On May 23, the official One Piece website released additional information for the upcoming movie tie-in anime special One Piece: Heart of Gold, set to premiere on Fuji TV channels on July 16 at 9 P.M. and run until 11:10 P.M. (JST). The post also included comments from the staff, as well as an interview with guest voice actor Shun Oguri, who will be voicing the villain Mad Treasure in the TV special, which we have translated below.

Interview with Shun Oguri

Please share us your thoughts on voice acting.

Oguri: It was fun! I voiced a villain, so I acted my best to make him feel like one. I’d be really happy if I managed to nail it.

What are your thoughts on the visual design of Mad Treasure?

Oguri: He looks pretty funky. I think he’s a new type of character that we haven’t seen in One Piece before.

One Piece is well-known for unique speech quirks in villains…

Oguri: Mad Treasure’s laughter is expressed as “Jyarararara” (jyara jyara is a Japanese onomatopoeia for the rustling of chains), so when I received my script I thought, “How in the world am I going to pull this off?” *laughs* But being embarrassed wouldn’t have gotten us anywhere, so I gave it my all from my first “jyarararara.”

How did you feel when you were offered to voice-act for One Piece?

Oguri: I was ecstatic! I actually received an offer once before, but I didn’t think my voice would fit the role. But Mad Treasure, I thought I could manage… I was glad to have received a great role.

How was your experience playing a villain’s role?

Oguri: If you’re going to be in One Piece at all, you might as well play the boss villain’s role. In One Piece Film: Gold, Kazuhiro Yamaji is voicing the boss villain (Gild Tesoro). I’ll be honest — I wish I could have played Yamaji’s role. *laughs*

What are your impressions about “One Piece: Heart of Gold”?

Oguri: The character I voiced, Mad Treasure, has the reputation of being a ruthless treasure hunter, but he’s just driven by a simple and pure desire for treasure, so I think he may not seem as despicable as you’d imagine, surprisingly. He’s going to fight the Straw Hat crew to find a hidden treasure, so I think it’s a great adventure story very fitting for One Piece.

A message to the audience, please.

Oguri: Mad Treasure is a character I helped bring to life by overcoming new challenges myself, so I hope you’ll accept him and enjoy the show. By all means, please do watch One Piece: Heart of Gold.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Mad Treasure is a chain human who ate the 「ジャラジャラの実」(romanized as “Jyara Jyara no Mi”), and can materialize chains anywhere from his body. He is hired by Gild Tesoro to search for Pure Gold, and goes after Olga, who holds the key to its whereabouts. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), Nami has met Treasure before! And meeting him once again will trigger memories of her horrible past…

Comments from the staff

Planning: Yuta Kano (Fuji TV)

While this TV special does tie in to the movie, it is a story that will reach its conclusion within this single episode, so I hope the audience will be able to enjoy it for what it is. For this TV special, director Nagamine and the entire staff tried to come up with “a super entertaining story that won’t be overshadowed by the movie.” Our screenwriter Kuroiwa, as he did with the movie, packed this episode with so much material that can only be expressed effectively through animation — they’re all very fitting for One Piece. As for the title, I believe those who will understand will understand, so we’ll await the audience’s response after the special premieres. We also felt strongly about wanting to “see Shun Oguri fight Luffy as a villain,” so we asked for his contribution. As expected, his voice and acting are both wonderful, so please look forward to it.

Planning: Hiroyuki Sakurada (Toei Animation)

This TV special will be brought to you in conjunction with this summer’s biggest theatrical masterpiece, One Piece Film: Gold, set to premiere on July 23. And from the staff of One Piece Film: Gold, this special has screenwriter Tsutomu Kuroiwa, director Tastuya Nagamine from One Piece Film: Z, and Eiichiro Oda designing the guest characters and outfits for the Straw Hats. This TV special is a work of your wildest dreams with the best of the best staff members involved, and with outstanding guests like Shun Oguri on board! The story and pacing a so thrilling that you won’t have time to breathe, and with the Straw Hats running wild for a full two hours, this TV special will be an adventure unlike any other! While we can guarantee that this TV special alone will be 120% enjoyable , the entertainment value will have a synergy effect if you watch it together with One Piece Film: Gold! Please enjoy!

As mentioned previously, Tastuya Nagamine (director of One Piece Film: Z) will reprise his role as director of this TV special, and Tsutomu Kuroiwa was announced the screenwriter. Kuroiwa is also the screenwriter for One Piece Film: Gold, and One Piece: Heart of Gold will be his first time writing for a TV anime.

Synopsis of One Piece: Heart of Gold

As the Straw Hats continue their adventure in the New World, they meet a mysterious girl by the name of Olga. Despite her cute appearance, she is barbarous and cynical in nature. She is also on the run from the Navy and a powerful treasure hunter named Mad Treasure. The reason for their pursuit lies in Olga’s birthplace — the island of iron and steel production, “Alchemy,” which suddenly disappeared 200 years ago. A metal that was created there, the “Pure Gold,” is said to be worth a sum so extraordinary that it could buy the entire world and thus, has been sought after since long ago. Olga managed to escape Alchemy by chance but was caught by the Navy. Gild Tesoro, who controls the Navy HQ and the black market, learns of this survivor from Alchemy and hires Mad Treasure to track her down. Despite having difficulties getting along with the stubborn Olga, Luffy decides to set out to go treasure hunting for the coveted Pure Gold. Olga, in the meanwhile, plots to take advantage of the Straw Hats to strike it rich with the Pure Gold. The Straw Hats are excited in anticipation of this mysterious treasure. With the most powerful treasure hunter against them, will they be able to acquire the legendary treasure — the Pure Gold?

As for the simulcast, no official announcement has been made as of yet. Since there is still some time remaining, you can voice your opinion to FUNimation and Crunchyroll for a possible simultaneous premiere of One Piece: Heart of Gold for the fans residing outside of Japan.

SOURCE: One-Piece.com