SaNa is enhanced by Toei? Filler vs manga and a shipping narrative + SaNa in new arcs and Nami’s feelings
Sorry for the long title, but I decided to answer two asks in one post since they are in the same ask… And I also wanted the topics to be clear. Anyways, let’s get to it because this will be a rather long one. :)
Hi @trompas-kun :) Thank you so much for liking my blog and my “Why SaNa over other ships” post. I apologize for it taking me so long to answer, but I kind of wrote more than I planned, and then I got sick for 3 weeks. I’m so sorry. T-T I hope it will be worth the wait.
I also want to say thank you for your questions! I find them very interesting, though I first hesitated to answer the first one due to the SaNa vs Lu/Na nature of it. But considering I still get random hate from Lu/Na shippers despite being fairly civil I suppose it doesn’t matter what I do. Besides, this is my view on the whole thing and I think it’s important to maybe add a counter to it since this concept of Toei being pro or anti various ships seem to have spread more and more the last couple of years, basically all of it coming from the Lu/Na shippers. Sadly the Sa/Na fandom doesn’t have as strong a voice as the Lu/Na one so this might go unnoticed to most, but I hope this view of Toei having their own secret agendas can die down at least a little as time passes.
Regarding Toei adding or changing things, they do it all the time to all kinds of moments. I personally think that the “Toei enhances Sana but downplays Lu/Na” is an exaggerated discourse that has spread because the Lu/Na shippers read the same analysis and spread some examples and trust it blindly instead of actually watching the anime and reading the manga with unbiased eyes. Not to mention when you have a bias you tend to notice “negative things” or things that go against your belief more. So because of this negativity bias and it being spread and talked about it has become “accepted” in the Lu/Na fandom that SaNa being pushed by Toei (at the expense of Lu/Na) is how it is. And because the Lu/Na fandom is loud and big it spreads even outside of their echo chamber to some degree, but from what I have seen this is mostly something that Lu/Na shippers claim and talk about and not the general fandom. So to begin with I wouldn’t say it’s “people saying” this, but rather fans that are Lu/Na shippers or anti Sa/Na.
I think it’s very convenient how the Lu/Na shippers ignore when the Toei makes things that highlight Nami and Luffy’s bond but say they favor Sa/Na when the truth is that Toei adds a lot in all kinds of moments, to fill out and make the anime longer than the manga. We for example have the whole Nebulandia thing which they praised to no end when it came out.
Not to mention in the WCI arc (around when this whole discorse started to spread) where they added a full moment of Nami going to Luffy and crying first after his fight with Sanji, though in the manga she goes directly to Sanji and has no interaction with Luffy until he wakes up again.
But I suppose Toei’s added moments are only “good” when it benefits them. For example how they love Nami wearing Luffy’s hat in Skypiea despite it being filler. She carries it in the manga, but she doesn’t wear it. It’s a small change, but one could call it “pandering” since Lu/Na shippers love to bring up Nami wearing his hat.
I could say in the same arc Sa/Na is “downplayed” by Toei making Sanji give flowers to both Nami and Robin when he only is shown wanting to give one to Nami in the manga. Of course over such a long show you can find various examples both for or against most ships being favored or “downplayed”. I do think these small changes can in some cases change an anime only watcher’s view, but most of the time it’s not really any huge changes that are being made.
They also forget that many of the “negative” Sa/Na moments are enhanced in the anime for gag purposes, something that makes many see Sa/Na in a worse way than they are portrayed in the manga. (Actually gags in general seems to get kind of overused in the anime.) For example showing Nami having to physically stop Sanji at times.
Sometimes Toei adds things that, though small, might change how the watchers view the characters but in no way do I think they are doing this to push one particular ship over another. I think this view that Toei pushes SaNa has more to do with recency bias and negativity bias in the shippers that don’t like SaNa. They focus on only what they consider bad for their own ship, especially after having this theory being presented to them, and make it into a bigger thing that it likely is. Then they more easily remember these examples rather than things that in contrast might be “bad” for Sa/Na as a ship.
I’ve spoken about Sa/Na and fillers before in Hidden SaNami - Manga and filler, and I am not going to lie and say we don’t get really good fillers at times. But I am also of the belief that what Toei does is add things mostly based on what they think fits. And it just so happens that Sanji is very much specifically attached to Nami and their dynamic works well both for gags and in some cases even “romantic looking scenarios” when there is real drama going on. The writers at Toei see that and so they fill out scenes that already exist or create new ones that are in their opinion in character for the strawhats. For example, they know Sanji is a heart-eyed pervert, and so they added more moments for him with the mermaids in Fishman Island as an example. During WCI he had a romance focused storyline and thus they also added moments between Sanji and Purin that were not in the manga.
