I wrote and recorded this before the episode actually dropped, and I can double confirm that 1015 was genuinely one of the best episodes of anime I’ve watched in my entire life, and I would probably be hyperventilating the entire vid if I had recorded it after watching. Check it out!!

Megumi Ishitani graduated in 2015 and by March of 2018 she was the person to direct the final episode of dragon ball super (even back then you can see some similarities to the monster of episodes she would go on to create.) But think about it Dragon Ball, one of the biggest series in the whole world, let alone the biggest one to come out of Japan, and this "kid" who graduated 2 years ago was picked to direct the last episode of such a monumental series. Let it sink in. She's going to be an absolute Titan.

People are only hype at the Red Roc scene, I'm like WHAT! This episode telling a stories with so much symbolism and truly intricate on it own with such a perfect flow to the narration and purposeful transition, This is a masterpiece of an episode and this is what One Piece as a story deserved not just occasionally one.

“Ishitani loves dinosaurs.” Maybe that’s why she wanted to work on Wano, since it has dinosaur characters? Shame she’s never animated any of the Tobi Roppo yet.

Megumi Ishitani is the only person who can make a filler scene in One Piece become a canon as if it was on the manga.

Megumi Isitani will be legendary once she becomes a series director. A Pretty Cure series in particular would be amazing under her watch.

"If they ever reboot one piece, she's the first one I'd say I would love to be the one in charge" YOU CALLED IT, LET'S GET THE PETITION STARTED!!!!!

I'm absolutely in love with Megumi Ishitani sensei's work. Her imagination & skill is truly marvelous. After watching ep 1015, I felt so inspired by what I was seeing onscreen. I really want to see her helm an anime original project. She deserves all the accolades.

Such a genius this woman. Imagine One Piece being seasonal and Ishitani on the Front. Damn.

The best thing about Her Directing i the animation doesn't have to be as beautiful as it is. It's the way she decides to present the information visually.

I usually don't watch the anime if I already read the manga but it's exactly episodes like these where I still watch them

This is how Ishitani Megumi imagined when reading the manga panels. That's some out of this world talent.

Many important OP episodes in the future will also be directed by her. especially "that" scenes with luffy

Something I really love about Ishitani is that she knows how to use lens flare well. Contrast her to someone like JJ Abrams where he does lens flare because rule of cool(The Force Awakens is a good example of this). Yet in Ishitani's case she uses the color of the lens flares to create atmosphere/ mood. Take this latest episode, you saw a lot of darker reds and blacks to emphasize darkness/ threats. This notable when the Worst generation confront Big Mom and Kaidou. You see this on full display with the flashback before Luffy's Red Roc going through the buildup to that moment. Brighter colors are allowed to pop to showcase jovial, good moments whereas the darker reds and oranges emphasize bad moments or something lingering. Ishitani really should be given her own series. She's an incredible talent and as far as I am concerned she's on her path of joining some of the all time great animators.

There's no "bigger" project than One Piece to be on, except for a One Piece reboot with more production value Making her own movie would give her more creative freedom and more time/money per scene, but nothing will be bigger or more ambitious than One Piece as an artistic project anytime soon

The best One Piece director, the best One Piece episode. Probably one of the greatest episodes in anime history. A 20yo journey actually coming to fruition.

Dang, she nailed it. That scene where Luffy and Roger being compared side-by-side. Never imagined that scene to give such impact. That panel in the manga itself gives me goosebumps, but what she did made me shiver down to my soul. Instead of separating them, she was like why not combine them. Excellent transition and color palette of choice, truly gives that dreamy like vibe. From start to finish, she never disappoint us. She understood how to convey the story well, making everyone to look forward to.

