72. [Review] One Piece (Netflix Live Adaptation)- I'm going to be King of the Pirates
One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda, is an iconic manga and anime series that has captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. It has rich storytelling, intricate world-building, and memorable characters have made it a beloved classic. In 2021, Netflix announced its intention to produce a live-action adaptation of the series, sparking both excitement and apprehension among fans. I decided to watch it with my brother every single day last week.
I watched a couple of anime episodes a decade ago or so. I was slightly discouraged by the many chapters and felt like I couldn't finish it, so I set it aside. My family, however, adores this manga/anime (way more than me!). I knew all of the characters, but my mind forgot a lot of the story arcs while I was watching, so I literally did not remember what happened when I was watching the live-action adaptation.
My brother described my viewing as this,
"You watching the Netflix One Piece is like eating Panda Express... Okay, Panda Express is pretty good, but it's not really genuine Chinese food. You get all of the same elements, sort of the same flavor... It's still tasty though, I'll eat it."
Source: One Piece creator on Inaki as Luffy: ‘He was just like the person I drew in my manga’
The live-action Netflix adaptation of One Piece faces a daunting task in capturing the essence of the beloved manga and anime. The challenges of character depiction, world-building, special effects, and story pacing are significant. However, if executed with care, creativity, and respect for the source material, it would the potential to offer fans a fresh perspective and probably give Netflix the redemption arc for their anime adaptations (e.g., Cowboy Bebop and Death Note).
Cast
- Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy
- Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro
- Emily Rudd as Nami
- Kevin Saula as young Usopp
- Taz Skylar as Sanji
- Vincent Regan as Monkey D. Garp
- Jeff Ward as Buggy the Clown
- Morgan Davies as Koby
skip the following if you don't want to see spoilers in each episode _____________________________________________________________________
My (unfiltered) thoughts (in bulleted list form) throughout the whole series:
Episode 1:
- Wow, why is Shanks so fine??
- This Luffy actor is perfect. Perfect casting. I love him.
- But man... I can't believe they really domesticated my boy (Luffy) in this series.. He's usually kinda unhinged
- Oh, my brother told me that they're not following the source material to heart, like... Nami wasn't supposed to be seen that early on.
- Okay Zoro is hot too ?!?
- my boy Koby isn't screaming and complaining as much in the live action versus the anime
Episode 2:
- God, I am afraid of clowns..
- yoooo the special effects ?!?!
- jesus christ that clown is menacing
- ARLONG PARK
- THE ZORO FIGHT SCENES ARE KINDA AMAZING WOW.
me the entire time watching this entire series
Episode 3 and 4
- I forgot what happened in this Usopp and Kaya arc... let me predict it give me a second (to my brother)
- Oh that butler looks sus dude
- HAHAHAH
Episode 5 and 6
- Alright is this my boy Sanji?
- WOW LOVE HIM (Sanji)
- omg the backstory...
- Nooooo what happened here
- why is mihawk so fine here too!? he's so beautiful wow.
- THAT'S WHY HE HAS ONE LEG?!? I FORGO-
Episode 7 and 8
- my brother and I were freaking out over how good the fight choreo was
- if i had a dollar every time I predicted the exact line they would utter during a certain part of dialogue, I would have
- Yo Koby and Helmeppo gets a training arc?? I hope I see them completely jacked in the next season...
Very rarely there is a live action adaptation to a manga or anime that truly is good quality (well actually, I really liked Speed Racer (2008) to be honest...)Oh I hope there is a Season Two.
~ a gomu-gomu no mi,
<3 K