Netflix's latest anime adaptation has been a massive success, soaring to the top of the charts (in the UK at least) and receiving a whopping 96% Rotten Tomatoes score. Unfortunately, it looks like those of us who want to spend more time with One Piece's Straw Hat Pirates are going to have to rewatch season 1 for a little while.
With such success, you'd expect the savvy brains at one of the best streaming services to get to work on season 2 ASAP, especially with 1075 anime episodes to draw from, but it's not that simple. Speaking to Variety the show's producers revealed that some scripts for season 2 have been completed already, but that the current Hollywood strikes mean that work can't get underway.
Of course, it's important that people get paid what is fair but we can't help but be saddened by that news, especially when you consider it could apparently be another 18 months after the conclusion of the strikes to get the episodes in the can and ready to air. That might mean we have to go the whole of 2024 without our new favourite crew.
This might not be the only show interrupted by industrial action, but it's a shame as it is one of the few anime/manga adaptations that has struck a chord with both the original fans and a new audience. The fact the first season is only 8 episodes long is particularly heartbreaking.
If you are looking for a goofy, off-the-wall adventure where a pirate with rubber limbs is one of the more standard characters, One Piece is definitely worth your time. There aren't many direct alternatives I can recommend but if it's the superpowers that drew you in, then maybe try Extraordinary on Disney+ for a slightly more British take on superheroes (and it has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes). Or stay on Netflix for the Tom Cruise movie adapted from the Death Note creator's manga.