I think another reason her work on one piece is so good is because it’s very clear that she’s a massive one piece fan. Or if she isn’t, she really understands what makes the characters so good. The scenes she directed of the crew just bickering amongst themselves felt so good. The scene of Sanji and zoro comes to mind. Kinemons face as he leads the soldier charge sells how much he NEEDS this to succeed. The same face he makes, bleeding out on the rooftop does the same thing. It’s beyond masterful

The starting moment when Yamato said to Ace "You aren't dead are you?" I become strangely aware something is different. The episode was bravely directed with a joke before tragedy, two instance, the previous quote and zoro's flying fall. I really admire the goddess director talents for transitioning emotions. It really shows that she is confident in getting the message across.

I just watched the episode. I don't even know what to say. I got so emotional, out of breath and suprised so many times, Ishitani's sensibility to not only elevade the manga events but improve on them makes me so happy. idk am just drowing in my tears as I type this. You can clearly see how much passion the staff put into this, it made me fall in love with One Piece and animation all over again. Am literaly shaking to my core, this episode was absolutly amazing, her talent is fucking insane. Am, just.... trying to process everything I saw omg. Am. speachless.

the episodes she directed were so good that people actually learned her name. I don’t know the names of anyone else on One piece but I took the time to learn hers

Every time a One Piece episode that's directed by Megumi is about to drop, everyone gets to know about it before it drops. That's how iconic she is among the One Piece community. An amazing talent and I would also like to see her animate her own passion project, but I, selfishly, also don't want her to leave One Piece before it ends. Finding out that she loves dinosaurs, it's a stamp of confirmation that she'll be animating more episodes in Wano since it's full of them. I hope she'll animate the Zoro flashback episode. And I hope the guy who animated the Katakuri fight, I keep forgetting his name, animates all the fight heavy episodes starting from roofpiece.

i don't even watch OnePiece and those scenes you just showed make me wanna cry they are ridiculously stunning

GIVE THE LADY HER DINOSAURS

4:41 - 4:47 one of the best scene in the ep. 1015. I don't know how to describe the transition in this scene but a word "genius". I mean, for the manga readers we knew what we would see after Luffy pass by both Kaido and Big Mom, but they enhanced the emotional damage by made it looked a like a cheerful scene, where we're greeted by Kin'emon smiling with other Akazaya members and *THEN... INSTANTLY* turned it into a dark and gloomy scene

Her and the animators used the 3 weeks wisely and created a actual fucking movie Even the pacing was sexy, I was 7mins in and thought the ep was already over Everything was perfect

Ishitani just perfectly captures the feeling that reading One Piece gives me, but opens it up to be enjoyed without much context while staying just as impactful. I love that person so damn much; wishing them ultimate success in their career.

I would love to see her directing a One Piece movie. My favorite movie from OP is Baron Omatsuri, the only one that is artisticaly and "scriptily" different and a truly masterpiece. If she was able to bring her own story in this universe (with NO restrictions from the studio), surely it would be one of the greatest anime movies of all time

Hope for her to make her own movie that as impactful as Makoto Shinkai’s or Mamoru Hosoda’s.

The best thing about Ishitani is that even if the episode she gets isn't an insane action packed episode, the animation/direction/stroyboarding is so perfect it remains very interesting to watch and engaging. The scene in 1015 where Yamato hears Luffy's dream and says she won't laugh because it's what Roger also said, compare that to the manga counterpart and Ishitani immediately draws back on the scene with Roger Oden and Whitebeard while basically superimposing Luffy Sabo and Ace to show this in a much more visually engaging and yet more meaningful way than the source material does. That's not to fault Oda, but it's telling when everyone is waiting for roofpiece to start and yes it technically starts this episode but 85% of the episode isn't even on the roof, it's just a flashback of Yamato and Ace but yet here we are singing the episodes praises as the greatest episode of One Piece of all time. That's the power and vision of Ishitani.

Now she's gonna make gear 5 🗿

Megumi has proven that she is just another fan of One Piece. She is one of us , and I greatly appreciate the direction she has chosen for every episode she has delivered on.

