One Piece animator breaks silence on Bonney controversy
CrunchyrollA One Piece animator has stepped forward to address the controversial Bonney scene in the Egghead arc.
One Piece’s highly-anticipated Egghead arc has gathered quite a lot of positive reviews from fans. The new art style, character designs, opening and ending themes; everything has been phenomenal – that is, except for one scene.
The recent Bonney scene may not seem like anything special to anime-only fans, but manga fans cannot accept it. After all, they know a lot more about Bonney, which is why some had hoped for the anime to remove that scene entirely.
Even so, not only was the controversial Bonney scene added, but it attracted a lot of negative comments on social media. Here’s why the Bonney scene is controversial to fans and what animator KDA Artist has to say about it. Warning: this article contains minor spoilers from the manga.
One Piece animator responds to Bonney controversy
The reason One Piece fans are unhappy with this controversial scene is because Bonney is technically 12 years old. She uses her Age-Age Fruit powers to look like an adult. However, regardless of the reason, the fact remains that the bath scene is sexualizing a minor. KDA Artist, who drew the scene, shared on Twitter: “Participated as a key animator in One Piece 1090. I hope you enjoyed Bonney’s scenes!”
In the same post, they further commented: “Also, for the « sexualizing » controversy. I’m sorry for drawing Jinbei shirtless.”
The artist in question also thanked the other staff members: “Oh btw, thanks to Suzuki-san and every staff members, didn’t had time to finish every nigen ( that’s why there is maybe some errors in the clean version from cleanup artists ) but even with that little mistake. They did a great job!”
Responding to a user’s joke, KDA Artist said: “While animating her, I didn’t have a single clue of her age. No cap.”
Although there is a bit of bad press around this scene, many sensible fans are thanking the artist for their hard work. One user commented: “Keep the great work and don’t like the woke gaijin weirdos get you down.”
Another user commented: “Super awesome work friend! Happy to see you back on the series!”
Another fan also shared: “I have yet to catch up on One Piece as I left the Kaido arc half way through (so I can binge watch it later haha). Working on One Piece must be crazy cool! It’s one of the top Manga/Anime series out there! Animators work hard! I have no doubt you’re at the top of your game! Peace.”
This controversial Bonney scene has divided the One Piece fandom in two. While some believe that there isn’t anything sexual about the scene, others seem to disagree. One user posted: “This whole controversy hinges on people’s misogynistic idea that a woman’s body is inherently sexual. Bonney was doing the exact same thing as Luffy in that scene. She wasn’t in a sexual pose, wasn’t referred to as sexual, she’s literally just a girl without a shirt on.”
Another fan posted: “Funny they are attacking Toei Animators and Oda without knowing that Bonney has ability to alter age and she appeared early 20’s in this scene. I repeat ‘she appeared as early 20’s not 12(chronological age) which they all whining abt.”
