I'm watching One Piece weekly and the pacing in the later arcs feels glacial compared to early arcs — single manga chapters stretched into full episodes, long recaps, constant reaction shots.
Is this a deliberate creative choice or a production necessity? And does it get better in Wano and afterwards?
It's a production math problem, not laziness.
One Piece airs every single week, year round, while Oda publishes roughly 40 chapters a year. Early on, the anime could burn 1.5–2 chapters per episode because there was a backlog. By Dressrosa the anime had fully caught up to the manga, so Toei had to stretch: one chapter (sometimes less) per episode, padded with recaps, extended reaction shots and anime-original scenes. The alternative was filler arcs or going on hiatus, and Toei's broadcast contract didn't allow long breaks.
Does it get better? Yes, dramatically. From late Wano onward the production changed visibly — new staff, much higher animation quality, and pacing closer to 1+ chapters per episode again. Egghead is honestly one of the best-looking weekly shonen productions out there. And if pacing really bothers you, the remastered/recut options and arc-by-arc pacing guides can carry you to Wano faster.
