One Piece Episode 994 Link

“We went full 90s shoujo for half an episode and it was amazing. Such a unique stylistic flair.” Reddit · r/OnePiece · 4 years ago

Reviews from the community emphasize the "theatrical" nature of this specific episode:

: Despite adapting only about half a chapter, the episode avoided the "dragging" feel common in long-running series by adding meaningful character depth and "masterpiece" level storyboarding.

“Toei did their thing. The use of Japanese theatre to depict the role Kanjuro has been playing.. Kiku's story development along with animation was superlative.” Reddit · r/OnePiece · 4 years ago

: The highlight for many was the fight between Kiku and Kanjuro . The anime expanded on this brief manga encounter, using a unique stylistic flair reminiscent of 90s shoujo and traditional Japanese theatre to emphasize Kanjuro's role as a lifelong actor.