Sanji saving her from falling and San/Pu holding hands is one example of something that never happened, which to me clearly shows it’s more about adding what they think they can in regards to the characters and the current story, rather than having some secret agenda for certain ships.
Another San/Pu example is this tiny panel where Sanji is carrying her being zoomed in and changed to a bridial carry. It happens to many ships and moments so the “Toei loves SaNa” simply isn’t true in my opinion.
Pandering to ships happens in most anime, and even Sanji x Zoro has gotten some rather obviously shippy moments. But the Lu/Na shippers don’t focus on or care about these other things, because Sa/Na (and to some extent Lu/Han) is their main target.
What I think Lu/Na fans might have a hard time accepting is that Luffy and Nami don’t have a relationship where you can add shippy types of moments as easily. Not that it hasn’t happened, just look at the Nebulandia special again. But Luffy in particular is simply ill-fitted for shippy moments. For Hancock they added a “shippy scene” with Luffy but that was of course a dream and a gag, because it would be weird to see Luffy act like that towards anyone. The whole joke is that it’s out of character for Luffy.
Toei saw a chance to be funny and took it. Similarly we have seen Sanji “dream” of having a child with Nami in filler, which is also more in line with Sanji but would be really weird to see coming from Nami.
From what I recall this whole idea of Toei being pro Sa/Na was born in the Lu/Na fandom after the Zou scene with Nami running after Sanji. Then they just looked for older moments to add to their already decided hypothesis that Toei is biased (while still being happy about whatever added Lu/Na moment Toei has made and saying things like “they got it right this time”).
Granted that scene between SaNa in Zou is very dramatic and even slightly romantic looking, but Nami during all of Zou was very much highlighted as the most worried about Sanji in the manga. Thus Toei likely took the chance to add this scene. Likewise Nami was hurt by Sanji in WCI and thus they added the corridor walk scene (which I’ve seen anti Sa/Na people use as an example of Nami hating Sanji by the way). It’s extra drama added based on similar previous moments and the feelings they expressed in the manga.
There is actually a particular post from a Lu/Na shipper that I suspect made this viewpoint more widespread through their community, and in that post they even use Sa/Na examples that aren’t correct. For example, they claim that Nami’s reaction in the moment in Skypiea when Sanji saves Nami and Usopp is exaggerated in the anime. (And that Toei stole/copied the moment from a Lu/Na scene). Let me just show you a piece of that post here.
But, it isn’t really the way this post describes it. They excluded some manga panels in their “analysis” post, making the change seem more dramatic than it was.
Maybe they read this very incorrect old translation and trusted it? (Personally I don’t understand how this translation could happen to begin with.)
I don’t know, but Nami is saying exactly the same thing she did in the anime, asking why Usopp is accelerating and mentioning Sanji before Usopp interrupt her. The scene is longer than the small panel, but that is literally the purpose of making an anime based of a manga. But the dialogue is the same in the manga and the anime, and thus the whole point of the anime changing this “move or be toasted” moment to be more pro SaNa is simply false.
I remember seeing this post when it was new, and admittedly I have not checked all comparisons and I am sure some are legit changes/filler additions, but the Skypiea moment in particular made me annoyed because I know they described it incorrectly and it’s a moment from the manga that I really like, where Nami is showing a lot of concern for Sanji. I won’t share the link or full original post, because I don’t want people to go there and comment and make a fuss, but I also wanted to mention it as I do think it has affected the Lu/Na shippers view a lot.
More than anything though I think that Lu/Na shippers forget how many Sanji x Nami moments Oda himself has written in the manga. Then they use the fillers as an excuse or even anti-SaNa propaganda to lift their own ship and downplay SaNa. This is the perhaps radical opinion I have about it at least, because honestly when going through a manga that is 1000+ chapters and adding filler moments to that you can probably find a lot of inconsistencies that align with whatever agenda you try to push. You just have to use the right angle and ignore examples that might go against your point. (Which the Lu/Na fandom clearly has done) “It’s Toei’s fault SaNa looks like a good ship to some” is such a weird rhetoric to have considering how many great SaNa moments there are in the manga.
For me Sa/Na in the manga is a good ship that has had a lot of great moments. I feel like Lu/Na shippers tend to ignore or downplay how much Oda has given Sanji and Nami time to have their own relationship development and that Sa/Na is far from a shallow gag ship that’s promoted by Toei as some of them try to claim. Luffy himself said in WCI to Sanji that “Nami and the others worried about you more than anyone” and Nami and Sanji had their own storylines with serious interactions in many arcs despite Sanji not being the main hero.
