunted it for years is that it is for kids. While the popularity of anime as an art form has been growing continuously, there are still some people who believe that it is just like any other cartoon and that there is no specialty to it.
However, this perception is being changed slowly, and the main contributor behind this is Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece. For almost 30 years, One Piece has been proving itself to be one of the best pieces of entertainment, and the real-world issues that it has targeted within its ongoing storyline are proof that anime is not just for kids.
The franchise has done it through different mediums, be it manga or anime, but the one that has helped the most recently is the One Piece live-action adaptation by Netflix. Even Oda himself talked about how he is happy that One Piece is changing the world for the better. He even explained that the manga world also faces the same problems and even gave a solution for it.
The unjust hate towards the anime community
In the past few decades, anime has become a globally recognized industry that has produced some of the greatest pieces of entertainment in the world. From Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece to Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen, the anime community has grown strong and powerful because of the fame it has received over the years. However, fame and popularity always come with hatred from other people, and the same happened with the anime world.
While there are many issues for which the anime community is targeted, the biggest is the impression that “anime is for kids.” Just because the anime art form uses animation to portray or deliver a story, an image has been created around it that it is just like any other cartoon series that kids watch on TV.
Furthermore, while it may have some truth to it (depending on the genre), this isn’t always the case. There are some stories that are so deep and complex that sometimes, even adults can’t figure them out. Still, the essence of anime cannot be just limited to the animation of the series or movie as it represents many more other aspects that often go unnoticed.
Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is changing the hatred towards anime
One of the main stories that is changing the wrongful perception towards the anime industry is One Piece. Recently, during the latest SBS Volume 111, a One Piece fan revealed that earlier, their mother and their friend never watched One Piece or any other anime, thinking that it was for kids. But once they saw the One Piece live-action adaptation, their impression of the industry changed.
The One Piece mangaka expressed his happiness about the situation and pointed out that it is common for the people of foreign countries to think that anime is for kids.
#SBS111 Oda talks about the impact of the One Piece Live Action
R: My mother, who used to think anime was for kids, and my friend, who wasn’t interested in manga, started reading manga after watching the Live Action and became completely hooked! I’m so happy! Oda-sensei, you… pic.twitter.com/bJiS6pt3Xv
— Artur – Library of Ohara (@newworldartur) March 3, 2025
He revealed that the same was true for Japan, and even the manga world suffered from the same problem. Oda pointed out that if there was some kind of global medium that would help in the global serialization of stories, it would become easy to change people’s perceptions.
While Oda’s wishes are certainly something to think about, it won’t be so easy to establish a global medium for anime or manga. Thus, the only way to change the minds of those who think anime is for kids is through next-level growth and success that would motivate others to watch anime and understand its true essence.
One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
