Commercials airing on the 4Kids Saturday morning animation block indicate that the One Piece anime series will be back on the 4Kids block in the New Year. Last month after anime series One Piece and Mew Mew Power disappeared from the 4Kids block, ICv2 contacted 4Kids and was assured that the series would return (see 'One Piece, Mew Mew Power Will Return').
One Piece is one of the most popular anime (and manga) series in Japan, but the series, in its original form, is more teen-oriented, while the 4Kids' adaptation targets a much younger Saturday morning demographic, resulting in numerous cuts from the original Japanese series. The cuts have angered the hardcore U.S. anime community -- and the American version of One Piece has never begun to approach the success the series enjoys in Japan.
