Latest news with #ToeiAnimation
Time of India
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
One Piece chapter 1150 spoilers reveal Imu's terrifying powers and Elbaph's new demon kings
One Piece Chapter 1150 leaks reveal Imu's immense power (image via Toei Animation) The latest One Piece chapter 1150 spoilers have sent shockwaves through the fandom, revealing a series of earth-shattering developments that place Imu at the center of the chaos. With the unofficial title 'Domi Reversi,' the chapter not only showcases Imu's newly confirmed Conqueror's Haki but also introduces a fearsome technique known as the 'Devil's Contract,' reshaping the power dynamics on Elbaph and beyond. Imu's Conqueror's Haki leaves Elbaph's mightiest warriors trembling Chapter 1150 opens with a stunning display of raw power. Imu, disguised as Gunko, unleashes an overwhelming blast of Conqueror's Haki that knocks out adult Giants and even their children. What makes this moment especially significant is the phrasing in the leaks, suggesting 'it's Imu's Conqueror's Haki rather than Gunko's.' If true, this marks the first confirmed usage of the advanced Haki by the secretive ruler, further solidifying their position as a major endgame threat. — pewpiece (@pewpiece) Despite the devastating blow, Dorry, Brogy, and several of the Giant Warrior Pirates remain standing and attempt to counterattack Imu. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo What follows, however, leaves them even more outmatched. The 'Devil's Contract' turns Elbaph's heroes into immortal demon kings Imu takes the conflict to another level by drawing upon a 'magic book' to summon mystical weapons—knives and guns—which he hurls at Brogy, wounding him. Then comes the game-changer: Imu declares, 'since Elbaph has no king currently, Dorry and Brogy will become its new rulers.' Using the sinister 'Devil's Contract,' Imu transforms the legendary Giant duo into powerful demon-like entities, granting them immense strength and immortality in exchange for part of their lifespan. This technique might be the source of the Gorosei's and Holy Knights' seemingly immortal abilities, hinting at deeper world-building revelations to come. By the end of the chapter, Imu commands a growing legion of demonic Giants—described as 'Giant devils'—as well as terrifying MMA-like monsters created by Saint Rimoshifu Killingham. With these massive warriors, some rivaling Oars in size, Imu sets his sights on eliminating Jarul, though the reason remains unknown. Also Read: 'The shonen manga that I read s*cks': Dragon Ball's original editor wasn't into Shonen Jump or manga — and it changed the genre forever Fans won't have to wait long, as chapter 1150 drops on June 2, 2025, with chapter 1151 following on June 9. A potential break may follow, typical of Oda's release schedule, but for now, One Piece's endgame is heating up like never before. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Korea Herald
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'Magic Candies' brings Oscar buzz to local screens
Oscar-nominated animated short marks first Korean children's book adaptation by major Japanese studio This year's dearth of Korean works at major film festivals and awards shows — no feature films made it to the Oscars or Cannes — has left local film fans searching for bright spots. One of the few silver linings came from an unexpected source: "Magic Candies," a 21-minute animated short based on Korean author Baek Hee-na's children's book that landed an Oscar nomination for best animated short film in January. With the short film now heading to Korean theaters, the children's book author Baek and Japanese producer Takashi Washio gathered for a press conference at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University in Seoul on Friday. While buzz around the film here largely centered on whether it would score an Oscar, Baek noted that awards were not the main draw for her. "When we made this animation, the goal wasn't commercial," she said. "Every time I write a book, what's really important to me is the personal feeling of having created something I can be proud of anywhere." The project marks the first collaboration between a Korean children's book and a major Japanese animation studio. It brings together established talents: Baek won the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2020 for her body of work, while Toei Animation's Washio and director Daisuke Nishio are industry veterans behind hits like "Pretty Cure" and "Dragon Ball Z." The film forgoes the sleek polish of mainstream animation in favor of something quirkier and more expressive. Its rough, textured look stays true to Baek's distinctive approach — she is known for building miniature sets with clay figures, then photographing them under carefully arranged lights to create her storybook illustrations. For Baek, who herself studied animation in college, preserving the original's handmade sensibility was crucial. "I was worried about losing the analog feel if it went CG," she said, referring to computer graphics. The back-and-forth took nearly a year. "They said they'd create CG models of all the characters first and show me. If I liked it, then I'd give permission." That attention to detail extended beyond aesthetics. Washio, working with Korean material for the first time, took pains to capture the authentic local feel. "We did location scouting in Seoul several times," he explained. "I told the director I saw a lot of magpies when I came to Korea, and he looked it up and found out magpies are Korea's national bird. That's how we got to put one the opening scene." The film combines Baek's original "Magic Candies" with elements from another work ,"I Am a Dog," for a more complete narrative arc. "When I first read 'Magic Candies,' I thought it might be too short for a film," Washio said. "But after reading 'I Am a Dog,' I thought it was excellent and would work well from Dong-Dong's perspective." The cross-cultural collaboration paid off beyond expectations. The film has won eight awards across seven international festivals and earned official invitations to over 30 others before landing its Oscar nomination. The biggest revelation for Baek came from something she had never considered. "When I write picture books, I think a lot about the characters' expressions and movements, so seeing them move wasn't that surprising," she said. "But I'd never imagined the character's voice. So when I first heard Dong-Dong speak, I got really emotional — it was like I'd eaten a magic candy myself."
