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One-Punch Man Season 3 Director Shinpei Nagai Responds to Fan Concerns

Shinpei Nagai released a statement on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday regarding his appointment as the One Punch Man season 3 director and concerns over the quality of the new season of the anime series. Nagai starts with a brief overview of his career and anime series he has worked on: "I've been a freelancer from the beginning, and that hasn't changed. At 37, I wrapped up my apprenticeship and stepped into the anime world with a work called Hiiro no Kakera." The director further notes he asked J.C. Staff to withhold information about his appointment to director of One Punch Man season 3 as he is "relatively unknown and doesn't have standout achievements as an animator" and "might give a bad impression."

Nagai's full statement is below:

Hello everyone, nice to meet you.
I'm Shimpei Nagai, the director of One Punch Man Season 3.
I completely understand everyone's reactions.
Please calm down and hear me out, if you would.
I'll explain why I was chosen, and it might be a bit long, but please listen.
I've been a freelancer from the beginning, and that hasn't changed.
At 37, I wrapped up my apprenticeship and stepped into the anime world with a work called "Hiiro no Kakera."
I learned how to create hybrid animation with 3D in a project called "Aquarion Logos," and after that, I switched to a 3D company for just one year, contributing to image boards for "Altered Carbon" and such.
My goal was always Manglobe.
I honed my skills on Episode 6 of "GANGSTA." and "Samurai Flamenco," among others.
I was aiming for a hybrid of 3DCG and hand-drawn animation, but as everyone knows, Manglobe ended up closing down.
In the midst of that, J.C. Staff became a long-term partner, commissioning me for storyboards and direction throughout the year.
However, since I'm relatively unknown and don't have standout achievements as an animator, I thought it might give a bad impression, so I asked to keep it under wraps.
Then, when the consultation for One Punch Man Season 3 came up, I focused on incorporating a new workflow—something I discussed in CGWORLD [conference], bridging 3D and 2D workflows—to squeeze out even one more second of production time.
I sincerely apologize for keeping quiet about this.
The team is giving it our all on site.
I can't discuss details about the production, but I'm open to answering what I can within limits.

Nagai's comments follow in the wake of the One Punch Man season 3 premiere and staff announcements on September 2. Following the reveal, fans were skeptical of the quality of the new season due to the “lower quality” of One Punch Man season 2 in comparison to One Punch Man's first season. Fans were also unsure how to take the announcement of Nagai as director for his status as a relative unknown.

Nagai's comments have assuaged some of the criticism levied at him, though. As of press time, his post has garnered over 2,000 reposts and over 600 replies. Most replies to Nagai's post were from English speaking One Punch Man fans who voiced their support for the director, wishing him and his team luck on the production of One Punch Man season 3.

When one fan asked if Nagai likes One Punch Man as a whole or had experience with it before, he responded that he loves it. He added that when reading the scene where the lead Saitama chose the path of a hero who is not praised by an adoring audience, he could relate to it.

J.C. Staff is returning from the second season to animate the series. Madhouse animated the first season.

The anime's third season will premiere on October 5 at 11:45 p.m. JST (10:45 a.m. EDT) on the TV Tokyo, TV Hokkaido, TV Aichi, TV Osaka, TV Setouchi, and TV Kyushu channels. Viz acquired the theatrical, television, digital, home entertainment, ancillary, and merchandise rights for the third season across North America, Latin America, and Oceania and will stream the series in October. Crunchyroll will stream the anime in Europe and the Middle East in fall.

Source: Shinpei Nagai's X/Twitter account (link 2)