In the end, maybe Toei’s image of the manga and the characters simply doesn’t fit with what the Lu/Na shippers want it to be? Maybe they have read too much into things that don’t really suggest what they want it to? And then consequently get angry when other pairs get more shippy moments than their own.
Also, in general I find the filler excuse kind of funny, because they imply that Oda has no influence over the anime whatsoever and that Toei animation are the bad guys going against his will on purpose. Yet Toei also makes the movies, and some of those are extremely well-received, praised and used as “proof” amongst the Lu/Na fandom. So the movies are just this big exception when Toei does what Oda actually wants, while when it comes to the canon story being adapted they totally ignore Oda’s wishes and story? I very much doubt it. It’s simply Lu/Na shippers needing a villain for why things don’t look the way they want in the added anime moments, which are supposed to be extended filler based on the manga material and characters’ personalities. Of course they might not get it all right when making the anime, but I very much doubt they are adding things for some targeted reason towards shippers. (Though, again, pandering does exist to some extent where it might work in line with the characters).
In my opinion there are fillers added that are both positive and negative in regards to most fans’ views of the characters. But they are there to fill gaps, and to prolong the anime. Some are extensions of scenes Oda wrote, others are complete AU’s like the Edo Historical Special fillers. But it’s still going to be based on how the writers, producers and directors have interpreted the characters in the manga. Often that will mean things like more exaggerated gags or rehashed stories with new filler characters or the existing scenes getting more “flare”.
Of course at times the anime does very stupid additions that doesn’t always make sense, but even so the manga is still their source material. Though of course they only know what already is and not what Oda is planning to write. Hence we can sometimes see things lean more into what is going on in the current arc sometimes. Like in the 3rd movie when Sanji says he wants to be a prince, likely because of his Mr. Prince portrayal in Alabasta happening close to the movie being made, despite this clearly going against canon now years later when we know he is a prince and doesn’t like his heritage at all.
If Lu/Na shippers say Toei adds more shippy moments for SaNa than Lu/Na then it’s likely because Toei thinks it’s more in line with Sanji and Nami as characters compared to with Luffy. In the end though, filler is filler, and what Oda writes is what truly matters.
Personally I think the portrayal of Sanji and Nami is better in the manga compared to the anime (as most things) and never has filler been a reason for me personally to ship them or think they could become canon. It’s simply added moments, sometimes they are nice and other times not so nice. I know many other SaNa shippers are the same. I wanted to say this because too many times I see anti SaNa fans say those that ship them together must not read the manga. Trust me, we do.
But who knows, maybe I am the salty and biased one and Toei is actually pro Sa/Na against the will of Oda.
As for your second question I touched on it veeeery briefly in THIS POST speaking a little about SaNa in Wano. But I must admit this question is a lot more difficult to me than the first one. Especially since you ask about Nami’s feelings manifesting in particular and also asking for a prediction.
Honestly I don’t think we have gotten anything major from Nami herself except her worry and involvement in Sanji’s story during Zou and WCI. We got a few moments in Wano as well, like Sanji carrying her again, protecting her and of course the “Take care of my Nami-san” line. For me it’s the possible changes in Oda’s writing of Sanji and Nami and some of Sanji’s interactions and reactions to Nami that makes me think feelings from Nami’s side might be slowly developed and could appear in some form further ahead.
I know you said “recent arcs” but I hope you will allow me to go back a bit to other arcs as well to explain what I mean.
In my opinion I don’t think it’s impossible that Oda has escalated Sanji and Nami’s interactions and highlighted their interest and worry of each other for a long time now. Of course it’s always been there, even back in Arlong Park, Drum Island, Skypiea and of course Enies Lobby and Thriller Bark. Often Oda has paired the two together or at least made one chase or help the other. As Oda once put it, after he draws Nami it’s simply natural that Sanji follows (Watch video at 46.40). And this might be partly a joke, but we also know it’s true and we have many good interactions between them in most arcs.
What I think is that during Fishman Island, Punk Hazard and Dressarosa Oda started the more obvious set up with Sanji for Whole Cake Island and what was to come with his family and backstory. What Oda did before WCI with Sanji was to set up and remind the readers of four things in particular; his kindness, his doubt in his value to the crew as more than a chef (as part of his sacrificial nature), his chivalry and lastly even his character’s “chance” for romance. I think Oda brought back these things to remind us clearly who Sanji is and what he is about before his fate during Zou and WCI was revealed. The fact that Oda has used Sanji in two romantic plots with first Viola and then Purin and with both of them ending up liking him despite their initial goal and them turning to the aid of the strawhats because of him says a lot on its own.