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
One Piece studio Toei Animation responds to fan outrage over AI plans
Toei Animation, the acclaimed studio behind the hit anime One Piece, has come under fire following its announcement to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into its production workflow. The revelation ignited strong backlash from fans, who fear that AI could undermine the quality, originality, and artistic integrity of Toei's work. In response to the mounting criticism, Toei has now addressed the controversy. As reported by Screenrant, Toei's earnings report not only covered financial details but also offered a glimpse into the studio's future plans. One of the most debated elements was the revelation that Toei Animation is investing in artificial intelligence, with intentions to incorporate it into several aspects of anime production. The report outlines that areas like storyboard creation, coloring, in-between animation, background generation using photos, and frame correction are expected to be impacted by this initiative. Toei Animation reacts to the backlash over AI plans Toei has since revised the document to clarify that it is not currently utilising AI technology in any of the listed production processes. However, the company reaffirmed its intention to adopt AI in the future. One Piece animator Vincent Chansard shares his POV One Piece animator Vincent Chansard reacted to the backlash and shared on X, 'Have been talking to everyone i know on this AI thing but it seems everyone's as confused as me. RN it just feels like an overblown disconnected PR-esque statement like "look how we are an inovative company" aimed at shareholders with no concrete real life production change.' Have been talking to everyone i know on this AI thing but it seems everyone's as confused as me. RN it just feels like an overblown disconnected PR-esque statement like "look how we are an inovative company" aimed at shareholders with no concrete real life production change. What are anime fans fearing? A simple answer to this is that anime fans who have been following Toei's projects have always admired the studio's animation quality. What they fear is that the use of AI will make the work feel too artificial, causing the essence of anime to be lost.
Gizmodo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Animation Studio Toei Wants to Use AI for Future Productions
If you watch anime, particularly of the shonen variety, you likely know Toei Animation. The studio is best known for adapting popular manga like Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon, and it's got plenty of work coming out. When those series and films release, some may have been made with artificial intelligence. In Toei's recently published financial briefing for 2024-2025's fiscal year, one slide reveals the studio's invested an undisclosed sum of money into Preferred Networks, a Japanese company with 'cutting-edge AI technologies.' The two hope to 'co-develop new business opportunities and improve the efficiency and quality of our production, capitalizing on synergies between AI and animation production technologies.' Toei is specifically eyeing AI usage for storyboards in productions, along with coloring (and color specification), backgrounds, and in-betweens. Use cases cited include having the technology automatically correcting in-between or specifying and picking the correct colors, and generating backgrounds from referenced photos. At the time, the slide only talks about future prospects, and makes no mention of the technology being incorporated in the studio's current works like One Piece or the upcoming Digimon BeatBreak and Gosu. AI has been controversial to use and discuss across the larger entertainment industry. While it's often been argued to be a means of efficiency and helpful to reducing menial work, workers across different creative fields like (voice acting and art) feel their livelihoods have been threatened by studios' adoption of the technology and its integration into projects without artists' consent. Others consider it a form of theft or digital necromancy that could add extra steps to the production process or lead to unintended errors upon release. Toei's a big company, and how it uses the technology will impact everyone, from other studios to the fans who watch their works.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
'Will stop watching': Anime fans express concern as One Piece animation studio plans to adopt AI in production
Reports that Toei Animation, the well-known studio behind One Piece, Dragon Ball, and other classic series, intends to integrate artificial intelligence into various phases of its animation production have sent anime enthusiasts on the internet into a panic. Following its investment in Preferred Networks (PFN), which is said to have "top-level AI technology competence in Japan," further information about Toei Animation's AI ambitions has surfaced. "We will seek to co-develop new business opportunities and improve the efficiency and quality of our production, capitalizing on synergies between AI and animation production technologies," Toei Animation stated in the FY2026 forecast section of its FY2025 financial report. Anime fans upset as One Piece animation studio plans to adopt AI in production The news was shared with fans on Reddit by a social media user and while some people expected it, others felt that the animation studio will have its downfall. One wrote, 'It's pretty hard not to feel like this is coming for the entire industry piece by piece. Will be interesting to see how much human hand there still is in anime 10 years from now.' Another added ' It's funny. I remember Miyazaki during the time of Princess Mononoke was pretty disappointed that computers couldn't handle things like in-betweens (he found it boring and tedious).' A third went on to add, 'Get ready, this is what the future of anime looks like.' Anime made by Toei animation studio Toei Animation stands as one of Japan's most historic and influential animation studios, with a legacy of producing many legendary anime titles. Among its flagship creations are Dragon Ball (1986), Dragon Ball Z (1989), and Dragon Ball Super (2015), which together make up one of the most iconic franchises in anime history. The studio also produces One Piece (1999–present), a record-breaking and widely cherished series. Other timeless titles from Toei's extensive catalog include Sailor Moon (1992), Saint Seiya (1986), Digimon Adventure (1999), Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken, 1984), GeGeGe no Kitarō (first aired in 1968 with several remakes), and Dr. Slump (1981). For those who don't know, Toei Animation has already experimented with producing anime with AI support. In 2021, it collaborated with PFN to convert photo backgrounds into anime backgrounds for an experimental short film using PFN's Scenify technology.