I swear this lady deserves everything, God bless her soul she made legendary episodes

She literally makes it look like a color book coming to life ✨💞

Megumi Ishitani is my #1 inspiration in storyboarding, animation, and art as a whole

There’s nothing bigger and greater than one piece

I really want her to be rewarded. Idk what goes in the studio with the animators and directors etc. i have no clue how things work but based upon the stereotypical situation of studios not rewarding their employees i wish nothing like this happen to her that breaks her will an creativeness.

8:48 i haven't caught up on OP in a long while but i knew EXACTLY what was going on even without any recent context surrounding the episode of 1015. truly one of the best episodes of one piece produced of all time

Megumi Ishitani truly is a "blessing" to any work that she works on

As a one piece fan I hope the anime will switch from weekly production to seasonal. Can you just imagine if we get the elbaf arc as a seasonal anime arc with ishitani as its director? I think if we get something like that one piece will truly peak in its adaptation

This is the kind of shit that needs to be in women's history month. Women have been an amazing part of anime culture, and you need to look no further than Fullmetal Alchemist with its creator Hiromu Arakawa.

yo I love one piece but THIS VIDEO was so well edited and made bro! Currently binging your channel!

From the future here: One piece is getting a reboot but unfortunately she isn’t working on it. Would love to see her work on one piece longer. She gives it the extra emotion and life that the anime truly needed.

Thank you for making this video about her, she really deserve some big credits for a big episodes in onepiece.. she is really talented

Really like the vid, and I'll probably mention it elsewhere but I would say be careful what you wish for when it comes to Ishitani moving on to her own projects. That's not so much in regards to OP but getting to see THIS degree of standout talent directing episodes is rare, and they come with their own advantages that differ from helming an entire movie or TV series. I would LOVE this extent of quality for a whole movie or TV series helmed by her, and she's probably capable of that, but there's SO many other factors that determine the right conditions for that quality to be realized. She should do what she wants, who am I to dictate what she should/shouldn't do haha I'd just say where she's at with episodes on such a high profile series is a perfect place to be, and I wish we'd see more of it elsewhere. Like yeah it's great that Hosoda and Matsumoto moved on to grander pastures, but Hosoda in particular I honestly sorely miss as an episode director, I think a standout episode of a show like this recent 1015 can exceed projects that are entire packages, I might be a weirdo but truthfully I prefer several of Hosoda's episodes to any of his original movies lmao

all hail Ishitani she is Godly 🙇‍♂️🙏🙏

It’s not just that epiphany moment that Yamato had with Luffy infront of Roger that’s so great but the way she’s had Yamato relating all of that to Momosuke and the layers of the episode when she’s discovering the connection between Luffy and Roger when talking to Ace. How all that stacks together and the viewer doesn’t get lost.

Being in Toei probably it will allowed her to make in the future a movie on her own. Im sure she will be a star. Also, it really shows the love she has for the series. Because the bits that she introduced to the episode it was not out of place at all, was very in tone with the feelling of the source material. I dont think she could have made a episode like this in dragon ball for example.

I think the recreation and connection to the parallels between Luffy and Roger was more impressive than the flashback sequence for Red Roc

Never heard of her till recently but hope she goes far and becomes one of the greats.

great video, i'm glad i found out more about megumi through this, it's so great to see such talented people put their all in a piece of art and i'm glad she and the rest of her team gave such incredible work for one piece, 1015 was a really special episode

People who watch the episode: Damn this looks insane! People who watch the whole series: *AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

10:33 "if they ever reboot one piece, shes the first person who should be in charge" Well...maybe she'll join WIT for this?

wow her dream is coming true for sure because that's what I've felt watching the roof scene. I have absolutely no context about what's happening I just started the series, and I was overcome by emotion it was amazing.

Those extra panel were really awesome.. Loved it.. ❤️‍🔥 lezzz go.. 1016.. Waiting for Nikka..

I LITERALLY GOT GOOSEBUMBS IN THE WAY EVERYTHING JUST WAS SO FLAWLESSLY SEAMLESS!! I especially loved the sudden transition from a happy ‘flashback’ to the horrifying present (ie, Yamato finding out ace’s life went *poof*, and Luffy finding kine’mon’s body with the rest of the samurais)

I don't remember why or when I subscribed to this channel, but I do know that this is up there with the best video essay type (you know what I mean) KZfaq videos that I've watched. I'm glad that I got recommended this video, will try to watch more of them.

