Toei Animation has pulled its plans to stream an online simulcast of new episodes of the anime series One Piece due to an episode being stolen from the FUNimation Entertainment servers and illegally posted online.
The streams were set to begin May 30 at 7 p.m. PDT on FUNimation’s website, only one hour after the episodes premiered in Japan on Fuji Television.
‘As a direct result of this illegal act, all U.S. and Canadian fans will be deprived of access to this great anime series for the immediate future,’ said a spokeswoman for the project in an e-mail sent out Thursday. ‘We will use the full extent of our efforts to locate and prosecute the perpetrators and will provide updates in this most serious matter.’
The episode, the first of the new season of the show, was to be followed by subsequent episodes on a weekly schedule.
The project was intended to increase the marketing potential of the series, which is due for release on DVD in the United States June 30 from FUNimation.
