UPDATED: Manga UK Confirms One Piece Stampede Release
UPDATE 2: Manga Entertainment have now officially announced the film as releasing on 2nd February 2020. You can sign up for ticket alerts at https://onepiecefilm.co.uk/.
Original Story:
UPDATE: ZOMBIE LAND SAGA release details added.
Weekly Shonen JUMP’s golden goose and modern manga’s biggest icon may finally be headed to UK cinemas, with the British Board of Film Classification having published a 12A rating for ONE PIECE STAMPEDE, the fourteenth theatrical anime film based on Eichiro Oda’s best-selling pirate manga! The website lists the distributor as Manga Entertainment, who have previously released the TV anime and select previous films on home video. The classification mentions that the rated trailer was dubbed.
While the listed classification and release dates (13th December 2019 and 13th January 2020, respectively) are the same mentioned in the BBFC’s recent ZOMBIE LAND SAGA listing, sources have verified to Anime UK News that the film’s trailer is not present on Manga Entertainment’s upcoming ZOMBIE LAND SAGA release. This may suggest that they will either be released on the same day, or the BBFC’s listed date for ONE PIECE STAMPEDE is an error. The 12A certificate however, is typically used exclusively for theatrical releases. Manga Entertainment have yet to confirm any plans for the title, at time of writing.
Funimation Films, who released ONE PIECE STAMPEDE in North America, describe the film as follows:
The world’s boldest buccaneers set sail for the great Pirate Festival, where the Straw Hats join a mad-dash race to find Gol D. Roger’s treasure. There’s just one little problem. An old member of Roger’s crew has a sinister score to settle. All bets are off when the most iconic pirates of One Piece history band together for a swashbuckling showdown, the likes of which have never been seen!
The Film Distributors Association’s Launching Films website is also currently listing an untitled anime release for 9 February 2020 release. That listing is attributed to National Amusements, who typically work with Anime Limited, but they have previously assisted Manga Entertainment with Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’.
ONE PIECE STAMPEDE was released in North America this October, and had its UK premiere as the mystery film at this year’s Scotland Loves Anime events in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
