@dropper:
Last time I remember them being that artsy was for one episode previews during thriller bark, they a lot of bold text over the clips shown, looked uber dramatic, but don't have a clue what they were trying to achieve.
Haha, i completely forgot about that one preview. Now i remember people freaking out, thinking that was coming to stay.
@Crossword:
While his post-timeskip episodes have been generally good, there was a long period of time from like Thriller Bark forward (and possibly earlier than that, since I didn't start paying attention to the animation directors until around then) where Takagi's art was rather on the sloppy side. His models tended to be very over-exaggerated and cartoonish, and not in the usual One Piece way. Historically he's been around Yokoyama quality, but if he continues to show improvement and doesn't slide, and it does seem like his episodes have been getting more robust staffs lately, then he will eventually be upgraded.
I think Takagi got this reputation because his late EL episodes looked sloppy, but then again, almost every episode looked rushed around that time.
I always liked him much better than the likes of Yokoyama, his style is very lively and distinct - although i can see why some people wouldn't appreciate that, i think it works much better than the blandness of other AD's. And he did some of the best Impel Down/Fishmen Island episodes.