Toei’s One Piece to Begin Streaming in Germany, Russia

Toei Animation has inked new SVOD deals for the anime series One Piece in Germany and Russia.

One Piece will premiere in Germany following SVOD agreements with Anime On Demand and Wakanim. The show already airs on free TV in the country through ProSieben Maxx. It is also due to debut on Wakanim in Russia.

Episodes of One Piece will become available right after the Japanese broadcast, with both platforms simulcasting the series on Mondays at 8 p.m. in Germany. A dubbed version is launching on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. in Russia.

“Germany is one of the fastest-growing markets for anime, and we’re excited to stream One Piece to its two top-performing services while continuing our successful presence in Russia,” said Ryuji Kochi, the president of Toei Animation Europe. “These announcements are especially impactful considering that One Piece will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2019 with the release of an all-new feature film. After 20 years, One Piece’s story continues to evolve and inspire new generations of viewers.”

Michael Wache, the head of new media at AV Visionen and project manager for Anime On Demand, noted: “We are very proud to add One Piece to our extensive portfolio of anime classics, timeless favorites and current hits. One Piece is one of the greatest anime successes of all time and is a firm success in German free TV and home entertainment. The huge German fanbase wishes for years to be able to follow the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates as close as possible to the Japanese broadcast and we are overjoyed to finally be able to fulfill this wish.”

Olivier Cervantes, the president of Wakanim, added: “Wakanim is thrilled to partner with Toei Animation to offer simulcast and simuldub (Russia) episodes of One Piece in German- and Russian-speaking regions! One Piece is a groundbreaking property that would help us to offer the best anime through our legal video on demand offer.”