“ONE PIECE” is one of the best Japanese anime stories ever told. Created, written and illustrated by Oda Eiichiro this manga series was published in a popular Shonen magazine called Weekly Shonen Jump. The story began in 1997, and continues on to this day. It still is not fully completed.
To explain it simply, the story follows Monkey D. Luffy and his band of pirates as they search for the One Piece. Along the way they meet all kinds of allies and adversaries. What’s really compelling about the story is everything is interconnected. And I mean EVERYTHING. Oda has previously said he has the ending in mind, and knows exactly how he’s going to get there. There’s not one thing in the story that doesn’t need to be.
While the anime and manga may be daunting to pick up given that there’s just so much of it, it really is worth watching and reading. I’ve watched every episode of the anime, and while it is a long project, the story is interesting enough that you will want to keep going. To give you an idea, we’re now on episode 1,075 and it took me about a year of watching 3-4 (sometimes more) episodes per night to catch up.
How Does the Live Action Series Compare?
A lot of people are wondering if the live action really holds up to the anime/manga. It would be an understatement to say that fans are pleased with the adaptation. There are a lot of things that really set this apart as an adaptation of something that fans already considered top tier. Considering how poorly recieved other Netflix adaptations like “Death Note” and “Cowboy Bebop” were, people are saying “ONE PIECE” has broken the curse. [Editor’s note: “Bebop” was GREAT, and we have high hopes for the upcoming “Avatar: The Last Airbender” live-action.]
The casting director really did a bang up job of choosing the group that would portray the Straw Hat Pirates. Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), Ronroa Zoro (Mackenyu), Nami (Emily Rudd), Vinsmoke Sanji (Taz Skylar), Usopp (Jacob Romero Gibson) and Koby (Morgan Davies) are just a few of the cast that perfectly fit the roles. I can’t honestly think of anyone who was cast in this that didn’t portray the character almost spot on.
Each episode’s plot, from who and where it was set to the smaller details of background scenery was absolutely stellar. There are multiple nods to the source material for even things that couldn’t be included. But if we’re talking about things that weren’t included there really wasn’t much, a few characters were left out for the sake of coherent story telling but we’re talking maybe 4 or 5, and one was a dog. The dog however did have a cameo, so again even the little things are addressed.
What Did Fans Enjoy the Most?
From the multiple anime groups I’m in, there were a few things everyone agreed on. It is good, rewatchable, and is a great introduction into the world of “ONE PIECE.” (G)Oda Eiichiro having so much involvement is awesome. The fact that he personally told Iñaki Godoy he was the only choice to play Monkey D. Luffy really stuck with fans. All of the casting choices got great reception, from the same fans that weren’t sure about these casting decisions just two years ago.
One of my favorite things about the live action is that we got to see more of Luffy and Koby’s relationship as friends. It’s there in the manga and anime, but not as much in the anime. Since this series is a more succinct version of both, we were able to see their friendship and how each character will grow in the future. Eight episodes covered about 60-ish episodes of the anime.
The Arlong Park arc was probably my personal favorite because it took fishmen and really made them real. While watching the anime, I didn’t quite get the threatening aura that Arlong had, or the impact that his character would have had on Nami. In this adaptation, Arlong (McKinley Belcher III) came across a lot stronger, and more of a viable villain. Other shout outs from the fanbase were Klahadore aka Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates (Alexander Maniatis) who had the best hand to glasses technique ever. He also played the part of the bad guy trying to blend in as a good guy well. Another case of someone who wasn’t that scary in the anime becoming a monster in the live action.
Then there is Mihawk (Steven Ward) who shows up and just drips with Emperor of the sea energy. From the movements to the accent this portrayal of Mihawk is the best we could have hoped for.
There were a ton of Easter eggs throughout the series. Small things setting up future lore like the headline mentioning the Revolution Army in the papers to larger things like mentions of Baroque Works which is a big part of the next season’s set up when they journey to Alabasta.
Mostly though, there are a lot of people online just posting thirsty images of Buggy (Jeff Ward) who turned out to be the secret star of the show. Buggy, the super hot clown pirate. Who knew?
Turning Non-Anime Watchers into Anime Watchers
This new live action adaptation from Netflix has been a blessing for those of us who love anime, but our partners or friends haven’t exactly come around yet. I was able to get my husband who can’t stand watching anime currently to watch the entire live action on Netflix. And now he’s asking questions and I feel like a scholar. What he’s not aware of is that I’m going to put on episodes to catch his interest and I’m sure that by the end of the week, he’ll be in it for the long run.
The series is having the same effect on people everywhere. Those who are especially into Western comics and superheroes already are coming around and watching the new series. One thing that was mentioned by my husband is that he really appreciates the series treating the world seriously. If it were done in any kind of hokey way where they tried to pull of say Buggy as more of a silly entity, it would have failed. And because of the care they put into the live action with bringing this massive super powered world it succeeded and surpassed everyone’s expectations.
The NEW Big Three
Previously when talking about the “Big Three” among anime watchers you would get anything from “Naruto,” “Bleach” and “ONE PIECE,” to “Jujutsu Kaisen” or other newer anime that have earned fans favor. Now though, it’s been trending the the new “Big Three” is simply just “ONE PIECE” but the manga, anime and now live action. I can’t say for sure if this will hold out but I certainly hope it does. Considering this story is one of the best ever pirate tales ever told, I hope it stays in the limelight until the story gets to finish.
What About a Season 2?
Season 2 has not been confirmed at this time, but word is scripts are nearly finished. It’s really going to depend on when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes ends. Hopes are if everything gets worked out soon, production could start, and a second season would be on the platform sometime in 2025.
Catch both the anime and live-action series on Netflix now.