Seeing Megumi tackle her own (OVA) series, whether it's adapted or original, would be interesting to see.

I did not know that episode 1015 was created by such an amazing director but the moment the episode started I could already tell something was different. The lighting the music and the mood the whole episode gave me goosebumps and I had to rewatch it 3 times

It could be just me but ever since Wano Arc started I noticed a massive change in animation style. Sure in between the arc the quality was going up and down but not very frequently. It can be easily said that the entirety of Wano Arc had the best animation in One Piece. Those camera blurs and camera motion at the perfect times, the soundtrack and everything else was spot in, especially in Episode 1015.

IMO the way she transitions/cuts between scenes (4:46) as well as the flow/following of motion (0:18) is the reason her directed episodes stand out, they're masterfully done. The animation quality just amplifies that 💙

so basically what im getting here is megumi ishitani is like the conductor of an orchestra in terms of animation?

How I never appreciated her godly work in Heart-Catch Precure as a toddler 😭😭 I am BEGGING for her to recreate some of the older PreCure series that I grew up on because I will literally giggle, scream, ascend and never come back if that ever happens. Gotta finish Dragon Ball Super to see her work too.

This was a fantastic video. I've been obsessed with Megumi's animation since OP episode 982, and when I found out she was doing 1015, I knew off the bat that it was going to bang. The little additional information she adds in her animations is very beautiful, it definitely gives more life to the scene and makes it feel like we can connect w/ the character(s) on a personal level. I'm very excited to follow Ishitani's work from here and thank you for making a video about it

my wish is that when one piece eventually ends, and the anime following a couple years after, we get a reboot series just like toei did to dbz in dbz kai, make a one piece kai, with ishitani directing every episode, increase the pacing, leave out the fillers and make the animation godlike this will not only make early one piece better, but it also allows newcomers to get into the series easier instead of having to sit through hundreds of episodes of 20 year old animation to get to the end

We need a Megumi Ishitani full length One Piece movie it would literally be the best anime movie of the decade if we had a full hour and 30 to 2 hours of her directing with a good story

i love ishitani and i love her work but we really have to give praise to everyone involved in this masterpiece. the interaction between ace and yamato feels so real and alive for me because the voice actors were just so vivid. especially for characters that we dont see much or havnt seen in a while, ace, whitebeard, roger, sabo. all of the voices were so alive and full of charcter and push the into a league of its own

From someone who work in the film industry and an anime geek. Megumi Ishitani understand that light quality in her production is crucial. She understands the ratio of light to dark. and the framing of her shots are using a lot of perspective points. She does not shy of using exaggerated lights colors in her episodes. Such as red and yellow. Also the proportion of her drawing according to Film making is her use of "Lenses". She knows the diameter of each lenses. She uses wide lens and most 35mm. Unlike most production who chose to use 50mm and 85mm look. Thus making the quality of episode really cinematic.

As someone who is honestly intimidated by the amount of episodes One Piece has, this animation is honestly beautiful.

Wano anime looks good but unfortunately I don't want to go though all the new world arcs with really weak production quality to get to them, so I have just been sticking to the manga.

When all is said and done, Megumi-san will undoubtedly be regarded as one of the greats in the industry (if she isn't already :)). Nothing short of an incredibly hard working talent, and force to be reckoned with. It's been a long journey, but I'm so glad to be alive in this moment to witness and experience this incredible story! Amazing video as well on your part Mr.Sage! I can't remember the last time I watched one of these types of videos with such well articulated intention, and coinciding direction. (Straw)Hats off to you! 👏

This was probably my favorite One Piece episode ever. The final scene on the roof was incredible

One Piece 1015 broke me. It was like Demon Slayer 19 all over again. Edit: Lemme clarify that I am not comparing these two anime. I just wanted to share how two particular episodes from two different anime came outta nowhere and broke me. It's just something incredible about these episodes that's unlike any other episode from the same anime. It catches you off guard and you find yourself tearing up. I experienced the same in Deku vs Muscular episode and I don't even like MHA that much.

