Although these stories both shared an over the top pirate world setting, the major difference lies in the art styles. In One Piece anime, 2D animation allows limitless imaginations in world building and character actions at a cost of being realistic. The anime often features simple colors and traditional 2D technique to illustrate the depth of the world.

      For example, by multiplaning (Amy, 2021) different layers of celluloid pictures (Wikipedia, 2023), animators can simulate movements and depth in a pseudo 3D environment. These techniques allow animators to create unrealistic environment without breaking the immersion too much. With anime’s colorful and limitless imagination, it’s easier to appeal to younger audiences. However, under the live action camera, the film needs to be shot with full scale props, green screens, and advanced computer-generated graphics to maintain the immersion. Hence, a lot of 2D animation tricks simply don’t work in live action.

      Anime also allows extreme facial and body postures on characters without looking weird. Namely, audiences can comfortably accept the artistical setting of stretchy hands and legs with our main protagonist: Luffy. While in live action Luffy’s movements will be limited by cinematic reality and human ergonomics. Overall, these constraints allow filmmakers to create a realistic world, which will fit into today’s mature audiences’ preferences.

      The Visual art design in movies and anime comes with its unique identities, which can both satisfy different audiences. With well art design and imaginations, we can enjoy both visual styles while enjoying the stories.