So why does this matter for the development of SaNa? Well, first of all Sanji was clearly seen leaving both these women behind for Nami in particular. We even saw Purin’s reaction to SaNa specifically. Of course one could say it’s simply to foreshadow Purin liking Sanji and it being read as jealousy, but in the end it’s still Oda drawing Sanji with Nami happily in his arms after everything they have been through.
I’ve said it before but I don’t think Oda keeps making moments like this at random. Nami has been there in several pivotal moments for Sanji, and she and Sanji have in many instances been placed together to add to the other’s story or highlight the other’s character traits. For many of the plot set-ups with Sanji prior to WCI Nami was there to explain or show it to us readers.
For example saying Yonji is nothing like Sanji or through her doubting the Sanji clone is really him due to him not helping them.
Other characters also mention often how kind Sanji is and honestly I think people need to remember that this is a trait Oda sees in Sanji and keeps mentioning. I say this because in the WCI arc in particular Oda portrays Sanji as a good potential love interest and a very good person in general. A lot of anti-SaNa fans seem to think Nami sees no positive traits in Sanji, despite Oda writing Nami saying good things as direct opinions from her that she has about Sanji. Clearly she sees a lot of good in him despite his flaws and Oda had her point it out clearly.
We also know Sanji has risked or straight out sacrificed himself for Nami many times, but she has most times not seen it or even known about it. Of course she cares about her nakama and Nami has been used in this way before (and with other crewmembers as well), but even so I think Oda’s focus on Nami in particular is there to clearly show us her image of him before everything unfolds in the Zou and WCI arcs after. He is someone she can trust and depend on, a savior and protector, and she doesn’t want to see him get hurt.
We even got Nami coming out of hiding in Zou because she was worried. Not to mention she willingly goes to a Yonkou territory for Sanji’s sake, and actually she is insisting on following despite being told no at first. She also defends Sanji against Zoro and gets offened on his behalf and is in general the main driving force behind going to save Sanji.
Another rather subtle change from Oda (though noticable amongst SaNa shippers for sure) is the increased amount in touching between Sanji and Nami. Something that has been seen through several cases in WCI, and that continued on to Wano as well though most of it was Sanji carrying many people at the same time.
I also think WCI could have been a turning point for Nami’s feelings even though she isn’t showing it openly yet. Maybe she will keep being tsundere about it until the end, or maybe she isn’t really aware of her own feelings herself yet. I could also be reading things wrong. But I don’t think we should underestimate Oda adding one sign of Sanji seeing mutual affection, one joke about a proposal and a possessive claim of Nami being “his”. Because Oda likely won’t write something like this for no reason, and though two of them are hidden behind gags, it’s a change compared to earlier moments that are similar.
I am actually writing a small theory on this and how Sanji might sense Nami’s feelings slowly changing for him through his observation haki. I would love to talk about it more because I think this could be Oda’s way of changing things very slowly without making it obvious, but I kinda think it needs a post of its own.
I think that either Oda will keep adding these small types of moments but not really commit to making anything official until the very end, or if we are lucky, he will write more to build on the conflict in WCI and what Nami knows about Sanji to add some bigger moments between them. But I doubt any of it will be any type of confirmed relationship as I don’t think Oda will want to change the strawhat dynamics until the series is ending.
(Though Purin coming back is also likely happening and I think that is definitely going to show us if Oda has intentions for San/Pu to develop to something more or not.)
Anyways, to sum it up I think Oda’s way of writing SaNa and adding more touch and things like that between them is a sign for SaNa to possibly happen further ahead. But I think Nami is still either tsundere or maybe even unaware of her feelings, and Sanji is sensing them but letting things stay the way they are. I think Oda might be stalling so he doesn’t have to write actual romance or change their interactions too much. Does that make sense? So Nami’s feelings are right now mostly manifesting through Sanji sensing them change slowly, basically. Hence comments like “My Nami-san” only happening in Wano despite Sanji being the way he is since the very beginning. At the very least Oda has definitely given SaNa a lot of great looking moments in the New World and I hope he will keep it up.
I could probably go into more details or examples, but I hope I kind of answered your question at least. I know I wrote a lot more about the first topic, but like I said that was a lot easier and more straightforward.
I hope this was all an interesting read for you. Either way I want to say thanks for asking it though, because I had a lot of fun writing this.
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