Toeichads just keep winning

thanks so much for making a video about her! I have been admiring her work and can recognize her style in every episode she makes, I really hope she has the opportunity to direct her own series or movie, this girl of full of potential and only getting started, I am so so excited to see where she goes

That episode truly blew my mind, especially that scene where Yamato sees Sabo and Ace, and afterwards Luffy in front of Roger. My mouth dropped. Heck, I was fascinated for the whole episode. The scene where Ace stops his little boat to look for Yamato, the harsh cut to reality when Luffy sees Kinemon and the other Akazaya. And yeah, the Red Roc too, of course. What an outstanding and beautiful episode, my god

you don't know what i have or haven't heard of.

First man

The way I was sobbing throughout all of 1015… She’s truly the goat!

Finally! I’ve been trying to explain the difference between 1015 and most of the other one piece episodes to my roommate, but couldn’t describe it. This is a fantastic video, very well written and thank you for shining light on this amazing talent!

What better opportunity is there than the biggest manga in the world. Her and one piece is a match made in heaven. Her animation and Oda’s storytelling as well as the music team and the actors blasting on full cylinders. It perfectly encapsulates what one piece is about. Nami is the best navigator but saying she should be the captain idk. Sometimes working together leads to something greater than the sum of its parts.

Even as the scenes is showing in this video while the guy is talking, I'm getting chills.

This video aged so well.

Basically She is a blessing to the anime world

Now 1015 is the best and this art style needs to be the new norm

Man I can't for 'THAT' scene to get animeted i am soooo freaking hyped

Oh heck yeah! I LOVE dinosaurs! I'd love to see her make a full dinosaur-themed series/film!

She is a literal savant genius. She is above talented and it shows.

THE episode, I look forward to her episodes a lot, exceptional work and feel

I can't believe you didn't mention Dragon Ball Super ep131, the finale, which Ishitani Megumi also directed. To many, that single episode was what made the afterthought series worth watching.

Episode 1015 is pretty much everything I love about One Piece in one SINGLE episode. It was SOOOOO good! It’s clear that Ishitani deeply connects and understands the source material and has the vision to accentuate everything that makes said source material great! I can’t wait to see where she goes!

That dilenma where you wanna see Ishitani fully realize her potential in an original or feature length film, but also doesn't want her to leave One Piece production any time soon either.

I just finished my 1088 Marathon of One Piece for the first time. I have notes on my whole marathon specially regarding animation. And I'm not surprised all of the episodes that I love are from Wano and is worked by one story board artist. What im surprised is that is not Shintani's work. :O

Thanks for letting me know about Megumi Ishitani, what an amazing talent, we are truely blessed to have her around as an anime director and lead storyboard-artist. Also: Don't sell One Piece short. I'm well aware that the anime has a lot of problems (99% of them are pacing-related, at least recently with the jump in overall animation quality since "Roof Piece" started), but the work by Oda itself is a true epic, not just for our times, but an epic by one of the most prolific writers ever, period ! So yes, while I would 100% love for Ishitani-san to make her own original movie, I don't think transforming one of the greatest works of fiction ever into animation is "not rewarding enough" (but, of course, that is for her to decide, not me).

I LOVE THIS VIDEO. Thank you for shining some light on Megumi Ishitani. Her love for Dinosaurs is the perfect fit for Wano arc and I cannot wait to see her animate (no spoilers here) the King and Queen fights. Both of whom are ancient Zoan type users.

She reminds me to Hiroyuki Yamashita, one of the director of Naruto shippuden, his episodes were so good and had the cinematic feeling.

I love how a short time ago she was hardly even known now she's one of the most popular one piece directors ever and she's going on to direct the gear 5 episode

great video

That episode man, it's a core memory now.

thank you for this work